Is anyone else anal with their snakes?

[pigfat]

I have 4 snakes and a roommate. His girlfriend has been over before and just got my snakes out without even asking me "I wasn't home". But this made me kinda mad. I'm really anal about my snakes, handling and husbandry. Does anyone else prefer other people to not handle and mess with their snakes? I think the one part is that they are still in QT and I dont know if she washed her hands before handling them.

[TheWinWizard]

Absolutely, keep your hands off. PERIOD. Unless I let you.

[Anatopism]

I would be furious.. my current roommate doesn't bother any of the snakes, and I don't worry too much about new roommate at place I'm moving to, but bf and I have decided to put a lock on the snake room door.

I have no problem with people handling them while I'm there, or depending on the person handling them if they ask while I'm not there, but just taking them out is a no-no.

[Royal Hijinx]

Yeah, that is not cool. No one handles the serpents unless I hand him/her to them and after they wash/disinfect their hands.

[Annarose15]

That isn't anal, that's simple courtesy and respect. Does she borrow your toothbrush if she think's it's "neat" also? I had roommates in college that were permitted to get my boa out without me around, but that was only after I was comfortable with their level of knowledge, and they knew to never let someone that wasn't pre-approved by me to handle him.

[xcrafter]

Next time say it's venomous >

[King's Royal Pythons]

Absolutely, keep your hands off. PERIOD. Unless I let you.

X2!

[Xotik]

I don't mind if my boyfriend holds them (we live together), but if someone shouldn't be held or is being bratty that day - I put a marker on their tank. He knows better than to mess with them.

My friends (and siblings), and his friends, on the other hand - are not allowed to touch them unless I'm home, and if I say yes. I don't trust anyone other than Sam with them.
One of Sams friends was over once, and asked to hold one of the two I was breeding, and I said no - gave him obvious (and what I considered, good reason) reasons as to no, and that the next time he came over - he possibly could hold him then, they weren't going anywhere. I went to take a shower, came out and who did this guy have? Icky. The male, that was with my female, wrapped around his arm. I pretty much threw him out of my house, and he isn't allowed over here period.

[Inknsteel]

Yup, I don't feel comfortable with anyone but me reaching into the racks and pulling out snakes. If someone were to get my snakes out while I'm not there, especially someone who is a friend of a friend or something like that, I'd go off...

For me it's not so much risking transmitting anything between snakes. I'm confident that mine are all healthy (knock on wood). I would worry that:

a.) the person wouldn't know how to handle snakes properly and could potentially hurt my animal.
b.) the snake could bite the person, causing them to freak out and possibly injure my animal.
c.) if I'm not the one putting them back in the rack, I don't know that the tubs are slid back in properly and would worry about my snakes escaping.

but most importantly,

d.) that's MY stuff and you have no right to touch my stuff without asking me first. If you're going to be disrespectful enough to get into my snakes while I'm not around, what else might you be getting into? No thanks, you can just find the door and don't bother coming back because you won't be welcome...

[mikel81]

Everyone knows to ask before taking any of my animals out. I know each and every one of my snakes and sometimes I don't want a certain one bothered. I am the only one that knows which ones have eaten or are about to shed. And as the op mentioned, they were in QT and that just makes my head hurt. I really hope that they will respect your wishes to leave them alone in the future, I would say get a lock for their enclosure if they already had been asked to not handle it.