Hoarders (are you one?)

[mainbutter]

A key in the definition of "hoarder" is how much the word "hide" comes up.

I am not a hoarder of reptiles. I most definitely do not hide them for future use.

[SlitherinSisters]

A key in the definition of "hoarder" is how much the word "hide" comes up.

I am not a hoarder of reptiles. I most definitely do not hide them for future use.

"I do not hide them for future use"

Hooray! I'm not a hoarder then!!! I can't very well hide all these cats, and I allow people to come over!

[Russ Lawson]

Because I see breeding snakes as a business, I do not consider the large number of these animals I have hoarding. Even if I was only an avid hobbyist with 50 animals, I wouldn't even consider that to be hoarding. I didn't watch the show, but I'm fairly certain they misused the word in it. Hoarding implies the animals are kept in very poor conditions - basically they are acquired and stored away and forgotten somewhere. Like some sort of obsessive collector's sickness. I find it unlikely a true hoarder would seek to breed the animals either.

[Sariel]

Because I see breeding snakes as a business, I do not consider the large number of these animals I have hoarding. Even if I was only an avid hobbyist with 50 animals, I wouldn't even consider that to be hoarding. I didn't watch the show, but I'm fairly certain they misused the word in it. Hoarding implies the animals are kept in very poor conditions - basically they are acquired and stored away and forgotten somewhere. Like some sort of obsessive collector's sickness. I find it unlikely a true hoarder would seek to breed the animals either.

I think with most animal hoarders they dont seek to breed, but its more of an uncontrolled breeding in alot of cases.

[Repsrul]

Keep in mind most hoarders dont admit they have a problem, they have, in their mind, a valid excuse for keeping all that they keep. Animal hoarders feel they are helping their animal and whatnot.
I think a guideline needs to be set up to define a hoarder in pet sense..
Such as

:can you properly care for ALL of your animals
: Do your animals take up an obscene amount of your living space
: Is your health or happiness affected adversely by the amount of animals you have?
: Are you creating a main source of income or side income with breeding those animals?<certainly not required, but if you have 40+ animals, that would certainly be a valid reason>

IMO, devils advocate could easily say an enthusiast/hobbyist is just another excuse.

For myself I only have four BPs, but I would say Im not done at all.
That said I can properly care for my animals and obviously they dont take up much room at all, infact few people would even know I own them walking into my apartment. I do plan on atleast covering the cost of owning them with planned breeding, I can afford the vet visits I may need, and the only happiness thats affected is the relaxation and joy I get from seeing them happy and healthy.

I do not consider myself an animal hoarder by any means. I just thought it would be an interesting topic.
Yes I do have 40+ snakes and they are all well taken care of. I check on all of them every day. They all eat or at least get offered food every week, even my gravid females. If I was not able to accommodate all of my animals needs I would not have them. When I bought my house my fiance and I made the decision to build up our collection. Breeding reptiles was a dream of mine since I was very little. I have always had some type of reptile or amphibian. But I was always limited to what I could have to do living with my parents or when I had my own apartment space and funds. Now I own my own house and have a very well paying job I am going for it. I am lucky enough to have a fiance who also has a great paying job and loves these animals almost as much as I do.

[BOWSER11788]

I hoard, anacondas under my bed, im using them to fight off the burm invasion the show ALiens was talking about, almost like the python vs. boa movies lol i see a hoarder as a person obseesed over ONE thing and must keep buying not a healthy obsseion but i collect swords, shot glasses and have a tone of horror movies posters but it all goes in the animal/ stevens personal space room

[BOWSER11788]

though non-snake people see people that "shove" snakes in plastic boxes with no rioom is hoarding, it goes back to the post " why have so many snakes" nothing is just black ans white, so people percive things differantly

[Sariel]

I do not consider myself an animal hoarder by any means. I just thought it would be an interesting topic.
Yes I do have 40+ snakes and they are all well taken care of. I check on all of them every day. They all eat or at least get offered food every week, even my gravid females. If I was not able to accommodate all of my animals needs I would not have them. When I bought my house my fiance and I made the decision to build up our collection. Breeding reptiles was a dream of mine since I was very little. I have always had some type of reptile or amphibian. But I was always limited to what I could have to do living with my parents or when I had my own apartment space and funds. Now I own my own house and have a very well paying job I am going for it. I am lucky enough to have a fiance who also has a great paying job and loves these animals almost as much as I do.

I apologize if you thought I was trying to say you are a hoarder, I was just trying to get across that maybe we could use some guidelines to separate what we consider hoarding and what is within reasonable bounds of collecting/breeding/being a hobbyist.

[BPelizabeth]

OMG that show is scary.... I don't get how anyone can live like that....I cannot stand clutter. As far as my snakes.....or reptiles in general. I don't think so. I mean to me a hoarder is someone that is out of control and cannot find places to stack it all and it starts to pile up and up. I like too many expensive morphs to be able to afford to be like that... Plus I am anal as to how they are kept. I think if you were a hoarder the health might come in secondary as just getting more would be the most important.

[dsirkle]

I routinely purchase items that I see on sale or at an extremely good price that I know that I will use. I don't regard that as hoarding. For example, the price of coffee will fluctuate between $5 and $12 for a 34oz can. I buy mine 5 or 10 at a time when they are $5. A coworker of mine once saw me do that and started carrying on about hoarding saying that his minister said buying ahead was hoarding and was a sin. I buy everything that I can that way. I regard that as common sense. On the other hand I have been in many homes during my work career where people left only a narrow trail to get through their homes with junk stacked up to the ceiling. I suppose that I may be a hoarder by the definition of some but I don't even understand the question posed as it relates to snakes.