Improving Public Perception of Keeping Snakes

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Originally Posted by PhoenixGate

Is there anyone with the time to create a positive campaign for keeping reptiles, especially larger snakes? It would be great if there were something positive we could share on social media that helps dispel some of the misruths and lies used to hurt our community. I already share lots of stuff from national geographic and similar pages on Facebook. Propaganda and fear mongering can be countered.

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I want to address this in its own thread because it's too important to get lost in the USARK vs USFWS lawsuit discussion. I believe that H$U$ will bring pressure on states and localities to "do something" about the "public safety issue" of keeping exotic pets in the near future. Public perception will play a huge role in how effective we are in countering attacks on our hobby.

USARK is great BUT it's not a large, well-funded organization that can mount a nationwide PR campaign. Also, as a 501c3 charity it is legally limited in its "activism" activities. Most other special interest groups have at least three associated corporations: a 501c3 charity for fighting legal battles and/or engaging in public education, a 501c4 for lobbying, and a political action committee (PAC) for endorsing candidates for office and donating to election campaigns. Since there is no nationwide group with the resources to focus on improving public perception of reptile owners and ownership at the moment, it's up to each of us to do our part.

So, I'm going to throw out some ideas that require nothing more than a little time to implement based on my own experiences. If you have any other ideas to add please post them! Note that these are things we can do day-to-day, over and above reacting to USARK alerts, signing petitions, calling legislators, voting "pro pet", writing letters to the editor based on current events, etc.

Sharing good information from respected, well-research sources on social media is a great way to reach a lot of people. Also, if you do see propaganda in your own news feed and you dispute it, remember that you can "disagree without being disagreeable". The person who engages in name-calling and personal attacks loses the argument.

I've seen some group admins on Facebook add rules about no live-feeding videos and no nasty-looking bite photos. I would discourage you from posting these on your own FB walls as well. We know that live feedings (especially with picky ball pythons) and the occasional nip are part and parcel of owning snakes, but it's not necessarily something your friends and family want to see pop up from you on their own news feed. Plus, I'm sure most reptile groups contain PETA-philes who will save these off for later use against the reptile hobby.

Outside of social media (yes, life outside of the Internet does exist) there are ways to gently steer family, friends, and coworkers away from thinking that reptiles are nasty/evil/bad/etc. Doing so requires you be open, though not obnoxiously so, about the fact that you keep reptiles as pets. I've noticed that most folks keep quiet about their collections, whether they have one snake or hundreds, and that has to change if we're to be seen as mainstream. You don't have to go on... and on... and on... about your pet snakes (like some people do about their kids or dogs) but you shouldn't be afraid to talk about them either.

I'll give an example from my cube farm / work environment. Usually my computer desktop is covered with the applications I'm using, but when those are closed, or when I'm away at meetings so my screen saver is up, my display shows some of the rather awesome snake photos that my husband has taken. Similarly my mouse pad has a picture of my daughter with one of our ball pythons. People walking by can't help but see them. So, my coworkers know I keep snakes. Also, other coworkers have mentioned they have snakes, but they told me only because they saw my pictures, and were otherwise too scared of being thought of as "weird" if people found out!

Another example is that we do take our larger boas and retics outside in our front yard for exercise. We're in a quiet single-family home subdivision with minimal foot traffic so it's rare that someone stops to look at the critters, but when they do the reactions have all been positive. The kids especially are enamored with them, and some are now bugging their parents to get a pet snake.

Obviously this isn't an option if you live in an apartment complex with a shared/common ground for residents. I also wouldn't recommend taking your snake to public areas such as parks, stores, etc. unless specifically invited.

I also have to give kudos to the person in this thread - http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-the-Lacey-Act - for using the opportunity to educate her teacher and classmates.

Great points and examples bcr! :)

I actively dispel any myths that FB friends may share involving snakes and other reptiles. It has helped to educate several individuals who didn't know better.

