Reptile & Amphibian Forums

. When I first started keeping snakes almost 40 years ago it was rare for girls and women to keep snakes. We were all pretty private about our reptiles but all my reptile friends were guys. I now know there were a few female reptile keepers back then. When I started breeding and selling BRBs I sold far more to men than to women. Over the last 5 years I have noticed that there are more and more women are into these snakes. The last two years I actually sold more BRBs to women than to men. I would rather sell a BRB to a woman than to a man because women pay more attention to the fine details of keeping the tmeprature and humidity right for these snakes. Many of the best herp keepers and breeders I know are women. I still see men who think that because they know how to keep Burmese Pythons healthy they know everything about BRBs. I know there are now many women into the reptile hobby but I suspect that with most species there is still more interest among men than women. So what is it about women and BRBs? And what other species are more kept by women than men?
Jeff

I'm not sure. I know that I love my BRB, "Diva". She is the apple of my eye! You can see a pic of her at www.urbanboas.com - we are still working on the site. Perhaps it's because BRB's are more iridecent (sp) and brightly colored than other boas? Perhaps it's because they have softer scales and are not as heavily bodied as other boas? I still don't understand why BRB's don't cost more and are not more sought-after. I guess some people are turned-off by the humidity requirements, but it's really not that hard to properly take care of a BRB. Actually, I find it much easier. I have found that (don't take it personally, anyone) men favor the 'bigger the better' boas and pythons. Women, on the other hand, probably don't want to deal with a 12ft snake. I do, but there always has to be someone else there when I move them. I don't want big Gertrude to decide I'm lunch (not that she would, but you never know) while I'm cleaning her cage. Just my thoughts . . .

. I know what you mean about Burms. I used to breed them. It was a lot of work just moving them around to feed and clean cages. I was in the cages many times with them without having someone to help in an emergency. I am older and wiser now.......well, at least older.
Jeff

>>I'm not sure. I know that I love my BRB, "Diva". She is the apple of my eye! You can see a pic of her at www.urbanboas.com - we are still working on the site. Perhaps it's because BRB's are more iridecent (sp) and brightly colored than other boas? Perhaps it's because they have softer scales and are not as heavily bodied as other boas? I still don't understand why BRB's don't cost more and are not more sought-after. I guess some people are turned-off by the humidity requirements, but it's really not that hard to properly take care of a BRB. Actually, I find it much easier. I have found that (don't take it personally, anyone) men favor the 'bigger the better' boas and pythons. Women, on the other hand, probably don't want to deal with a 12ft snake. I do, but there always has to be someone else there when I move them. I don't want big Gertrude to decide I'm lunch (not that she would, but you never know) while I'm cleaning her cage. Just my thoughts . . .

FUNNY!!
You may have point! I know of a breeder who produced some of the first Bolivian boas 'way back when' and all kinds of pythons. But when it came to BRBs he couldn't keep them alive! He used to say that if their water bowl dried up they would die in one day.
Of course, what he was saying really was that you can't just ignore them and have them thrive like many boids.

Hey Jeff,
Thanks for bringing an interesting dicussion up!

Speaking for myself, i became interested in BRBs mainly because of their beautiful coloration. Does this make them more appealing to women? I wouldn't be surprised. I think women tend to focus more on the beauty instead of the size factor. I can't say i'd be surprised if a guy passed up a rainbow so that they could have a more massive reptile. I can't exactly vouch for the idea that women like smaller reptiles, as i've got a blood python with hopefully another on the way. I think more men have the larger reptiles because it's 'cooler' and their buds think it's 'awesome'. As a female, i have a much easier time introducing my galfriends to my smaller boa than anything other animal. I think this could account for why females tend to keep smaller animals. But who knows, maybe us gals just tend to be more 'closet' herpers.

have a good day everyone, keep the opinions coming!

