Why do you like snakes?

[Cheesenugget]

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).

[FollowTheSun]

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.

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.

[tickyyy]

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...

[NJ Balls]

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.

[Luvyna]

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.

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.

[Bogertophis]

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.

It surprises me too, how many people think my pet snakes eat insects... 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.

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!).