I also casually let slip the snakes/rats in conversations. Oftentimes people who have known me for a bit are floored that I own and breed them. There seems to be this kind of "freak" stigma associated with snakes. And me being a (mostly) normal individual who owns and breeds these different animals really sparks their interest. I have also turned many family members and friends (and friends of friends as a result) around to snakes by just having them. They ask questions. Eventually they want to see them and often they eventually want to touch and hold them.

I will admit that I do not take my snakes out in the front. I also make sure my younger siblings know to not let the neighbors become aware of me owning snakes or the rat shed. I just am too scared of someone freaking out and starting a snowball effect. Yes I am legally allowed to have them. But I don't want anyone to know that I have them right next door to them for fear of people getting zoning and such changed or something.

I wish we had the money for some commercials showcases reptiles in a positive light.

I think we should at least create a bunch more photos to share on FB about the truth about snakes and the positive experiences. People usually won't read paragraphs written but will view the photos with short captions written on them.

Very well said bcr! And thanks for the shoutout.

One thing that I have noticed with people is that many are willing to change their minds about snakes.

For instance, I have over 10 snakes and whenever people come over for get-togethers or parties at my house we always have to take multiple trips down to the snake room to show everyone the snakes. The kids especially (who have not had as much time to soak in the misconceptions of our society) will often want to hold the snakes and after a few visits, even the ones who were deathly afraid before will hold a snake.

Its not as easy changing the minds of adults but even so, I feel better about at least getting some of their facts straight. (One time, I had someone TELL me that my adult ball python was a baby and that it was going to grow to be 20 ft long :confusd:)

Needless to say even though many people that know my family still don't necessarily LIKE the snakes, they certainly are no longer afraid of them and many of them will join the group of excited kids coming to see the snakes downstairs.

Not being afraid to talk about your snakes is big. I can't tell you how many times I've constructively argued why snakes CAN be pets and why they are NOT dangerous when the owner is responsible. Although not everyone will admit they are wrong, knowing your facts and arguing effectively but politely can change a lot of people's perceptions. (One of my favorite bits of fun fact is that every year on average more people are killed in the US by vending machines than by any snakes - venomous included)

Here is my 2 cents. There are at least two sides to this issue. There are the animals themselves and the people that keep them. The snake keeping community would have to decide on the public face they want to present. This not only means the way they present their animals but the way they present themselves. This means no matter how well you present your snakes in public, if you look like you come from the fringes of society your pets will be looked upon that way. I personally do not judge people on anything other than their brains and their actions but most of the world frankly does not work that way. Some of the biggest names in the business present themselves in public looking like they just rolled out of bed or they are a leftover from a failed rock band. I respect their knowledge immensely however as entertaining and educational as it is, we as a group are not being served by the public seeing some long haired, tattooed guy wrestling a reticulated python with blood running down his arm.

The other thing we have to recognize is that snakes are not for everyone especially the giants. Industry self regulation is the key here. In my opinion the sellers should make some attempt to establish if a person is getting in over their heads. It is better to pass up a sale in the short term than to eventually not have the opportunity to make a sale at all.

I hang out with my snakes on the front porch. We don't get much traffic; I don't think anyone has ever noticed. A few of the neighbours know because I've told them. This area is pretty much live-and-let-live.

I probably do look like one of those people "on the fringes of society," however. I have long straggly waist-length hair, I'm always in a skirt, but the entire wardrobe is from the thrift store, and gets pretty shabby. I couldn't care less about appearances.

Right across the river from me you get fined, animals confiscated and treated like a criminal for any constrictors. Sad how bad the media has misjudged this one....even a kenyan sand boa is dangerous to authority in iowa:rolleyes:

I wasn't ever in the habit of taking/posting lots of photos of my old corn snake or BP, basically because when I got them taking pictures meant finding the camera, putting film in it, getting the film developed, etc; and showing them to people meant convincing someone to come over and look at your photo album.

