Most Bizarre Things You've Heard People Say About Herps

So...I know you've all heard uneducated people spout the strangest things about reptiles, and swear up and down that they are true. What's the strangest thing you've ever heard?

Mine has to be the lady that swore her friend's BP ate lettuce. I just kinda stared at her for a second, and then told her that there is not one single snake on the planet that is a herbivore. This woman actually argued with me for a good twenty minutes about this, getting progressively more snarky, before I told her that the only way a snake would eat lettuce would be if you shoved it down the throat of a mouse first. Whereupon she turned around and huffed out of the store.

I still wonder about this from time to time. I mean, lettuce? Good grief.

The owner of a small pet store around here told me he had a 60 year old female iguana that he sold. Even said it was ok to feed it dog food and insects for extra protein and lettuce was there main source of food. Then he went on to talk about some tortoises that live 200+years.
I didnt expect much truth from him since ive seen his store close and reopen 3 times in different places because he didnt make enough money to pay any of the bills.

Just thought of another one. There was an ad on craigslist a few months ago where they were selling a BP that they had the venom and fangs removed so they dont have to worry about it killing their kids. Morons....

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Originally Posted by Wiki

The oldest tortoise ever recorded, almost the oldest individual animal ever recorded, was Tui Malila, who was presented to the Tongan royal family by the British explorer Captain Cook shortly after its birth in 1777. Tui Malila remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on May 19, 1965. This means that upon its death, Tui Malila was 188 years old.

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Tortoises can live that long


http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/ne...00/4843422.stm

I've heard numerous times Iguana's can't eat anything that's red in color or it will kill them. :rolleyes:

1. Godzilla could actually happen

2. You can get Aids from snakes...:disbelief :frustrate

"An iguana isn't a lizard. It's like a lizard...only bigger."

"Do turtles poop through their mouths?"

"Can snakes go to the bathroom?"

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Originally Posted by patthesnakeman

Tortoises can live that long


http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/ne...00/4843422.stm

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He meant average lifespan is over 200 years

"Are you involved in witchcraft or something"
"no"
"They why else would you have snakes?"

Here's one.... "Snakes only grow to thier enclosure size." :8:

Oh oh! Another... I was in a pet store a while ago getting some feeders, when there was a lady looking to buy a baby ball. The guy working there said "make sure you get it a friend so they can share a "house"/tank so one doesn't get loney." :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by GirDance

"Are you involved in witchcraft or something"
"no"
"They why else would you have snakes?"

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:ohmygod:

That' too funny. I remember I was at a snake show a couple years ago, and was walking out with a bunch of snakes in containers and such. A lady was walking my way with her son and when she got around me, she screamed "WTF?! Why in the hell are you walking around with snakes, get them out of here!"

I kindly answered, "Well, Maybe it would be the fact that your to a REPTILE EXPO!" She got all bent out of shape and told her son that they were not going in there. I guess he didn't tell her there was snakes there. :D

I've heard that coachwhips grab their tail in their mouth and roll like a hula hoop. I was told the tale about milksnakes drinking milk from unattended cows. Indigo snakes are where indigo dye comes from. Anoles are venomous, and are actually baby iguanas.
The old thing about putting a burmese baby into a 10 g tank and it won't get any bigger. Turtles bite down and won't let go unless they hear it thunder.
I've been told numerous times that if I carry one of my ball pythons around my neck, it'll kill me by strangling me. Also been accused of being satanic because I own snakes. And that any snake that strikes is venomous(including one of my cranky bp girls).

I read on another forum that snakes are only owned by gang members and criminals to scare their neighbors and exert power over other people. :rolleye2:

I think I had someone tell me I was going to hell for having a snake....this is while I was standing inside my home church.

i think the one ive heard out of almost everyone is that snakes are "slimy", many people were surprised when they touched my BP and he was anything but. also that im a satanist, balls smell horrible (hehe):rofl: , and that keeping snakes is addictive..... o wait the last one is true :gj:

Just today my mom came home, and she said I have a snake question for you. She told me that the teacher next to her room has a friend that keeps a large constrictor free in her house. Well she noticed that the snake wasn't eating( she could have stopped right there, and I could have told her whats wrong.) ,but she continues and says that one night while she was sleeping with the snake she woke up, and found him completely stretched out along her bodie, she thought she was dead, so she calls her vet( nice vet that gives phone numbers out for night calls!). The vet said Oh my god, kill it! She said is it really that bad, and he says yes, he is sizing you up to eat you!:rofl:I told my mom that is total BS, and he was just wanting to get warm. Not going to eat her..lol. I say shoot the vet and keep the snake!Vets sometimes really don't know whats going on sometimes.

"Turtles are asexual, but if you get them radiated at the vet, they won't multiply."
"Turtles need to search for bigger shells when they grow."
"Turtles can live on Cheerios."
"Snake keepers are satanists/witches."

:O

I've also had someone tell me that I support satan for owning a snake. Lol, moron.

