Raising a kid with snakes.

I am pregnant and my best friend has told me that I am "reckless and irresponsible" for raising a baby while owning ball pythons.
Do you run into this problem often and how do you handle it?

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Originally Posted by pkore1015

I am pregnant and my best friend has told me that I am "reckless and irresponsible" for raising a baby while owning ball pythons.
Do you run into this problem often and how do you handle it?

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I'm sure people have run into this, and if I recall correctly somebody recently had something similar to this.

Honestly what I would do if it were my best friend I would try to educate them and talk some sense into them. If this failed then I'd simply do sign language(if you know what I mean) and tell them to get some common sense.

It's just people are scared of what they're unsure of, or what they don't know. Then to top it off the media doesn't help with this situation.

We get these comments a lot. I enjoy making them feel silly by telling them what their prey size ACTUALLY is. Then I usually get the retort: well, I saw a video of a snake eating a whole wildebeest.
Or something like that. To which I respond, was it a ball python? They never know. Never.

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Originally Posted by kameo37

We get these comments a lot. I enjoy making them feel silly by telling them what their prey size ACTUALLY is. Then I usually get the retort: well, I saw a video of a snake eating a whole wildebeest.
Or something like that. To which I respond, was it a ball python? They never know. Never.

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Not to be rude or anything but that's how things get spread and puts more people off. While people can be ignorant and biased, it's because rumors like this get spread then taught to their kids and so on. It's a repeating cycle. Yes make them feel silly by all means, but the wildebeast thing shouldn't be said. They already have tons of fake pictures of gigantic snakes and snakes eating humans, don't contribute to the cause anymore than the media does.

OP I have the saaamee convo with my gf quite often, especially when I tell her how old BPs can live. When my gf and I discuss the future she tells me "no snakes when we have kids" and cites the recent incident in Canada as a basis for her concern. I've finally informed her well enough to understand that under no circumstance would the snake be near the infant(s) for the snake's safety, and go on to explain how unrealistic it is for a snake that feeds on rodents to want anything to do with a human baby who prob weighs more than it.

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Originally Posted by kameo37

We get these comments a lot. I enjoy making them feel silly by telling them what their prey size ACTUALLY is. Then I usually get the retort: well, I saw a video of a snake eating a whole wildebeest.
Or something like that. To which I respond, was it a ball python? They never know. Never.

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Neal I see what your saying but I don't think that was what the intention of this post was... I think by addressing the issue in this way the idea is to make the person feel silly for being so misinformed to begin with I'm sure that's what the "was it a BP" question is all about :)

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Originally Posted by galequin

OP I have the saaamee convo with my gf quite often, especially when I tell her how old BPs can live. When my gf and I discuss the future she tells me "no snakes when we have kids" and cites the recent incident in Canada as a basis for her concern. I've finally informed her well enough to understand that under no circumstance would the snake be near the infant(s) for the snake's safety, and go on to explain how unrealistic it is for a snake that feeds on rodents to want anything to do with a human baby who prob weighs more than it.



Neal I see what your saying but I don't think that was what the intention of this post was... I think by addressing the issue in this way the idea is to make the person feel silly for being so misinformed to begin with I'm sure that's what the "was it a BP" question is all about :)

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Yes, you know that, I know that and the other person knows that. The fact is the person you're telling that to doesn't know that and what if it isn't realized as a joke. Why even play around and joke like that? Some things you honestly don't joke about, i.e. you don't walk in a bank and joke around that you have a gun.

I just don't want to see another rumor started and spread. One awesome point is that because of one person came up with the idea that had pitbulls had locking jaws, it spread like wildfire. Now go ask random people about pitbulls jaws and they will tell you that they lock them. This is actually incorrect. The truth is that pitbull has one of the most powerful bites. That's the reason people think they "lock" their jaw.

No property is dangerous if kept safely and with proper protocols.

When we decide to have a kid, you can guarantee that my Retic cage will get a more extensive security revamp as soon as the Retic gets over 5ft.

Even all my BPs have locks on their tubs.

You can try to bring reason to your best friend but know that bringing reason to the unreasonable is, unreasonable. You can point out the statistics that have been outlined on this forum many a time.