But when my corn snake died this winter at the age of 18, I posted about it on Facebook and got nothing but sympathy. Maybe I won over some snake skeptics, by posting about him the way everyone posts about a beloved pet who dies; and because I'd bought a baby snake as a teenager but then amazingly enough, it lived for 18 years without getting big enough to swallow someone's dog. (plus I'm a classical musician and have no tattoos! ;))

I've posted about my new baby BP a few times since too, and hope that I've won over a few that way, too. Partly because a baby BP is just cuter than cute... but also because if someone says "OMG python, just wait until it gets huge!" I can explain that BP's don't actually get that big, and even a large adult basically can't do much real damage to a human - a rabbit or even a rat can inflict a worse bite, not to mention a cat or dog.

That said, I do wish it were harder to buy the larger species such as burms and retics. Those are animals that really do get big enough to hurt someone, and are fairly demanding to keep as adults just on account of their size. And every idiot who does something heinous with a retic makes it harder to convince skeptics that ball pythons are actually safe and harmless. I have no problem with regulating animals that really are dangerous and/or highly demanding to care for.

But part of the public education picture is teaching people that there are many kinds of snakes, constrictors, pythons, boas, etc, just like there are many species of cats and many species of primates. A Kenyan sand boa isn't going to grow up into a 20-foot retic any more than a house cat is going to grow up to be a tiger. When people realize that snakes are just animals like every other animal, they're maybe more inclined to be tolerant.

I remember around the time I got my first BP when I was 13 or 14, my stepmother said something like, "Well OK, but I still don't quite understand why you want an invertebrate as a pet". My stepmother is a smart lady with a PhD (in the humanities, not science), from an educated family, etc; but it never occurred to her that snakes are even vertebrates. I think it's unfortunately common that people just don't know really basic things about snakes; but when they learn even just a little, it helps demystify them.

These are all good points but don't address the elephant in the room. I believe public perception is irrelevant when exotic keepers can't even stand united among themselves.

I've lost count of times I've read reptile owners actively call for larger exotics to be banned or regulated out of private possession. I've lost track of times I've read ball python and bearded dragon owners call for bans or severe licensing restrictions on large boids and venomous.

The endgame of HSUS and PETA is divide and conquer. They will split the exotic owners apart and go after each group piecemeal until their goals are achieved. They see no difference between your ball python and a burmese or a leopard gecko and a bobcat. I've been over it before and don't want to rehash now so let's just say that there are already plenty of laws in force, such as animal cruelty, negligence, liability, etc., that could be used to destroy irresponsible owners, there is no regulation needed. When a fellow exotic animal owner says licenses are needed to own a tiger or a rectic, these activists are jumping up and down with joy. What they heard is exotic owners are divided and there will be no real resistance.

I remember when the animals were released in Ohio and bp keepers were saying we need to ban or license the larger exotics or our bps will be at risk. Your bps are already at risk. There is nothing you can do to take away their desire to take away your bp. Not one thing. By rolling over and throwing others under the bus, you have enabled PETA and HSUS to come even closer to taking your bp.

Again these are all great points and worth trying for increasing beneficial public perception, but for me at least, the overriding question/cloud is how can we expect the general public to support exotic animal ownership when we as a community won't come together to support it ourselves?

We will always be fighting an uphill battle that we won't win with public perception. People will always fear snakes. The battle we need to be worried about and can win with solid scientific proof is with the law makers.


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the overriding question/cloud is how can we expect the general public to support exotic animal ownership when we as a community won't come together to support it ourselves?

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The problem for me is, I DO want some regulations put on the owners of large dangerous animals. If my neighbor has a pet tiger, I want---at least!---someone inspecting that enclosure a couple times a year to make sure it's adequate, and to make sure they're feeding the animal properly. I can't support those who want no regulation on exotic animal keeping. A lot of people can't keep dogs properly, what makes me think they'll be any better with a tiger? I won't say that private ownership should be completely banned but I do want some oversight. I feel like this is common sense and not part of some greater conspiracy to end pet keeping.

I don't want to get eaten by my neighbor's pet!

