Snakes are misunderstood!

[TheVoid]

Please help.

I want to get a ball python (I love snakes with all my heart, and I promise to learn everything about pythons and snakes before I get one), but my look at snakes in a bad light. The only thing they know about snakes is that they can be poisonous, and that they squeeze things to kill them. ): Any ways on helping them convince them I won't become a crazy snake lady (not yet, at least) and that pythons aren't like vipers?

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by TheVoid

Please help.

I want to get a ball python (I love snakes with all my heart, and I promise to learn everything about pythons and snakes before I get one), but my look at snakes in a bad light. The only thing they know about snakes is that they can be poisonous, and that they squeeze things to kill them. ): Any ways on helping them convince them I won't become a crazy snake lady (not yet, at least) and that pythons aren't like vipers?

Probably not. I've yet to convince someone that doesn't like snakes that they're actually pretty neat.

My wife hates them. I buy more regardless

[Scubadiver59]

"...but my (parents) look at snakes in a bad light." I'm guessing you meant your parents? Or was it your friends? Housemates?

No, they're not poisonous, but yes, they constrict things; however, since the "vermin" are already deceased, and someone else did the evil deed, you shouldn't be held accountable.

Balls are great pets, very docile, almost too docile, and all you need is a 40gal aquarium when they grow up...smaller ones will do just fine prior to that.

Some people though just can't come to terms with snakes: they think they're slimey, evil, dangerous, etc. They don't understand that snakes keep the mouse/rat population down so they don't enter our houses, schools, etc. They are a necessary part of the eco-system just like every other predator (cats, wolves, bears, etc.).

You will need patience to educate them, find articles, videos, etc. that show how gentle they are, how quiet they are, and how easy they are to care for (change water once a week, feed once every 10-14 days, clean up as needed, change substrate once every three months and wipe the terrarium out with a slightly strong bleach solution).

Now, there is the problem with keeping frozen rats/mice in the freeze and fridge (to thaw them out--or you can do it in a ziplock bag in cold water), so you'll have to work that out, but it can be done. Just label them as "snake popcicles"!

[akane]

My husband was won over by the fact they quietly stay in cages with no smell or next to it since some can poop big but do it less often so there's a short period of smell. It's far easier to keep clean than most mammal cages though. He disliked the snakes but they were better than me keeping the guinea pigs and then he found the small slow ones like rosy boa and starting with baby corn snakes were actually appealing. He finds my larger bull snake sliding around to actually be disturbing. Even just the sound of it moving.

[Thekey]

My Wife cant stand snakes .. Cant even bear to watch them on TV and we end up buying a place and first thing i find in the back yard is a Snake !! Guess that means i have the backyard to myself!

[akane]

You expect to never find a snake in your backyard? That's a bit unrealistic. That's like never going outside and seeing a spider. It's gonna happen. Might as well stay indoors all the time lol

[sattva]

I got luck... My wife likes them almost as much as I do... But she steals my holding time and I do all the work...

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by akane

You expect to never find a snake in your backyard? That's a bit unrealistic. That's like never going outside and seeing a spider. It's gonna happen. Might as well stay indoors all the time lol

I wish I lived somewhere where snakes in the yard were even a remote possibility

Sadly we have very few native reptiles in the UK although and was over the moon to see lizards for the first time ever last year.

[TheVoid]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I wish I lived somewhere where snakes in the yard were even a remote possibility

Sadly we have very few native reptiles in the UK although and was over the moon to see lizards for the first time ever last year.

Snakes are EVERYWHERE in Florida! Once a milk snake made his way into my room and we ended up killing him, thinking he was a coral snake... poor guy...

[akane]

I figured with the adaptability I see anywhere with snake species you'd run into them. We have huge temp extremes with sometimes -30f nearly same in c, for a few weeks and long winters. This year we're still bouncing to 40,4c, at night periodically. It seems it might stay in the 50s,10c. We still have tons of snakes. Lizards are rare and I'd challenge you to find anyone in the state who's seen one but snakes handle the climate fine. If you go outdoors much in fall you'll see little things like garters and closely related dekay brown snakes headed to brumate even on city concrete. I think someone posted one from in the middle of New York city so you don't need the open land for at least a few small things either. You probably won't see a huge bull or rat snake in a big city, a nearly 8 foot did crawl across our lawn in the country, but you will see small stuff eventually everywhere.

[dave himself]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I wish I lived somewhere where snakes in the yard were even a remote possibility

Sadly we have very few native reptiles in the UK although and was over the moon to see lizards for the first time ever last year.

You want to try Ireland mate, you've more chance of spotting a unicorn than a wild snake

[jjhill001]

The simple answer for convincing your parents that snakes aren't awful is to get something similar to a snake that isn't a snake.

