Question for the ladies

I have to ask this question and please don't take it the wrong way. (I also know this is the wrong site to ask it on). Why do so many women choose to work with just geckos? I was recently added to a new facebook group for women herpers (The lovely Women of the Reptile World!) and it seems like most of them work with primarily geckos. It seems rare to see a woman that keeps bigger species such as burms or retics, or even boas. Maybe I'm just on the wrong forums, but it seems to be a trend. Most of the women herps in my local herp society keep and breed geckos. I feel like the odd woman out when I start talking about my beloved boa. :rolleyes:

I'm not trying to stereotype or pidgin hole anyone so if you are a woman herp and keep something other than geckos I would love to know why and if you only keep geckos I would also know why. I'm pretty sure BP.net has the more diverse population of women herpers who keep snakes, but has anyone else noticed this trend?

I'm a bp girl all the way. I don't like crickets, I'm pretty afraid of insects in general lol so that leaves out a lot of lizards. I love snakes, but because of size and temperment I don't think id ever own a retic myself.

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I've never been "normal". I keep balls, boas, and soon will have a few carpets and womas.

Tried geckos, but it was entirely too much work with more than a couple of them. Snakes are much easier.

I will, however, stick with only the species I can handle by myself and don't need another person's help handling. (Not an issue, I'm 6' and fairly strong)

I like my balls and boas. Retics and such are to large for me to keep. I won a gecko at an expo I didnt keep him long before I found him a home. Just wasn't my thing.

I've worked with other reptiles before (at college) but for me it was always about the Ball Python after I fell in love with it :) I have a close friend who has six snakes including a BCI, two carpet pythons, a texan rat snake, a ball and another type of Boa...can't remember what though despite her telling me a million times XD Personally, Geckos aren't my thing. Don't mind the insects...I just don't fancy it lol.

Im not a girl nor do I keep only one of the other but Im thinking its because of there awesome facial expressions :)
http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...90277307_n.jpg

I don't do geckos. I'll stick with my balls, nile monitor and tort. I would love love love to get into other monitor species (like blue or green trees) but we don't have the space now.

sent from my EVO

I keep my two BPs, and I used to have a pair of tree frogs... I found I really don't like having crickets in the house though. I'd rather have mice in the freezer. I have nothing against geckos (and I did keep one over a summer a few years back - it was my sister's class pet), but I don't want to faff about with the bugs. Perhaps that's why most "girls" keep lizards, they don't want to feed an animal another (fuzzy) animal?

I also like all the colours and patterns you can get in BPs. Leopard geckos do come in a palette of colours, but not as pretty as my pythons!

I think it's more a case of "like attracts like". Most groups will gravitate towards one type, so when you've got facebook type groups, a few gecko keepers will attract more gecko keepers. Fewer retic keepers will want to join a group that is mostly gecko keepers, while more gecko keepers will join, and you eventually end up with a group that is mostly gecko keepers.

With real life clubs, the same sort of thing happens. A few gecko lovers will encourage others in keeping geckos, and sooner or later the predominant species will be the majority of keepers.

Plus, geckos are cute, easy to house in a small area and relatively easy to care for. Girls don't mind a reptile who is also "cute", while guys tend to prefer a "cool" snake than a cute little gecko. It's hard to maintain your manly exterior when you're holding a tiny gecko.

The guys who keep geckos are unusually adorable though. Gotta love a guy with little lizards.

That didn't come out right.... I'm gonna shut up now.

Hate to say it but only in this forum is it cool to hear the ladies talikng about loving thier balls (it had to be said sorry) :oops:

C'mon can you say no to this?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_1014.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_0988.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_0993.jpg

In all seriousness, geckos are small, clean, cute and easy to care for.

Geckos are cool. We started with bps, and have expanded to leos now. I love my balls, they are docile, and a managable size. I wouldn't want a burm for a couple reasons. Allthough they look awesome. Too big of housing requirements, plus I wouldnt want a snake that was a two person job. Now there are a few boas that have caught my eye...:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

I think it's more a case of "like attracts like". Most groups will gravitate towards one type, so when you've got facebook type groups, a few gecko keepers will attract more gecko keepers. Fewer retic keepers will want to join a group that is mostly gecko keepers, while more gecko keepers will join, and you eventually end up with a group that is mostly gecko keepers.

With real life clubs, the same sort of thing happens. A few gecko lovers will encourage others in keeping geckos, and sooner or later the predominant species will be the majority of keepers.

Plus, geckos are cute, easy to house in a small area and relatively easy to care for. Girls don't mind a reptile who is also "cute", while guys tend to prefer a "cool" snake than a cute little gecko. It's hard to maintain your manly exterior when you're holding a tiny gecko.

The guys who keep geckos are unusually adorable though. Gotta love a guy with little lizards.

That didn't come out right.... I'm gonna shut up now.