Here is a link to show how rediculous it is to be paranoid about your snakes. http://usherp.org/tag/reptile-deaths/

Deaths:
Motor vehicle incidents 1 in 98

Captive reptile incident (all kinds, including salmonella) 1 in 4,040,294

Neal, I think you misunderstood. I was saying that the OTHER person brings up the snake eating a wildebeest. I'm definitely not spreading that misinformation around. I ask them if they think a ball python was the one eating a wildebeest to prove a point. It obviously wasn't. Therefore, my family is safe because the crazy video that person saw on you tube has nothing to do with the snakes I'm keeping in my home.
Even if it did, it's much more about responsible keepers, than anything. Which we also discuss.

The making them feel silly part is all in my head. I just *hope* they feel silly about saying stuff like that after we chat about it. There's no joking or sarcasm actually going on.

Believe me, I had never even heard of that kind of stuff until 2 different people brought it up while I'm showing them my super sweet bp. I would never perpetuate any negative stereotypes about reptiles! I certainly would never joke about it with people who, so clearly, didn't know any better.

Sorry if my original response came across that way...I did write it during my insomnia at 4 am.

Whenever someone tries to tell me about "that person they heard about one time who was killed by a captive snake" I ask them about the other news headline that wasn't printed. It said, "THE OTHER 99.99999999% OF SNAKE OWNERS SURVIVED THE NIGHT," but you didn't hear about them did you? You only know what you're told. Go and learn something for yourself.

BTW: I love the link about all the more deadly stuff than snakes. If I could I would keep laminated copies of that in my pockets to hand out daily to the ignorant masses.

If anything the biggest threat to your baby would be from diseases carried on the feeders or in the snake's feces, not from the snakes themselves. As long as you clean up and use hand sanitizer after feeding or cleaning tanks, it's not an issue.

As for the friend, I would simply let her know politely that we'll have to agree to disagree and if she can't... there's the door.

Some people hear the word python, and get all up in arms. My aunt's friend found out I had a ball python (she didn't know what size it gets or anything, I'm sure it was a 10 foot monster in her mind), and she was all "IS SHE CRAZY!! Didn't she see the news about those boys!!" You can try to explain to them, but they often just won't hear it. IMO it's much more dangerous to raise a new baby around a dog, which is very common, but I'm not saying that that is inherently dangerous either. Accidents do happen (not with ball pythons and babies, but with pets in general), but more often than not "accidents" are due to irresponsible pet ownership. I don't really know what to tell your friend, she's not sounding like much of a "best friend" though.

I find that quite rude of her, I guess you must be reckless and irresponsible if you own a cat or a dog right? a kid is more likely to get bit/attack by a cat/dog then a snake...

Wow I am so sorry that people are pestering you about this it's awful! But people truly are misinformed about all types of pet snakes. Every time I tell someone I have a snake, a ball python, they look at me all serious and ask me "What does it eat?" And every time I look at them with a baffled expression because I thought that everyone that's passed middle school high school and have college degrees new that Snakes Eat RODENTS!! Lol but people obviously have no idea now a days it's insane. The next time someone asks I'm going to ask them what they think it eats to see what page they are on. But with your friend I'd tell her that the car that I drive and the car that you drive kills more people every year than all the pets you could possibly own. But your not irresponsible for driving a car are you? Absolutely not. And I'm definitely not wishing any badness upon you with the car thing, I just don't think a lot of people understand that cars are a deadly piece of machinery when not handled properly. But anyway. Definitely try to educate your friend, it's sad how little people know now a days. I hope things get better with you, and you are no longer harassed.


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same as raising kids with guns in the house. keep them locked up (if they're dangerous) and teach your kids about them. how to properly handle them and how they can be dangerous (i know this part doesn't apply to balls as much, but for those with the big snakes). i was raised with a ball python and no telling how many guns. i still have both my eyes and all my fingers and toes. ;) it's usually the kids that have no idea what a gun is and find it in their parents room that have the accidents.

I'll be raising my son we're expecting around snakes. We also may be acquiring a bully breed. If they were a friend, they'd keep their nose out of places it doesn't belong. My family knows better, and my friends are all herpers so I haven't ever run into anything like this. But I wouldn't be very kind to anyone criticizing my choices .

I've had people question me for owning my pets.

I always bring out my largest male, who is lean and in the 1000+ range, to show reluctant friends. I tell them that he is an adult male. And they always respond, 'oh....that's it?! He's smaller than I imagined'. I guess they're thinking 12 ft Burms or retics or something in their mind......

Then I bring out my largest female(2000+g). She is much larger than the male, but still smaller than what they think a generic python is. Their fears are usually nullified and actually start to take interest in the snakes.

