Hobby seen as an obsession??

Anyone else have this happen?

Was talking to my mom on the phone the other day about my snakes, and she asked if I was "done getting more snakes". Of course I said no and she went on to say that having 10 and wanting to get more is sounding obsessive to her and that I don't "need" any more snakes. We argued for a bit, me saying that noone needs anything; my snakes are merely a hobby that I enjoy being apart of and I would like to breed down the road when I become more experienced (on top of that I want to own my own exotic pet store someday). Since starting collecting, I never thought of my collecting as an obsession: it's my passion, and since I was very young I've always had something that I collected. It's just who I am and how my personality is.

Has anyone had anyone see your love of a hobby/your passion as being "obsessive"? Personally, when I hear of people being obsessed over something I hear that in a negative light. A bad obsession would be one where a person spends money on something that they can't afford, it affects their social life/family life/personal life negativly, or they are held back due to their obsession and don't go anywhere in life. To me, that's what I think about when I think about someone being obsessed over something - their quality of life goes down.

I suppose in a way her reaction made me sad because I don't want to share news about my snakes or new additions with her now because I don't think she approves of my hobby like I thought she did. :(

I no longer tell people how many snakes I own because I'm tired of being stared at like I'm some crazy hoarder. God forbid I mention the massive rat orgy that I have going on in my garage. :D

I wonder if your mom has ever collected anything? Most people have something they like to spend their "extra" money on. Some folks go on cruises, some collect antiques, some buy fancy clothing or Prada bags and $500 shoes. Some buy season tickets and attend every football game.

Everyone has things they spend their money on, passions they make time for. Ours is snakes(well and action figures for me too... ahem, but I digress...) and it's not a common passion/hobby. But then, Civil War re-enactors spend thousands of dollars, and several weekends a year with their hobby... some guys buy suits that cost thousands of dollars... some folks own $100K in jewelry.

It's all different strokes for different folks. Keep talking to your mom about your passion. Ask about her own hobbies or passions. Eventually she'll figure out it's not a "unhealthy obcession", it's a hobby.

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Originally Posted by spitzu

I no longer tell people how many snakes I own because I'm tired of being stared at like I'm some crazy hoarder. God forbid I mention the massive rat orgy that I have going on in my garage. :D

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I'm with you, but I don't have the rats. I'm done telling people how many snakes I have, I just answer more than you want to know. I'm tried of crazy looks.

My mom is a lot like yours Daybreaker. When I talk to her she asks if I've gotten any more critters. Sometimes I answer honestly, some times I don't. :P She seems to accept it, but lately has been telling me I shouldn't get any more until I start producing babies and selling them, which I can understand. I've sunk a lot of money into reptiles this year when I could have been paying double on my college loans and getting out of debt faster.

Color me obsessed! Wouldn't have it any other way though :) Gotta do what you love, not everyone is going to get it. What I tell people is if everyone in the world had the same hobbies and interests, this would be a pretty boring place.

yea i get told all the time that snakes are a waste and what not, but it's funny how its ok when i sale a 500 dollar snake, lol. do what makes you happy as long as it does not over run your life. :gj:

I agree with the things said above. If you are able to afford your hobby and it isn't affecting you or the ones around you in a negative way then I wouldn't consider it obsessive. I have spent my whole life intrigued by reptiles. I think about my current animals and future goals with them more than anything else. I would like to eventually teach zoology at a community college. I have found a unique path for my life, reptiles are what lit the fire for me to progress my life's ambitions. I wouldn't have it any other way.

By the way I also stopped telling most people about how many reptiles I have. Only the ones close to me know, and I think they know way more about them than they've ever wanted to. I try hard to keep the reptile discussions to a minimum with others because I feel people generally don't care or judge me for it. That's why I spend my time on here.

You guys and gals...understand me...:tears: Haha :D

I'm only 14 and I have at least 30 snakes and 3 geckos. At the last reptile show, my mom kept telling me that I should get crested geckos after she saw my friends. Now my mom collects chihuahuas and I collects reptiles lol.

Thanks guys, you made me feel better :)

My mom has her own interests as does my dad, I just think they didn't expect my one snake I got last November to turn me into a "snake collector" - though like I mentioned they don't understand the hobby or why it's so interesting and addicting to me.

I think I'll refrain from telling people I don't know very well about the size of my collection (though I think it's small compared to others' collections!) to avoid misconceptions and judgements. It's too bad though, I am really proud of my collection and each and every individual snake I have!

i told probably half the ppl i see on a regular basis about my first snake and some judged but most were excited to see it. then i got more and only the ppl that come over to my house while i happen to have one or more of them out, roommate holds them too, end up getting chatted up about them because no one knows too much about snakes and i like giving them some knowledge of something new.

It's all in the eye of the beholder.

What is an obsession and way too many snakes to the general public is the beginings of a fine collection to other snake owners.

I typically go with a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

When I only had three snakes and they were pets, people thought that was "too much."

