Quote Originally Posted by Snagrio View Post
I admit it always makes me wince a bit inside when people refer to their reptiles as "my collection." It sounds so impersonal, like "yeah here are my living trophies" or something. I know in (hopefully) most cases the owners don't really think of their animals that way and truly love them dearly, but it's just been something I've noticed that doesn't sit well with me on a personal level is all.

To me my pets aren't a "collection," they are family.
Exactly. Even snakes are family to me. When I'm doing private owner rehabs I never give a snake to someone who already has 10+ or refers to them that way. I also don't believe in breeders who haven't seriously researched what they're doing. Too often you get people who don't know what they're about or don't care enough about the snakes to do it right. They'll breed morphs who have known defects and high mortality rates just because they know that surviving snakes can be sold at higher prices because they're considered rare.

Snakes aren't a collection. You shouldn't just get one because you like the looks of it. That's why I'm against buying snakes online and putting them through the stress of shipping. Like any other pet the ownership of a snake should be based on a connection with the animal.