why can t all pets be as easy as snakes??

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Originally Posted by dkatz4

Can I ask everyone hear what their child situation is? I have a five-year-old and a one-year-old and can tell you with absolute certainty that they are the most difficult pets you can possibly keep and really compound the husbandry and maintenance of all the others

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I have ZERO kids

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Originally Posted by SPIDERBALL

I have ZERO kids

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Let me put it this way, i'm taking a short break to write this post in the background I can hear plates being thrown across the floor, all the shoes from the shoe caddy have been strewn about the kitchen, the toilet paper has all been unfurled into a big pile on the floor of the bathroom and there is a puddle of water beside an overturned cup in the living room. The dog is asleep on the couch and has been for at least a half an hour, a one-year-old girl in a little white dress with yellow flowers is responsible for the entire scene I just described

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Originally Posted by dkatz4

Can I ask everyone hear what their child situation is?

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No kids ever. Only ever animals.

I admire people who choose to have kids, but none for me. I know my limits, and I couldn't handle them. Grew up as a latch-key kid in the seventies in a house that was nearly always empty. My chronically ill divorced mother worked all the time. One thing I knew growing up, was that I did NOT want her life! I got accustomed to the solitude, and still prefer to be alone. The BF travels for work - not sure how I'll adapt when he retires.

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Originally Posted by L.West

I had to rush my 14" oscar to a local pet store. That broke my heart to have to give him up but I had no choice at that point. I cried like a baby when I handed him over to the store. I had raised him up from a tiny baby - he was a gorgeous fish.

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That would have broken my heart too. I had to get rid of a gorgeous green terror and that broke my heart, never mind one of my Oscars!!! My two Oscars are what got my girlfriend liking fish. She couldn't believe they actually have "personalities" and recognize their keepers. I have a tiger about 10-11" and an albino that's a little smaller. The tiger is possibly the best looking Oscar I've ever seen. I always preferred albinos, but this tiger changed me. Now we have a tiger who's about 6" in the community tank. I've raised them all since they were tiny babies and I am definitely "attached" enough that I would only be able to rehome them If I HAD TO because I couldn't care for them properly for whatever reason.

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Originally Posted by dkatz4

Can I ask everyone hear what their child situation is? I have a five-year-old and a one-year-old and can tell you with absolute certainty that they are the most difficult pets you can possibly keep and really compound the husbandry and maintenance of all the others

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No kids, niece will be 3 in Nov and nephew is due Sept 11. I LOVE babysitting, even for a long weekend or something. But none of my own.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

No kids, niece will be 3 in Nov and nephew is due Sept 11. I LOVE babysitting, even for a long weekend or something. But none of my own.

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Just today, my dad came over to see the kids (and dog) and the reception was not great, apparently going crazy on strangers is something we're going to have to work on. But afterward we're chatting on the phone, and he's telling me how he likes dogs like the grandkids, fun to play with but glad to give them back to their owners afterwards. I told him that compared to a dog, pet snakes are like grandkids, you play with them for a while, then back in the viv they go!

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Originally Posted by dkatz4

Can I ask everyone hear what their child situation is? I have a five-year-old and a one-year-old and can tell you with absolute certainty that they are the most difficult pets you can possibly keep and really compound the husbandry and maintenance of all the others

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No kids here with no intention of kids ever, but seriously hats off to you. I wouldn't be able to manage looking after kids AND pet's very well, I'd get way to overwhelmed lol. Not a lifestyle I'm cut out for but all the power to those who can do it. :gj:

No kids...yet... Been married for 5 years now and we are considering having a single kid. Getting lots of "pressure" from my parents about it lol as we are in our mid 30's now.

When that happens (if we decide to have one), then I know I will have to cut waaay back on the animals. I've been trying to streamline my maintenance routine now to be as efficient as possible with that in mind... I want as much automation as possible (timers, misters, etc.). And if I loose any animals to old age, I'm not planning on replacing them until either we've decided not to have a kid or until said kid is older and not as needy.

I teach (art, 1st - 12th grade) and with that, I've seen a lot of the bad side of kids lol... enough to make me question things. My husband used to talk about having a kid all the time until his nephew was born and we got to enjoy family vacations with his temper tantrums, awake at night crying, etc. Now he isn't as keen on the idea lol. Kids can be great too, but never "easy" lol

I respect parents a lot, as it is a very hard job to do 24/7. Some kids I can barely take for their 30 minute art class session... especially the younger ones. I come home tired from teaching as it is, so I can't imagine coming home and having to entertain / deal with a child as well.

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Originally Posted by artgecko

No kids...yet... Been married for 5 years now and we are considering having a single kid. Getting lots of "pressure" from my parents about it lol as we are in our mid 30's now.

When that happens (if we decide to have one), then I know I will have to cut waaay back on the animals. I've been trying to streamline my maintenance routine now to be as efficient as possible with that in mind... I want as much automation as possible (timers, misters, etc.). And if I loose any animals to old age, I'm not planning on replacing them until either we've decided not to have a kid or until said kid is older and not as needy.

I teach (art, 1st - 12th grade) and with that, I've seen a lot of the bad side of kids lol... enough to make me question things. My husband used to talk about having a kid all the time until his nephew was born and we got to enjoy family vacations with his temper tantrums, awake at night crying, etc. Now he isn't as keen on the idea lol. Kids can be great too, but never "easy" lol

I respect parents a lot, as it is a very hard job to do 24/7. Some kids I can barely take for their 30 minute art class session... especially the younger ones. I come home tired from teaching as it is, so I can't imagine coming home and having to entertain / deal with a child as well.

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You've got to do what is right for you, I can tell you that kids will bring you to your highest highs and your lowest lows. They're kind of like heroin, greatest feeling imaginable but also ruins your life ( just kidding, no disrespect to anyone who is actually in recovery). Headaches associated with them that you described experiencing with your nephew are extremely real and must be taken into consideration but also understand that while you're dealing with those issues your caveman brain kicks in when it is your own offspring and it somehow doesn't feel as bad. I could fill a book with all of the parts of my life that are worse off, unfulfilled, or just plain miserable as a direct result of my kids, but at the same time I love them more than the air I breathe (I seriously got choked up typing that just now). It's not a choice to be taken lightly, and it's not something anyone should be pressured into, I have a lot of respect for people who choose not to have kids, there are already too many people on this planet, and it's crazy to make more just because somebody else thinks you should