hate on social media?

[MarkS]

How many people post pictures of their dog eating kibble or their cat chowing down on canned tuna? Yet for some reason a lot of snake keepers feel it's their right or even their duty to post feeding pics of their snakes. I just don't get it. You have to know that some people are going to leave a negative comment, why get all up in arms when they do? Next time post pics of your snake defecating, after all it's just as natural of a function as eating, then come back and tell us how all the haters are unfairly persecuting you for posting poop pictures.

[wolfy-hound]

I'm pretty sure that if you posted pictures of your cat eating a bunny, you'd get the negative comments too.

I don't post feeding pictures. I don't think it's WRONG to post pictures of your snake eating, because it is part of owning a snake. But snakes have plenty of negative attention already so why plaster pictures of it eating a fuzzy animal? What is the point? Will random people enjoy seeing it? No. Trust me, the only people who will enjoy seeing it(reptile people not included obviously) are not people you want to be around, as they're just getting off on watching an animal die.

Reptile people are different, because they can appreciate that a snake that is eating is healthy and content, and it can be a milestone if the snake hasn't been eating lately or hasn't eaten that prey item before(like moving from mice to rats). Random citizens don't understand and don't want to see a fuzzy creature dying(since most won't understand it's a F/T if it is, or what F/T even means).

To your random person, it's as horrible to post a picture of a snake killing a rat as it is to post a picture of a puppy hit by a car dying in the street. Both the rat and the puppy are living creatures. It's the same reaction to hunting pictures of a big deer someone shot(even though it's dead in the picture), that a lot of people only see a dead/dying animal, not a 'good shot' or a 'trophy buck'.

All this said, when I post pictures of my snakes on Facebook or Twitter or Google, if I get a really negative comment, I can delete that person. If I get "Ewww! I hate snakes!" then I usually respond with "Really? I love ALL animals! So it's okay, I own enough snakes to make up for you not liking them! Balance in the universe and all! Cheers!" If it's a comment like "I'd kill it!" then I'll respond in a much less pleasant manner and unfriend/block them. It's not acceptable to say you'd kill someone's cat just because you hate cats, and it's not acceptable to say you'll kill any other pet.

Mostly I get positive or neutral comments. People usually like them or say they don't like them, or I get the gushing comments wanting more. But then, I don't accept every Tom/RICHARD/Harry who requests to be friends either.

[nimblykimbly]

I'm pretty sure that if you posted pictures of your cat eating a bunny, you'd get the negative comments too.

I don't post feeding pictures. I don't think it's WRONG to post pictures of your snake eating, because it is part of owning a snake. But snakes have plenty of negative attention already so why plaster pictures of it eating a fuzzy animal? What is the point? Will random people enjoy seeing it? No. Trust me, the only people who will enjoy seeing it(reptile people not included obviously) are not people you want to be around, as they're just getting off on watching an animal die.

Reptile people are different, because they can appreciate that a snake that is eating is healthy and content, and it can be a milestone if the snake hasn't been eating lately or hasn't eaten that prey item before(like moving from mice to rats). Random citizens don't understand and don't want to see a fuzzy creature dying(since most won't understand it's a F/T if it is, or what F/T even means).

To your random person, it's as horrible to post a picture of a snake killing a rat as it is to post a picture of a puppy hit by a car dying in the street. Both the rat and the puppy are living creatures. It's the same reaction to hunting pictures of a big deer someone shot(even though it's dead in the picture), that a lot of people only see a dead/dying animal, not a 'good shot' or a 'trophy buck'.

All this said, when I post pictures of my snakes on Facebook or Twitter or Google, if I get a really negative comment, I can delete that person. If I get "Ewww! I hate snakes!" then I usually respond with "Really? I love ALL animals! So it's okay, I own enough snakes to make up for you not liking them! Balance in the universe and all! Cheers!" If it's a comment like "I'd kill it!" then I'll respond in a much less pleasant manner and unfriend/block them. It's not acceptable to say you'd kill someone's cat just because you hate cats, and it's not acceptable to say you'll kill any other pet.

Mostly I get positive or neutral comments. People usually like them or say they don't like them, or I get the gushing comments wanting more. But then, I don't accept every Tom/RICHARD/Harry who requests to be friends either.

yes! x 2!

[barbie.dragon]

I'm pretty sure that if you posted pictures of your cat eating a bunny, you'd get the negative comments too.

