Got my baby in today. First snake ive ever had.

Just wondering if everyone else gets this reaction? When i decided i wanted a snake, almost everyone i told was disgusted and asking me if i was crazy. Of course many asked "stupid questions" like dont those things bite. And stuff like that. My area isnt to fond of snakes. I posted pics of my new snake on facebook. And friends are asking if im crazy and not very supportive. Ive always been an outcast. So its nothing new to be downed about something i want/do. Just needed to vent. What do u guys think? Anyone else have this problem?

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Originally Posted by deathangel579

Just wondering if everyone else gets this reaction? When i decided i wanted a snake, almost everyone i told was disgusted and asking me if i was crazy. Of course many asked "stupid questions" like dont those things bite. And stuff like that. My area isnt to fond of snakes. I posted pics of my new snake on facebook. And friends are asking if im crazy and not very supportive. Ive always been an outcast. So its nothing new to be downed about something i want/do. Just needed to vent. What do u guys think? Anyone else have this problem?

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We welcome outcasts who our on the outs due to reptile love.

Post a pic of your snake so we can see!

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...22490606dc.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...61b4663b4a.jpg

Nice looking snake. Get use to it tho. Part of the underground world of reptiles....all you can do is inform people about them.

Thank u. And yea i know they say dumb things because they just dont understand. I would love to educate them. But some people just wont listen. Thats why i would rather have animals as my friends. Lol

I have 18 BPs...the reactions I get are varied. Some are disgusted and make hateful comments about my taste in pets. There's concern that I'll be strangled in my sleep. I've encountered a lot of fascination from people who are reluctant to touch a snake. Then there's my pharmacy tech who always wants to hold and love on them. I just moved and my one of my new neighbors spotted me in the backyard letting one slither through the grass...she was terrified and wouldn't open her door or windows for days. Fortunately I was able to convince her that my babies are well looked after and not allowed to roam freely. One of the delights of being a reptile momma is the opportunity to educate the public about snakes. There's an astonishing amount of ignorance and stigma associated with them. It's really cool when I see someone overcome their initial reticence and discover that reptiles aren't slimy at all, but soft and pleasant. And if they don't want to be open toward it, that's okay...to each their own. I do have to chuckle though when I think of the messes their cats and dogs make. Not one of my scale kids has ever clawed the furniture or howled late at night!

Enjoy your new friend...there's this forum and reptile shows where you can find kindred spirits.

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Originally Posted by deathangel579

Thank u. And yea i know they say dumb things because they just dont understand. I would love to educate them. But some people just wont listen. Thats why i would rather have animals as my friends. Lol

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Congrats. Whereabouts do you live? I think people in most walks of life can be found everywhere but certain regions certainly do have particular mentalities.

South louisiana. The south is its own mentality.

Ya people called me crazy and the the older lady that lives next to me told me I shouldn't bring my snake out side because it might hurt some one and 3 day later her little dog bite me.

Lol thanks for understanding guys.

Happens to everyone, I think. I was so excited to get my new snake in today as well, he's a lesser bee and absolutely beautiful. I posted him to facebook right away and the reply I got, word for word;

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No snakes are beautiful. Lol nasty creatures! But, to each their own. Just dont get them near me when I visit please. Lol

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Well that kind of hurt... My parents don't say much, but I know they don't really approve either. Not to sound like a rebellious teenager (I'm in my 20's, after all) but it isn't really anyone's approval I'm after. On the reverse side of the coin, my brother's friend "loves" snakes, and when he visited with my brother today he just wanted to hold my biggest snake and wasn't getting the hints when I kept suggested he put him back. First time I had ever heard any of my pythons hiss, but this guy handles snakes much too roughly. I'll take people avoiding snakes altogether over the ones that only think they know how to properly handle a python.


*It was't the new snake he was handling, it was Chelsea, who will henceforth be referred to as Chase.

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Originally Posted by Daigga

Happens to everyone, I think. I was so excited to get my new snake in today as well, he's a lesser bee and absolutely beautiful. I posted him to facebook right away and the reply I got, word for word;

[/COLOR][/FONT]

Well that kind of hurt... My parents don't say much, but I know they don't really approve either. Not to sound like a rebellious teenager (I'm in my 20's, after all) but it isn't really anyone's approval I'm after. On the reverse side of the coin, my brother's friend "loves" snakes, and when he visited with my brother today he just wanted to hold my biggest snake and wasn't getting the hints when I kept suggested he put him back. First time I had ever heard any of my pythons hiss, but this guy handles snakes much too roughly. I'll take people avoiding snakes altogether over the ones that only think they know how to properly handle a python.