I now have twenty snakes and I don't bother telling anyone. Everyone WOULD think it's some sort of obsession or hoarding. Problem is, they don't realize that 1) ball pythons are WORLDS easier to take care of than other pets like cats or dogs; 2) all the animals have great husbandry and can be cared for financially, both in terms of food/supplies and any emergency vet care; 3) they aren't pets, they're future breeders, which is an important distinction.. my normal is a pet, the others I don't want to stress so I don't treat them like pets - and they eat like demons.

Obsession implies negativity and some of detriment. In hoarding cases you very frequently see lots of animals that suffer because they aren't all fed, aren't properly cared for, never can see a vet... but if you're caring properly for all your animals then there's no issue, no matter how many you have. Soon as husbandry starts to fail or you have little money to go around with the animals, that's when there's a problem... but before that, so long as everyone has their fair and proper share of both your time and money? Nada!

I consider it a hobby, but many around me call it an obsession. I've told people how many snakes I have but I may stop telling them that, especially my mother. My husband and I want to start a family soon and my mother keeps pushing us to re-home some of our animals, mostly the snakes. She thinks the reptiles are going to give the baby salmonella or may get loose and eat the baby. :rolleyes:

Well, I know that I take good care of my animals and I am not stopping at 25 snakes. :D

I got my first pet at 18, a dwarf hamster named chowder. After realizing how awful a pet he was, I kept him is whole life he was just left pretty much alone, I picked up 2 rats. I moved out the following year and was up to 9 rats. I've stayed fairly consistant at that number for the last year, I rehomed 2 boys and ended up buying 2 girls from work. I've bred another pair, but this time I made sure to have a couple extra homes lined up so that I wouldn't end up with everyone backing out last minute.

For a long time my mother would tell me, you need to spend money on yourself stop spending it on your pets. If spending my money on a new dog toy or rat treat makes me happy then who cares if I don't spend it on a new pair of shoes? Well its not how most people would spend their money so its weird.

I get a lot of crap for the number of rats I have. Luckily I work at a pet store so having a bunch of animals isn't really unheard of. Outside of work though most people don't understand 'collecting' animals. They just hear I have X number of dogs/cats/rats/snakes and its like holy cow how do you have the time for all that?! With less common pets its even worse, owning a single snake is strange for most people, owning a rack full of snakes, that's darn near crazy.

While most of us don't think having a large collection of reptiles or rats etc is strange, if some one told you about their extensive collection of noisy clocks you'd wonder how they every slept. If you aren't passionate about the same thing as someone else then of course it seems obsessive.

This is the story of my life. I don't tell anyone from work about my new additions or anything anymore. All they do is use it as ammo to make fun of me pretty much. Luckily, my mom doesn't think I'm too weird for it, she thinks I'm a little obsessed but is more worried about what my landlord would say than she is about me actually keeping all of my animals lol. My landlord knows I have snakes, and has said to me "I don't care what you keep because I know you're reliable and careful as long as it's in a cage and doesn't roam free....or get out of the cage when you're not home" haha. So...I've just....stopped telling him about new pets LOL.

Anywho, luckily I have an amazing boyfriend who accepts my hobby and loves the little quirk about me being "obsessed" lol. He's even getting more and more into the herps than he ever thought he would. I've created a monster, since being with me he's bought a male ghost ball python, and red foot tortoise (which is mine but I let him think she's his) and is getting a bearded dragon in a week or two lol.

Just try and stay positive, weird isn't always a bad thing. ;)

Yep im addicted i got my first bp last november as well (thanksgiving actually) and now i have 3 waiting on two more. some people think im crazy (my family) but it alright with me cause there the best pets ive ever had and the most interesting hobby now.

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Originally Posted by eel588

I agree with the things said above. If you are able to afford your hobby and it isn't affecting you or the ones around you in a negative way then I wouldn't consider it obsessive. I have spent my whole life intrigued by reptiles. I think about my current animals and future goals with them more than anything else. I would like to eventually teach zoology at a community college. I have found a unique path for my life, reptiles are what lit the fire for me to progress my life's ambitions. I wouldn't have it any other way.

By the way I also stopped telling most people about how many reptiles I have. Only the ones close to me know, and I think they know way more about them than they've ever wanted to. I try hard to keep the reptile discussions to a minimum with others because I feel people generally don't care or judge me for it. That's why I spend my time on here.

You guys and gals...understand me...:tears: Haha :D

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Wow, it's the same way for me.

I dropped out of college due to medical issues, and when I had the opportunity to go back, I didn't, because I honestly could not think of a single thing that I would want to do as a career.

When I found my way into the reptile hobby (and community), it really was like a "fire" that inspired me. I knew that I wanted to breed ball pythons, and that conviction hasn't wavered for years. I've never been so passionate about any of the things I studied in college, though I do plan on going back to take some business and zoology classes. ;)

I am obsessed, but I think obsession is a good thing to have when you are starting a business. I spend a ton of time researching ball python health, morphs, prices and more online, and I have learned so much every single day.

My mom is actually very supportive, but my husband thinks I'm crazy. :rolleyes:

My wife knows I am addicted and OCDed too:rofl::rofl::rofl:

If you're not a little bit obsessed you don't have your head in the game :snake:

Collecting more and more snakes "to a non-hobbyist" I'm sure does look like hoarding/obsessing and you probably won't change that concept any time soon.

