How do we show people that snakes aren't what they are often portrayed to be?

[Evenstar]

"I always answered in a way that opened the door for her to ask more questions"

How was that accomplished?

For example, she once asked me, "What do you keep them in?" (meaning what kind of cages do I use). I told her I keep them in a rack system (then I explained what that was and what it looked like). She then asked if they had enough room. Instead of just answering yes, they're fine, I explained to her that BPs will often live their entire lives in a single termite mound in Africa. That led her to ask how they found food and I told her that they are primarily ambush preditors, but that they can actually "see" a rodent in "infrared" thanks to their heat pits which allow them to pick up on a rodent's heat signature. One thing leads to another and that one question, what do you keep them in, led to a 20min discussion on a snake's environment and how they find food and eat!

The point is, you don't want to innundate someone with too much information, but you DO want to give them enough so that they 1) learn and 2) feel invited to learn more.

I also flat-out told her that I understood her fears, but if she felt curious I loved to talk about my snakes so she was welcome to ask questions any time any where. We don't want to force information on anyone, but we do want to make sure people know we are open!