*It was't the new snake he was handling, it was Chelsea, who will henceforth be referred to as Chase.

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I did the same. Got pretty much the same response. "Are you crazy? Thats gross". "Thats gonna get lose and bite your toes off while you sleep"
I agree 100% with you tho. I just turned 18. Im already on my own. Approval? Nah. Plenty of people disaprove many things i do. Oohh well. My life. Lol

And about handling, unless i am absolutely sure they know what they are doing, they not touching my snake. Lol

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Originally Posted by deathangel579

I did the same. Got pretty much the same response. "Are you crazy? Thats gross". "Thats gonna get lose and bite your toes off while you sleep"
I agree 100% with you tho. I just turned 18. Im already on my own. Approval? Nah. Plenty of people disaprove many things i do. Oohh well. My life. Lol

And about handling, unless i am absolutely sure they know what they are doing, they not touching my snake. Lol

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He swore to me that he had owned corns and ball pythons in the past. I asked him if he knew how to pop a snake and quickly told him never mind after seeing how he was placing his fingers (it looked like he was about to just try and pry the vent open to peak inside. bullet dodged). Lesson learned; never again.

Wow. Some people

I dont know much about snakes. But im smart enough to either not touch something i clearly dont know what im doing or ask to be shown the proper way.

Part of people's disapproval/shockedness of snakes doesn't bother me so much, as I sort of take a sly pleasure in knowing that such ignorant people will have boring, less-fulfilling lives if they don't open their minds to being educated and possibly enjoying something they never thought possible, be it reptiles, new foods, cultures, whatever. (Maybe I'm a terrible person) That said I want everyone to be as educated and open-minded as possible, and if I couldn't find anyone who shared these interests, that would get lonely and sad. But there are always people here, and thankfully others at least in my life.

It would hurt my feelings if someone insulted my baby directly. My revenge would be to either educate and turn his/her views around, or if they refuse, to watch the insulter live out their miserable lives without the joys of having an open mind.

All that said I completely understand some people's irrational fears and would never want to penalize someone for that, as I have them too. I am moreso talking about those who jump on the bandwagon of "it's a ____, it must be _____ because that is what culture has taught me."

I agree with u. Ive always been open minded. And i understand some people are just naturally afraid of snakes. Theres nothing wrong with that. Im terrified of spiders. But some people keep them as pets. I can tell u are someone i would get along with lol

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Originally Posted by deathangel579

I agree with u. Ive always been open minded. And i understand some people are just naturally afraid of snakes. Theres nothing wrong with that. Im terrified of spiders. But some people keep them as pets. I can tell u are someone i would get along with lol

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Hehe. Yes I share the spider thing although I wish I didn't. Maybe someday I'll get over it [emoji57]

There is always gonna be haters....my mom comes to see grandkids... said she wasn't coming back in the house....i thought I got lucky when she said she wasn't coming back in....didn't last long.... now she comes in and goes to check on my snake...

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There is always gonna be haters....my mom comes to see grandkids... said she wasn't coming back in the house....i thought I got lucky when she said she wasn't coming back in....didn't last long.... now she comes in and goes to check on my snake...

I am lucky not to have gotten any horribly judgmental responses, then again for the most part I keep to myself. I live in the desert and work at a resort, so we get snake relocation calls from guests with some regularity. The first time I helped relocate a wild king snake came about when I overheard the security tech who was attempting removal mention that all he had to work with was a rake and a fear of snakes. I was sure the poor thing was going to get hurt and knew the snake needed to be removed by hand if a rake was all that was available. Guests were gathered around as I picked him up asking if he was going to bite me. I basically told them "I hope not, but we will see." Sure enough he didn't, and I was amazed to see how docile even the wild snakes in the area are. I have made it a point since to allow guests to come up and ask questions while I am handling the wild ones and waiting to relocate them. Most people are surprised that I am even interacting with the snakes, and actually become very interested as soon as they see that many really pose no threat.

