My upstairs neighbor is TERRIFIED of snakes. She knows its irrational, but she just can't even look at them. I told her I do have snakes, and if she ever wants to learn about them or overcome her fears, she knows where to go! I respect her fears and I never bring out my snakes in front of her or even talk about them unless she brings them up.
Some people will just never get over the fear. I do my best to respect their fears and leave the snakes out of conversation. This is how I deal with most of my family. Occasionally people will ask questions about them, and I do something similar to what Evenstar does, give an informative answer that might generate further conversation. I once talked to my grandmothers friends for a good 20 minutes about ball pythons. They were impressed I knew so much!
This summer I had a snake out in front of my house to take some pictures and some kids biked by and were super interested in the snakes. I talked about them for a little while, then they became curious enough to touch the snake, and one girl even held one of them. I'm sure that these kids have never had this kind of contact with a snake before. I'm glad I could give them a positive experience that may spark their own love for reptiles.
Adults are a whole different story. My mother still hates my snakes. That's cool. I never bring them up unless she does. Maybe one day she will come around
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