Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering who all has kids and herps (esp. big constrictors or monitors or crocodilians)
how old are your kids
what herps do you have
are any of the herps 'thiers'
which ones?
how old were they when they got thier first herp
how old were you?
what kinds of 'cage security' do you use to keep you herps contained?
do you get 'lectures' from family b/c of your herps?

im just curious. my mom works for family and childrens services which is who works with DHS to get peoples kids back from DHS. (shes one of the good guys, nobody freak out). She just told me that someone got thier 3 YEAR OLD would be taken away b/c they had a ball python and a baby RTB. she came to me and told me what kind of cages they had and how to make them more secure. it just got me thinking about kids v.s. lizard/snake. she's also curious who all in the world has kids/herps. I got my first ones when i was in 10th grade.my mom doesn't see a problem with the way i keep my herps and yes, i have an 11 footer in my living room. I have kids but every single one of the animals in my house is under lock and key 24/7 and they aren't in my kids rooms yet, (they arent old enough). any info you want to give would be great.
beth.
p.s. the family my mom is working with is thinking about appealing DHS's decicion (i hate DHS... so does my mom)
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

If the snakes are properly secured I see no problem with having kids and herps. I have a 3 year old and I have snakes. They are kept in locking cages that are locked in my bedroom and we have never had an escape. I think having and educating kids about them early will keep them from having the ridiculous fears that some people have when they get older.

My 10 year old knows more about snakes than most adults do. I have 2 kids, 10 & 16, and have been keeping snakes since they were 5 & 11. I don't have anything huge...mostly north american ratsnakes.

It all boils down to common sense, doesn't it? Actually, it doesn't...but it should!

None of MY snakes would be able to bring harm to us. If I had really BIG snakes (or venomous) then I would need to keep them under lock & key. I have had 3 escapes in 5 years. All found.

Here's a thought: Which is more likely to harm you or your kids? A snake or a dog? Poodle? Lab? Pitt Bull? Maybe a mutt? What about a house cat? I have kept many many pets in my lifetime, and I think that a gerbil or hamster is more likely to bite you than a snake.

The answer is, of course, education. And it's interesting that it's the kids who want to learn about these animals. A friend of mine does herp shows at schools and parties. The kids LOVE it and of course some of the adults are scared.

Duffy

thats exactly how i feel. common sense. I have big stuff but they're in my detached garage. I love herps and wanted them to be my passion. i have kids, wether kids are your passion or not, you have to be safe. I have one big snake in the house. he's 11 ft. the only reason hes in the house right now is we're still trying to figure out the best way to house more in the garage. we need our space to work on the drag car so we can't exactly send that outside and turn the entire garage into a herp house but we have designated areas for cars and herps. we've got the garage set up for 3 big iguanas or 2 iggys and 2 smaller things (the 3rd cage can be divided if needed). its kept very clean and there is a border we put around the car in the winter b/c if we happen to have a large sulcata or what not, she will free roam through the garage. theres nothing she can get into. its got a window unit and heater. anyway- my kids are very young. not old enough to 'be into' anything yet. all the cages in the house have locks of some kind mostly so our kids cant open cages when we arent looking. it also makes it a lot harder to steal the snakes if someone breaks in. i cant wait until my son is old enough to help with the rescue and have a herp of his very own in his room. (im thinking corn snake or ball- still locked of course). I dont know how many times i've heard on animal planet - these animals are dangerous to EVERYONE and should never be in someones home. they arent good pets blah blah blah. i love animal planet but dang. i swear if they werent saying half the things they say about little tiny corn snakes being dangerous there wouldnt be as many people freaking out about them. there was an episode today. someone had a baby burm and a ball python. dangerous- they can eat small dogs and children. i was like.... uhhhh... its 3 ft long... it eats MICE. show me a kid the size of a mouse- please. and what really irked me was that they were using one of the methods i use to keep a red tail in a 120 gal. i made a lid from plywood and it has sides that fit down all the way around the cage and theres a 1500 lb. tow strap all the way around the tank. theres no way a red tail will get out of that. it took the officers forever to get the strap off and the snakes out. the snakes were gentle as can be until they got dropped into a pillowcase and the guy dropped the case and they hit the ground. the snake hissed (duh, drop me from 3 feet in the air and see what i say) and he said see theyre dangerous hes going to bite me and could easily kill a 5 year old. it makes me sick that people dont know about these animals. yes a 20 ft burm could kill someone easily, common sense tells you to NOT let that happen- dont do stupid stuff. i also do b-day parties and things like that. i do take my 11 foot burm out there but only if all the cirumstances are right. if hes about to shed-no if he just ate- no if he needs to eat- no if he seems to be having a bad day when we go to get him out of his cage- no. if he at any time shows signs of being upset like hissing- he doesnt come out around the kids and if he does, my husband holds him and the kids just look. i take a red tail or 2 and usually a corn and a few lizards to a bday party. the kids do love it and its great for education. they ask all kinds of questions. what do they eat when do they sleep what cage are they in are they always nice, how much do they cost, and i've had quite a few adoptions through bday parties. the parents will call and say they want to adopt an iguana or snake for thier kid and its great. anyway... im just glad other people see this the way i do. common sense is great,
Beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

