Don't be a hypocrite fellow herpers.

[Big Gunns]

Big Gunns is going to try and open everyone's eyes to why some people hate us to death. BG is sure a lot of people watch Bear Grylls and his survival show. BG watches it and gets really PO'd every time he sees him kill a reptile. Some herpers have even said they won't watch anymore because of this.

Now think about it for a second. We all love reptiles.... some people love rats and rabbits just as much. How much would all of us like rabbits if people fed them ball pythons? We would all hate rabbits and their owners for sure. Try and understand where some peoples hatred for us comes from, and then you can better understand how to deal with it.

BG has a funny true story he will share with his fans.

A few years back BG was doing a show and there was a Ferret rescue set up next to him. It was a couple of nice old ladies. BG didn't get a chance to talk to them until Sunday(it was a 2 day show). They proceeded to tell Big Gunns of how they had found a snake in their yard and they killed it. BG did not miss a beat. BG told them that one time his neighbors Ferrets escaped and were in his yard. He told the old ladies that he went and got his shotgun and BLEW them away!!!!!

You should have seen how wide these ladies eyes got and how far their jaws dropped. BG let them suffer for a few seconds then said...now you know how I(BG) feels when you tell me you killed a snake. BG bets they'll think about that for the rest of their life.

Let us not all be hypocrites people. Try and understand why some people hate us. BG completely understands where it comes from. Big Gunns didn't want a boa for the longest time because when he was leeetle Gunns he had white mice as pets. It still bothers BG on feeding days.

[blackcrystal22]

I love all animals, and will dread the day that I'll ever need to feed a rabbit to any of my snakes.

I've had multiple pet rabbits, cats, dogs, hamsters, rats, and mice. I still do. I breed ASFs because they smell nicer than mice (10x) and I don't really like them as pets. It helps me to part with them, but I still feel terrible and miss the occasional 'pet' that I could have from a mouse or rat.

Many would call me a hypocrite. I'm a vegetarian who feeds rats and mice to snakes and is all for proper hunting and fishing. (I do it myself on occasion). When I explain to them that I'm only a veg because I hate the way the captive animals are treated, then they understand.

So I do understand the other side. I mean, I hate feeding fish to my fish and turtles. I'm not as used to it as the rats to the snakes even though they're similar creatures.

That's a really funny story BG. Even if they hate us, I don't think many of us hate them and they should try to understand that we don't kill the animals for fun or have snakes just for the kill. I think more of the time than not, they are the ones being the hypocrites by not understanding our side.

[mainbutter]

When it comes to animals, I am no hypocrite.

I feed people's pets to my snakes. (not their actual pets, but you know, the same species)

I feed people's pets to myself. Anyone here have guinea pigs? They sure are tasty! Also cute and cuddly. I'd love to have one someday, but that wouldn't stop me from ordering it at a Peruvian restaurant.

I've eaten plenty of herps, notably crocodilian meat and frog legs. I'd gladly try snake, and if that meant I had to kill, butcher, and cook the snake myself I'd sure give it a go.

Heck I keep fish and I eat fish all the time.

My point is that just because an animal is a pet doesn't make it "special" in my eyes.

I just disapprove of killing out of anger or irrational fear, which seems to be the case of the ladies with ferrets. Unless they legally harvested the snake for food and ate it themselves, I can't think of a reason I'm okay with them killing it.

I just hope people respect my views as much as I respect theirs. I completely understand emotional connections beyond just to a particular animal, but to the entire group that animal represents. I just hate it when people think I'm evil for eating animals, especially animals they think are cute and cuddly. I'm not evil, I'm just a hunter, a predator, part of nature. I love and respect all the animals in the world, especially because I am one of them.

P.S. I loved your retort to the old ladies BG

[RichsBallPythons]

Big Gunns is going to try and open everyone's eyes to why some people hate us to death. BG is sure a lot of people watch Bear Grylls and his survival show. BG watches it and gets really PO'd every time he sees him kill a reptile. Some herpers have even said they won't watch anymore because of this.

Now think about it for a second. We all love reptiles.... some people love rats and rabbits just as much. How much would all of us like rabbits if people fed them ball pythons? We would all hate rabbits and their owners for sure. Try and understand where some peoples hatred for us comes from, and then you can better understand how to deal with it.

See the reason MANY dont watch them shows as there is NO reason to kill the reptiles and or any other animal. The show is to SHOW you how to survive. That guy is NOT starving to where he HAS to kill anything on the show. When those cameras are not rolling hes got meals to eat.

Read the shows description as it says they will not let the people involved in the show to become in harms way. If one is in harm they will intervene with help(ie FOOD).

[Montessa Python]

Survivor man and man v wild aside....

When we as people take an animal from the wild, be it wc or cb.. we have to understand its needs.. in the wild it would eat certain creatures.
We in essence are playing god in our homes with these creatures, their world is our play toy, the heat, light, food, water, housing...Ect....
comes from US... We cannot choose to be picky about what we feed our animals, except perhaps dog/cat food and the brands/quality that we feed.

on Survivor they eat fish and reptiles they catch.. you don't hear people blabbing about them. I think that Bear Gyles must have to get permission from the various governments of the places he goes in order to do the stuff he does. And I think he must have to pass up a possible easier meal in order to not step on political or environmental toes.

