Anyone Ever Jealous?

[Noh]

Agreed, I wish reptiles and reptile enthusiasts weren't so stigmatized. They really are nice animals.

Several weeks ago I watched a video by the Dark Den on youtube about tarantula stigma. His words were basically a response to the comment "Why get THAT when you could have a cute and loving dog or cat?"

And he said something to the effect of "They're different animals. If I wanted a cuddly animal then I WOULD get a dog, but I get enjoyment out of my hobby for different reasons."

It was really funny, because my neighbor said almost the SAME thing to me about my snake and T a few days later, and I pretty much just quoted the Dark Den back at him. My stepmom was there at the time and she just looked at him and said "Ha, wrecked." We had a good laugh.

But that's the thing about pets, like I said previously. Some people only consider dogs, and sometimes cats, pets. When they look at another animal, any other animal, they think "But if it doesn't act like a dog, why would you want it?" Its really a shame, especially because these animals get such a bad rep.

[Ghuleh]

My family has always loved animals... just not all of my favorites . I’ve loved pythons in particular from childhood, but as toddlers my brother and I would play with every snake we could get our hands on. My mom almost had a heart attack at the zoo because I was given the chance to pet a Burmese Python. The woman holding the snake heard me screaming and laughing while reaching for her, so she came right over! It was love at first sight for me, but while growing up I was never allowed to keep snakes. There was a bit of jealousy but I know now that if I had the resources to keep one properly my parents would have been happy to let me have at least one. They’re very much the responsible parents who won’t allow an animal to suffer, and without a job or a knowledgeable friend or family member to guide me in proper care they couldn’t in good conscience say yes. I am living with them now and while both are afraid of my snakes I am allowed to keep them... as long as they stay upstairs or in my arms!