I don't post feeding pictures. I don't think it's WRONG to post pictures of your snake eating, because it is part of owning a snake. But snakes have plenty of negative attention already so why plaster pictures of it eating a fuzzy animal? What is the point? Will random people enjoy seeing it? No. Trust me, the only people who will enjoy seeing it(reptile people not included obviously) are not people you want to be around, as they're just getting off on watching an animal die.

Reptile people are different, because they can appreciate that a snake that is eating is healthy and content, and it can be a milestone if the snake hasn't been eating lately or hasn't eaten that prey item before(like moving from mice to rats). Random citizens don't understand and don't want to see a fuzzy creature dying(since most won't understand it's a F/T if it is, or what F/T even means).

To your random person, it's as horrible to post a picture of a snake killing a rat as it is to post a picture of a puppy hit by a car dying in the street. Both the rat and the puppy are living creatures. It's the same reaction to hunting pictures of a big deer someone shot(even though it's dead in the picture), that a lot of people only see a dead/dying animal, not a 'good shot' or a 'trophy buck'.

All this said, when I post pictures of my snakes on Facebook or Twitter or Google, if I get a really negative comment, I can delete that person. If I get "Ewww! I hate snakes!" then I usually respond with "Really? I love ALL animals! So it's okay, I own enough snakes to make up for you not liking them! Balance in the universe and all! Cheers!" If it's a comment like "I'd kill it!" then I'll respond in a much less pleasant manner and unfriend/block them. It's not acceptable to say you'd kill someone's cat just because you hate cats, and it's not acceptable to say you'll kill any other pet.

Mostly I get positive or neutral comments. People usually like them or say they don't like them, or I get the gushing comments wanting more. But then, I don't accept every Tom/RICHARD/Harry who requests to be friends either.

x3 I never post feeding pictures. It just seems weird to do so.

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[sorraia]

I simply don't post feeding pictures. (Save one occasion... and that picture was posted NOT specifically for the feeding, but for the sole fact my rosy boa was hanging upside down and a couple of my friends could appreciate that...) I also don't post pictures of my dogs or cats eating (they are on a raw diet, so would not be too far off from what a snake would look like... minus the constriction part). I also put all my snake photos in an album just for snake photos and have blocked certain people who don't like snakes from seeing it. That way those people don't have to worry about seeing the photos. (AND I don't have to deal with my mom posting "EWWWW I don't like snakes" every time I upload new photos... Because apparently me telling her "THen don't look at the pictures" doesn't sink in...)

[LLLReptile]

I never post feeding pics or videos on my personal facebook - at times I'll post pics of my skinks or other animals eating something cool (my male blue tongue will steal my dog's toys and try to eat them, for example), but I feel that feeding pics can often reflect poorly on us as keepers. Wait, wait, hear me out here - imagine the people on your friend's list, this is their ONLY exposure to a reptile lover. That exposure? The delight you take as a keeper in the fact that your animal kills and consumes another animal, regardless of the rodent being alive or F/T. What do we think of people who like ripping the wings off flies? To the outsider, that's what it can seem like, and is one reason for the negativity surrounding our hobby.

I have a list of people that can see really reptile-specific posts, and they get to see posts that talk about my delight in switching such and such snake to F/T or the silly way my skinks chase down fuzzy/hopper mice to eat them. But in general, I view my posts about reptiles on facebook as just one more form of outreach, as so many of my friends only really think about reptiles as pets because of their friendship with me. Since those public posts are a form of outreach, I treat them as such: 99.9% of my posts are happy, positive, and safe.

It can be a fine line to walk but I feel caution in your public image with your reptiles is warranted. I wouldn't take any of my snakes out to my front yard and feed them there; I'm not going to post feeding pictures on facebook either.

Just my two cents.

-Jen

[SlitherinSisters]

I don't post pictures of my snakes eating on facebook. I have a lot of friends/family that would rather not see that, and I respect them for that. It's a little more gruesome than eating pre-butchered/processed chicken. I have pictures of me butchering chickens, but I don't post those either. People have removed themselves from the reality of where their meat comes from, I doubt we'll ever change that.

[EarthlyMaiden]

That's really unpleasant. I like to do the same thing, but I've never experienced that. My friends who do like(or have had) snakes generally take interest, and the ones who don't just ignore it. I understand that some people are unnerved by snakes. I totally respect that. I've got a paralyzing fear of heights, so I get it. I respect my friend's differences, they respect mine. If they don't, we have a problem...

My parents actually met Steve before I did, since Steve was technically a Christmas gift. He'd won over the entire family(mom, dad, and little brother) before I even met him.

The worst I ever get is a little bit of teasing from my parents, probably because I treat Steve like a baby. ("I did the same thing when YOUR shed was incomplete."-Mom)