The same sad comments about my snakes... (vent)

[distaff]

Not everyone wants to be educated.
Subtle bullies just get the stink eye from me, and I move on. I won't even give them the time of day.
Shunning IS morally acceptable.

The genuinely curious will keep the veiled insults out of their comments and questions.

[alejandrosantana0420]

The one comment that ticks me off is "oooo you're snakes come from the devil" or "they are going to steal you're sould" like really ??? Why are you bringing religion into this ugh!!!!! >

[Hypancistrus]

When people tell me snakes bite or ask if they have bitten me I like to start pointing to scars on my body.

"See this one?? That's from a dachshund that bit me when I worked at the vets as a kid. Oh, how about this one? Oh... that's from the cat last week." *dramatic pause* "Wait... see this big one here? It's from the most dangerous animal I've ever lived with." I wait for their eyes to bug out and them to breathe "What is it?"

And then tell them that it is from my baby sister when she was 4 and had a tantrum.

[BWB]

This sort of news article doesn't help our cause either: http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1...river-a-fright. Everybody gets a bit freaked out by this. I'm worried what my neighbors would think if they knew that I had snakes. A ring tailed boa must mean red tail and how come so may people have their snakes get away on them. Maybe I'm just paranoid or I've read enough on here to know better but my snakes don't get too far out of my sight and their enclosures are checked to ensure that they don't escape. Last year or the year before that an entire floor of an apartment building was evacuated because a ball python got loose. But we also had the sad story of the two little boys killed in New Brunswick and that kind of publicity really puts a bad light on any snakes. It's a tough, uphill battle that we face to have snakes accepted as good pets. It's a similar situation to people owning pitbulls and Rottweilers. The entire breed is discriminated against because of some bad owners.

[highqualityballz]

People have given me that comment and "What if your snake bites you"


On the bright side. Part of my family refuses to come to my house because of the snakes. That works for me because those are the family members I do not invite over and do not want over anyway.

I literally laughed out loud!

[distaff]

I literally laughed out loud!

Yup. Another great reason to someday own a Burm.

[Aercadia]

I like to test the waters without bringing my snakes into it. :) It's a workaround, for sure, but it helps cut down on the situations where I find myself actually discussing snakes with a snake hater.

I draw, like a lot, I'm always doodling during meetings at work and when I'm out sitting down in public... sometimes I draw snakes. That method worked to alert me to the fact that one of my co-workers is TERRIFIED of snakes, so I don't talk about them or show pictures of them around her. :) My manager is actually intrigued, so I can discuss/show-and-tell with him. The rest of my teammates have no strong feelings either way, so I don't actively insert snake-facts into daily conversations, but sometimes they ask questions. :) And I love answering them!

Another thing I have done with a lot of my friends is simply ask, "How do you feel about snakes?" And then, based on their responses, I know whether it's safe to proceed with further snake-related discussion/introductions, or never bring it up again. I have one friend who loves hearing about the snakes, but keeps rats as pets - so we discuss the snakes, but not their food. :) It all works out.

[h20hunter]

Had a good comment today. We are in the process of selling our house and we have listed that we have a pet per most listing agreements. Got a call from an agent requesting to show and she asked "is THE SNAKE still in the house". I wanted to reply, well, I think so, she got out a few days ago and we are hoping she turns up!

[bmack]

I know the struggle. My fiance's mom goes with the old as time line "The only good snake is a dead snake." At least when me and my fiance get married our growing collection will keep visits down.

[Vasiliki]

I think when you've been in the hobby long enough, you'll hear it all. And as long as you remember your passion, it's easy to have an answer for most people.

I tend to use humor or 'jokes' as a way to diffuse situations away from the snakes and instead talk about the person who is making those comments.

"If you brought that snake out near me, I would kill it without a second thought" - Father in law
"Wow really? You know, someone who can easily kill animals are usually psychopaths.... I'm a little worried. Who goes around killing other people's pets? That's crazy. You're ridiculous"

"I heard that my friend had a snake blah-blah-blah woke up with it lying beside her, measuring her to see if it could eat her!"
"Oddly enough, that's how I often how I measure my own meals. My mother always said: 'Don't eat anything bigger than your head!' It gets awkward when you're out at a restaurant, though, you know? But seriously, snakes don't actually do that, haha. Do you lay down beside a pizza to see if you can eat it? That's ridiculous. Call me if you ever do that."

"What if your snake eats one of your cats?!"
"Have you met my cat? It's a psycho. I'd never let that thing around my harmless snake, are you kidding? My snake would be like: 'The heck is that thin--AHHHH!'"

"Do you let your snakes roam around the house?"
"Of course? How else is he supposed to get to the fridge and make himself something if he's hungry?"

"Does it bite?"
"You could try to get it to bite, if you really wanted to. You'd have to start by rubbing this dead rat all over your hand first, though... which is weird, but hey if you want to give it a try you're more than welcome."


I always follow-up my humor or comments with educational reasoning behind it, but I've found that the humor quickly dispels any resentment towards the snakes, or anger a person may have. If they are still angry after an explanation, then there was nothing I could've said to change their mind and I don't waste anymore time worrying about it.

Some of my biggest critics have become some of my biggest spokesmen amongst my friends. "You HAVE to come over and see her snakes!! No, they're awesome! I used to be scared but they're actually really cool! You have to check them out"