But all in all, I've had more trouble owning ferrets than snakes. Most people are like 'what?! Why would you own them!? They're dangerous!'
There was two incidents in the news where children and ferrets were involved. One girl had her face eaten off when she was asleep? Another baby ferret was blamed for eating 8 fingers off an infant (the dog was probably actually the culprit) in the same room as sleeping parents. < fishy story

Not to mention, lots of people tell me that my dobermans will turn on me at 2 years of age. What nonsense!

As long as your safe and responsible should be no problem! That being said, we generally have an "open house" each year so that a lot of my coworkers and neighbors see exactly what we work with and get rid of most snake related steroetypes. I have had several friends that were scared of snakes that have now purchased one after being educated and seeing that they are not the evil monsters the media makes out to be.

There are SO many things in this world that are "dangerous" to humans. I could rattle off a million things that are more likely to kill you than a snake, but it doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is that captive reptiles are much less dangerous than the general public believe. Scare tactics on the news and ANIMAL PLANET (UGH) have made sure of that.

The best thing you can do is educate people if they are willing. For the most part I have been able to convince people that my animals are not dangerous. I still have a few friends that are completely terrified of snakes, and I understand their fears. I would never force them to confront my animals if they weren't comfortable with it.

I guess its worth mentioning that a captive (or wild) ball python has never severely injured or killed any human (that I know of). It just really isn't possible. Even an infant is far too large for a ball python to eat.

Ball pythons are naturally shy animals. For gods sake their primary defense mechanism is to curl into a ball? What could be more dangerous than that??? I guess if you threw it at someone it might hurt... LOL

If you just have ball pythons and other small snakes they pose no risk to humans and you should tell your friend that and show them how gentle and small they stay. As for larger constrictors like boids and retics it will take more convincing but they do not look for humans to eat or kill like the news portrays and accidents are very rare. It is all about how secure you keep them so they cannot escape or be messed with by others. Any pet; snake, dog, or cat could cause injury to humans.

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Originally Posted by kameo37

Neal, I think you misunderstood. I was saying that the OTHER person brings up the snake eating a wildebeest. I'm definitely not spreading that misinformation around. I ask them if they think a ball python was the one eating a wildebeest to prove a point. It obviously wasn't. Therefore, my family is safe because the crazy video that person saw on you tube has nothing to do with the snakes I'm keeping in my home.
Even if it did, it's much more about responsible keepers, than anything. Which we also discuss.

The making them feel silly part is all in my head. I just *hope* they feel silly about saying stuff like that after we chat about it. There's no joking or sarcasm actually going on.

Believe me, I had never even heard of that kind of stuff until 2 different people brought it up while I'm showing them my super sweet bp. I would never perpetuate any negative stereotypes about reptiles! I certainly would never joke about it with people who, so clearly, didn't know any better.

Sorry if my original response came across that way...I did write it during my insomnia at 4 am.

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Yea, it sounded like you were making up that you saw a video, not that you actually actually saw a video of that. It could of been taken either way, but thanks for clearing it up.

I hadn't seen the video at the time at all. They mentioned it, not me. I looked it up after two different people mentioned it to me. I don't even know if it was a wildebeest or an antelope or what. I think it was probably cgi'd or something anyway. Seemed completely unbelievable to me.

Oh yeah if this is your first pregnancy then you'll probably receive a lot of unsolicited - and often bad - advice. A smile and "thank you, I'll keep that in mind" deflects most of it.

Most people who know me realize I'm not going to listen to them, but also realize I know enough to be able to keep my child safe. When people do find out i Have pythons and boas (ball ptyhons, rosy boas), and the "danger" issue comes up, I tell them simply and bluntlly (that's just my style): "The rosy boas will only get 2-3 feet in length. The ball pythons most likely won't exceed 4-5 feet in length and only about this big around (showing them with my hands). The biggest animal that has to worry about my snakes is a rat. If these snakes come in contact with my child, she'll probably hurt them worse than they could ever hurt her. That's assuming she even finds them should they get out, which they won't because they are in locking bins. If they were to some how escape, they would find the darkest, quietest place they could and just hang out. If they are found, they'd curl up in a ball to protect themselves. They are very shy, docile snakes."
Most people leave it at that and move on to another subject. If they bring up the topic of larger snakes, I again respond simply and bluntly, "Sure there are larger snakes out there, but those aren't the kind of snakes I have." The topic drops shortly after that.