Now, I'm not worried about the big snakes because the weather here doesn't support escaped tropical animals, but I can see why it would be concerning somewhere warmer.

I also don't think anyone should feel obligated to change their personal style because of public perception :D. I mean, I'm about as vanilla as anyone can be but I don't think everyone has to be.

I don't believe you can compare keeping large constrictors to keeping a tiger... under proper care and knowledgeable handling I see no reason why they should be under strict regulation. As someone mentioned before, throwing the large constrictor keepers under the bus is exactly what HSUS wants. If there are strict regulations on them and they have to be inspected... very few people will keep them and the large constrictor hobby will begin dying out.

Now I am not saying there should not be SOME regulation about it. In tropical areas like Florida, I can see the sense in having to obtain a permit (it shouldn't be too difficult to get though) and microchip your animal to ensure no impulse buyers get into a retic or burm with no prior research.

Also, if you are worried about an adult human getting eaten by a large constrictor it leads me to believe you do not know much about them.
The "killer snake" stereotype is exactly what we are trying to debunk... not propagate.

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Originally Posted by piedpipper

I don't believe you can compare keeping large constrictors to keeping a tiger... under proper care and knowledgeable handling I see no reason why they should be under strict regulation. As someone mentioned before, throwing the large constrictor keepers under the bus is exactly what HSUS wants. If there are strict regulations on them and they have to be inspected... very few people will keep them and the large constrictor hobby will begin dying out.

Now I am not saying there should not be SOME regulation about it. In tropical areas like Florida, I can see the sense in having to obtain a permit (it shouldn't be too difficult to get though) and microchip your animal to ensure no impulse buyers get into a retic or burm with no prior research.

Also, if you are worried about an adult human getting eaten by a large constrictor it leads me to believe you do not know much about them.
The "killer snake" stereotype is exactly what we are trying to debunk... not propagate.

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I have to agree with this. Plus, if the large constrictors are strictly regulated and require home checks, what is to stop those restrictions to moving onto other species as well. With things like these regulations only want to go further and become more strict, as reptile keepers we need to stand united to show the public we are not nutcase a keeping man eating animals.

But those are the exact arguments that tiger keepers make---"if you agree with regulations on keeping tigers, what's going to keep them from making regulations on housecats!!1!1" Well, because housecats aren't tigers. I'm kind of sick of the propaganda and alarmism in the whole situation, on both sides. Let's use a little common sense. If enclosure inspections would discourage some people from keeping large snakes, maybe those people shouldn't be keeping large snakes.

And, no, I don't think large snakes are a danger to most adults (adults engaging in unsafe handling practices, yes) but children have been killed so clearly some people aren't so great at protecting their children or keeping their snakes contained. Just a little something to make sure that anyone who's keeping a 20-foot snake has half a clue, ya know?

I feel like this is on the same level of requiring inspections for wiring so the structure doesn't burn down. I don't want my house to burn down because my neighbor wasn't good at wiring, and I don't want his kids killed by his ineptness. I want those inspections and I don't care if he wants to squeak about his freedom to wire his own house without any oversight.

Speaking of improving public perception---I think supporting common-sense regulations would at least help people think that snake owners aren't totally off-the-wall.

Are we really comparing tigers and snakes? I can control a adult burm/retic with a hook or a roll of paper towels. Try that with a tiger, apples and oranges.
But if something like a training course made it possible for large snakes to be legal all over the states again I'd be all for it.


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Originally Posted by Rob

Are we really comparing tigers and snakes? I can control a adult burm/retic with a hook or a roll of paper towels. Try that with a tiger, apples and oranges.
But if something like a training course made it possible for large snakes to be legal all over the states again I'd be all for it.


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Exactly.
Willowy - I am not saying we should have no regulations but keeping a large constrictor is NOWHERE NEAR as dangerous as keeping something like a tiger or even a bobcat for that matter. I would also be all for having a little training course or something of that nature - perhaps an online one - to educate large snake keepers just getting into the hobby.
I understand your point - but I don't think as much regulation as you're suggesting is really necessary.

Just to put it into perspective: "For every one person killed by a large snake, 26 people are killed by dogs, 65 by angry cows, and 97 people die in horse related accidents."
That is from a 2012 survey from the Chicago Herpetological Society. Should we also require inspections and permits to own cows and dogs?

Yes, and 400 children are killed by their parents/guardians every year, and 20 toddlers drown in buckets every year. Snakes are far from the biggest threat. But of course you also have to take opportunity and population into account. Very few people are killed by tigers in the US, but that's because there aren't many tigers. It definitely doesn't mean you want your neighbor keeping a tiger in a chicken wire enclosure in his yard. Every child is around their parents/guardians. A lot of kids are around dogs and buckets. There are a lot of cows and horses too.

Very few children are around large snakes, even fewer around loose large snakes. So what percentage of children who are around loose large snakes get killed or injured? 50%? 10%? I have no idea, but it's probably proportionately more than those who are killed or injured by dogs or parents. There's something like 80 million dogs and 90 million parents in the US, so there's far more opportunity for something to happen.

And, yes, there sort of is a "inspection and permit" process to own a cow, in that you can't keep cows in town. You have to have a certain amount of land per cow. They don't just let everyone who thinks cows are cute keep a cow in their backyard. And most towns do have vaccination and licensing requirements for dogs. Maybe no inspection process but they know who that dog belongs to.

I don't really know what the answer is, just that I absolutely cannot agree with the people who think there should be NO regulations.

So, this thread was started to help come up with ideas as to how we can band together and help bring down the misconception that snakes are horribly dangerous pets to keep, simply because its a snake. Now we are discussing as to whether there should be regulations or not and if so what types of regulations......seems we kinda went off-topic here people.

As for ideas as to how we can help to bring down the "every snake is bad" stimuli, I would think that using social media would be a good start as someone had mentioned before. People spend more time on facebook and twitter now than they do actually watching the news. So why not make some memes using different species in the pictures and putting in something about a misconception with said species and what the truth is. It may also be possible to have it so that each meme is linked to some website, say this one for example, that has a massive quantity of knowledge on these animals and many experienced keepers/breeders that people can ask questions about them.

Informing the masses about the reality of keeping these beautiful animals would be, in my opinion, step one to debunking a lot of the myth's that surround them.

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Originally Posted by Sensei345

So, this thread was started to help come up with ideas as to how we can band together and help bring down the misconception that snakes are horribly dangerous pets to keep, simply because its a snake. Now we are discussing as to whether there should be regulations or not and if so what types of regulations......seems we kinda went off-topic here people.

As for ideas as to how we can help to bring down the "every snake is bad" stimuli, I would think that using social media would be a good start as someone had mentioned before. People spend more time on facebook and twitter now than they do actually watching the news. So why not make some memes using different species in the pictures and putting in something about a misconception with said species and what the truth is. It may also be possible to have it so that each meme is linked to some website, say this one for example, that has a massive quantity of knowledge on these animals and many experienced keepers/breeders that people can ask questions about them.

Informing the masses about the reality of keeping these beautiful animals would be, in my opinion, step one to debunking a lot of the myth's that surround them.

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THANK YOU!!! If you want to debate regulations go start your own thread. I want to focus on tactics individual snake-keepers can use since people with no exposure to snakes don't know the difference between a ball python and a Burmese python.

Very true. Sorry about that, I got a bit carried away on that tangent.

And great idea sensei! If more people posted about their snakes in a way that non-snake keepers could understand (as opposed to feeding pictures and such) then they may begin to understand WHY someone would want to keep a snake. This is something I have found very difficult to explain to people. Some people just flat out don't get why anyone would want to keep a scaly pet.

I try to explain that just because you don't really pet the snakes per se and they don't have fur doesn't disqualify them from being a pet. I mean why does anyone keep fish, frogs, lizards, turtles, or practically anything else without fur. They're fun to watch, fun to hold, and many can be quite beautiful just to look at if nothing else.