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I hadn't really thought of it that way. BP.net is a pretty diverse group, but from the responses not many of you ladies keep geckos. Maybe I just need to put a group together for the ladies with snakes AND geckos. :D

I personally hate bugs which is why most of what I have is snakes. There is nothing cute about a dead rodent, but I will admit my cresties are kind of cute. :P

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Originally Posted by RestlessRobie

Hate to say it but only in this forum is it cool to hear the ladies talikng about loving thier balls (it had to be said sorry) :oops:

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:rofl:

My friend (1.0) whose the main person i talk to about herps and such, only does geckos and frogs. He appreciates my snakes equally but isnt obsessed like me lol.

I've had anoles, leopard geckos, golden geckos, and beardies. I also got into corn snakes about the same time I had the lizards. Frankly, feeding, dusting, and keeping crickets was a bigger pain than anything else. The geckos were cute and I loved them but I prefer snakes because of their ease of maintenance and personality. Feeding once every 5 to 7 days also has its benefits. My snakes always fascinate me while the geckos seemed more like work than fun. Had I been able to feed them pellets or mice, they probably would have continued to be fun but the crickets killed it. It's not that I am scared of bugs or don't like them. Just too much work for the payback in my opinion. I still have my beardie (on a pelleted diet) and snakes but those are my true love. They make me smile and now that I have a snake room (YAY!) I go up there to relax.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

Plus, geckos are cute, easy to house in a small area and relatively easy to care for. Girls don't mind a reptile who is also "cute", while guys tend to prefer a "cool" snake than a cute little gecko. It's hard to maintain your manly exterior when you're holding a tiny gecko.

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This ^^

I have bps, boas, cornsnakes, kingsnakes, milksnakes, a blood, a beardie, a crestie and leos (omg...I totally live in a zoo). Admittedly, the boas and the blood were the hubby's idea and the lizards, mine. I wasn't thrilled about the crickets when I got the beardie, but it became a issue of "gotta do what ya gotta do."

I'm a snake gal, all the way :D I did try to venture into geckos, which has landed me with a very adorable (if flighty) pair of cresties that I don't plan to breed. They're nice, and very interesting little critters, but they're just so tiny and breakable looking! I know they make good pets but I handle them so infrequently that I just keep them as future display animals (tub setup is nice for now).

My balls are wicked, pretty good size while still being a one person snake comfortably. Docile, easy to clean up after, infrequent feeding, it just all adds up to awesome animals. Snakes in general just fascinate me and I have a constantly evolving list of all the species (and morphs within them) that I want to keep someday. I do like having one person snakes though, and my collection is pretty limited until I have a permanent living situation and long term job set up. Gotta say some pure SD retics are high on my wish list though, big snake little package :D

I've only ever come across one gecko that I was really close to buying. There are certainly geckos I like, but don't really find worth the effort to keep - I get annoyed with buying crickets for my two tarantulas. Altogether most geckos just aren't that exciting to me.

Here's the garg I was in love with for a little while -

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5095/5...e2f2e82583.jpg

I would certainly keep a larger snake if I currently had room for one. I really love burms as well, but I'm 5'7, slender, and pretty weak.. I want to know I can handle a snake safely by myself, less because of cautions, and more because of annoyances. I don't want to have to wait for somebody to help me, if I want to take one of my snakes out.

I am now the proud keeper of boas, balls, and a cute little crestie. I WISH I could have a burm or Retic. I really do. I got the balls, and my big female just wasn't big enough. I wanted something I could "cuddle" with. ;) So now I have my two female boas who, I am proud to say, are growing like little weeds. I wanted BIG snakes, and I feel that boas are a size I can handle on my own. I'm 5'7" and of a fairly curvaceous and strong build. I grew up dealing with horses and 150 lb lap dogs. ;) I adore large animals and am completely comfortable with them. The same can't be said for many women. Admittedly, I think my tiny crestie is one of the cutest things on the planet, but I'd pick big snakes over tiny lizards any day. :P

The herpetology club at my University is surprisingly filled with a bunch of male gecko enthusiasts. They looked at me like I was crazy when I started talking about my snakes and how happy I was with my boa girls' feeding responses. :rolleyes:

(Jinx- I love your Crestie. What a cutie!)

I also think Hots are fascinating and love female hot keepers. I wish I had their cajones, but alas, I do not. Lol.

My love is for the snakes, though I adore my adult crestie boy and enjoy having him in my collection. But I can't see myself expanding into more cresites, or other geckos and lizards for that matter because I want to focus on working with other species of snakes and expanding my BP morph collection for future breeding purposes. For the larger snakes, I love my boas and will be the proud owner of a mainland retic tiger girl sometime this year as well :gj:

I love cresties and wouldn't mind having a pair. Especially since crickets aren't so all-important anymore with the availability of the Repashy diet. Although I must say, I'd rather have a beardie...

BUT, snakes are definitely my first love and my priority (at least as far as reptiles are concerned). I adore my boas and plan on a nice, moderate collection of various morphs and/or localities along with one or two more unusual species including a drymarchon and a pair of Angolan pythons.