We as viewers can email the producers of the shows and start a campaign to ask them to stop the eating of reptiles on the show, we can stop using the products that are shown on the commercials, and we can boycott the show all together.
But it is up to us to make the decision.
We can do nothing, if we only complain here.
Type an email, call a 1 800 line... do something vs complaining.. or quit complaining about it.
JMHO
Carol

[BPelizabeth]

Well I watched that show one time for about 10 minutes and watched him bite a snake in half (it was alive). After that never again...I was livid!! Now what really made me the most angry is that it was for a show. If you were out there in the wild and had to survive...I get it. You do what you have to do. But purely for pleasure....for a tv show....arggggggg! I feel the same with hunting. I don't agree with it . HOWEVER...I can understand if ppl are really using what they hunt and not just doing it because it makes their (beep) bigger.

With that being said...I did at first feel a little bad for the mice that I feed. However I choose to keep snakes.....they aren't vegetarians...lol. I have a little easier time with it since the mouse bit my snake. It didn't hurt her but it really made me furious. Now...am I going to go out and kill mice for no reason. NO WAY!! I think that ppl that do that have a serious mental problem.

[revxus]

And why must you speak of yourself in the 3rd person, oh honorable one?

[Beardedragon]

I think Survivorman can eat what ever he wants, because hes really out there alone with just a few things and a camera. If he finds a snake or what ever, he will eat it because hes hungry with no other means of eating.

ManvsWild on the other hand is a fake, and I would probably die if I got lost in his care. If He sees a snake, he probably calls up his producer to see if they can save it for later because he just ate a Bigmac from the store right out of view of the camera man and is full.

[Big Gunns]

We as viewers can email the producers of the shows and start a campaign to ask them to stop the eating of reptiles on the show, we can stop using the products that are shown on the commercials, and we can boycott the show all together.
But it is up to us to make the decision.
We can do nothing, if we only complain here.
Type an email, call a 1 800 line... do something vs complaining.. or quit complaining about it.
JMHO
Carol

This is exactly what Big Gunns is talking about. We wouldn't care if he was eating a rabbit, but since it was a snake or other reptile, people talk about boycotting the show. It's being hypocritical.

See the reason MANY dont watch them shows as there is NO reason to kill the reptiles and or any other animal. The show is to SHOW you how to survive. That guy is NOT starving to where he HAS to kill anything on the show. When those cameras are not rolling hes got meals to eat.

Read the shows description as it says they will not let the people involved in the show to become in harms way. If one is in harm they will intervene with help(ie FOOD).

Well I watched that show one time for about 10 minutes and watched him bite a snake in half (it was alive). After that never again...I was livid!! Now what really made me the most angry is that it was for a show. If you were out there in the wild and had to survive...I get it. You do what you have to do. But purely for pleasure....for a tv show....arggggggg! I feel the same with hunting. I don't agree with it . HOWEVER...I can understand if ppl are really using what they hunt and not just doing it because it makes their (beep) bigger.

With that being said...I did at first feel a little bad for the mice that I feed. However I choose to keep snakes.....they aren't vegetarians...lol. I have a little easier time with it since the mouse bit my snake. It didn't hurt her but it really made me furious. Now...am I going to go out and kill mice for no reason. NO WAY!! I think that ppl that do that have a serious mental problem.

I think Survivorman can eat what ever he wants, because hes really out there alone with just a few things and a camera. If he finds a snake or what ever, he will eat it because hes hungry with no other means of eating.

ManvsWild on the other hand is a fake, and I would probably die if I got lost in his care. If He sees a snake, he probably calls up his producer to see if they can save it for later because he just ate a Bigmac from the store right out of view of the camera man and is full.

You all just don't get it do you? Bear gets so much grief for this, but let BG ask you all a question. It's a survival show right? What is Bear supposed to do. "Hey Jose(camera guy) there's a boa that I(Bear) could eat, but since this show is "fake" hand me a ham sandwich, I'm sure the viewers watching this show can figure out how to skin it and eat it without me showing them."

Really all BG's fans out there. Although BG hates it as much as you do, Bear needs to do this to show people how to do it.....otherwise it would be just a show of him trekking through some rough terrain. Why does he need to do it just like Survivor man? BG likes both shows, but Bear's is much more exciting to watch.

BG thinks some of you may be missing what BG was trying to say also. We(us herpers) can't get too mad at people that hate us because will kill rodents, when we(us herpers) get so upset with people who kill snakes. BG does understand that killing a snake, just because it's a "snake" is a leeetle different though. We can hate them. Try and understand that the rodent lovers feel just as strongly about the lives of leeetle mice as we do about our snakes.

And why must you speak of yourself in the 3rd person, oh honorable one?

Better question....why doesn't everyone?

[jkobylka]

BG, I get it and agree completely.... it's all a matter of perspective. Wish everyone could see it that way.

Justin