Quote Originally Posted by sorraia View Post
I just wish there were an easy way to get the general public to understand not all snakes are the same. The arguments I'm seeing the most as a result of this are:
- Snakes aren't domesticated and shouldn't be kept as "pets"
- Snakes are killers and dangerous and shouldn't be kept in captivity
- Snakes are wild animals and shouldn't be kept in captivity
- Snakes can't be properly provided for and therefore shouldn't be kept in captivity
- Most people can't properly care for a snake, therefore no one should keep snakes
- Snakes eat live animals, which are cruelly kept and bred, and therefore it is cruel to keep snakes in captivity
- Snakes don't have affection for people, therefore aren't "pets"
- Snakes become invasive species that eat native wildlife in threatened habitat, therefore no snakes should be kept in captivity any where

There might be a few more, but those are the big ones. It isn't hard to refute any of those, but people who are blind and deaf won't listen or see reason, nor will the see or hear the fallacies in their own arguments.

On this topic of general public ignorance, one of my co-workers just came up and asked me if I was getting rid of my snakes now, I calmly asked why. Their response was "well you have a 5 year old and you have two killing machines in your house, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night." I have a corn and a baby BP hardly what comes to mind when I hear "killing Machine" I tried explaining that a ball python and corn are not even in the same category as a rock python, but their response (not sure why it suprised me) was "a snake is a snake is a snake". Trying to get them to understand I said "well do you own any dogs?" They have a pug, so I asked "people die every year from dog attacks, shouldnt you get rid of your pug?" I thought that logic made perfect sense, apparently I was wrong. They got frustrated, told me I "am not making any sense because dogs don't intentionally hurt people, and Ill never understand"....they then walked off. WHAT!?