I have 3 kids. 8,5,2. I have 20 snakes, but no big boids or hots. I have kings, milks, and a pair of Hog Is. boas. My 2 older kids help me in the snake room. My wife is not much of a reptile person, but she is very agreeable. My family will not grow up to fear and chop the heads of snakes. My preference is not have a large snake because of my kids and cats and puppy. I have never had an escapee, and I do like some of the larger snakes, but that is just my preference, but I don't mind what other people do, as long as they have common sense. Derek

I doubt that the snakes were the only reason that the children were removed from the home, although they may have been the final factor in deciding for removal. Chances are there were other factors in the decision as well.

I am a teacher of young children, and we keep 2 reptilian classroom pets: a mexican kingsnake(Inkus), and a leopard gecko (Laverne). Unfortunately, Shirley died. The cages are locked, and the children only touch the animals when I am holding them. I also bring in herps from home for my children to observe, touch and learn about. They learn about respecting the animals.

My own son got into reptiles at about 11 yrears-old. He is turning 21 this week. Last year he joined the army and left my collection with his leopard gecko colony, golden gecko, and a kingsnake. Several of his leos are 10 years-old. No longer breeders, but living long lives because of the good care he learned to give them.

My heart skips a beat when someone posts a photo of their toddler hanging out on the floor with their huge burm. Even if "Fluffy" has been dog tame for 15 years, all it takes is one grumpy moment for tragedy to happen. I feel the same way about photos of toddlers with aggressive looking dogs in spiked collars.

If the unthinkable happened, would the adult be able to intervene and keep the baby safe? Children are innocents. It is up to the adults in their lives to protect them from harm. If the parents demonstrate poor judgement in other aspects of their child's care (such as hygiene), snakes in the home would be a concern beyond the child being bitten (possible salmonella). Just my opinion.

althea

When my first child was born (I now have three) 14 years ago I had big birds (macaws, Mollucan cockatoos,etc.). Now that is a bad combination for children: one good nip and a finger is gone, psitticosis, birds screaming at nap time, etc. Yet I guess beautiful animals such as these are taken on the surface as acceptable.
I switched to herps without a problem. If done correctly reptiles are as dangerous as aquarium fish.

i was into reptiles years before my kids were born. when my wife told me she was pregnant everything went. well when my oldest daughter was about to turn 4 i told her she could have anything she wants and all she wanted was a snake. so on her birthday we went to pick out a snake and she decided on a snow corn. well its blown up since then. we now own multiple corns, boas and pythons and my oldest holds every one except my new 8.5 foot female boa. every few nights my daughter grabs a snake of her choice and i do to and we talk about her day, school or day care or the such. i personally feel it has no negative effect on familys or childern. my daughter knows not to open cages without me and that snakes outside the house may not be friendly so she does not touch. my daughter wanting a snake i feel turned into something wonderful for the family. so far we have not had one bad expierence. this is just my experience.

I took my first snake to show and tell when I was in second grade. I am now 35. My daughter had her first snake in her room when she was around 8. Of course is was a hognose, and totally harmless, but we working on care and hygene. She is now 12 with a turtle, ae Eastern Hognose, and 2 Florida Redbellies in her room. My son is now 6, but has had 2 turtles in his room since he was 4. No he is not old enough to care for them, but he does help mommy. None of my cages are locked, because we had nice long talks about the animals before we got them, plus my son learned very quickly that RES do not want to kiss him on the cheek!! LOL! (it was the size of a quarter at the time) The rest of the collection is in my office. No hots or big snakes, mostly because I do not want anything that I can not handle by myself when it is full grown.
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Jenea

2:3 Tricolor Hognose
0:1 Eastern Hognose (looking for a male)
1:2 Western Hognose
1:3 Southern Hognose
0:0:2 Florida Redbelly Snakes
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:1 Red-eared Slider
1:2:2 Mediterranean Geckos
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse