wow!!?? (graphic?)

[Spiritserpents]

Why is that? What is their reason? Just wondering. I didn't know that BPs are poorly regarded like this.

I think part of this is that your 'average' person who goes into a pet store and buys a ball python has no idea about proper husbandry. This results in URIs and refusals to eat. As a vet tech who used to work at a practice that dealt with exotics I used to say that if you looked at a ball python funny it would stop eating for 6 months just to spite you. And that was also the sort of thing I heard when I first considered getting into snakes and was pondering between ball pythons, corn snakes, and king snakes.

I ended up with corn snakes instead because they're thinner... and they will usually eat F/T and any time you offer.

[TexanLady]

First, I'm going to pretend those photos are photoshopped. It will help me sleep better at night to believe that.

Second, I had no idea that there was such prejudice in the herp hobby! I kind of thought we all banded together against people that think snakes are evil or disgusting. The majority of my reptile collection is balls, but I also have two king snakes, two milk snakes, one leopard gecko, two red tails, and two burmese pythons. I in no way think one is better than the other. Every one has different characteristics and personalities, and each one has things I appreciate about it. To me a pet is a pet, and there is no such thing as better. It is personal preference. Although, I am completely opposed to selling large reptiles to individuals without the financial stability to have them. Sorry, but I personally think that boas, anacondas, burms, retics, shouldn't be as readily available as balls, kings, milks, etc. The simple fact is too many people get one and a year later have a nine foot snake they can't house, feed, or handle because it wasn't hand tamed properly. That is how I ended up with both my boas and burms. I adopted them from people that thought it would be "cool" to have a giant snake, and then the reality of owning it was too much for them.

One of my redtails, Cookie, had a huge infected burn on her from her previous owner. He had put a heat lamp in her cage with no cover and she burned herself on it. However, she was full grown, and he hadn't actually handled her in years (and yes, her cage was disgusting) because he was afraid of her. She bit him once when she was a juvenile, and it all got "real" to him. Because of that she was pretty much wild, and not only was the vet bill astronomical on her when I took her in, but treating her wound was not fun. She is a big ol' baby now, but I'll never forget how angry I was when I saw the condition she was in. And her owner? He said he was too scared to get close enough to take her out of the cage and clean it. She was literally sitting on top of years worth of feces in that big wooden box he'd built her. He just keep throwing more food in there and never cleaning anything out.

That's why I am so opposed to selling giant constrictors in the same manner balls and other snakes are sold. In my opinion red tails, burms, retics, anacondas, etc are not a beginner pet. They are also not a pet for some kid just out of high school and going into college that has no guarantee three years down the line he'll have the space or money to house it. This is why burms and retics are overrunning the American everglades, and the reason so many are abandoned or advertised as "Free to good home" on Craigslist.

Ok, rant over.

On another note, I have an Arabian and several Quarter horses. I also have a Shire, Andalusian, and Friesian. Yes, I went through a princess faze. I try not to dwell. Moving on, at the end of the day I think it comes down to what you are wanting to do with that horse. When I'm going to be in the saddle all day on a long trail ride nothing beats one of my Quarters. They are literally built to go all day long. That's why cowboys preferred them. When I was homecoming queen and rode in the high school parade? I was on my Friesian all decked out. Our two shires pull the wagon when we do hay rides. Different horses are bred for different things, so it's not really fair to judge them by the same standards.

[Badgemash]

*cough* Appendix QH *cough cough*

Appendix means 1/2 TB, which rocks as far as I'm concerned!

And the owner of an OTTB needs to go clean coffee off of her monitor now...

IM(not terribly H)O TB's are the greatest all-around equine athetes there are hands down, and I have known quite a few OTTBs who can give the 100k German imports a solid challenge at the GP level. In fact I'm hoping to pick up a new OTTB jumper prospect later this year (except I keep blowing my horse money on snakes, which is not a bad thing lol).