carole

I am a middle aged woman with a career and almost grown children. My family kept a little snake (which turned out to be a fairly toxic Conophus snake) during my childhood and my mother caught wild garter snakes to show to me. It didn't really occur to me that I could have a snake of my own until about a decade ago when I picked up a ball python from a pet store. We eventually gave "Fang" to a friend's nephew in part because my husband was so phobic about him. About 2 years ago I began looking into which snakes could be kept fairly easily. I discovered this kingsnake web sight and things went downhill from there(from my husband's perspective). 3 cornsnakes, 2 red-sided garters, 1 rough greensnake, one western hognose, one JC python, one IJcarpet python, Three Asian vinesnakes(these were an error in judgement as the husbandry is pretty tricky-- but they are gorgeous) AND 2 BRB's later (I will not count the milksnake who is loose someplace in the house), I think I have an almost complete collection. I do, however, keep looking for a way to move the furniture around to accomodate another 4 foot cage or two. My teen-aged boys are mortified, my 10 year old son loves the snakes. All of my friends think I am certifiably crazy and my two little girl neices want to grow up with an identical set of pets. The BRB's were a somewhat late addition and were selected for their beauty and because they would not grow large enough to require more than a 3 foot vision cage.

PAL,
. It is interesting that you had a Conophus. My second most serious bite was from a Conophus lineatus. I was in Honduras and did not know what it was but was sure it was a colubrid. Most of the colubrids including the rear fang ones are supposed to be harmless. I got bitten on the thumb and bled for several hours. Every time I thought it would stop I released the pressure and it started bleeding again. The pain was about the same as hitting my thumb with a hammer, which I have done a time or two. Where did your family get a Conophus and what species was it? If you are keeping Asian Vinesnakes healthy you must know what you are doing.
Jeff

>>I am a middle aged woman with a career and almost grown children. My family kept a little snake (which turned out to be a fairly toxic Conophus snake) during my childhood and my mother caught wild garter snakes to show to me. It didn't really occur to me that I could have a snake of my own until about a decade ago when I picked up a ball python from a pet store. We eventually gave "Fang" to a friend's nephew in part because my husband was so phobic about him. About 2 years ago I began looking into which snakes could be kept fairly easily. I discovered this kingsnake web sight and things went downhill from there(from my husband's perspective). 3 cornsnakes, 2 red-sided garters, 1 rough greensnake, one western hognose, one JC python, one IJcarpet python, Three Asian vinesnakes(these were an error in judgement as the husbandry is pretty tricky-- but they are gorgeous) AND 2 BRB's later (I will not count the milksnake who is loose someplace in the house), I think I have an almost complete collection. I do, however, keep looking for a way to move the furniture around to accomodate another 4 foot cage or two. My teen-aged boys are mortified, my 10 year old son loves the snakes. All of my friends think I am certifiably crazy and my two little girl neices want to grow up with an identical set of pets. The BRB's were a somewhat late addition and were selected for their beauty and because they would not grow large enough to require more than a 3 foot vision cage.

A friend found the snake in a local pet shop and bought it as a gift for my sister. My sister took it to a herpatologist at the University of Colorado (we lived in Boulder) and he told her that it was a Mexican rear fanged snake in the Conophis genus. Then 30 years later, I was recovering from foot surgery and bought myself "Snakes" by Harry Greene and right there on page 83 was a picture of the same snake with a discussion of how the venom acts somewhat like that of Bloomslangs and Twigsnakes! (Any of you who has not read this book-- it is an absolutely wonderful book- I sat down and read it cover to cover).

Pal,
. It is a great book. Very textbook like and still a good read.
Jeff

>>A friend found the snake in a local pet shop and bought it as a gift for my sister. My sister took it to a herpatologist at the University of Colorado (we lived in Boulder) and he told her that it was a Mexican rear fanged snake in the Conophis genus. Then 30 years later, I was recovering from foot surgery and bought myself "Snakes" by Harry Greene and right there on page 83 was a picture of the same snake with a discussion of how the venom acts somewhat like that of Bloomslangs and Twigsnakes! (Any of you who has not read this book-- it is an absolutely wonderful book- I sat down and read it cover to cover).