I really think it is an evolutionary/biological thing that people are predisposed to fear them. It really seems to take direct experience to see that we haven't been told the full story about them. My mom, when I told her I was getting a ball python, was horrified because I would have to feed it rodents. She was upset about the fact that they have to kill mice/rats to provide food for the snakes. I pointed out that they kill cattle and chickens to provide food for her, which pretty much ended that argument. After linking her a few impressive morph photos she couldn't help but admit that they were really stunning creatures. She drove about a half hour to come see my new baby the day after he arrived home, and even mentioned that she may make special trips out in the future to visit him. So yeah, I really think what is driving it is just ignorance. People don't realize that although some can of course be deadly, some snakes are absolute teddy bears too. ;)

OP: Welcome to the world of owning reptiles. I used to get similar reactions when I had geckos... Now that I own snakes too, I hear feedback similar to yours when I post pics of them on my FB page. Someone posted something along the lines of "All snakes should die" and of course, (and this is actually funny) "real pets have shoulders". Now, I post pics on my FB and the haters just don't comment and I'll get a few comments from those that do like to look at them.

You can also post on FB groups just for snakes, or sites like this, to get good feedback. Reptile shows, as others have said, are a lot of fun too. If you have one in your area I'd suggest going. But be prepared that you'll want to bring something home with you if you do.

You could also look into whether or not there's a local reptile group (check FB) that you can chat with or meet up with.

Thanks guys. :)

I get those kind of reactions all of the time. I live in middle TN and also have horses that I barrel race so most of my friends are no strangers to finding snakes in their barns or pastures looking for field mice but they're all still pretty convinced that the only good snake is a dead one. When I post pictures of my boy on fb I get comments all of the time about how gross and creepy he is. I've even had a few say that he'd make a fine pair of boots :colbert:.

My mom absolutely refuses to go into the back half of my house and has sworn that she'll never house sit again as long as I have him... oh well. My ex despised him too. He says that Ludo (the BP) gave him the creeps. Makes no sense to me... its not like Ludo has thumbs to let himself out of his cage and sneak into bed with him. Get over it, or get out.

I think snakes (most reptiles really) have ridiculous reputations due to ignorant people. People dont know any better and refuse to learn. You cant fix stupid.

My girl is an absolute sweetheart and the first snake I've ever owned, and I'm getting some of the 'ewww creepy' comments from coworkers, to the point where I mostly don't really bring it up anymore. But, thankfully, my friends are pretty cool with her.

I've noticed similar reactions to rat owners...last guy I talked to automatically started defending his choice in pet, and I just laughed and was like, 'don't worry, man, not judging...I know the feeling, too'.

Those balls, though. Gotta watch out for them; they'll pry their cages open at night and maliciously try to come strangle you in your sleep. Also, make you sick, and bite your arm off, and eat your children, and so on and so on. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Sea

Those balls, though. Gotta watch out for them; they'll pry their cages open at night and maliciously try to come strangle you in your sleep. Also, make you sick, and bite your arm off, and eat your children, and so on and so on. :rolleyes:

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Yep, thoes ball pythons are down right deadly. Thankfully, my friends are Okay about the snake. People just assume that all snakes can either crush you to death and eat you, or kill you with their venom (or they just dislike snakes for other reasons). So many people would be less scared/ grossed out by snakes if they just knew things about them. Education is the key, but not many people really want to learn about things they hate, and you can't force them to.

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Originally Posted by deathangel579

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...22490606dc.jpg

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Wow, what a beautiful snake! Forgive me, I'm new to morphs - what morph is this?

Pastel. Im new as well so dont feel bad lol

This pic honestly doesnt do his colors justice. Hes so much prettier in person.

At first I was surprised that people would react negatively, I mean they're SO cute and cool! But alas the majority of the population doesn't see it that way. At least I have a best friend who also love reptiles. At least I have BP.net :p

I've always been the "weird" one lol.

Glad I found others. My guy, and we've only been together a week mind you, is absolutely magnificent.

I like being in the underground reptile world lol, wonderful expression.

I think it is really frustrating when people jump to conclusions about snakes or hate them just based on myth and bad media. Sometimes I can understand that they are coming from a stance of ignorance, they just honestly have no idea, but still plenty of people have seen past all that so why can't they? I find the longer I have Shesha and the more I get to know him I am more and more bothered when people react as though he is dangerous. So far he has converted three of the four people who have met him and didn't already like snakes. I have a friend who wanted nothing to do with snakes until she got to meet a tiny little ground snake I was visiting with at work (hard to be scared of a five inch snake :P ) but since meeting my little bp she has completely come around. She is in agreement now that fear of snakes in general is ridiculous. She is even interested in getting one some day.

