What's the deal with the reptile shun?

More specifically snakes. We got my 9 year old son a Royal python in late May for his B-day. He was the one who researched things and got me on board. Obviously due to his young age and level of understanding I'm the primary care taker and supervisor of all handling. I was never a "snake guy" in the beginning, yet I always thought it was interesting when I met somebody with a hobby that included snakes and was open minded.

Now that we have one, I've been reading Ball Python books, web researching and private messaging weekly if not more. I'm really into the biology/herpetology of snakes and am rather happy with the new interest and hobby. I have my son to thank for it!!

However, I've found my excitement does not stray far from him, or this chat board. When I mention the "great gift" we bought for our son to others, I'm met with looks of disgust and comments like "why would you do that?" Not rattled, I try to share my new knowledge and try to explain that snakes, especially certain kinds make excellent pets and are very interesting. Sadly, my enthusiasm ends when the conversation stops. I can tell when there are no further questions and my volunteering more info falls on deaf ears. I would have thought at least some guys would say "wow that's cool!" To date that has not happened.

I thought I was an oddball with protection dog training as a hobby and owning Presa Canarios and a Pit Bull. (I don't fit the stereo type). Now on top of that, I'm a huge fan of snakes. Apparently I choose hobbies or interests that don't fit the common Joe's of the world.

In a way I guess it's OK because I think a lot of dog owners should never own dogs. I'm guessing the real experienced snake people have rolled their eyes hearing about the 1st timer that feels the need for a Retic, or Burmese as well.

People seem to think just because a snake doesn't play the "love give and take game" it's a bad pet. I think that's the part I like. I like the care aspect, and the feeding and feel of raw nature. I think its like having a wild animal that behaves quite well right in the house.

Sorry for the rant, I was just hoping I could at least find one person outside of the family that I knew that wanted to chat snakes.

Do you guys run into this negativity?

Cheers,

Gio

I have run into this negativity. We all have. Truthfully I would prefer a snake (and I do) over a dog or a cat. So what if they dont show us affection or play fetch. The biggest reason why there is so much negativity towards snakes, even reptiles and arachnids is the media. tv shows, movies, news, all of that never shows the real side of the reptile hobby.

I for one love all animals to matter what. I will not hate an animal for its actions or what it can do.

When i encounter people like that i usually get distracted on trying really hard not to punch them in the throat...:D

There are a lot of people out there that snakes are a terrible thing to keep as a pet. They think they are gross, scary, slimy, etc. People are just ignorant. Just about every kid I have met is interested in the snakes and the ones that are afraid have been tainted by their parents. It's just the stigma that is attached to them. Just wait till someone calls you a devil worshiper just because you have snakes, I've gotten that one a few times.

I have a doberman and people treat her different than other dogs and think she is dangerous. It's just something that comes with the territory and you have to expect people to be ingrained to not like snakes, just like they would be afraid of a bully breed, unless they are educated of course.

There are a lot of people out there that think snakes are a terrible thing to keep as a pet. They think they are gross, scary, slimy, etc. People are just ignorant. Just about every kid I have met is interested in the snakes and the ones that are afraid have been tainted by their parents. It's just the stigma that is attached to them. Just wait till someone calls you a devil worshiper just because you have snakes, I've gotten that one a few times.

I have a doberman and people treat her different than other dogs and think she is dangerous. It's just something that comes with the territory and you have to expect people to be ingrained to not like snakes, just like they would be afraid of a bully breed, unless they are educated of course.

Yeah I have encountered that too! My friends wont come over cuz i own snakes! like what they just chillin on the couch or something? A lot of it is ignorance. Its human nature to fear what we dont understand, and a lot of it is just that people truly are disgusted by them. Surprisingly enough there are a certain few that find what I wanna do extremely interesting like my grandpa which caught me completely off guard. He was really interested in it and it was cool to just sit and talk snakes with him. But more often than not I will meet someone who is just appalled by it....

Unfortunatly, there are still widespread and negative cultural biases, stereotypes, and antiquated beliefs that are held by society against snakes, and reptiles in general; beliefs that they are slimy, disguisting, or dangerous. There is not one single reptile keeper or enthusiast I know of who has not experienced this.

