Most common questions/misconceptions?

My personal favourite:

"Does it have to eat mice/rats?"

And the classic ones that have already been mentioned:
"Is it poisonous?"
"Are you sure it's not poisonous?"
"Really? It's definitely not poisonous?"
"It looks poisonous."
"I don't want to hold it."

I always get asked how does it sleep?

Sorry for the delay!

I think I'll add sleep under the "poop" question as "things all animals do." :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by _BoidFinatic_

If by "typical," you mean cats and dogs... then you're right about them not quite being on the menu, however if pet birds, rodents, and lagomorphs such as rabbits, are also "typical," then you know that there's a problem with your statement. Try to clarify that a loose snake might have interest to some pets, no matter how large or small they are. And that the only prevention is secure caging for all of your animals.

I would also add: "Won't snakes constrict you?"
Your answer would go over SFEs and how they can be prevented. Be sure to include that these are purely the fault of the human being. In addition, explain what would make a snake constrict you in the first place.

We're getting there :P .

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First, I got to ask... What do you mean by SFEs? I don't know this abbreviation. :oops: What is it? Spring Florist Event? Sydney Futures Exchange? Scottish Financial Exchange? Google fails me! :rolleye2:

Wouldn't the constrict thing fall under the "Do snakes bite?" issue? Maybe I should change that to "bite/constrict".

Also, I'm really trying to get a short and simple paragraph for every question, and this one I'm starting to consider just cutting as I kind of cover it with the house rabbit question I get all the time. Maybe making this one children specific. Hmm. Well, here's the current rewrite! Tentative of course, still trying to get something short sweet and simple. Not sure how to address the elasticity thing that way now, like why a boa can't eat an elephant. :P Oh well.

~Will your snake eat you /my dog/my cat/children?

Any news story you’ve heard about people/pet being killed or eaten by a pet snake (one of the giant species) is the fault of an irresponsible human being or an urban legend. A well fed, properly handled, well secured snake is not a danger to anyone or anything. Just like needing to be careful with small pets like birds, guinea pigs, etc when you have a big dog, it’s the same with a sizable snake except that snakes aren't trainable like canines. And honestly, any good parent will obviously not keep an animal that will eat their children! Please don’t ask someone if their snake will eat their children, you’re basically calling them a bad parent. The answer is “of course not!"

Poop re-write!

~Do they poop?

Yes! All animals poop. Snakes don’t do it as often as other animals though, for example most of my snakes poo once a week just as they eat once a week. One of them only goes once a month and when he does… it’s a doozy! And no, you can't litter train a snake, when they gotta go they gotta go. ;) Snakes also drink water, pee, and sleep just like any other animal. It’s just hard to tell they’re sleeping because they don’t have eyelids.

Great thread and FAQ, I would love to link to it on my site once it is completed. Oh and SFE is Stupid Feeding Error. :)

Thank you on both counts! lol, I've been puzzling over SFE for days. :redface:

I will post a link on this thread when it's done. :) Well, done enough. I'm slowly adding more graphics to the site so a lot of it isn't technically "done" yet. But the text is more important, and soon as that's set I'll have the FAQ up. :D

Here's the re-write of a different question to include constriction and SFEs. :)

~Why do snakes bite?

Two reasons. A: Stupid feeding errors such as not washing your hands after handling food (or a pet rodent) thus smelling like food, not using tongs/ dropping food in and dangling the food item by the tail etc, this is also the reason a snake would constrict or B: They’re scared. Snakes don’t bite because they’re mean or out to get you or anything like that. A nippy snake is a frightened snake. Generally, if you leave a wild snake alone they’ll leave you alone too and happily flee in the opposite direction.

i remembered this one as it happened yet again- people who talk about the chance of my ball python morphing into a burm then point out that "what about x EXPERIENCED keeper who raised that snake since it was a baby being attacked and killed"

and i simply called the bull and said "the fact they are dead only leads me to assume they were an arsehat and were very unexperienced- i've seen those shows, and some of those idiots wouldn't even have a second person with them, didn't wash up or take other simple precautions- just because you've had a snake for a couple of years does not make you experienced. i could keep a baby burm for a few years before it gets unmanageable but that would not make me 'experienced' with burms. its 'okay' if you make feeding or handling mistakes with babies because they aren't as big or heavy- but you make those same mistakes after a certain point and it is going to come back and get you"

I have the html up http://www.bluegorgon.com/FAQ.htm but I haven't linked to it from any of my other pages yet, and am still fussing. Thank you so much everyone for the help and contributions! If you see anything else or have more suggestions, as always much appreciated!

Experienced and irresponsible are definitely two different things!

Reminds me a bit of the guy who said he was going to report me and another person with house rabbits to the ASPCA since it's abusive to keep rabbits indoors, he claimed he knew this because he kept rabbits for many many years. My only reponse was a link to the ASPCA rabbit caresheet. ;) Never heard from him again, lol. Experience is good, but responsibility and a willingness to learn need to go with it! So I have now added this question to the FAQ.

~But I know an experienced guy who’s kept snakes for years and he told me the opposite of some/many of your answers on this page! How do you explain that?

What we know about snakes, all kinds of pets, and heck even proper Human health care changes all the time. We’re always learning, and we need to adapt to new information best we can in order to provide our animals with the best of care. Some folks just don’t like change, and choose to stubbornly ignore new information. Myself, I’d rather admit I was wrong and make a positive change than give outdated information. That’s why I date the bottom of this and the VBB Caresheet. So you can see the last time I learned something new and altered the page appropriately.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MedusasOwl

Here's the re-write of a different question to include constriction and SFEs. :)

~Why do snakes bite?

Two reasons. A: Stupid feeding errors such as not washing your hands after handling food (or a pet rodent) thus smelling like food, not using tongs/ dropping food in and dangling the food item by the tail etc, this is also the reason a snake would constrict or B: They’re scared. Snakes don’t bite because they’re mean or out to get you or anything like that. A nippy snake is a frightened snake. Generally, if you leave a wild snake alone they’ll leave you alone too and happily flee in the opposite direction.

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Sorry for the delay with me too. Yes, Stupid Feeding Errors is great to list under that question. Just add in that even after holding a pet bird of any sort, will initiate a response!
Everything looks great ..congrats !:carrot: