How did retics get so popular?

[YungRasputin]

So one difference with snakes is that they can & do become sick & need medical care, which is expensive. It's honestly irresponsible to keep animals for which you cannot provide medical care as needed, & while that may not be an issue with arachnids, snakes require different things, & it's a package deal. Sorry, but I've seen too many people that can't wait to buy the animal of their dreams yet fail to budget beyond the initial purchase of the animal. Food for large snakes isn't cheap either, nor are the large secure (!) enclosures they require, & adequate heat. Sure hope you have a plan for all that.

well:

1) prior to purchasing any of my snakes i talked to 2 of my friends who have big snakes (1 of which also keeps hots and (oddly enough) an alligator) who has directed and gave me the info for a really good veterinarian that treats big snakes

2) just the fact that there are vets who will treat snakes is a giant plus to me because one of the big drawbacks in arachnid keeping is shouldering the burden of medical care yourself and relying on the wisdom and techniques of older keepers

3) also prior to purchasing any of my snakes i made sure to find a source for other frozen/thawed prey items which, given feeding regiments posted by other keepers and the prices of the prey items themselves i have determined that with the snakes i own, etc that this is within my capabilities

4) i looked at adult enclosures before i did anything and took those costs into my consideration process - i am already saving up for the adult enclosures as we speak

another expense that i actually like is - at most if my scrub where to give me a real good bite, i might have to get stitches, which would be expensive but nowhere near as expensive as if i got tagged by any of my Androctonus, Hottentotta, etc scorpions - a couple of which could be fatal even with immediate medical attention (eg: Hottentotta tamulus) - so a lot of things here which other people might see as negative are actually a big deal/big plus for me personally - big relief