As others here have already stated, much of it stems from ignorance and lack of awareness, education, and understanding of things people fear or do not understand. You should use your and your son's newfound interest in these wonderful and truly misunderstood animals to educate the public about them whenever possible. If there is a herpetological society in your area, I would highly recommend joining one. There you can share your interest and passion for these animals with other like minded individuals, and be actively involved in educating the community about reptiles and amphibians. I have been long involved with the Madison area Herpetological Society, and have met many great people, many of whom are now some of my best friends.

Seeing that you are in MN, it might be of interest to you to check out the Minnesota Herpetological Society. Obviously, you won't be able to get through to everyone with these endeavors, but I think you will see that once you join one, reception towards our cause will be overwhelmingly positve. It seems to have been for us, MAHS. Good luck!
http://www.mnherpsoc.com/

In truth I don't tell anyone thats not family about them. I have a three year old boy and I have been met with open hostility (not just negativity) about having reptiles. There are some people out there that will hear about it and not think much. Then there are the people that are convinced that a crazy unreliable reptile owner must have them all over in a disgusting, dangerous mess. I'm afraid someone would try and call social services. If you came in my home you would have no idea that I kept snakes and Tarantulas. I keep them in my bedroom locked up and other than my Dumeril (who is in a large tub) they are not obvious (Racks are great for that). I trust my animals but not those crazy people out there that must be right about everything (because they saw it on TV) and the other twits that would rob you.

Sad.

Teach yourself and teach your child. That will make all the difference in the world:salute:

Just today my 14 yr old daughter and I were at my father's house cutting his lawn. We happened upon about a 5 foot Black Rat Snake. It was gorgeous and I took a picture of it with my daughter on my phone.

I was talking with a guy at work and I told him I was able to just pick it up and carry it out on the lawn without any issue. It did writhe a bit, coiled up and shook its tail like a rattler which always cracks me up. Such a tough snake. But it never struck or even lunged in my direction. It was as gentle as a lamb. When we were done looking at it we simply moved it back by the edge and let it crawl back into the brush. While I'm telling the story this guy has a look like he's disgusted.
Then I showed the guy the photo. He remarked that we are nuts and there is no way he would go near a snake like that unless it was to kill it. This guy is about 6 ft tall, in his ealry 20's and built like a wall.

Prejudice and irrational fear is tough to combat.

I created this thread a while back, and why I think people are so afraid of snakes.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...+afraid+snakes

@SlitherinSisters- Wow! I thought that I was the only person who got the devil worshiper accusation! No wonder religion doesn't appeal to me.

I live in the Deep South, and apparently the only acceptable pet here is a dog. Cats are frowned upon, and herps and their keepers are ostracized. I fully believe that this is out of sheer willful ignorance. Even small animals such as anoles and tree frogs are feared, hated, and killed down here. You wouldn't believe the number of folk tales down here that are still believed. People still talk about snakes biting their tails and rolling down hills like tires, people claim that snakes sting people with their tails, and that they can shatter into pieces and reform themselves.
At this point, I don't even talk about my interest in herps anymore for fear of being antagonized. If one needs rescuing in public, I just get in and out as quickly as possible, and I don't even try to educate people about the animal. What a shame.

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What's the deal with the reptile shun?

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People are stupid and free thought/critical thinking skills aren't encouraged or developed enough to make the opposite general statement. Not even remotely close...

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Originally Posted by ER12

Seeing that you are in MN, it might be of interest to you to check out the Minnesota Herpetological Society. Obviously, you won't be able to get through to everyone with these endeavors, but I think you will see that once you join one, reception towards our cause will be overwhelmingly positve. It seems to have been for us, MAHS. Good luck!
http://www.mnherpsoc.com/

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I've been a long time member of the Minnesota Herp Society, we meet the first friday of the month at the U of M St. Paul Campus (Borlaug Hall) at 7:00pm, we often have close to 100 members show up at the meetings and it's a great way to meet people with similar interests. One of the nicest benefits of belonging to the society is being able to do a 'Hands On' educational show with other members. There are usually at least one or two of these every month and they are organized by our educational chair. A group of members set up a display to show off our reptiles and talk to the public about them. It's a great way to help dispel the myths and negativity surrounding the keeping of reptiles as pets.

