Curing Snake Phobia !!!!

:P Hey everybody...
Well, I have actually managed to cure somebody of "Snake Phobia"...The person in question is my mother who has always been terrified of snakes - When I first got my initial Ball Python she would come over to my apartment and would refuse to go near the enclosure ...but I started taking her with me to the Reptile store I frequent and I would explain to her that the snakes were behind glass and could not hurt her...and I explained to her that in most cases the snakes were totally harmless. She started to ask timid questions about how they live and so forth...she was nibbling at the bait so to speak :wink: I would tell her various facets of information about snake husbandry and how fascinating these animals really were. I stressed that snakes are indeed just another kind of animal and not some sort of supernatural evil creature like they have been made out to be. One of my moms most persistent ideas was that snakes are slimy and wet....So one day at thereptile store I asked them to take out a baby Burm and I had my mom just ....touch it lightly :wink: She was so surprised!!! :P She told me that it felt like a warm piece of luggage...heh heh heh

So now I have actually gotten her to the point where she will handle my Ball Pythons and she likes to help me with husbandry chores ...she will hold my pythons in her lap while I change substrate or fill their water bowls and so forth :lol: She has completely changed. She even knows that there are harmless snakes and other snakes that are not quite so harmless but she no longer views them as being something evil anymore... she actually likes it when they flicker their tongues out at her....a snake phobia success story I think..!!!!!!!!!! :P :P

EyeLashViper

very cool! now go work on my mom...

good job!

nice work there eyelash. my mom was pretty cool about nellie the one time they got to interact when she came to visit me. i got her out and held her out to my mom. i told my mom to touch her and see how soft she was and my mom hesistated and said "is she going to bite me?" i laughed and told her that unless she had just had her hands in a bag of mice that i didn't know existed in my apartment that she would be fine. she ended up holding nellie for a short while and i was proud. :)

some day my mom will be like that! ..... someday someday

nice, my wife and I cought a few people over the summer when we would have snakes out on our walks...its pretty cool to see people who are unsure of the animal but brave enough to ask about it and want to touch or even hold them.

Good Job!
That's awesome. I love a story w/ a happy ending :)

Cool! The funny thing is, it was actually my moms idea for me to get Mosi that day when we went to the petshop. LOL! She had 2 rtb's before and I think she missed them.

My mom likes holding Link. At first she was a bit squeemish, but I got her to hold a baby burm at a pet shop andn ow she thinks that they're cute. SO she holds Link when I bring him out.

Heh, I have to keep one of my friends from playing with my snakes all of the time. As for my parents, one doesn't know, but would think it would be pretty cool. The other one thinks it's pretty cool.

:3 It helped my mother that my first snake was just a few month old baby and very teeny, she's a lot better now.

Congrats on everyone who converted someone. My family just sort of stares in wonder when they're visiting and I get a snake out. My sister actually touched the spikes on my bearded dragon's head because she wanted to know if they were sharp or not, and she ended up saying he was cute.
My friend's 7 year old son was over awhile ago with them, and he was terrified of snakes. He actually ran out of the house when I brought one of the ball pythons out! But by the end of the day, he was holding one of the smaller ball pythons (at arm's length, but still it was all good) and I see that as great progress. I bet he gets a bunch of reptiles in a few years; his mother will thank me, hehe :)

Totally cool! :) I think that is one of my favoritye things to do with my snakes..show them to people who have never really had the opportunity to touch them before and dispel all the myths. I went to Home Depot this summer for some smaller items, so I took Cleo along with me, wrapped around my arm at the elbow. Total strangers would come up to me and ask about it, and actually very few negative reactions. Nothing like having a good looking woman come up to you and asking if she may touch your snake! :wink:

Quote:

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Nothing like having a good looking women come up to you and asking if she may touch your snake!

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LOL ,shame shame on you. jk

Im always to scared to take my snakes anywhere, you never know what kind of germs are all around. I guess its not so bad if no other snakes are around,but i would never take my snakes to a pet store or reptile show though

Anyway,back on subject, alot of my friends who dont know much about snakes have come over and been really curious (but cautious) when going into my room and looking at the tanks.......By the end of the night they end up touching and holding them, its great

People often have alot of misconceptions about snakes..............and the people who own them,they think that only crazy,hardcore punk rockers with mo-hawks and a bad @$$ attitude own snakes, people are often very surprised when i tell them i own snakes, i guess you could say im kinda "preppy" (you know, clothes from american eagle,hollister and abrecromie and junk like that)But people of all kinds love snakes......its just alot of people dont know that.

I think that the ball python is a great snake for people to hold or touch (meaning, people who have never felt a snake before and are afraid of them.) BPs are so gentle and nonaggressive. I think that once someone sees how harmless BPs are, they'll come around.

I know this is an old post but.. My mom used to hate snakes too, and I used to beg, and beg for a pet snake, but no. She wouldn't have it. Then one day when I was around 7-8 years old, they had a bunch of adorable baby cornsnakes at the petstore. They were so cute, and I couldn't have one. So I cried. And when we came home to my mom, she couldn't take it anymore, and she said to my dad 'for heavens sake, buy her one of those snakes!' lol

Now after some work, she loves snakes, and wants one of her own.