On another note, I have an Arabian and several Quarter horses. I also have a Shire, Andalusian, and Friesian. Yes, I went through a princess faze. I try not to dwell. Moving on, at the end of the day I think it comes down to what you are wanting to do with that horse. When I'm going to be in the saddle all day on a long trail ride nothing beats one of my Quarters. They are literally built to go all day long. That's why cowboys preferred them. When I was homecoming queen and rode in the high school parade? I was on my Friesian all decked out. Our two shires pull the wagon when we do hay rides. Different horses are bred for different things, so it's not really fair to judge them by the same standards.

You are absolutely right, although I want to see pics of you in that parade (because that's awesome). And I think it applies to the snakes as well, I love jumping, so I go for breeds that are built to be good jumpers. And I like snakes with easy temperments and small size housing requirements, so I have balls not retics. But my heart warms up to see a big draft head come over the stall door for a scratch and a treat just as much as any other head, and I appreciate the beauty and rabbit-disposal capabilities of a retic even if it doesn't suit my preferences. Respect for the animal comes first, no matter what that animal's morphological characteristics might be.

[TexanLady]

"Respect for the animal comes first, no matter what that animal's morphological characteristics might be."

Single greatest line so far! And so true. It all boils down to the fact that every pet is a living, breathing being capable of feeling pain. As pet owners we are responsible for these creatures. No matter if our pets are covered in fur, scales, or spines (got a hedgehog the other day!), they are solely dependent upon us. It is a responsibility, and I think a lot of people don't take it seriously.

I never thought I would take on large snakes, but when I went over to that guys house to check out some of his kings I couldn't leave Cookie there. One of the most frightening experiences of my life was treating her burn. She was completely wild, and vicious! Of course that was totally the fault of her previous owner, but it was a learning experience for both of us. I got over my fear of big snakes with her, she bit me a few times and found out I wasn't going to hurt her, and after about eight months she finally let me take her out of her cage (which is 6x3x3! and much better than that tiny box that jerk had her in!) and hold her. I still have a great deal of respect for her moods, and I don't let too many people besides other experienced reptile owners hold her, but she's been a beloved pet for almost five years now, and I don't know what I'd do without her. And as much as I love my great state I really wish they had better animal cruelty laws. I called the police as soon as I left that guy's house and filed an animal abuse complaint and nothing ever came of it. The condition his reptiles were kept in was appalling. Not to mention how he kept his rats! Sometimes I wish we were all required to pass a psychological evaluation before we could get a pet. Too many psychos out there abuse their animals.

And Devon, I'm not very good at computer shorthand. Don't let my age fool you! But I'm taking it from what you wrote that you're a big fan of Thoroughbreds? I admire the breed, but they get too hot too quickly and too often for me. I like them mellow. We only got our Arab because of my Black Stallion faze. I think they are beautiful, and they look beautiful jumping, but not the best for barrel racing, roping, or long days in the saddle. We have a few that we adopted from the track, but they are rescues so they wouldn't be put down. And don't get me started on the racing industry! It is shameful the way they treat horses!

And as for that photo of me in the parade? Not on your life! All I can say is Pink Taffeta. Lots of Pink Taffeta! Yeah, it was that bad!

[TexanLady]

Oh, and Draft horses are some of my favorite breeds! Think of Great Dane's in horse form. Yeah, they act like overgrown lap dogs! Not to mention clingy! We have a miniature Donkey, and while all our horses love him, our Shires follow him around religiously. Not kidding. I'll try and remember to take a picture because it is too funny! Seeing these great hulking horses follow this itty bitty donkey cracks me up every time!

It's nice that my parents own so much land. Growing up my sister and I filled up our back pasture with pretty much any horse that caught our eye, and now my parents are being kind enough to let me build a ventilated shed so I can start raising my own rats to cut down on my feed bill. Of course that is probably a year away. My collection is small enough at the moment that I don't feel the need to set up a rodent breeding facility just yet. But I'm thinking in the next few years I won't have a choice. Not to mention I don't have to pay boarding fees on any of my horses. Which is a huge load off. I was surprised to hear how much commercial barns charge their boarders. It's ridiculous!