I invite you to come to any of our meetings, you don't have to be a member to attend but you might find yourself becoming a member after only a few times. The next meeting will actually be on the 13th of July (2nd Friday of the month instead of the usual 1st Friday) due to the 4th of July holiday. I also see by the calander that they have a hands on scheduled for the two days of the Hastings MN river town days celebration.

Snakes, like sharks and other animals get a bad rap for no reason what-so-ever. They don't have limbs and they look 'slimy' so people get creeped out. Combine that with snakes being used as a sign of evil and mischief in movies, tv and elsewhere and you get a irrational fear that started developing when the person was a kid. That and snakes don't give off the body language that say a dog does, so people are always afraid they will be bit.

Just my :2cent:

After doing a recent presentation with a few friends at a local school (Kindergarden to Grade 6), it was amazing to see how different children at different ages reacted to the snakes and critters.

The most curious of them all were the Kindergardeners. Only two kids out of both classes were afraid of snakes. It didn't help that the teachers assistant that was sitting with them was too. Which is why I brought my geckos. So I was able to break through that reptile stereotype with something a little more 'friendly'. The teacher did scream when my crestie jumped from one hand to another, which scared the children. It was like: "There's your problem right there."

We went to one grade at a time. The grade 1 & 2s were great. The grade 3's started showing signs of being way more nervous of the snakes (especially the boas). The grade 4 & 5s had girls screaming when one of the snakes would move. And the grade 6's were 'too cool' to really want to do anything with them.

Just from that little experience with the ages, it was so so obvious that the kids were being influenced somehow. Why were the Kindergardeners brave enough to come up and ask me: "Can I hold the snake by myself?!", whereas the Grade 4s were screaming and wouldn't even touch them.

I don't talk about my critters much to people, unless I know they're interested. My boyfriend's family openly comments: "Why do you have reptiles anyway? What do you gain from having them?" I simply reply: "They make me happy. Why did you guys decide to have a baby? Isn't he expensive? You don't get any sleep. You had to sell your car to get a mini van. What do you gain from having a kid?"

Ah well. People are allowed to not like what they don't like. As long as they leave me alone, I'm okay with it. I mean, I can't stand 98% of children and babies. And you don't see me walking up to moms and being like: "Your baby is ugly, annoying and high maintenence. You shouldn't have it, because it bothers me." :rolleyes:

I suppose being a Biology major at a University where the Sciences are probably the most common majors makes a difference. I will babble on and on about snakes to anyone who will nod their head and listen. Listening to me has turned one of my good friends into a BP enthusiast now. She's even going to her first Herp Event with me on Sunday. Actually, my friends were a horrible influence and readily encouraged me to get more snakes...and now they all want to come over and see/hold/touch them. My apartment is like a reptile petting zoo to them. :rolleyes: Most of the college age people I meet readily listen to my ramblings and rants about reptiles and the recent ban. Some of them even signed petitions at my request. :P I have met my share who believe everything Animal Planet tells them, but when presented with the alternate and scientifically supported point of view, many will recant their initial statements and agree with me. I love teaching others about my pets.

Of course, I have run into a lot of people who are afraid of them too. Not much I can do about that. People older than me (30s and above) tend to have the hardest time accepting anything I say about snakes. Some look at me with horror when they hear I have snakes. But usually by the end of the conversation we have either accepted that it is something that I enjoy that they have no interest in partaking in, or they are surprised and interested to learn the information I offer. Depends largely on the person. I love my pets and the fact that I want to pursue a career with them can make a big difference in the way I am perceived too I guess. Cause at least then I have a reason for wanting them...right? :rolleyes: Silly people. I think it will get better with time though. Younger generations don't seem to be as fearful. Especially since reptiles are becoming such popular pets...:P