If I told you I had 1590 hot wheels cars in the package displayed on a wall in my house* would you think I was a bit obsessed? Probably :)

*Yes I once did :P

im in a 1br apt! 20 snakes 2 monitors and a rotty

sorry down to 17 snakes 2 monitors lol

Angelica, we're all passionate about our snakes. One of the reasons I love them is because snakes are uncommon pets that are living works of art. Many people can't understand why a person would own even a single pet snake, let alone an entire collection. However, millions of households have pet reptiles.

I agree that the word obsession implies negativity. However, there is nothing unusual about keeping multiple pet snakes. Increasing the size of your collection allows you to bring this hobby to another level by breeding your snakes. There is no greater feeling than when your care and attention rewards you with a litter of babies. Also, it takes less time to feed, clean, and care for 10 snakes than it does to properly care for one pet dog. You can easily house 10 or more snakes in a single bedroom of your home. Imagine if you were to try and keep 10+ Great Danes in a small apartment.

Another terrific thing about this hobby is that it has the potential to pay for itself. With the advent of the the internet, when we breed our snakes and produce offspring, we can readily sell the babies all across the country. If you wanted to breed most other types of animals on a small scale, you'd likely be limited to finding good homes for them in your immediate area.

Although some look at us funny when we tell them we have pet snakes, it's important that we share our knowledge and enthusiasm with those who are receptive.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

If I told you I had 1590 hot wheels cars in the package displayed on a wall in my house* would you think I was a bit obsessed? Probably :)

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Mine are all hidden in a couple dressers :oops::oops:

Another comparison argument is fish....
If you had a couple 50 gallon aquariums with HUNDREDS of guppys would she still think you were obsessed?

Or what about gardening! Someone might have 30 rosebushes in their yard and have to spend all kinds of money on fertilizers, insecticides let alone tripling their water bill. And they have to spend a lot of time weeding, mulching, watering and pruning or paying a gardener to do it... It's too bad people are so weirded out about snakes.

I drive a transit van and just about every one of my passengers knows I have" A" snake. Just one. Most are accepting but don't want to see it. Some want to see it but don't want to touch it. And one told another passenger that I've gone crazy. They told them; "Did you know JoAnn has a SNAKE?! The other passenger said yes, whats wrong with that. He said don't you think that's kind of strange? Lol When I showed him a picture of Hermes he immediately said "GROSS"! I won't even begin to try to educate him. He is too closed minded- he is close minded about a lot of things anyway.

I am still just learning myself but I try to educate anyone who will listen.

I know how you feel tho about no having many people to share with. I had a feeding mishap last week with Hermes and the next day at work I couldn't share the story with anyone. Being a snake was gross enough but what happened would have just been off their comfort zone meter.
I am learning that there are not many people who find snakes so fascinating.:tears:

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Originally Posted by spitzu

I no longer tell people how many snakes I own because I'm tired of being stared at like I'm some crazy hoarder. God forbid I mention the massive rat orgy that I have going on in my garage. :D

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Funny!!!

This is a great thread. It's interesting to hear how everyone deals with the taboo surrounded by having a snake collection. Keep the stories coming!

I guess I've lucked out and most of my friends are fascinated by my normal Koga. Almost all of them are willing to hold him and they all jump at the opportunity to watch him eat. But on the other hand, there are some freaks at my school that will cry under their desk if you even say snake haha. Once my dreams of having a large collection come true I'm sure things will be a bit different with some people, but it seems that my generation is a bit more accepting. Maybe it's just my area, I dunno. If only everyone could see the same beauty that we do.

I haven't really had anyone tell me that it was an obsession. I've had plenty of people call me a hoarder, which is frustrating since hoarders don't sell their stuff. Everyone has their opinion on things, just like they have things they spend their money on. For example I think spending money on cigarettes, ceramic figurines, expensive purses, etc is a huge waste of money, but those same people would say spending money on snakes is a huge waste. People just need to realize they have their own "hobbies" that they spend a lot of money on that we may not agree with ourselves.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

If you're not a little bit obsessed you don't have your head in the game :snake:

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This.... I have the space but since aug. I picked up 21 as of now, And that BC I just cant find any around me that are the size/sex I need/want. Or if I do they want $600+ for a single gene morph...

It is very frustrating when some one doesn't understand the hobby. I choose carefully when I tell some one about our collection/hobby/business. Most of my friends and family accept it now and some are very supportive. And they all know I'm stubborn and wont listen to their complaints any way, lol. I try to explain it as a passion and equate it to any other type of hobby that they might think is "normal" and not to judge others on what makes them happy. As long as we can care for our collection properly (food, housing, health, time) then we'll keep adding on to it. It's hard to ignore the negative opinions but if you don't add fuel to the fire it usually goes out ;).

Besides, they are all just jealous that they aren't as passionate about something as we all are :D.

Its common I do the same I just don't say how many I have just that i have them and breed them and enjoy them. People are rude and ask if they take up too much of my time by cleaning and having so many etc etc