Thought about others views on snake owners and their pets lol.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by anatess

So then, we got the snakes and he fed it a live rat and he said, it's okay because it doesn't look like the rat was hurt too much and there's no blood.

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A child with such good reasoning skills. lol.

My friend and I were standing in line in the cafeteria here at college and I mentioned to him about one of our rats being preggo and hoping for babies soon to feed off, well one of his female friends who was also standing in the same line overheard us and butted into the conversation stating that feeding the babies was cruel (side note, we were at a mexican stand with a big pile of chicken and hamburger meat, lol.). She asked how I would feel if someone ate my child, I simply laughed and told her there was a big difference in feeding to survive and cannibalism for the heck of it. lol. I guess ignorance really is bliss.

To date I have been very fortunate that the folks who have entered my life atleast understand why I have snakes as pets before being judged as a "freak" or a "nut job":). Before my wife there existed a passion for reptiles. Since then she has learned to not only accept my passion but also break down any barriers she may have had about snakes. She is pretty well rounded these days and I am proud of her for taking such a step.:salute:

Friends and neighbors have come to understand, not accept that I have snakes within slithering reach of their door steps. They also know the degree of my responsibility to my BP's. I think if someone is open minded to see things from a new perspective as opposed to just sticking to what they truely don't know, then this allows for a small seed of appreciation to flurish. I'm not expecting everyone that comes over will run out and go get a snake, but I can say when they leave they are armed with facts not folklore.:D

We have the minivan adventures just like any other family, and have the poodles groomed just like any other dog lover would. When we have company over they don't even notice we have BP's in the house. We met a new couple with kids some time ago and had them over so we can get to know them and the woman mentioned "wow that is a great idea to have all of those sweater boxes setup like that when you run out of closet space". LOL:rofl: I looked at my wife and we let her run with it. They know we don't keep sweaters there and found it interesting and they still come over and hang out. My kids will be the first to greet you and ask if you want to see a snake. They rock! :gj:

I not only have a passion for reptiles but I (and the kids) take great pride in caring for them. If you don't want to come over because we have snakes, then I will see you at the next PTA... Till then, have a great life becuase my family and I are enjoying ours:P.

My :2cent:

Such good points being made here! When I tell someone I have snakes, most of the time they shake their heads, like trying to get rid of a wasp in their brain, and say "what? What did you just say?" I tell them again and they say "wow, I wouldn't expect that of you!" like I just did something terrible and disappointing.

I then proceed to tell them that snakes make wonderful pets that don't make noise, eat only once a week, don't need to go on walks, can be left for a few days if I need to go somewhere out of town, and don't make a mess of my apartment.

Usually, the person is still stuck on me having snakes in the first place by the time I am done explaining.

The next thing I am asked is : "but they don't cuddle or love you do they?" I try to not respond by telling them most animals (yes, even cute furry ones) are not from Disney and DON'T love or hate anything, they just are what they are and will act like whatever animal they are. People seem to not be able to accept that animals are NOT people, but DO deserve our respect and empathy and care. Having affection for an animal is human, but treating animals like humans is not doing that animal any favors.

I think that it is interesting that a few of you brought up peoples' need for affection and that people feel they need to receive gratitude from their pets in order to enjoy their animals. A lot of people think this way (that their animals should give them affection in return for their care). I think this type of mentality is ridiculous. If you truly want to make your animals happy you will treat them like that animal, not like a child. In my mind, it is selfish to expect any gratitude from your pet.

I think a lot of problems stem from movies (Disney in particular) that treat animals in an anthropomorphic fashion, leading people to believe from the time they are youngsters that every animal is just like a certain type of person, nationality, race, or gender.

I could go on and on and on......


Interesting thread! :)