Burmese on Real World last night....

[elevatethis]

Ok I was a little angry last night. One of the girls from Real World- San Diego was at a pet store and bought a baby burmese python. They were showing her looking at it at the pet shop and they let her bring it home.

Well, they were showing her set up when she got home. No heat source, no hide, and a water bowl that probably only would hold a couple cups of water. Not to mention this snake was cramped in a 10gal long glass aquarium.

They showed her trying to feed it. The snake took no interest whatsoever in the mouse. She was trying to feed it a small white feeder mouse. This snake was already large enough to take down a small rat or gerbil. If I were that stressed out from my living conditions, I probably wouldn't want to eat either.

Did anyone else catch that?

[Marla]

Nope, I missed it, but that is truly unfortunate. I'm sure someone would have objected if she'd brought a puppy home and made it perch in a tree, but chances are none of the cast or crew even knew to object to how she treated the snake.

[Smynx]

Ok. I probably haven't watched an episode of "The Real World" since the first season, but lastnight my 14-year-old son was watching tv, and he yelled to me (I was in another room) "Mom, come look at this snake!!!" So I run into the living room thinking he's watching Animal Planet, and it turned out to be "The Real World." It's true, there was no appropriate setup for the snake (at least not on camera), but the truly sad/disgusting part about it was that the snake and the mouse (which it would not eat) turned into this really pathetic metaphor about how two of the girls on the show interact with each other. Then there was this whole drama about the "poor little mouse." It was really awful. I don't know who I felt worse for - the snake or the people who watch that stuff regularly. (Ok, I know my son does, but he's 14, and it's MTV, and he just wants to see scantily clad women as much as possible.)

[iceman25]

:evil:

[elevatethis]

Most people, and assuming also most people who saw this show, are not familiar with these snakes. It is unfortunate that these reptiles are being portrayed in a manner which displays irresponsible care, but those looking don't know any better.

Looks like its yet another step back for us and our hobby.

[JLC]

It could be a setback...or an opportunity. How about a flood of letters to the producers of that show explaining the proper care of burms? Maybe the can craft an episode (never watched the show and don't really know how it works) where someone points out how inadequate the setup is and they work to make it better? (I know, I know...in my dreams...)

--moving this to the Giant Pythons forum--

[Smynx]

Not a bad idea, Judy. I doubt they would take the time to explain the proper care and keeping of snakes, but it would annoy them enough to possible think twice before doing something like that again.

[Marla]

I think they have a message board or something for communicating with the cast. If we could find it and make it a big issue there, it might get enough attention to get to the producers or the actual cast.

[JLC]

That would be great if we could find that message board!

[Marla]

I think this is it.