This might sound silly but again, a great way to reach out to my millennial generation, social media! I created a VSCO for my ball python that shows pictures of him just doing his thing. My friend also made him an instagram where daily photos are posted of him and I feel it really helps to improve the way people view snakes. I already have people saying things like, "I've never liked snakes but yours is really cute" and so on.

Like others have said, it's really just about showing them in a positive light. They aren't some dangerous slithery scary monsters like many perceive them to be. One of my friends who has a snake phobia came over and while she didn't hold him, she did touch him, something she never thought she'd do. I think similar can be done with the larger snakes. I follow social media accounts dedicated to showing off large snakes and I think we really need more of that as well. Social media is such a great way to get people interested. It's what first sparked my interest years ago, and now I own my very own snake!

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Originally Posted by bcr229

THANK YOU!!! If you want to debate regulations go start your own thread. I want to focus on tactics individual snake-keepers can use since people with no exposure to snakes don't know the difference between a ball python and a Burmese python.

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Sorry, I shouldn't have started that ball rolling here :doh:

More focused on the topic, my wife mentioned our snakes in her office environment and it turned out her coworker had an extensive herp collection, including venomous. Their talking about snakes has drawn in other coworkers in a positive way. The comfort level was raised so much that her coworker actually brought in a ball python to integrate in a therapy unit one week.

So sometimes just sending out feelers and then general conversation is able to increase the comfort level of people without needing an overt display.

As part of my volunteer work, I take educational animals to schools, public events, and other social gatherings and put on programs to teach everyone about wildlife and exotic animals. Even though we are located in Virginia (not balmy Florida) we have gotten in several ball pythons, tortoises, geckos, parrots, and some exotic mammals that have all been abandoned / dumped illegally in the wild.

Because of this, I have included in my programs information about responsible pet ownership. This inevitably leads to questions about where someone can get a tortoise or snake, and my answers are always honest and meant to stress how these animals have specific care requirements. Once someone hears that the cute sulcata tortoise they saw in some pet shop is going to get to 200+ pounds and live longer than you and your kids, most people realize that this is not the pet for them. When asked about my own snake I talk about all the equipment, food (after all - you can't just open a can and put it in a bowl on the floor), and time requirements for pet snakes.

My other method of teaching the public is to tell them the really "cute" natural history of our native snakes. A person that tells me that they had a 4 foot black "rattlesnake" in their yard and was too afraid to got out after that is usually at least a little comforted to know that harmless black rat snakes wiggle their tails and hiss to act scary and poisonous. I explain that the snake sees them as a giant predator that wants to eat it and the snake is just trying to look as un-meal-like as possible. I will then explain that these snakes eat the mice / rats / sometimes even poisonous snakes (especially in the case of king and indigo snakes).

There will still always be the people in the crowd that hate all things snake and will not be convinced that they are not slimy, mean, dangerous animals. The only thing you can for these people is remain professional and try and teach the people that are willing to listen and learn.

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Originally Posted by Crowfingers

A person that tells me that they had a 4 foot black "rattlesnake" in their yard and was too afraid to got out after that is usually at least a little comforted to know that harmless black rat snakes wiggle their tails and hiss to act scary and venomous. I explain that the snake sees them as a giant predator that wants to eat it and the snake is just trying to look as un-meal-like as possible. I will then explain that these snakes eat the mice / rats / sometimes even venomous snakes (especially in the case of king and indigo snakes).

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Fixed. ;)

Does your group wait to get invited to these public events or do you ask to participate when you learn of one?

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Originally Posted by bcr229

THANK YOU!!! If you want to debate regulations go start your own thread. I want to focus on tactics individual snake-keepers can use since people with no exposure to snakes don't know the difference between a ball python and a Burmese python.

