Villianizing Snakes

My dad called me this morning- a little bit miffed- to tell me that he saw a show on animal planet where snakes as pets had killed their owners. He was fine with them before, but now he's a little freaked about them and saying I should get rid of them before they get too big. I tried to explain to him how docile my snakes are and that I am a responsible pet owner, and anyways ball pythons don't get that big... but he's still worried. So now I'm mad at Animal Planet... :mad:

It's not just Animal Planet. Seems any time the subject of snakes as pets comes up in the media, it's never in a positive light. Responsible owners have been marginalized by the media because caring for an animal for 20 years that never causes any problem isn't sexy enough to waste air time on. It's far sexier to talk about the relatively rare cases where something goes wrong.

Of course, I'm always amazed at people who blame the snake. A snake can only be what a snake is... When things go wrong I look for fault in the owner, not the animal, but, I seem to be in the minority on that, and, I'm not in the media.

I'll tell you what ticks me off to no end is when a large species makes the news for killing or hurting someone, and they show stock file footage of a ball python. The first time I saw that I thought it was funny...I now see the danger in it.

Then again, we hurt our own cause sometimes with the stuff we post on youtube, but don't get me started on feeding videos....

Tell your dad that less than 20 people have been killed by pythons in the last THIRTY years, while about 20 people PER YEAR are killed by the family dog. Ask him when he will get rid of his dog, before it attacks and kills him. Then you can tell him the shows are 90% made up for ratings, just like most TV shows. They show Bigfoot programs on the History channel for FSM's sake. Believing TV shows is akin to believing the tabloids in the grocery store.

1000's of people die a year in car crashes. Ask him when he is going to sell his car.

I saw a statistic where more people die from drowning in a bathtub then from being shot by guns every year too. Good points Slim. As they say, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

My parents were worried about my bearded dragons when the saw the one about the monitors eating the guy...

I do remember seeing that one and it was 100% misleading. They made it seem the monitors killed the guy but it is clear he died of natural or self induced causes, not from his pets. They never did mention that though, just the evil and vicious monitors that may taken a bite out of him after he died. What else were the monitors supposed to do when they haven't been fed in days because he lived alone?! That was the episode that woke me up to how anti-animal Animal Planet really is...

...I miss the Steve Irwin days :(

I too miss the Steve Irwin, Meerkat Manor, and big cats taking down prey the way nature intended days.

It's not just snakes...its 'exotic' animals in general these days...

Heck, I still get hackled for owning rats. Apparently they're still the plague on legs to some... :\


Last year a baby got all of his fingers except for his thumbs chewed off by a baby ferret supposedly. Now many people are classifying ferrets as a dangerous animal due to this single incident... (first ferret incident in years)
Long story short, the baby was left out in the middle of the night with a free roaming ferret while the parents were "sleeping". Good job parents. Good job keeping your animal and baby secure. (guess they can't hear a crying baby either??)

Like all of the nasty animal stories we hear, it IS THE FAULT OF HUMANS that animals suffer and get blamed.

And cats and dogs are underestimated too much. My friend has a cat who is down right vicious. That cat will snap just like that and turn totally wild. He will (and has) go for your jugular if you're not alert.

Most of those shows are propaganda and fear mongering to help support all the anti snake legislation.

Well, fortunately for me- I don't live with my parents anymore so :P. I just told him that there are a million and two ways I could die on any given day, so he ought to worry about something more worthy of his concern. Like e-coli outbreaks in my spinach. (Heck, if your food will be more likely to kill you...)

Just to check, I did a google search on "ball python related deaths" and one on "spinach related deaths". Interesting outcome. :rolleyes:

Show your Dad a picture of a fork and spoon, then remind him of what those did to Rosanne Barr...

While hes watching that animal planet crap his tv could also explode and catch his whole house on fire...Or your evil ball python could wake up in the middle of the nite and come kill you. You can tell him to calculate which one is more likely to happen....lmao

I think one of the reasons this forum exists and is so great is the majority of us probably are not surrounded by people who understand or approve of our pets. My family is completely freaked out by my snake, as are most of my friends. I too am completely enraged by the Animal Planet specials and news stories that spread their nonsense, but mainly because of what they do to the animals, not us. Every rattlesnake killed with a shovel died because of fear. Worse, every gopher snake killed because someone didn't know or care the difference. At least I know that my pet and all of your pets are safe from persecution in their cozy, temperature controlled tubs, living the good life. I don't care what people think about me as long as my snake is happy. But when the government starts passing asinine laws..... well, here we are.