Get a leopard gecko is the simple answer. They can be tamed (which is always a boon for improving someones opinion of something), outside of feeding differences have similar care requirements and are related to snakes. After owning one of those and showing you can take care of it, how awesome of a pet it is (don't have to take it out to poop, doesn't smell) then you can reintroduce the snake idea to the parents at a later time. Trips to the zoo, reptile stores, etc normalize snakes in their minds. Once you see something over and over it kind of becomes not that big of a deal.

The way I did it was when I first started in reptiles I had a leopard frog I raised from a tadpole I caught (this was back when a wild caught animal you caught yourself had a better chance than some wild caught animals at the store lol). I gave him a persons name, Leo. Gradually I convinced her to let me get a pair of green tree frogs that kept in a huge critter keeper together. No biggy, the supplies were 30 bucks the frogs like 4 dollars. Then I convinced her to get me a firebellied newt. I caught a spring peeper had him for years. Then I found a reptile show in the classifieds, this was right when the internet had come out and kingsnake.com was just awesome and Leopard Geckos were the big rage as the best beginner pet ever. Quite rankly I had to have one. Convince dad to take me (he still blames himself for taking me fishing and helping me catch frogs when I got bored which led to this reptile obsession lol)

We get the leopard gecko. But man I saw all of those snakes (people were just starting to CB everything at this point). I knew that was next but it was gonna be a tough sell to mom. Turned out that it wasn't that hard at all. I already had every manner of creepy crawly all over my room and quite frankly at that point she was just flat out used to it and my enthusiasm for them was infectious. It took a year or two and I just had my heart set on a grey banded kingsnake. I knew I wanted that and nothing else.

We go to the reptile show again because the one at the store is 90 dollars. You don't really understand at 10-13 years old that you're poor (it shoulda been obvious considering almost all my tanks came from garage sales) so we leave with a sub-adult sonoran gopher for 45 bucks. To be honest, feeding a baby snake can be complex for a younger keeper so the subadult already feeding on adult mice was very easy which is why I recommend adults or sub-adults because you buy 1 enclosure and it saves money.

My point of this is that if you don't end up getting what you want you may find that what you get ends up being awesome anyways. Welcome to ssnakess and the reptile community.

[Desirae]

Originally Posted by TheVoid

Please help.

I want to get a ball python (I love snakes with all my heart, and I promise to learn everything about pythons and snakes before I get one), but my look at snakes in a bad light. The only thing they know about snakes is that they can be poisonous, and that they squeeze things to kill them. ): Any ways on helping them convince them I won't become a crazy snake lady (not yet, at least) and that pythons aren't like vipers?

I am going through a very similar situation. If I lived with my mum or dad, convincing them for a snake wouldn't take much from me: as they are such open-minded people. However, trying to seep the "snakes can make great pets" deal into my grandparents' (which I currently live with) minds' is another story.

Just earlier I presented them with a file full of research and debunking some of the 'scary myths' about snakes that they may believe. Slowly but surely it is becoming a more tolerable idea to them. It isn't something I bring up every day, but I do drop a few hints or comment on something regarding it every now and then. Time is key

[akane]

I think the "eh, snakes are everywhere and they don't bother me just existing in there" is my husband's stance now lol You prove they don't smell and they don't need much cleaning. Then he started to find the smaller ones cute and pretty basking in their heat lamps or taking a cruise and drink. Brightly colored lavender corn snake helps. I was shocked he actually threw a rodent I was thawing but fell asleep to Nicon (over 6' bull snake) that he's horribly afraid of. Apparently Nicon just gave him some snake equivalent distrustful looks while laying there on his hide and when I woke up later the rodent was gone even though he just flopped it in front of Nicon and basically "ran" instead of dangling it for him to strike.

[Scubadiver59]

You haven't met my Bull Snake!!! If he's not using the "pool" for his toilet, he's painting his viv glass (like this morning...he must've had gas behind that last bowel movement!), and tossing his sphagnum moss out of the moss bowl (eh...he does need a larger bowl for his moss).

I won't even start with my 6yr old CP...

Originally Posted by akane

I think the "eh, snakes are everywhere and they don't bother me just existing in there" is my husband's stance now lol You prove they don't smell and they don't need much cleaning. Then he started to find the smaller ones cute and pretty basking in their heat lamps or taking a cruise and drink. Brightly colored lavender corn snake helps. I was shocked he actually threw a rodent I was thawing but fell asleep to Nicon (over 6' bull snake) that he's horribly afraid of. Apparently Nicon just gave him some snake equivalent distrustful looks while laying there on his hide and when I woke up later the rodent was gone even though he just flopped it in front of Nicon and basically "ran" instead of dangling it for him to strike.