My husband wasn't a fan of snakes either but even he has to admit that ball pythons are pretty cool. He has started checking the little one's humidity and misting when I am at work and I catch him all the time sitting in the bedroom watching him slither around his tank. He is still a bit nervous about handling him (more out of fear of doing something wrong than fear of the snake), but is getting better at it by the day. Still though, when I hear anyone suggest that snakes are gross/scary/horrible I can't help but be insulted on Shesha's behalf. I mean, how dare they judge him without knowing him, based on something as ridiculous as how he looks! I do think the majority of people would come around if they just spent some time around snakes, but some days I just get so fed up with humankind. At least I can come on here and be reminded that there are good, like-minded people out there and that always makes me feel better. :)

B.T.W. OP, your new baby is gorgeous. My boy is a pastel too and you are absolutely right, the camera never does them justice. Some days I just stare at him and can hardly believe he is real, just so stunning. :P

My biggest gripe, and honestly i think its the root of all "snake hype", is that for some reason people cant get in their heads that there is more than one species of snake. I always get: is it poisonous?does it bite? Isnt that thing gonna get like 10 feet long? What if it gets big and tries to eat you?

And people always say: thats a boa? Anaconda? My friend had one just like that amd it got 15 feet long.

Then i feel like the "knowitall" that has to educate them about the difference between all those snakes amd how this one is harmless.

I use the idea that it would be like assuming that a canary would one day grow into an ostrich. Its 2 different animals completely.

This kind of thinking groups all the bad things about some snakes into 1 animal.

I kinda went through that, but I realize snakes aren't for everyone. As long as YOU like them then don't fret about the opinions of others. I don't need anyone's approval to enjoy my snakes :):gj:

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Originally Posted by Izzys Keeper

My biggest gripe, and honestly i think its the root of all "snake hype", is that for some reason people cant get in their heads that there is more than one species of snake. I always get: is it poisonous?does it bite? Isnt that thing gonna get like 10 feet long? What if it gets big and tries to eat you?

And people always say: thats a boa? Anaconda? My friend had one just like that amd it got 15 feet long.

Then i feel like the "knowitall" that has to educate them about the difference between all those snakes amd how this one is harmless.

I use the idea that it would be like assuming that a canary would one day grow into an ostrich. Its 2 different animals completely.

This kind of thinking groups all the bad things about some snakes into 1 animal.

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Like sharks...lol

I kept venomous snakes for awhile, so I tell people these (BP's) are more fun cause you can "play" with them... My brother-in-law has been converted and now is looking for the right BP for him.

My thoughts about this is, who cares how others think, or what they say about it. Owning the snake makes you happy correct..? Just like many people in the world, i also got negative feed back when i got my baby Anabella, who is about 3 foot long at the moment. My girlfriend and i decided at a split second to get the lovely Anabella, in which is why we got negative feed back.. My girlfriend is 16 weeks pregnant so obviously people have negative things to say about the matter, without taking much time to think about their opinion they just stated it. We take the concern people have to a certain appreciation but we are very happy with our decision for this. My point is, who's life is it? Enjoy your beautiful BP!

Here is a shot of my beautiful Arabella


http://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7ea13f91.jpg

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Originally Posted by xBlaziNx

My thoughts about this is, who cares how others think, or what they say about it. Owning the snake makes you happy correct..? Just like many people in the world, i also got negative feed back when i got my baby Anabella, who is about 3 foot long at the moment. My girlfriend and i decided at a split second to get the lovely Anabella, in which is why we got negative feed back.. My girlfriend is 16 weeks pregnant so obviously people have negative things to say about the matter, without taking much time to think about their opinion they just stated it. We take the concern people have to a certain appreciation but we are very happy with our decision for this. My point is, who's life is it? Enjoy your beautiful BP!

Here is a shot of my beautiful Arabella


http://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7ea13f91.jpg

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Congrats on the baby! :)
And beautiful snake :)

The only person who is supportive of my snake is my husband. He wasn't for it at all until I had him hold a little ball python at a local pet store. She balled up in his hands and he fell completely in love. I got my Oliver on Halloween for my 4 year wedding anniversary :) Your new baby is SUPER cute! I really enjoyed seeing some pics of your setup too! Have you named your new baby? I got asked a lot of questions about him biting, if he could escape the enclosure. I was told he was going to eat one of my cats or strangle me. The only thing you can do is post pics, inform them, and then try to get them to hold your new baby. Snakes are incredible. My only regret is waiting and dreaming 10 years before "going for it".