How did retics get so popular?

[YungRasputin]

Many actually disagree with that- I do agree that snakes can be reliably tamed, but at the same time I will also say that even with experience & careful observation (etc) that while many of our snakes may be "tame", that still doesn't preclude some unpredictable behavior- and while that may be rare, if you're talking about a dangerous snake (very large or hot), that's something you should always keep in mind. There's no guarantee. There is some percentage of snakes that will refuse to tame down, or do so with great reluctance, & it depends on the species, obviously, how common that is, but at least with them, you know what to expect.

every animal on earth is unpredictable and from my perspective, as someone who’s exclusive kept arachnids and now big snake species - it’s amazing the animals people keep which are unpredictable, have body counts, and are objectively dangerous, if not invasive eg: dogs, cats, farm animals, etc but no one thinks anything of it at all - my opa’s friend owns a dairy farm and once had his prized, favorite cow kick him in the head and collapse his skull - point being, it seems odd to me that we view one set of animals one way and another set a different way

what i find difficult in sifting through anecdotes is the lack of precise information which is needed to properly analyze what took place and why i.e. how many negative stories involve WC specimens, acquired at adult hood, involve a timid/inexperienced keeper, etc - crucial variables which could complete change the conclusions which could be drawn from X anecdote

a wild dog could be dangerous and vicious comparative to a captive born dog, bred from a long line of pet dogs, and so on - i mean no one would say you shouldn’t own a chow-chow, pit bull, Rottweiler, etc just that they need to be trained, socialized, and handled correctly and yet these are dogs which have chewed children’s faces off