Why do you like snakes?

Everyone here gets it, but to non-snake people there's no denying that this classifies as a "weird hobby". Some people I know are fine with it and think it's cool, while others can't understand why anyone would want to keep a pet that can't love you back, spends most of its time hiding, and requires keeping dead rodents in the freezer.

So what do you get out of snake keeping, and why do you like snakes?

I love watching them move and the feel of their bodies as they move around on my hands and arms. Also, you feed them once a week and if you have to work late or don't feel like it or don't have time to get them out and play with them they don't care. They don't make noise, they don't make a mess in your house and I enjoy creating a habitat for mine. Almost everybody I know thinks I'm nuts. My husband included lol.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snakemom85

I love watching them move and the feel of their bodies as they move around on my hands and arms. Also, you feed them once a week and if you have to work late or don't feel like it or don't have time to get them out and play with them they don't care. They don't make noise, they don't make a mess in your house and I enjoy creating a habitat for mine. Almost everybody I know thinks I'm nuts. My husband included lol.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

---

^^This ^^

I’d always been intrigued by snakes and I had a decent sized collection of toy rubber snakes as a kid BUT I the only snakes I ‘saw’ where big dark ,motionless snakes at the zoo OR killer Cobras on telly .

Then one day at our local pet shop whilst I was in a queue ( regular customer) one of the guys there asked me to hold a 2’ long yellow Butter Corn snake whilst he quickly cleaned its tub out .

If was a gorgeous thing , warm , slow moving and I was INSTANTLY hooked !!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Great question!

They are a huge anxiety relief for me. Which I always found kinda ironic, since for so many folks they are a major phobia/anxiety causer. The second I'm holding one, my anxiety melts, and I'm mellow and calm. It's so comforting to me. I also find them to be such misunderstood creatures, and I hate that. I think they are beautiful, typically rather docile (especially BPs), and just overall such fascinating and lovely creatures. I wish more people realized it. ♥

I think taking care of something is a rewarding and satisfying experience, and snakes are generally pretty low maintenance. But even still, the dedication helps fill up the time.

Plus, theres an element of danger and trust that make it more rewarding than other pets. Being able to handle something that can go in for a painful chomp is pretty cool.

For me they are all these (already mentioned) things. For me it started because they're so misunderstood, the #1 "underdog"...& for me they're a reminder to always
keep an open mind & learn new things, don't just take the stale opinions of others. And to treat others the way you'd want to be treated if you were in their place, or
in other words, a great chance to practice empathy.

Less demanding than most other pets, I do find their quiet beauty to be relaxing, & that holding them keeps me "in the moment" & meditative at times. Keeping them
successfully throws in a bit of science as well as creativity, & always some humor (when they do silly-looking things) & lots of respect for the natural world and the way
creatures have evolved as part of the interconnected web of life. A bit of mystery too as we all continue to share & learn more about them...so many kinds!

They are beautiful. 'Nuff said.

I love the way they eat.

Here's a quick list as most are already mentioned.

1. They have always intrigued me (reptiles in general, but snakes in particular) and I've always been incredibly fascinated with them.

2. I don't mind being different, and reptiles, especially having 12 - soon to be 13 again - are definitely that.

3. Having written #2, I should also like pointing out I like changing minds with logic and truth. I love converting people who are afraid to not be afraid of snakes and reptiles.

4. Love their movements, differences between species and with individuals in species, and like the interaction. I used to breed fish before I became ill (I had a kidney transplant) and had large tanks. 13 reptiles tanks is like taking care of 1 or 2 large fish tanks and there is more margin for error. If I don't feel well for a day and a snake uses the bathroom, I can clean it up the next day - NOT BEST PRACTICE, but missing a scheduled water change for fish can be bad. Going back to my original point, much easier to interact and hold a Boa than a fish.

5. Every color and pattern you can imagine.

6. They are cathartic. Behira, my BI, is my therapy snake and helps me chill (the dogs do this too, but she is reptile therapy animal). Also, along that vein, I like taking care of animals. It makes me feel good and I take pride in proper husbandry and care. Reptiles are pretty easy now a days with great enclosures, thermostats, etc. as well the amount of knowledge that is out there.

7. Snakes/reptiles give me a foray into an awesome world of fellow keepers, both in person, and on sites like this. I really enjoy helping to educate other people on proper care and also sharing experiences, etc.

I'm going to sound like an echo of everyone else but one of the reasons is because I feel empathetic towards snakes because of how misunderstood they are. It's shame that many people are so terrified of them and close their ears just at the word "snake" (or often as media says "python").

I find snakes to be amazing creatures- I love the way they move, eat, and their unique colors and markings. As others mentioned, it feels relaxing to hang out with my snake after a long day. Something about the way she calmly moves around makes me feel more relaxed too. She has never bitten or struck at me, is very cute, low maintenance, and tolerates me putting a birthday hat on her haha.

Growing up, I always thought snakes were more fascinating than scary (same for rats) while many of my peers feel differently. I would read book after book about animals, especially snakes, at my local library. The thought of keeping them as a pet was based on what others told me ("they will eat you") or that they are all wild and uncontrollable, so it is best to left them be. You know those PETA messages you get about how drinking milk is bad, etc... I was in that camp at the start.

