A Bit of Reality About Owning Snakes and Raising a Family

[TheresaBearden]

First of all-Joanna-GREAT POST!!!!

i'm not trying to call anyone out, but i think there's a culture of ineptitude and apathy with large constrictors that is pretty alarming. from the owners all the way up to the breeders, i think the general mindset is alllllll wrong. i mean balls, boas, carpets, etc are one thing, but the difference between a ball and a retic is like the difference between owning a bengal cat and a tiger.

I understand you are not pointing fingers and I agree you make some excellent points but I want to clarify that not all breeders are this way. My husband and are are burm breeders and I can assure we take that very seriously. We spend countless hours caring for our animals and while we can not control or choose who buys every animal we produce we can and do try and sell them to those who understand what they are buying is a huge commitment. We try and ask if they are aware how large these snakes can get and if they are able to care for, feed, and house them properly as they grow. We make it abundantly clear that we are available should any questions or concerns come up. We get calls from burm owners every week (whether they bought from us or not) seeking advice, asking questions, or just wanting to chat and we welcome these calls-we enjoy them. We have spent hours fighting legislation-typing emails, writing letters, making phone call. We have offered to open our home to members of Congress, representatives, senators so they can see first hand what we are fighting so hard to save. We do what we can to try and educate those do not understand the effort and time put into owning large constricotrs (or any reptile). We feel we have a responsibility to do so as burm owners.

That being said-our main focus in life is our children (we have 4) and we have always put our childrens safety and well being first and foremost. We know the power and the strength of a burmese python and have taken every precaution imaginable to ensure the snakes could never get to the children and cause them harm.

As I stated before I agree with some of what you said but it does not apply to all breeders and owners. Just wanted to clarify that.