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How in the world can you run a "marketing campaign" without knowing what you are marketing and the stance you are taking on known issues? Someone else here said we all need to be on the same sheet of music. To be successful the entire "company" needs to be on the same agenda. I love the big ones. I could take care of one if I really wanted to however I am in Florida and I understand why they are not allowed here but it is too little too late. Idiots screwed it up for everyone else. Responsible people in cold zones should be allowed to keep them. People keeping hots should have to have a licence. This is where I stand. Whether I am I right or wrong is up for debate. What I know for sure is the community should all put on the same public face and be able to answer hard questions if they want to be able to effectively present to the mainstream.

As a woman, I remind everyone to never underestimate the power of "pretty".

Those photoshopped pink and lavender snakes are pinned and repinned on pinterest everyday. The pretty, almost iridescent pictures of eyelash vipers and other very colourful snakes are seen as cute. I see comments all the time about how "i don't like snakes, but this one is pretty"

those snek memes.... http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1035080-this-is-snek

these things are cute, easy to share, and usually positive. They pop up everywhere.

Google snakes in hats. People LOVE snakes in hats.

(we are ignoring the fact that eyelash vipers are NOT the snake we want to tote facts about to calm people down. But they are cute though...)

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

How in the world can you run a "marketing campaign" without knowing what you are marketing and the stance you are taking on known issues?

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What is being marketed is the concept that keeping a snake (or snakes) isn't weird or kooky. The target audience is people who do not and may have never considered one as a pet.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Someone else here said we all need to be on the same sheet of music. To be successful the entire "company" needs to be on the same agenda.

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I can list half a dozen different factions within the NRA, one of the most successful single-issue organizations operating today, without breaking a sweat.

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Originally Posted by Kokorobosoi

As a woman, I remind everyone to never underestimate the power of "pretty".

Those photoshopped pink and lavender snakes are pinned and repinned on pinterest everyday. The pretty, almost iridescent pictures of eyelash vipers and other very colourful snakes are seen as cute. I see comments all the time about how "i don't like snakes, but this one is pretty"

those snek memes.... http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1035080-this-is-snek

these things are cute, easy to share, and usually positive. They pop up everywhere.

Google snakes in hats. People LOVE snakes in hats.

(we are ignoring the fact that eyelash vipers are NOT the snake we want to tote facts about to calm people down. But they are cute though...)

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Totally agree.

The first time I saw a pic of a lavender and yellow retic....Wow! "Big scary snake" was the last thing on my mind. Beauty is seductive. I like learning about the natural ecology of the animals, and when it came time to buy a corn snake, I researched the localities. The localities are are lovely, even incomparable, but I ended up choosing a lavender blood red morph - basically a pink snake with grey overtones. (I kinda had to get over my own snobbery; he's not a science project, he's a pet.) Same with fish: I enjoy the YouTube channels on the nano fish and the areas these come from, but the fish I have, and the fish I'm buying are gold fish. IMHO, nothing more beautiful than a Watoni, and nothing cuter than a ranchu, or an oranda; yet, fancies are as artificial as you can get.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

What is being marketed is the concept that keeping a snake (or snakes) isn't weird or kooky. The target audience is people who do not and may have never considered one as a pet.

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This sounds good.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I can list half a dozen different factions within the NRA, one of the most successful single-issue organizations operating today, without breaking a sweat.

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This is apples and oranges. The NRA, which I support, is a organization that should not even need to exist. They have money and they have the the constitution to back them up.

I would say a better comparison may be the AMA and the loud pipes issue.

United we stand, divided we fall.......

At this point even I think I have diverged too far from the original post. If anyone in south Florida needs help with promoting the hobby please feel free to PM me.

Just to steer us back to the topic... What was the thing that first got people here interested?

I know mine. A circus my father took me to as a child had a burm, and you could go get photos with it. I wanted a photo, so they sat me on a hay bale and put the tail end on my lap with someone managing the bulk of it. That was my first experience with any reptile. I didn't have negative religious associations of snakes, my mother wasn't there so she didn't teach me her fear.

