Ugh... Moms

[Kittycatpenut]

I think the upper limit is 90 F, and the weather channel says it might not cool down until September.

[Kittycatpenut]

I found a breeder nearby that will have some hatchlings in a few months.

[Skittles1101]

The lady who cares for the reptiles there has her own. I can't remember what kinds of reptiles she has but I think she has at least five of them including a ball python. As for breeders, I live in the middle of nowhere so there probably aren't any, but I'll look. I don't really want to order a snake online because of the heat wave; it's been over 100 for two weeks.

I find it hard to believe there aren't any breeders in TEXAS lol. I know it's a monstrous state, but I also had no idea how many breeders were in my area until I looked, and this place is one of the best places to look. I found a friend and breeder (and our day jobs are the same coincidentally) only about 30 minutes from me. I met him through here. Hobby breeders are everywhere, just look. The last place I'd advise someone to get a reptile is Petco or Petsmart. Even if the employees do their best to take care of them, there's certain things they are not allowed to change due to corporate policy, and supporting one store is like supporting all the others, even the ones where the employees could care less and the ball pythons look/are sick. I've seen some stores that do a decent job with that they have, but buying from one is buying from them all unfortunately.

[Kittycatpenut]

You would think it would be easy to find a breeder, but I live in a very small town which doesn't even have a grocery store, and with gas prices so high we can't really go more than a hour away. I've looked, and all I found were people trying to get rid of pets they couldn't care for. I did find one breeder Blue Apple Herps which will have hatchlings in a few months, I'll probably be going there.

[Kittycatpenut]

Which snake has the shortsest lifespan? King snake, corn snake, or Ball python. My moms newest reason no to get one is " they live too long". Don't leopard geckos live 5-10+ years?

[SpartaDog]

I don't know about kings or corns, but ball pythons can live 20 - 40 years if you care for them well. BUT, that shouldn't matter, since I doubt you'll be living with your mom for 20 - 40 years. Bring that up with her. As far as she's concerned, the snake will be in her house for maybe 5 years, less if you can bring it to college with you.

[Skittles1101]

Agreed, most snakes have a fairly long life span....she won't have to care for it once you move out so why worry?

[Kittycatpenut]

I agree that it makes no sence, along with all of her other reasons for not letting me get one. I wish she would give me a good, logical reason. Unfortunately, she won't even let me talk about getting a snake without cutting me off or changing the subject.

[akaangela]

Ok, I am going to play the devils advocate.

Why are you in such a hurry to get a snake? Are you one of these people that have to have instant gratification? What will you do when you are in collage? You said you will graduate at 15, so you must be smart. What is wrong with waiting a few years? You are living under your parents roof so you must follow their rules. Sorry but that is the fact of life. You will ALWAYS have to follow someone else's rules. If you get an appt are you going to go into a no pet place and 'sneak' in your pet? What if it gets out? Will you have a job to feed this snake? What if the snake gets sick and needs a vet? Who will have to pay for it? What about when you get a boyfriend and a job? Are you willing to take the time to care for your animal even though you want to spend time with him? What about studding?

Life is full of "I want that now" things. You see a LOT of people giving away animals, especially snakes and chinchilla's because they DO require care. Oh, it is fine at first but then the grind of the reality kicks in. You are sick and you just cleaned cages and your snake takes a dump in the water. You don't feel like cleaning it AGAIN. Are you going to let it sit or grit your teeth and clean it?

I am sorry to be such a stick in the mud but I have seen what happens when a young person gets a "long term" pet. Pets are a handicap when looking for a place to live as well make no bones about it (unless you plan on living with mom and dad for the next 10 years or so). Especially snakes. A LOT of people are afraid of them. When they ask about pets are you not going to say anything or speak up? Let me tell you when the word "snake" leaves your lips, the landlord will find SOME reason not to rent to you. What then?

Also you already have pets, why not just be happy with what you have?

LOL Ok I am going to get off my soap box but just some thoughts from a mom that has been where your mom IS.

[Kittycatpenut]

I'll be getting a job as soon as I turn 16, and currently I babysit so I have quite a bit saved up. I'm the kind of person who puts pets first. Recently, my cat started getting really thin, and being an indoor/outdoor cat me and my dad thougt she had worms. So I told my mom and she said we had no money on carecredit(without checking) and said that she had to wait until next march. Well, I got my dad to call carecredit and they said we had over 300$ on it! Now Spooky has a vet appointment on Monday. Also, the daily grind doesn't bother me so much, because every day I feed the dogs and cats, do the cat box, the dishes, and care for and handle the geckos(including picking up their poop, even at 11 o'clock at night) I would like a snake because I want another pet to care for. At least to me, handling them is only one of the joys of pet ownership.