The people I keep company with are generally very reasonable. My family can get a little hysterical at times, but they've figured out they can't "get through" to me and just leave it. I've explained to my family before what kind of snakes these are and how they are only dangerous to rodents. They accept it. I think they've seen enough of the menagerie I keep to realize I'm capable of keeping multiple critters safely in the same house without incident, so my child is surely safe too.

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Originally Posted by Neal

I'm sure people have run into this, and if I recall correctly somebody recently had something similar to

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It was me, and I run into stuff like this all the time.

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Originally Posted by pkore1015

I am pregnant and my best friend has told me that I am "reckless and irresponsible" for raising a baby while owning ball pythons.
Do you run into this problem often and how do you handle it?

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I have two boys a 3 and 6 year old both have been around snakes/reptiles since the first day they came home from the hospital. I run into people like this all the time I live in a small town in the country where everyone knows your business and big news like the last big snake kill travels fast and is the talk of the town for weeks.

My grandparents give me a lecture all the time, about how my snakes are killers and if they ever get around one of my boys necks and kill them they're going to kill me. This lil debate started when my grandmother seen a picture of my big female ivory. I told her the snake that killed those boys was 4xs bigger and stronger, and was kept by a brain dead owner.

I also have to deal with my kid, and his friends that come over. Its the fear of parents not letting there kids come over and play with my kid.

I just walk away from them, some people are so scared of snakes that they don't want to trust them ect. So they never want to be educated on them or there behavior. My kids are also both active in handling and taking care of the rats and snakes. As long as you are a responsible owner and have OCD about shutting tubs like I do and properly care for your animal there is nothing wrong.

I don't tolerate people who try and tell other people about there life choices. I don't tell other people how to run there's so leave my life alone. Sounds like your friend is uneducated, educate her or if she still doesn't understand just ignore her.

I know this is alot to read, I also understand how you feel about this... its very stressful. Hope some of this helps you.

Thanks for everyone's response.
I especially like the link for the coconuts. Even coconuts are more dangerous than snakes.
I showed her statistics for snake vs. dog deaths per year. She didn't have anything to say.

I think most reptile keepers have gone through all kinds of questions about reptiles. The whole Canada story has been a big impact on the people close to me, thinking that pythons are man eaters and whatnot. I try to educate people the best I can, but some are not so open-minded about reptiles, which is too bad.

I love the link to the coconut-thingy. I don't know if statistic will change their negative opinions about reptiles, but I will definitively show people this. :D

I was 5 when I got my first ball python. I was apparently all about them from an even younger age than that, and couldn't be stopped from getting one myself. We all know roughly how fast snakes grow - so little 8 year old me was running around with a roughly 1800 gram ball python, which I kept as I got older.

I was fine. My little brother (who was 2 when I got my snake) was fine. All the customers I've helped have been fine, including the pregnant ones and the ones with small children and the ones with terrified parents who eventually came around.

I feel, and have always felt, that the best response is to be calm, and ask them why they think it's such a bad idea. If it's size, explain the size, if it's biting, point out that there's no reason the baby would even be near the snake until it could walk (or even older than that) anyway. Simple, logical counter arguments and/or explanations work best.

The snakes don't get that big. They're in cages that lock. You're (presumably) a reasonable, intelligent human being who isn't going to drape cranky, hungry snakes around their baby. You're going to wash your hands after handling them and before you touch your child. The snakes go into contained, lockable spaces that the kids can't get to - as others have pointed out, they're a safer pet in that regard than a dog wandering around with a child that could potentially provoke it.

Good luck with the naysayers, and have a nice, easy pregnancy and a healthy birth :) Don't let the negative people get ya down!

-Jen

This is something that came up for me recently, I; however, don't keep bps or boas. I specialize in retics and monitors. Naturally my girlfriend was worried about them as was her family. Originally they where all extremely against the idea, now we are 23ish weeks pregnant (depends if they move the due date again LOL), and it's not a concern that is even mentioned.. I think my girlfriend/her family seeing me interact with these animals, seeing how absolutely docile they actually are put them at ease. I think education helped a great deal, especially after the Canada event where I sat down and explained to them why the entire story was nonsense and how impossible it is, and how silly it is to be so worried about that instead of carbon monoxide, car crashes, a dog, things like this...

I do think that it's extremely important to make sure everything is kept well away from the child.. All of my animals are in locked cages, behind locked doors. Each door has a standard lock as well as a deadbolt in case he figures out how to pick locks with a credit card (I sure knew how!). Those sort of steps are very important for responsible keepers, especially when dealing with anything that gets even a little bit on the large end.