Years later a teacher had an iguana in the class room, and we got extra credit for babysitting it over weekends and holidays. My weekend came up in that really big snowstorm in 98? I'm not sure now. But I did have that little bright green Houdini for almost two weeks.

i think having no adults around me who were afraid helped. I couldn't learn it early and by the time I did figure out other people were scared it was too late.

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Originally Posted by Kokorobosoi

Just to steer us back to the topic... What was the thing that first got people here interested

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Not a good reflection on me but I originally got involved with snakes because my parents would not let me keep them. I had a small collection of rat snakes when I was a teenager (a long time ago). I kept them hidden for quite awhile, when my father found them I will only say it was not pretty.

I got involved with ball pythons because my daughter wanted a pet snake. I fear that I have become more addicted than her. We have a nice little collection going at this point. Because it is a father daughter thing I do end up having snakes named things like Princess and Twinkle though. LOL

My suggestion is, if you can...get your snakes out of the closet.

People here have mentioned keeping them in the basement or a spare bedroom, or a converted garage. How about the living room, the dining room, or the study? Have at least one in a nice set-up out in the open, and make it pretty. Even a reclusive BP can still have an attractive viv.

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Originally Posted by distaff

My suggestion is, if you can...get your snakes out of the closet.

People here have mentioned keeping them in the basement or a spare bedroom, or a converted garage. How about the living room, the dining room, or the study? Have at least one in a nice set-up out in the open, and make it pretty. Even a reclusive BP can still have an attractive viv.

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This is one of my favorite things to do, even though my snakes are in my bedroom for the time being even my moms friends ask to check them out. I take pride in my tanks, so they get posted on all my social media as well.

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Originally Posted by distaff

My suggestion is, if you can...get your snakes out of the closet.

People here have mentioned keeping them in the basement or a spare bedroom, or a converted garage. How about the living room, the dining room, or the study? Have at least one in a nice set-up out in the open, and make it pretty. Even a reclusive BP can still have an attractive viv.

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I very much agree. It's just that a majority of my family doesn't and they're the ones who's house I'm keeping my snakes in at the moment lol.
I will likely convince them to keep my jungle carpet upstairs though. Everyone agrees on that one's beauty at least. I may have to cover it when my grandparents come over though or they will probably faint. :rolleyes:

Some people are just too old to change their perspective on things at this point. :D

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Originally Posted by Kokorobosoi

Google snakes in hats. People LOVE snakes in hats.

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OH MY GOSH. Snakes in hats :D:D I tell everyone to google that.

side note sorry.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Fixed. ;)

Does your group wait to get invited to these public events or do you ask to participate when you learn of one?

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A little of both :) and thanks for catching my typo - I can never seem to remember the word venomous when I'm typing fast

I first got interested in them after seeing a normal ball and burm in a pet shop. my mom has always been deathly afraid of them so i could never get one as a kid. now that im on my own ive bought 2 and inherited another lol. The animals just always fascinated me as a kid and i wanted to learn as much as i could at a young age but there weren't many snake owners in the town i lived in.

I was a horse person first (still into horses.. two expensive hobbies now...) and someone posted photos of their ball python in a horse sim game forum I was a part of. I liked the shape of the snakes with the thick bodies and nice head shape. Really didn't think much of it until about a year later when they were posted again. I started googling about their care requirements and characteristics. I spent a good two months looking up things daily and finally decided I really wanted to do this. I was living with my dad and stepmom at the time and was SURE they were going to get freaked and say no. I presented my facts to them and surprisingly they agreed. I wanted something that was going to look unique. I didn't want a normal. I really wanted a bumblebee but at the time it was $450 or so and I didn't want to spend that money on just a pet (I smile at this now after all I've spent) so I bought a pinstripe. I got a male because they were said to be smaller and I thought 4-5ft was big at the time. :P Yep so first time ever touching a snake was when Allure came in the mail.

I do post my snakes and breeding plans and such to the current horse sim's forum I play. I have several people wanting baby snakes and trying to convince their husbands now. :P Several more just follow the threads with interest but no real plans to own until later.