Advice on convincing parent to allow a snake

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1/ You already approached her she said no, respect her wish.
2/ You turn 18 get a job, move out, get a place, get a snake.

Not everyone wants snakes in their house my parents never did and I survived, they probably actually did me a favor by saying no because when I left my house at 18 I started to travel and live in different countries (not something you do if you have animals especially snakes).

Years later when I finally settled down I bought one snake than 2 and now there are 2 snake rooms in my house and I breed several species of snakes.

Bottom line passion does not die, if you want a snake now, you will in 2,10 or even 20 years.

Snake require long commitment, enjoy the life of a 16 years old, then go to college, travel etc ......everything will fall into place when you finally settle down.

[noseblleed]

hello from a fellow 16 y/o!

i can relate to your situation, however it seems your mother may be set on saying no. if she truly does not want you to have a snake, then there's not much that can be done except for waiting until your ready to move out. i got my first baby, eclair, at 14, it was difficult to convince my mother into getting her, especially verbally, although what i did to really turn her around was that i went to physically SEE eclair, aswell as hold her, just to really drive the point i was trying to make home.

while im not saying it was a good idea, it was just something i had done to get her!

[Linkin]

If you do want to go ahead and try to convince your mum, remember that there will also be electricity costs. my boyfriend was 19 and myself 18 when we got our girl, and one way we convinced his mum to let us have a snake was by paying extra electricity bills. The rules are we have to keep the snake in our room at all times, and we also own our own mini freezer. We pay for all of her food, care, vet bills etc. Vet bills are a big point as well; I don't know your financial situation, but will you be able to shell out possibly hundreds of dollars if your snake needs sudden care? Or will that fall on your mother?

Personally, I think that the best way for you to go about this is to borrow book/do research to help convince your mother that not all snakes are bad. For my boyfriend's mother, this took us about a year. The first time we asked she straight up said no, and so we did our research and presented it to her. Over time she gave in.

Best of luck to you!

The vet bills are something I'd pay for. :^) I already pay for all the bills for the latest cat, and I chip in with the others as well. There would be no expense to her whatsoever.

[Timelugia]

I would second the taking her to see a ball python, if she's willing. Ask her if she'd be willing to meet a ball python, since I find meeting the creature does the most for helping people not be afraid. Then I would show her a young ball python, since people find the size less intimidating and are more likely to give the animal a chance to display its natural charms. Otherwise I'd second waiting till you're 18. If you end up going to college and living in any sort of apartment, rental or dorm keeping a snake may be difficult to impossible. In which case you'll have to leave it home with your mom. And if she's terrified of your snake then no one will be happy with that arrangement.
I wish you luck though

[bcr229]

When I was eight years old I wanted a horse. I finally bought one when I was 22 - after I had graduated college, found a job, and was renting my own place.

If your mom says no then wait a few years until you're living on your own. In the meantime try finding some herpers near you and offer to clean snake tubs in exchange for learning about their husbandry.

[Vithaxton]

Lmao! I was exactly like you! My mom wouldn't have it! So I bought a tub from Walmart and an under the tub heater with a hide and stuck the tub under my bed! My ball python loved it! He lived under my bed for a year and thrived there! Of course my mom had no knowledge of this! At one point I had a pastel, clown and butter het clown in their own tubs under my bed! I now have snake racks and a small business and I told my mom everything eventually! Lol But I always love telling people my business started from under my bed! So I always recommend the bed method to kids like you lol Just know she'll probably find out one day!


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[distaff]

For now, you could change the angle of your interest. Maybe field herping? Hike around with an id book for your location, and learn what's out there. Are there any zoos near you? Herp societies?

Even when I was young, I didn't want to rent. I moved out early, and bought an old house boat. (Was owner of a small franchise, and co-owner of another small business, so I had some cash.) You might also look at purchasing a trailer in a couple of years. Depends on what you want to do with your life (I would recommend starting a business, or learning a trade rather than college, but obviously, I don't know your circumstances.)

Use the time to look around at options.

[Arcticae]

I'm another one who had a long wait. My Mum was not a reptile fan and always very adamant about not having dead rats in the house (she likes my baby BP more than she thought she would, but still doesn't want to so much as hear about snake feeding time).

I first got really into reptiles when I was about 6. In the 20 years since I've been to university, got a steady job and been living in an animal-friendly house for a year that I should be able to stay in for the foreseeable future. Only just got Smaug.

Quietly carry on with your research for when the time comes, save up a bit of cash (initial setup cost can be high and you need a decent amount in the bank for emergencies) and take the opportunity while you live at home to enjoy spending time with your cats- they won't be with you nearly as long. You can get a snake in your 20s and expect to still have it in your 50s and maybe beyond if you are lucky and look after it right. Compared to that, a few years isn't much.

The knowledge that you have as secure and stable an environment as possible for your animals- that you have the time, space and income to provide for their needs, that they will be looked after if they are suddenly and expensively ill, that they will not need to be uprooted and moved around a lot due to moving house- is worth it and part of being a responsible pet owner.

For my part I think I got my rabbits a bit too young- they started off in my bedroom at my parents' house and had to be confined in a (large, but still) cage for most of the day while I was at work lest they chew up the furniture (which wasn't mine) or cables. I only recently feel that they have the amount of permanent roaming space I want for them (and moving house with them was a nightmare). If your family's firmly not on board, I'd strongly suggest to wait.

[Bmocken]

Now I'm not saying this was the right approach but I too found myself in your shoes as a teen and ended up slipping a 50 gallon aquarium and ball python into my room knowing my Mom never went in there. Lasted 6-7 months and I finally introduced them. Lol no she didn't make me get rid of it. Pretty risky looking back at it now but it worked in my case

[debrisofamemory]

I know what you're going through all too well. What I did to help my parents warm up to the idea, was I took them to the local petland to see a variety of snakes. We visited a few times before my mom was ready to hold one. The best thing that I can recommend is exposing your mom to snakes. Even if you take her to the zoo, at least it's a start. It also might help if you were to compare a ball python to other snakes. My father was super happy I didn't get a corn snake after holding one. Maybe pester her about it for a few months