Poor misunderstood snake people

My mom is hilarious about the rats in the freezer. She says "I'm never eating over at your house, what if you grab the wrong thing?!"

I fell over laughing and said "I think I can tell the difference between a bag of chicken and a bag of rats. The day I can't, I think it's time to just give it all up and put me in a home anyway." I mean... seriously! She'll be SO glad when we have a snake room with a mini-freezer someday ;)

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Daniel, I know exactly what you are talkin about......people think I'm weied just for loving snakes; but when I tell them how many I have, they cringe....with eyes bulging out.....there are a lot of people from Africa, particulerly Kenya that can't believe it. They all tell me Africans are terrified of snakes and think all snakes are venomous....I tell them one of the coolest snakes in the world comes from their very homeland.

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I worked with a guy from Nigeria, and he was terrified of snakes and frogs. (possibly any reptile) Of course he had been bitten by some poisonous snake and almost died, so I won't make fun of him too much. ;) I was knee deep in a swamp (don't ask, I was working in an entomology lab) and he scared a black rat snake toward me. I didn't have an issue with the snake, I just didn't want it to take up resident in my boots. :rolleyes:

I have been scared by snakes before...more of the surprised kinda scared than fear though...

...I don't care how much of a 'snake person' you are....if you are walking through the woods and realize you just stepped really close to a copperhead or cottonmouth...your heart will be beating through your chest ;)

ha....when I mentioned I kept snakes to the student from India...I got a look of surprise....then I quickly explained they were small snakes with no venom....then it seemed to be ok ;) ha ha...i guess when you come from the land of the cobras and giant pythons...snakes are something to worry about.....the snakes in north america are kinda tame compared to those :D

I was pretty excited to hear my Mom cooing and ahhing over the pictures on the little snake website I made up. She's never really been around snakes, but she definitely thinks our girls are cute (and like, who wouldn't?! :wuv: ) and is excited to meet them next time she visits.

My step-mother, on the other hand, still thinks we're insane. Muwhahahhaa...:halohorn:

My mom's going to be a hard one. She saw pictures of Kinky on my website and nearly flipped. Asked me what would happen someday when Kinky bit me. First of all, I seriously doubt it'll happen. Second, it's not so bad as most people think.


But Mom won't even talk about being in the same room with the snakes. And I can't exactly force them on her... She respects my wishes in keeping them---though she totally doesn't understand---so I have to respect her right in now wanting to be around them. I doubt she'll ever be converted. Sister's the same way. My father, maybe. He respects them as wild animals, as having a place in the world. He just doesn't necessarily want to be living with them.

Though, if I have any say, my little niece is going to LOVE all reptiles. I already sit her in front of my computer and show her pictures of "the sweet, pretty snakes." :devilish:

I get the weirdo comments as well.
I tell people I love them, I adore snakes, that they are truley marvelous gorgeous animals. I get replies from "Uh-huh." to "Snakes are evil and you should kill them all." Hmmm. Yeah. Once in a while I get surprised.
I had an elderly client who came in to pick up her dog(from my grooming shop) and I happened to have my Bill(MP) on me at the time playing with him. I immediately tried to hide him, as I could just she her having a coronary in the front of my shop when she noticed him. Just as I am winding up the "He is perfectly harmless, and here, I will lock him back up safely away so he can't get you" speech... she goes, "Oh how lovely!" In the sweetest little white-gloved going-to-church little-old-lady voice imaginable. She insisted on petting him and told me how her son was a snake doctor, except she could never pronouce the actual term. Then she laughed this little laugh and asked if I could give her her dog so she could get back home to the Mission meeting.
I've had people who would NEVER ever touch a snake, get over it seeing Bill being all placid and end up holding him.
Wonderful and frustrating at the same time, dealing with non-snake people.
Wolfy