opinions on taking your ball outside...

I couldnt find anything on this after a search. Im interested in everyones opinion on taking our animals outside. Is there anything being a new keeper, that i may need to know that isnt commonly discussed in forums, internet in general? your thoughts?

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Originally Posted by john gillespie

I couldnt find anything on this after a search. Im interested in everyones opinion on taking our animals outside. Is there anything being a new keeper, that i may need to know that isnt commonly discussed in forums, internet in general? your thoughts?

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When You say outside do you mean out in public or in your own personal space (yard)?


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I’d say the biggest issue is making sure ambient temps outside are good...no sense risking illness. I haven’t taken mine outside in the past few years, but used to regularly do so in the summertime. Because they can move so quickly, I never let them roam...always on me.

If you’re planning to take them somewhere in the general public, be courteous of others. While we get a lot of flak from people who don’t understand our choice to keep snakes as pets, there are others who are truly terrified of our pets. I have a couple of friends that are very afraid of snakes, but appreciate that I keep them in their locked cages when they visit and have been willing to learn more about them. Just not to the degree of them being out of their cages with the friends in the house.

I would take mine out more, but some won’t wear their boots, others their scarfs. But seriously public places and snakes don’t gel. But I’m sure you’ll get a variety of opinions. For me personally, don’t see much good out of it. Especially it’s a shy species to begin with. Peace

[QUOTE=Aerries;2661401]When You say outside do you mean out in public or in your own personal space (yard)?


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Out in the grass at my house.

Yea, Im pretty private about my animals, Im not trying to go out in public with them, especially after i get into expensive snakes. just considering the option of letting them out in the sun in the summer. These are captive animals who are completely at home in a rack and i know they dont need to be outside, However, i imagine it would be nice for them. If only i could read their minds. :D

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Originally Posted by john gillespie

Yea, Im pretty private about my animals, Im not trying to go out in public with them, especially after i get into expensive snakes. just considering the option of letting them out in the sun in the summer. These are captive animals who are completely at home in a rack and i know they dont need to be outside, However, i imagine it would be nice for them. If only i could read their minds. :D

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I try to get my snakes outside (in my yard) for a little sun & fresh air when the temperature is appropriate. I have privacy fencing, so if the neighbors peek, it's
their problem, lol. I never put them on the ground though, as some do: there are ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, spiders, bird mites & all sorts of parasites- some they
can pick up through their skin just by crawling on the ground (just as we can if barefoot ;)). They seem to enjoy the fresh air, & I think a bit of sun is natural for
them & I'd swear it improves their appetite too. (Never leave them outside in any sort of container either...they can over-heat & die of heat stroke) Limit the time
and remember that our own temperature is already quite warm, so if they seem restless, they may need to cool off...nothing personal.

As others said, public parks & such can be fun or dangerous (loose dogs!), ok & welcomed by some, or even illegal (depending on your local regulations), so it's not something that I do. Mixed results reported from others who have done so.

I do enjoy doing some informal programs ("meet & greets") with my snakes every year (formal ones are too much work so I no longer do them) in a planned & public
venue. A large local feedstore hosts a "Wildlife Expo" every year at the county fairgrounds, free entrance, all sorts of vendors, prizes/contests, entertainment & most
of all, educational exhibits (including mine). My snakes (I usually take 4) cheerfully put up with people for about 3-4 hours (they get breaks); afterwards they are tired
& massively hungry, in that order...:D It's fun changing people's minds about snakes...seeing the transformation right there, as they watch, then touch or even hold a
snake for the first time. Not just talking about kids either...it's a hoot. If you any inclination for such things, schools, libraries, & summer camps are often delighted to
have a snake program, whether a lecture or a 'show & tell'. (BTW, that expo is INSIDE an air-conditioned bldg...summer is way too hot outside here, though
some of their other exhibits are outside, the live animals & most things are inside.)

So, my snakes can get mites and things from outside, thats the main worry i had. So i can handle them out in the sun all i want, just no grass?

if the weather is warm I'll take them outside for pictures in the good light but that's it. I don't ever show them off.

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Originally Posted by john gillespie

So, my snakes can get mites and things from outside, thats the main worry i had. So i can handle them out in the sun all i want, just no grass?

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I'm not positive if bird mites will go after snakes but I'd rather not find out, lol. The snake mites that plague pet-owners are actually NOT native to the U.S. so it's
very UN-likely that your snake could pick those up outside...however, parasitic worms abound where our pets OR wildlife defecates, and also various pathogens.

Another thing to consider that's on the ground (depending where you live) is ants...like fire ants! I've only ever had one sting & it hurt like heck ALL DAY, so I'd not
want to risk my snakes...ants could get on them & not be seen right away (in grass), and I had just a few ants (kind unknown) that got into my banded gecko cage
some years ago...it was high up off the floor too, & the ants mostly wanted the mealworms in his dish, but they killed him too. As I recall, there was only 2 ants on
him but he died right in front of my eyes...incredibly fast. I've also heard of a boa dying from a spider bite. I don't like to take chances on the ground, but holding
a snake outside while I stroll around for 15 minutes has been nothing but good. There can also be a hidden gopher hole in the ground that your snake can quickly
slide into...wouldn't that be fun? :O Snakes ALWAYS find holes faster than we do, whether it's into a couch cushion, a stereo speaker or the printer on your desk...;)

I've taken the corn snake out in the yard in good weather. He seems to appreciate the opportunity to stretch, climb walls and tree trunks. I watch him like a hawk, however, and do NOTHING else when he is out cruising. Yeah, they are so fast. He is a light pink morph, so easier to find than most. I'd never risk that with the Sonoran Gopher...the Call of the Wild...she would take off at speed, and be gone in the blink of an eye.