I was at the vet the other day and although my vet treats snakes and reptiles at a reptile zoo near my home and he is a recommended herp vet, he doesn't get alot of snakes in my small town. Anyway I went in with my baby bp in a tub and almost everyone in the waiting room (like 10 people) made comments like, OMG SHE HAS A SNAKE! WILL IT GET OUT AND STRANGLE ME?!! and eventually asked me several other crazy questions. Some people were grossed out and left the room....lol oh goodness

Oh... I forgot to add also... Upon telling a friend who I work with I have a snake:

"Oh my god, aren't you afraid it will get out and kill you in your sleep?"
"No, she couldn't fit my hand in her mouth"
"But it could still kill you!"
"No, it really can't"
"But they're all slimy and gross".....

She doesn't come over much anymore... I think it's because of the snake.

" Are you prepared to give your bp a whole room and feed it rabits when it gets 20 feet long?"

" no he wont"

"yes he will"

"no he wont!"

" He will to"

I could finish this but theres no point when my next few lines would look like this : no they dont

With beardies ive been told they can live off of turtlefood and lettuce. They only have to eat ten crickets a day when babys, and asked if i had to go to the hospital when i got bit by my bp for the anti venom:rolleyes: There is ALOT more but i do not want to make you guys read to much

1. Snakes have poisonous tongues

2. Iguanas are venomous

3. Snakes eat babies!

4. Snakes smell bad because. . .well they just do.

5. There are snakes so fast that they have never been captured on film.

6. The devil uses snakes as his "doorway" into our world

7. We just like watching animals kill other animals

8. Slimy

9. Give you warts.

10. Snakes have the ability to hypnotize you.

11. You regularly find big constrictors longer than 50 feet.

12. Even if you hired the engineers, technicians, and workers that built the hoover dam, it would still be impossible for them to build a cage for a snake without it escaping and eating your dog.

13. Snakes like to eat dogs.

14. All snakes are poisonous, we've all just been lucky so far.

My sister insists my snakes are venomous.

Here's another...

"What are you going to do if you snake gets out and eats your cats?"

"Um they will never get that big."

"Oh yes they will. Those snakes get to be like 10 feet long and will be big enough to kill and eat your cats."

"They only get about four feet long and eat nothing bigger than a small rat."

"Well they will strangle you in your sleep."

"No they won't. They will find some place warm and curl up."

"Well they are venomous. What if they bite you?"

I had a vet tell me my bearded dragon was an iguana and was currious why it wasnt green. I told him it was a beardie, and he had a confused look on his face, Never returned to that vet.

Ive heard the iguana thing alot, but the vet thing was just crazy, Spend 8 years in college to work with animals, and cant tell apart two of the most common captive lizard species.

Also, i am yet to encounter a single kid that has asked a stupid comment, Its all adults, which is funny.

My moms friend has a 13 year old milksnake, its in a 20L, anyway, I dont really agree with their care, no heating, feed it once a month, anyway, she insists that snakes only grow to the size of their tank, thats why her milksnake is 3-4ft? (normal size am i right?). And tells me to feed 1x a month for a baby of a different species and for some reason thinks all snakes care is the same.

And ive heard to 10 cricket thing way to much with beardies, a reptile store where i got it from had an employee that kept telling me that, and wouldnt sell any more then 100 crickets to me in a jam for my dragon which was a baby at the time.

and the reptiles need friends is way to common and quite scary, ive heard/read/seen that way to much, and every single time there is a dominance or fighting problem.

Anyway, to sum it all up, reptiles are way misunderstood, and people really dont have a clue about them. Its sad, i think alot of people are missing out based of there ignorant and confused fears and phobias developed by the media and just lack of knowlage all together.

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Originally Posted by missi182

I was at the vet the other day and although my vet treats snakes and reptiles at a reptile zoo near my home and he is a recommended herp vet, he doesn't get alot of snakes in my small town. Anyway I went in with my baby bp in a tub and almost everyone in the waiting room (like 10 people) made comments like, OMG SHE HAS A SNAKE! WILL IT GET OUT AND STRANGLE ME?!! and eventually asked me several other crazy questions. Some people were grossed out and left the room....lol oh goodness

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Weird. When I take a snake to the vet, most people want to see it or touch it and ask a lot of questions about snakes. I meet a lot of people that way.

man! all this time, I've been a devil worshiper and never even knew! you really CAN learn anything on the internet! :D

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Originally Posted by python.princess

man! all this time, I've been a devil worshiper and never even knew! you really CAN learn anything on the internet! :D

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hey I'm a redhead too! Imagine what Jehovas Witness thinks when I open the door with my python?! :D

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Originally Posted by SteelerFreak89

hey I'm a redhead too! Imagine what Jehovas Witness thinks when I open the door with my python?! :D

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I am so going to do that if they ever do knock on my door! No offense to people of that group, but hate it when people push their beliefs on you. I either want to answer the door with a big snake in my arms or answer the door naked. :8::8::8:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

I am so going to do that if they ever do knock on my door! No offense to people of that group, but hate it when people push their beliefs on you. I either want to answer the door with a big snake in my arms or answer the door naked. :8::8::8:

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hehe. The people here are rude as well. One time I answered the door with my python in one hand and a half bitten apple in the other to represent the serpent and temptation (just in case you didnt know). :)

ps I am open to all religions just don't push others and be rude about it

ps. I am too. I'm one of those open minded agnostic people. lol. :D