Moral Support

[artgecko]

I think you've got 3 issues going on here that might be contributing to how she responded:

1. General fear of or aversion to snakes.
2. "Breeders are bad" mentality that has been spread by HSUS and other AR groups. (i.e. if you breed any animal, you are evil).
3. Lack of knowledge of how ball pythons in particular behave and live.

Don't feel too bad about it. My entire family, save my husband, think that I am nuts for even keeping snakes and I don't exactly advertise how many I have or what I keep them in. I do make sure people know they are kept in secure enclosures, but most people don't want more info than that.

If you have this conversation again, I would emphasize to your friend that captive breeding, when done well, is a good thing with reptiles, as it lessens the need for taking wild-caught animals from nature and all the stressful / cruel practices related to it. Also, emphasize that you take excellent care of your animals (i.e. temps, food, cleaning, vet care).

Other than that, there's really not much you can do to change her mind.
People that breed pure-bred cats / dogs get this all the time from AR group supporters and people that think breeding for any reason is evil and we should all only be adopting.