I'd really like to make an out-door completely enclosed pen with hardware cloth for them to hang out in and get some real exercise. One alternative I thought of was a large tent, with the rain fly off. I actually bought a very large tent at the local thrift shop, and all the zippers were secure; it would have worked well. Unfortunately, it was missing missing a couple of those collapsible poles, and I didn't want to deal with the headache of trying to source some pricey new ones that were the correct length.

[QUOTE= or the printer on your desk...;)[/QUOTE]

I had this happen to me this summer....I have to say that was on the absolute BOTTOM of my list of worries when I got my first snake ahaha. She wasn't too far in though so no harm was done, but still...quite a shock and it took a good while for the adrenaline to go down! I definitely panicked.

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Originally Posted by purpleroan

I had this happen to me this summer....I have to say that was on the absolute BOTTOM of my list of worries when I got my first snake ahaha. She wasn't too far in though so no harm was done, but still...quite a shock and it took a good while for the adrenaline to go down! I definitely panicked.

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Awful place for a snake. Every time I sit at my desk holding a snake, that's where they try to go...into the printer (it appears to be a dark cave to them). :snake:
They just can't help themselves...:D

I took some of my snakes outside for the first time this past summer and it was only for a few minutes. I was really concerned about birds of prey and parasites but figured a little fresh air and sunshine couldn't be too bad for them. I'd like to think they appreciated the great outdoors and there's really nothing like seeing them in natural light.

I take mine out in my backyard pretty regularly for photos if the weather is nice, and I live in Southern California... So you know it's not freezing here like in other parts of the country LOL. You won't get mites from nature if you live in the US- mites are only being spread within the reptile hobby/reptile shops. Just make sure there aren't pesticides or other chemicals.

For public places, never. It's stressful enough for the snakes to be out of their enclosure in improper temps/humidity for half an hour, nevermind an hour or hours of taking them out into public with other people and much activity. All it does is risk illness in the snake.

This reminds me, I find it embarrassing in general whenever I see people take their snakes out and walk around in public, if it's not a formal reptile program. It's almost always to show off, look cool, or in an attempt to "educate the public" when it's really unwanted or even illegal, and when it comes down to it, risking their own pet by exposing them to stress and illness... And it's almost always newbies who haven't owned snakes for long, and/or aren't educated enough about snakes and don't know why what they're doing is wrong.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

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This reminds me, I find it embarrassing in general whenever I see people take their snakes out and walk around in public, if it's not a formal reptile program. It's almost always to show off, look cool, or in an attempt to "educate the public" when it's really unwanted or even illegal, and when it comes down to it, risking their own pet by exposing them to stress and illness... And it's almost always newbies who haven't owned snakes for long, and/or aren't educated enough about snakes and don't know why what they're doing is wrong.

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Yeah, that reminds me, there was a local guy that walked around main streets here in town with his large boa on his shoulders. Just showing off, I guess, & didn't know
enough to be careful about the snake getting too warm. I found out later from a vet tech friend that his snake died of a heat stroke. :( It's lucky he didn't cause a car
accident also, it's pretty distracting on a busy street, as he was when I saw him.

It's never cool to surprise people with a snake they may be terrified of at a place where they have no expectation to encounter it. There's better ways to educate people
if that's the goal.

OP.... I believe it is fine and I often take my snakes and lizards outside for fresh air and some sunshine. As long as your are careful and aware of the conditions at the time. I think some direct sunshine has to be beneficial.

I also question the logic behind talking reptiles out to "display" in public. Outside of a specific event where someone is trying to educate the public I see no reason that makes any sense. It can only be as others have said to show off or the even worse shock & awe affect. Frankly I am not even sure why so many seem to think they need to carry their pets around a Reptile Show. I do take any opportunity I get to try and educate the public on how interesting Reptiles can be but see no reason to parade around in public with any reptile or exotic pets.

Bill

I always thought it was so cool to have a snake around your neck at the reptile show! Now that I have snakes I realize how Ridiculous that is. No way I’m taking my snakes to one of those shows. It’s not fair to the snake.

And the last show I went to a guy had a snake around his shoulders and it bit a lady that was just walking by in the face! So uncool. I’d be super mad at the pet owner for such lack of care

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Originally Posted by Danger noodles

I always thought it was so cool to have a snake around your neck at the reptile show! Now that I have snakes I realize how Ridiculous that is. No way I’m taking my snakes to one of those shows. It’s not fair to the snake.

And the last show I went to a guy had a snake around his shoulders and it bit a lady that was just walking by in the face! So uncool. I’d be super mad at the pet owner for such lack of care

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Not to mention that it's a great way to bring home mites & all...:tears:

Mine love it...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...05ee2a5712.jpg


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Really love that photo . Reminds me of a loch Ness monster pose

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The last time I let my male bp Kermit cruise around in my backyard, he picked up some kind of mites. They completely infested him and his cage within days and were a complete pain to get rid of. Never again.

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Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

Mine love it...https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...05ee2a5712.jpg


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Beautiful photo!