I don't know what the solution to this problem is, honestly. I think we all just need to keep loving our pets.

A funny side note, my ball python has NEVER bitten me, but my mom has a cat who will purr contentedly while you pet her, and snuggle like an angel.... and then with no provocation whatsoever, there will be blood. My mom made a comment about how snakes can bite and that if a dog bit someone, most people would send it to a pound. I said a snake is not a dog, and LOOK AT YOUR PSYCHOTIC CAT.

I JUST got off the phone with my mom, and she says I'm not allowed in the house with my ball python. (I live in an apartment during school then come home for summer). She says the snake might get out and eAt our dog, which is a boxer, and about 85 pounds. REALLY?!? It makes me mad when people assume snakes are evil creatures out to kill us when they know NOTHING about them. That's like someone never ever having a dog, and they are terrified of dogs by ONLY what they've been told. People base snakes off of only what they hear, and It angers me more than ANYTHING when people say things like, " snakes are slimy monsters" :rage: :rage: LEARN SOMETHING PEOPLE!!!!

Last night hubby was watching that Animal Planet show that is about guys in the Everglades who deal with "deadly reptiles". Of course the commentator discussing the "wave of deadly pythons threatening the existence of wildlife and people living near the Everglades" was accompanied by footage of, you guessed it, a ball python in someones yard.

Now, ignoring the fact that they are over-dramatizing the snake menace in the Everglades, ignoring the fact these so called experts are a bunch of yahoos who have no idea how to handle most the the "deadly reptiles" they are called to deal with, ignoring the fact that the "owners" filmed surrendering their snakes as too dangerous are in fact grossly neglecting their pets, ignoring the fact that pretty much every thing said was designed to horrify people about reptile owners in general, think for just a moment how someone who has little to no knowledge about snakes is going to view this.

Showing footage of a small, docile and harmless snake while brainwashing people on the deadly nature of reptiles is sending a clear message that regardless of type or species, all reptiles are deadly, and all people who have anything to do with them are brain damaged and irresponsible people who only own reptiles to frighten their neighbors.

We seriously need to pool our resources and produce our own series of reptile based shows and find a network to air them. Forget You Tube, we need to be on F/X or TNT or A&E, or maybe USA, Discovery Channel or something.

Gale

That ^^ x ABillion. Especially the second part. People think that snake owners are all devil worshipers with face tattoos and goth. I'm a biology student at a Big university, no tattoos, no weird piercings, I pay my rent and live a normal life, and I LOVE snakes. I've been trying to convince all my friends and family that snakes make great pets...it's like talking to a wall. People are too ignorant to learn about snakes now a days. It's a shame really. :tears:

I am 49 years old and was worried that 10yrs from now i might not be able to handle a full grown bp so i went to my local reptile store and asked to hold one. I held a 5yr old adult and was surprised how small and light it was. Maybe you could offer the same option to your Dad.

My dad flipped when I casually mentioned that I got a baby ball python. He called it "Satan" and told me he'd kill it. He then felt the need to educate me: ball pythons kill their owners! I laughed and explained that he must be confusing ball pythons with the larger Burmese or retics. I explained their short stature and defensive habits. He then told me I had gotten some misinformation and that was a lie. LOL, my mom was on the other line and, although she didn't approve of Anicho still, she recognized that I have been interested in snakes since I was a kid and had clearly done my research and told him to stop being so dramatic (in so many words).

My parents are elderly and live in another state, so it's me who goes there to visit. They won't hear a word of it when I get a boa ;) I honestly had no idea how anti-snake a lot of people actually are until I got my big, bad, satanic ball python :rolleyes:

I guess I'm lucky in that my parents support me so much. Mom's only stipulation (since I'm still living with them) was to get a job first. Dad just kinda glared and grunted when I told him I was getting one. Wonder what he'd say when I tell him I want a couple more...?