My first encounter with a pet snake was a brief one. My ex's roommate had a corn snake in a glass tank in the living room. I still remembered how pretty the orange and red coloring it had. I thought to myself at the time, wow, a wild snake in the living room! His roommate must be some sort of an expert (lol. He is usually high from smoking pot).

Knowing that snakes can be kept as pets, I always wanted one. Of course, living with your parents who hated snakes immediately prevented that idea from coming to fruition. It is that curiosity, I think, and the beauty, of snakes that caught my attention. I wanted more.

At the same time, I started working in dog and cat rescues. A lot of the dog/cat rescuers would do anything and everything to promote health, mental wellbeing and love for cat and dog companionships. Ironically, many of the same people who claim to "love animals" is the same who would not hesitate to kill a harmless snake at the shelter's yard, or say things like "Lizards and snakes are dangerous and they can never be pets."

About a few years ago, I started to attend reptile expos because my friend is a huge reptile fan. I did not understand it; are these animals not as dangerous as everyone had been saying? I watched a 5 year old child handle a ball python, and another child picked up a bearded dragon. And no one got bit! Then I petted a bearded dragon for the first time. No blood shed, it did not go for the jugular... Whoa, my mind is blown. That is when I started collecting lizards. I was still unsure about snakes at the time. They seem wilder than lizards.. Is it okay to have them as pets?

A year or so later, at a local reptile store, I held a baby piebald for the first time. It was so relaxed, curious about me as I was about it. Yeap. Eff those PETA people. They obviously never held a snake, much less kept one. Moreover, I learned from others that most snakes available in the pet industry are not "wild" per se, they are mostly captive bred (ie corn).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Luvyna

Everyone here gets it, but to non-snake people there's no denying that this classifies as a "weird hobby". Some people I know are fine with it and think it's cool, while others can't understand why anyone would want to keep a pet that can't love you back, spends most of its time hiding, and requires keeping dead rodents in the freezer.

---

:rofl:Well when you put it like that . . I can see why people don't understand.

I tell people they are a perfect pet in a lot of ways-- don't shed, don't make noise, only eat once a week, and you can go out of town and not need a snake-sitter.

I like that I have to be calm to handle my snakes-- it makes me slow down and be calm and that is relaxing to me. I like that I have to earn their trust and respect their moods. It's very rewarding.

It's been fun raising my ratsnake from a very small snake to an adult and how she knows me and prefers to be held by me vs. other people, and she trusts me. And she's very nosy and cute.

They are just so cool to me. They very chill animals and very beautiful. They have this certain elegance to them. It's strange that snakes are my favorite animals even though I'm a Gryffindor...

I have a lot in common with my snakes, we both like to be left alone and don't like most people.

It's a love affair we were made for each other.

Thanks everyone for all the responses! I think all the reasons I love snakes are also already covered, but I'll state them anyway. I love observing the way they move and behave, and I find it very soothing to hold my BP. Sometimes if I'm feeling stressed out, I just take him out for a bit and I feel much calmer after interacting with him and letting him climb around my hands and arms.

I find snakes fascinating because they're so different from mammals and it's really interesting to observe them doing snakey things like drinking, eating, shedding, thermoregulating, and even hiding haha. After learning how vulnerable and shy most snakes are, I also feel like I have an urge to protect them. I definitely appreciate how low maintenance they are as well, it's nice to not have to worry about leaving a snake at home all day while at work or not interacting with it for a while.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FollowTheSun

:rofl:Well when you put it like that . . I can see why people don't understand.

I tell people they are a perfect pet in a lot of ways-- don't shed, don't make noise, only eat once a week, and you can go out of town and not need a snake-sitter.

I like that I have to be calm to handle my snakes-- it makes me slow down and be calm and that is relaxing to me. I like that I have to earn their trust and respect their moods. It's very rewarding.

It's been fun raising my ratsnake from a very small snake to an adult and how she knows me and prefers to be held by me vs. other people, and she trusts me. And she's very nosy and cute.

---

LOL the points I listed in my original post are not the ones I try to emphasize about pet snakes but they inevitably come up, especially with people who don't like snakes. A surprising number of people also seem to think snakes eat crickets, so I have to explain that I feed mine rats.

I often find myself saying that snakes come in beautiful colors & patterns, plus are graceful to watch...much like tropical fish, except you can also cuddle them. :D

It surprises me too, how many people think my pet snakes eat insects...:confusd: I mean, there are some snakes that do, but not the ones that make good pets. Most
folks just know very little about real snakes, but sadly they make no apologies for disliking them anyway. :rolleyes:

Of all the things I routinely tell people about snakes, I think they react with the most disbelief when I explain that snakes are shy & rather sweet when you get
to know them better, lol. They're so dead-set on disliking them because "they're aggressive & they want to bite people", this ruins their whole concept of them, just like telling them they're very fussy eaters too (& we aren't on their menu!). :D