I have no interest in Burms or Retics or anything that might eat my dogs. :rofl: But, seriously, they just don't interest me. I am intrigued by them and they don't really intimidate me, I just prefer to have snakes I can handle on my own and I like my lap snakes.... ;)

I would love to have a Burmese or Retic, but there's no way I could handle one by myself. Seeing one up close and personal at Repticon made that decision for me (bigggg Burmese!). But, I do love my two boas, and my blood python. They get pretty big. I cannot wait until my boas get big!

As for geckos, I wouldn't mind owning a crestie or leopard gecko. I think they're cute, but my snakes will always come first. :)

Just because they are cute :]
I do not know.
Though i am not a lizard person. I tired to keep geckos. :[ sadly. I have not been to interested in them.

I am a snake girl all the way. Though i really hope to get my first dwarf monitor. not sure if i want Kimberly or ackie aha.

I'm not so into geckos. I love my BP's but my dream is with retics (which are illegal here sadly)

I have two crested geckos and ball pythons (lots of ball pythons) *super w00t*

I would not mind having a burmese python (I think they are really gorgeous) but they become illegal here after they hit the 6 foot range, so it seems foolish to buy one, even if they are legal up until that point... adult size is adult size.

I want a brazilian rainbow boa but I'm sticking with balls for now.

My cresties are cute though!

Tegus and Balls for now. I almost got a gecko once that was the cutest I have ever seen. But opted to get some for my nieces and nephew instead. I don't know why but it never fails for me to pick out one of the most expensive :rolleyes: things in a store or where ever.

Other than that I would love to have (one day I will) a blood or boa. Big snake wise that's as far as I'll go. Maybe some more scorpions or a Tarantula.

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Originally Posted by DellaF

I like my balls and boas. Retics and such are to large for me to keep. I won a gecko at an expo I didnt keep him long before I found him a home. Just wasn't my thing.

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You sure you're a woman?? Sorry, I couldn't resist!! :P

Now to be serious, I'm a woman who keeps nothing but snakes... I have owned a few leopard geckos over the years (and two iguanas way back when), but I'm definitely more of a snake person. I don't have anything huge, with my largest species being the Jungle Carpet - and he's not quite full grown yet. You can see my full collection in my sig, but it's mostly snakes in the 4-5ft range.

As for why, I guess because they're easier to maintain and handle? Most lizards are too jumpy for my taste, and I like my reptiles super low-maintenance. If I wanted something that ate & pooped/peed every day, I'd get another cat or dog. And I already have 4 of those!

Oh, and perhaps the reason more women don't own LARGE snakes (and as proven by some of the comments here) is a simple physical limitation? I mean, I'm pretty strong for a woman, but there's no way I could handle a Burm or Retic by myself... so unless she has a strong & willing partner to help out, it's probably quite difficult for the average woman to handle a giant. Just a thought, and no offense to my snake sisters.

I love my balls, but I also Love big snakes!.. (please keep the snickering to a minimum :P )

I love retics and burms but I def. dont have the space and I dont feel comfortable owning something I couldnt handle without a partner... I do own a lovely rosey Dumeril girl though, plan on getting an Olive python and atleast one more boa, Hog Island maybe?

As for geckos, I think they are very pretty and usually super cute.. but I like hardier pets... snakes, skinks, torts, my two over weight cats and terriers.. you get the idea.

I have almost two dozen balls (:8:), a crestie, a dog, a kitten, and four chickens, so I'm open to most kinds of pets. I love that my crestie doesn't need crickets (nasty little buggers), otherwise I probably wouldn't have him. As cool as lizards are, I just hate the sound of an escaped cricket! I still plan to get a carpet python and sunglow boa, so I like the bigger snakes (grew up with a pet redtail), and I would LOVE to get a retic, but I'm with the others that have posted - I just don't want an animal that I can't handle on my own and don't have the space to properly house it.

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

Oh, and perhaps the reason more women don't own LARGE snakes (and as proven by some of the comments here) is a simple physical limitation? I mean, I'm pretty strong for a woman, but there's no way I could handle a Burm or Retic by myself... so unless she has a strong & willing partner to help out, it's probably quite difficult for the average woman to handle a giant. Just a thought, and no offense to my snake sisters.

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You are right. I am 5' Exactly. And it is hard for me to handle a 6' boa alone.
So if i was gong to do bigger snakes. I would get to something skinny. like a black head ;)
It is hard enough handling a 6' preggo boa at work. she weighs way ore than 50lbs.

I would love a burm or retic one day but i am limited by handling like the other women have said and space at the moment. Boas ten to not my cup of tea tho I find them beautiful, I do keep Candoia Carinata. I have 6 Bloods which are large, I have many balls, Carpets, diamond, hognose, GTP and Timors. Lizards are not my thing at all.. Tho nothing wrong with keeping them but they don't interest me. I also have 9 tarantulas.