On a kinda funny note with that, I bring home a mouse for her and tell Mom I'm going up to feed her (she doesn't want to watch). Five minutes later Dad comes up. Apparently he jumped up off the couch once he realized I was feeding her, like I hadn't said it already. :rolleyes:

Yea there is the whole devil worship thing. That one always cracks me up. I wonder if those folks relies that God made snakes too. Lol Along with that i have also been called stupid, crazy, and foolish. Yet i don't have to walk my snake, feed it daily, clean out a smelly box, or take it to the groomers. Hmm but i am the foolish one. Lmao

I consider myself one of the luckier ones.

My dad was born in Peru, and he used to play with the animals there.

My mom thinks all my snakes are gorgeous, and she likes to hold them and pet them XD. Especially after they shed! She still doesn't know all the names but she'll ask about them :D

I have 2 sisters and 1 brother. My brother really wants a ball python because he likes holding my normal :P. He'll squeeze your arms because he doesn't want to fall, and just sniff around the place :gj:.

My oldest sister has a corn snake, but she's more into fish. The corn snake was given to her by a friend who joined the army. She works at petco and she often cleans all the reptiles because everyone there is afraid of them... They got tokay geckos in, and they attack anything that gets near their territory XD. My sister is the only one who will clean their cages! And she's the aquatic specialist! Not reptiles!

My other older sister isn't interested though. She's a dog person. I tried to get her to hold my killerbee. She said it's so pretty, but she wouldn't touch it. She thinks they're going to bite her... Even though she's gotten bumps on her head and bruises from playing with her german shepherd who doesn't know her own strength yet :rolleyes:... Also has a ton of scratches and bites from when she was a bigger puppy lol...

That's the relationship my snakes have with my family :gj:. Most of our friends that come over to hang out and play games are fascinated by the snakes and enjoy watching them strike the dead rodents :D. I convinced 2 of them to want ball pythons haha :gj:.

The local pet store I go to is pretty cool. Everyone is friendly, and they all know so much about a particular reptile. When I was explaining that I needed to try a different rodent, and maybe even a LIVE rodent for my spider who didn't like f/t, the girl there said "Ohhhh picky ball pythons! Gotta love em!" I was shocked that she understood! When I was at PETCO, they first suggested I feed in a separate enclosure... Then they said I should have a bigger tank (not tub) so they have enough room to roam.. Oh and when I went to get a new water dish yesterday for my pastel het clown girl that just came in, they said "This probably isn't the best size since it wouldn't fit in here when it soaks.. oh wait. how big is it?" me: 140 grams. "No but how long? It sounds underweight.." :weirdface:weirdface?

I don't know about you guys, but I do own snakes. I also have tatoos, I worship The Devil, my tongue has been modified to look like a snake's, I hope snakes take over the planet and my snakes have already killed my wife, children and dogs.

Seriously, I don't understand how some people can become so fearful of something they're ignorant to. If I personally don't understand or know anything about something, why would I be afraid of it? My personal ignorance on subjects causing curiousity in myself, not fear. At what point in your life do you realize you still act like a child no matter what your age?

I for one am about to have ,my first child in less than a month. Am I afraid my snakes are going to kill my baby? Absolutely not. Am I taking precautions so there is no way my snakes will interact with my baby? Absolutely. Do I fear my larger snakes would eat my chihuahua? Definitely not. Do I keep my larger snakes from being able to come in contact with my chihuahua? Definitely.

Ignorant, fearful, apprehensive and judgemental people need to learn to grow up and sit down and research what is really going on before making assumptions and judgements. Apparently, everything you see on TV is true. OH YEAH, and I forgot to mention, "1000 ways to die" is a show that tells everyone what really happened.:rolleyes:

Sorry for the rant. Touchy subject for me.

It really is sad how misunderstood these wonderful animals are. You need to educate your Dad so he isn't misinformed. I will tell anybody who will listen all about my snakes, and encourage people to interact with them. Once you actually hold one, you realize they are big puppy dogs. We have gotten several friends and family who were terrified of the snakes when we got them, to come around. People just need to be exposed to them to see they aren't evil creatures. As for the animal planet shows when an animal hurts a human, its almost always due to a human error.

