Well...seeing as how she's the adult in the home, she gets to make her own choices about what she buys or doesn't buy...and she doesn't have anyone to set rules about responsibility. We've seen lots of people...young and old...come through our "doors" here who buy snakes/animals for any number of reasons but fail to follow through with the responsible keeping that each animal requires.

If it's a kid, a parent can step in and say "no more"...but when it is an independent adult doing so...there's not much you or any of us can do about it. At least the animals your mom has bought will get proper care. The same isn't true for many, many animals in homes with irresponsible adults.

My advice to you: Stop trying to "teach" your mom anything. It isn't your place and doing so will likely only cause walls to go up and resistance to build. Instead, teach BY EXAMPLE. Simply take care of the snakes she has. You said yourself that you love taking care of them for the sake of taking care of them. Just because the king snake isn't tame doesn't mean it doesn't have its own beauty and grace that can be appreciated and loved.

So, instead of resenting her for choosing snakes that you might not have chosen had you been the one buying....just take care of them for the joy of it. Take GOOD care of them. Handle them when you can, if you choose to do so...or just accept the fact that they are meant to live as a display animal. I promise you, the snakes don't mind not being handled on a regular basis.

Don't do anything to encourage her to buy more snakes for herself. Don't point out a particularly pretty specimen that might "match her decor" or anything like that. If she seems inclined to buy something new, see if you can carefully and gently nudge her away from the idea.

You're in a rather enviable position compared to most 13 year olds we have on here who are asking for ways to convince their parents to let them have ONE snake. While it may not seem ideal or "fair" to you to be put in the position of having to be the responsible one for your mom's critters....rather than let it eat at you...just enjoy it. Enjoy the snakes that you love. And be a good example of quiet, responsible maturity.