Ughhh help me convince my mom!!!

[Archimedes]

I got my first snake while I was living away from home. As such, by the time I had to move back, my parents were hard-pressed to tell me no, as Nessie and I had already bonded, and my ex had already stolen my cat, so they didn't want to take away the only animal I had left to me. While living at home, I quietly rescued a bearded dragon from a rough situation, and while my parents weren't thrilled, it was already done, and I was 21 at this point, so as long as I was the sole caretaker, they couldn't really tell me no. (I lived in an apartment in their basement, so the animals weren't constantly in their faces anyway.)

However, when it came to buying my second snake, they put their foot down, and told me that two reptiles was their limit. So the dragon was rehomed with my best friend, who'd been wanting a pet all her own anyway (and the dragon and I hadn't quite bonded as well as I would have hoped).

Basically, the point of this story is, while it is better in some cases to ask forgiveness than permission, living with other folks, whether they're your parents or roommates or whatever, requires sacrifice on all parts to maintain the respect and space due in a shared living situation. At such a young age, while a reptile is an awesome thing to have, you're still facing a lot of lifestyle changes-- going to college, getting a job, whatever it is you decide to do as you get older. And that stuff doesn't always leave room for a pet, especially one that can live 20 to 30 years in captivity.

Then there's the question of Quarantine, as adding a new animal to such a close living situation as a partition in a tank can cause all sorts of health problems, sometimes exacerbated by the stress of a relocation.

There's lots of things to think about, and while the idea of a new snake is exciting and super-tempting, it's best to make sure you save some cash for emergency vet visits, replacement supplies, and other things that might come up, at least while you're waiting for the conversation with your parents to come around again.