I just started working at a Petco, and I went to check on a customer that was being shown a BP and they were holding it quite sloppily and were trying to force it to unball, and of course didn't listen to any warnings or otherwise(why do retail customers think things in their hands are theirs period?).

Anyways, when it uncurled they weren't ready for it and dropped it, I luckily caught it as softly as possible, but on the way back into the cage he took a few strikes at me(understandably of course) and everyone in the aisle acted like it was going to kill me and immediately went into villify mode. It stinks that a defensive gesture caused by poor handling makes everyone else put the snake at fault.

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Originally Posted by RColemanVT

I just started working at a Petco, and I went to check on a customer that was being shown a BP and they were holding it quite sloppily and were trying to force it to unball, and of course didn't listen to any warnings or otherwise(why do retail customers think things in their hands are theirs period?).

Anyways, when it uncurled they weren't ready for it and dropped it, I luckily caught it as softly as possible, but on the way back into the cage he took a few strikes at me(understandably of course) and everyone in the aisle acted like it was going to kill me and immediately went into villify mode. It stinks that a defensive gesture caused by poor handling makes everyone else put the snake at fault.

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I HATE THAT! "It didn't behave in a way that I deemed appropriate for an animal I am attempting to forcefully dominate, therefore I don't like it." Imagine if we treated children that way! Yeah, if you freak the crap out of a snake IT WILL BITE YOU! I too have noticed that with ball pythons, people tend to be like "well, make it be a ball, I want to see!" I explain that for a ball python to ball up, while outwardly adorable, is a terrible sign. I tell them my snake has NEVER ONCE balled up because I handle her gently and in a way that helps her understand she is never in danger. I would NEVER intentionally do ANYTHING to make her ball up! If someday I accidentally move in a way that sets her off, I will feel TERRIBLE!

You could just as easily get killed by any other "domestic" animal, much rather a snake. I mean honestly, can you see a ill tempered king rat kill someone or a beaten and trained to be aggressive dobby/rotty/pit kill someone. The only snake physically big and strong enough to kill someone is a large constrictor and that almost still NEVER happens....and if it does, its because of alcohol/drugs or just plain stupidity. I should make some fake articles to post online about killer Chihuahuas and see what happens.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Emily Hubbard

I HATE THAT! "It didn't behave in a way that I deemed appropriate for an animal I am attempting to forcefully dominate, therefore I don't like it." Imagine if we treated children that way! Yeah, if you freak the crap out of a snake IT WILL BITE YOU! I too have noticed that with ball pythons, people tend to be like "well, make it be a ball, I want to see!" I explain that for a ball python to ball up, while outwardly adorable, is a terrible sign. I tell them my snake has NEVER ONCE balled up because I handle her gently and in a way that helps her understand she is never in danger. I would NEVER intentionally do ANYTHING to make her ball up! If someday I accidentally move in a way that sets her off, I will feel TERRIBLE!

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Sad thing is now the poor guy is striking at everything that goes in the cage. I have been working the past few days to try to calm it back down a tad without over-stressing it.

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Originally Posted by RColemanVT

Sad thing is now the poor guy is striking at everything that goes in the cage. I have been working the past few days to try to calm it back down a tad without over-stressing it.

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I don't mean to thread hijack, but I would just leave him alone for a while first. Only bother to clean/feed. After about a week or 2, you could maybe hold him for a few minutes. If he isn't even slightly better, I'd give it another week.

Note: I would start a new thread and get 10x better suggestions from people who have dealt with more timid snakes :gj:. I've only had to deal with 1. He was stressed after an expo, so I left him alone.. He eventually came around and started striking at his food, instead of waiting til I left to start eating.

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Originally Posted by h00blah

I don't mean to thread hijack, but I would just leave him alone for a while first. Only bother to clean/feed. After about a week or 2, you could maybe hold him for a few minutes. If he isn't even slightly better, I'd give it another week.

Note: I would start a new thread and get 10x better suggestions from people who have dealt with more timid snakes :gj:. I've only had to deal with 1. He was stressed after an expo, so I left him alone.. He eventually came around and started striking at his food, instead of waiting til I left to start eating.

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Unfortunately he has to be removed from the cage to feed on Thursday(company policy, and the managers who listen to me wont be in unfortunately).