Snakes on "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" tv show

While Rick and I were having lunch today at a restaurant, we could see a TV in the bar of the restaurant and saw (but not heard) part of a Ripley's Believe it or Not show that had a segment about some woman and her snakes. Not sure what it was about, but the segment starting with her dressed in a skimpy bikini doing a pin-up photoshoot with her snakes (bp, bci, albino burm and brb), then another bit of her around her house (assumbly) with her snakes (washing dishes with a cornsnake wrapped around her neck, computing with a bp wrapped around, etc.).

I just tried to google around to see what the heck the "snake chick" segment was about (since Ripley's is supposed to be all weird stuff), but couldn't find anything.

Cuz like you know...it's weird for a good looking woman to like snakes...or something. Any ever see this show? =)

Geez if they think that's weird they need to come to my house.. lol

I think this is the girl you might have seen...

http://www.snakebabe.com/index2.html

Personally, she seems a little bit too much in love with herself.

She certainly has a holier than thou attitude going on... I gotta admit that her "sad but true" page amused me though. My favorite is the guy who insisted that all albinos are pythons and that he was a herpetologist. It gave me this delightful "python hatched from a corn snake clutch" ugly duckling story idea in my head.

Thanks for the link Lawrence...I'll hafta check it out at home; IP is blocked from where I work (?!).

the stuff she put on her website about reptile shows, steve irwin, feeding live, etc. is just ridiculous, but the sad but true page was pretty interesting though. the things people do!

i was fond of the reptile care tips section. in the feeding part it says something to the effect of good people never feed live. according to this woman i apparently kicked small animals when i was a child and like to watch animals die and suffer. pretty amusing page all and all. love people with attitudes like hers, and there are plenty around UT.

bunch of neat videos on there...even the one you wanted from ripleys casandra


one thing i found kinda weird was her opinion on UTH's

Under Tank Heaters and Heat Tape

Just like they sound. A product that is placed or sticks to the outside bottom of your tank. It heats up when plugged in; the heat rises and heats your cage. I have heard good things about under tank heaters but I do not use them on my reptiles for the same reasons I don’t like hot rocks. Reptiles prefer the ambient heat created by overhead sources such as the sun does to keep warm. I have touched the glass that under tank heat pads or tapes were applied to and it was like touching a frying pan. Ouch! What if my snake crawls on it? It was worse than a hot rock to me. I would think you could attach a rheostat (rheostats are like dimmer switches for heat control) to it but how efficient is it if the heat is on the animals bottom only? They are inexpensive to use but still a bit of a waste. I have seen some totally closed cages in when only an air vent on each side is available and it heated the cages fairly well but the burn thing still would keep me from using them.

You would think with her years of experience she would know it is to be covered by sustrate...duh...There not good for certain species i know , but they are good for alot of them, you would think she would do some research before critizing stuff.

So, why was she on Ripley's Believe It or Not? We all know people that have more snakes than she does. They just don't feel the need to talk about it on TV.

lol, thats a really good point.

Dunno...hence why I thought it was curious...

sex sells?

Hm.. I can see where she's coming from; but I really don't get as, um, close to my snakes as she does, lol! I liked some of her points; but she did get a little bit dramatic about the whole live-feeding thing. Predator/prey interaction happens every day in the natural world; no reason to glamorize things by pretending it doesn't.

I spent some time checking out her website. She's just doing her thing - magician, show-girl, uses reptiles in her shows. She obviously loves and cares for her animals properly and tries to help educate others...so like, go her!

Hey everyone,
I happen to know Maria and her husband on a personal level and would like to point out that her advice on snake husbandry is undoubtedly the soundest advice I have come across on the net. Her attitude towards feeding live prey should be taken into serious consideration and does not necessarily reflect a "holier than thou" attitude. Believe me, she genuinely cares for these animals and devotes a lot of her time and money to her rescue efforts. Aside from the humane aspect (and I understand that we all draw the line somewhere), feeding live prey is dangerous. I have seen so many snakes get injured and killed by live prey, it just doesn't seem worth the risk. Some people whack (stunning) the rodent against a hard surface before feeding it off . . . why not just defrost a pre-killed one? Even difficult feeders (like my boa) can learn to eat frozen/thawed. Some people may argue that it is natural for the snake to eat live food . . . well then why not expose them to other natural conditions such as cold temps and predators? As our pets, these animals are kept in a controlled environment and we should do everything we can to keep them safe and content. Check Maria's forum out . . . you can post comments and she is always around to answer questions. Here is the link:
http://www.snakebabe.com/cgibin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi
I am sure that once you get to know her, you will realize her genuine passion for these animals and really start to appreciate her activism! :)
~Mischief~

