Why do /you/ keep reptiles?

[sorraia]

I keep snakes, most simply put, because I enjoy them. They are beautiful and fascinating animals to watch. I'm a wildlife biologist who works in the field (as opposed to in a lab or zoo?). I am fascinated by many animals, simply for what they are, whether they are a snake, lizard, bird, mouse, whatever. I carry this into the animals I keep. For the most part I keep an animal because I enjoy and appreciate something about: Something about the way it looks, its colors, the way it acts and moves, its biology, etc. (Some of my animals do serve purposes... i.e. I got chickens for the purpose of producing eggs, goats for the purpose of producing milk. Not the case with snakes.) I especially enjoy snakes in the respect that they are easy compared to cats and dogs. With the use of technology (i.e. thermostats) and housing (i.e. enclosed tubs) keeping their environment correct is pretty easy, once it has initially been set up. They eat about once a week, not every day or multiple times a day like mammals. They don't even poop on a daily basis. They don't require constant attention to stay tame, don't require training, don't need to be walked or played with, don't need an outlet for their energy, don't chew, don't pee and poop all over the place, don't jump on or lick people, don't shed fur all over the place at all times of the year, don't bite (and the rare times they do it is 90+% handler error), and if they do bite they generally don't cause serious damage (at least the reptiles I keep don't). This contrasts with dogs, cats, and other more "traditional" pets who do require a lot more in terms of daily care, attention, training, exercise, cleaning, grooming, etc. As you can see from my signature, I have a variety of animals, and in the past I've had other animals besides these. So I've been around the block a few times when it comes to different animal husbandry.

Snakes are just different. I enjoy them for what they are. I am an educated woman who looks pretty "normal". Not a weirdo, not a crazy person. Just your average run of the mill person who likes animals and is lucky enough to work with them in a science field for a living.