The live/pk/ft debate is really not needed in yet ANOTHER thread is it? Everyone is free to their own opinions... We've all heard what opinions are like. :)

Hi Mischief...and welcome to BP.net! That is pretty cool that you know Maria and her husband. They look like fascinating people. I just wanted to say that I don't think anyone here was being critical about her husbandry advice or feeding methods. Our tendency here is to simply not push one method over another because all the ways to feed (live, p/k, f/t, or stunned) have their positives and their negatives. And no single person's opinion is worth more than another's...be they celebrity, huge breeder, or an unknown pet owner.

People just need to knock off that silly debate! I'm sick and tired of people telling me that live feeding is "cruel" or "inhumane", but they don't understand, BECAUSE THEY DON'T DO IT. If ball pythons were meant to eat dead mice, they would be carrion eaters in the wild. Just because some people don't feed live doesn't make them "bad", nor does feeding live mice to a snake make you "inhumane". People who always think their way is the only right way are the reason people like me go to jail for murder. :zerb: Ok, now I feel much better. :giggle:

Maybe it's just me, but I always consider the source when deciding whether or not to get upset over a comment. :rolleyes:

Just ranting, didn't mean to offend, if that is what I did. ;) You understand, long spring break, with crappy school and a crappy job to go back too. :rainon:

Thanks for the warm welcome . . . :)
I am not really putting the focus on the prey, so much as I am the snake and the risk to the snake. I know it is a debate that has been exhausted but I am almost as passionate about this as Maria.
Anyways, check out her forum . . . I think you guys will really enjoy getting to know her!
;)
~Mischief~

Actually, about 2 years ago, Maria was subject here, gonna have to see if I can find the thread, she was not the main subject/intended subject by the thread starter, but she was the subject later in the thread. She actually did sign up here, and posted a few times, but has since disappeared. never to be seen here again.

I knew I would find it:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=18644

Neat - thanks for the link Jeanne...she seems like cool people. =)

even tho she hasnt posted in like 2 years ...on her profile it says she still visits the site


SnakeBabe
Last Activity: 04-03-2006 06:03 PM
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lucifers_Mommy

even tho she hasnt posted in like 2 years ...on her profile it says she still visits the site

SnakeBabe
Last Activity: 04-03-2006 06:03 PM
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I'm guessing that's only because she knew this thread was here. That's the same day her friend registered to give some input into the discussion. I know if I thought someone was talking about me in some forum, I'd be checking it out too...making sure I didn't need to defend myself or something.

Even though I may not agree with her on certain issues, I think she is a kind, well intentioned person who very much cares for her reptiles. I say :rockon: ..she is also hot to boot :D: :twisted:

The only reason I used the phrase 'holier than thou' is because I used to have the same attitude about f/t vs live. These forums taught me that feeding live is fine as long as you're attentive and know what you're doing. Though I still choose to feed f/t myself, I feel bad for ever jumping on anybody about live feeding which I had before joining up here. Now I know better. :halohorn:

Plus linking to Peta gives me pause, but at least she's tentitive about it and she does seem like a cool individual to know. :)

I like that she doesn't overwork her reptiles; I can just imagine how some performers and exhibitors treat their snakes, probably not much nicer than an item of discarded clothing at the end of the day. I have to give her respect for that!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

I like that she doesn't overwork her reptiles; I can just imagine how some performers and exhibitors treat their snakes, probably not much nicer than an item of discarded clothing at the end of the day. I have to give her respect for that!

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Thanks, Genevive . . . when Maria was hired for a premiere party here in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of seeing how she works with her animals. The snakes are kept in enclosures that sit within a large insulated container with a radiant heat panel attached to the lid. They are kept warm and quiet and she only takes them out for 20 minutes at a time. My job during all of this was to sit with her snakes and "guard" them while she was working. I just felt inclined to speak on her behalf because I know personally how much she cares for her animals . . . she and her husband go above and beyond what it takes and treat their animals with such respect rather than as a commodity. They really are wonderful people. :D