I've been catching snakes for over 20 years and keeping them for 15. I have a pair of BRBs, a Coastal Carpet, 4 Mandarin Rats, a Taiwan Beauty, a pair of African House Snakes and a Mexican Black King. I've kept a lot of different colubrids (some rear-fanged) and some pythons and boids but I prefer snakes under 10 foot because of the space in my home. My office/guest room/reptile room is pretty small. Also, I have a squeamish husband who wouldn't appreciate bunnies in the freezer...(he wouldn't appreciate the jumbo rats either but I hide them behind the frozen vegetables so he hasn't found them yet).

I like BRBs because they are beautiful, smaller boas. Years ago I saw a picture of one in a book and had to have one. Same goes for the Mandarins and Taiwan Beauty snake.

Lora

I kept a large colony of pinesnakes and a few milksnakes a few years back. BRBs are new to me. I chose them because they are very pretty and do not get to a unmanagable size. I like the smaller snakes because I can take care of them myself. I do not need a spotter to feed them, or an extra person(s) to handle them. But most importantly (for me, as a mom) is that they don't get large enough to be potentially dangerous to my children.

Then again, keeping large snakes might have something to do with that whole "mine is bigger" thing for (some) men. I mean what is more phallic than a big, thick snake?

This story is not about a BRB, sorry. But, it is somewhat related to the 'snakes and women' thread.

I bought my mother a baby ball python for Mother's Day this year. Yes, I know, it is somewhat an unsual mother's day gift. However, my mother was with me at the local snake show and, at the time, holding my most recent purchase. Mom is obviously cool with reptiles - where did you think her daughter got it from? Anyway, Mom took her new baby home with it's new set up I bought her and the ball python manual. Well, 'Polo' as her new ball python is now called - must be the most spoiled snake on the planet. It is absolutely hilarious to see how much my mother loves this animal. Polo is perfect for Mom and Mom is perfect for Polo. I'm not sure who has who trained, but there is defintely a bond between those two. (Sometimes I think she loves the snake more than her only daughter, lol!)
Mom is very protective of her new baby and makes sure that Polo has the perfect temperature, just the right humidity, almost daily excersise, just the right kind of f/t mouse to eat, etc. As a matter of fact, I learned just the other night that Polo has a new jungle gym on which to climb on during her 'out' time. Mom knows Polo's every mannerism and Polo always gets excited when Mom comes in to check on her. I do not know of any other snake that actually likes to be rubbed, but Polo does. It is the wierdest thing. All of my babies either are ok with rubbing or don't particularly like it that much. But, Polo will arch her spine up when Mom rubs her back. Talk about spoiled rotten. Every time I call her I get to hear another story about what Polo has done recently. I am just glad that I could give my Mom such a great gift to keep her company. And I'm glad that a little baby ball python could be so lucky to get my Mom.

Hope you guys enjoyed the story - please feel free to share any like experiences that you may have had.
Erin

It's my husband who really wanted a BRB... I think the two of us are just walking statistical anomalies though. Or maybe he doesn't need a snake to prove his manhood . At any rate we've always been into 'small and cute'. I'm actually the one pushing for some of the larger snakes.
At any rate, ee went looking for a BRB at a show and we found the most beautiful one there.. but she only had one eye (born that way). Since we weren't planning on breeding, we bought her. And the interesting thing is, when talking to people that are afraid of snakes, they are automatically less afraid of one with a defect like one eye. It makes them think of the snake as an indivudual animal instead of a representative of all the scary snakes they've seen on TV. So she's going to be a useful education animal.

If you ever got the inclination anyhow.

Eyelessness is a common congenital defect in snakes (even wild ones) that is due more to incubation and developmental problems than genetics. I would bet money that your snake is eyeless for one of these reasons and not because of a genetic problem. Thus, you could probably breed the snake and not worry about the descendents having any trouble.

Van

I know the odds are very low.. but it's always sort of a 'what if' thing. Besides.. how many people would really want to buy offspring from a one-eyed mother if they had other options? And would I be ethically obligated to inform buyers? I've read other threads where people were very down on breeding snakes with defects, but the thread was about inbreeding within morphs, which is a little different. There's a much bigger chance that the deformity would be genetic if it occured within a line that had been heavily inbred.
I have a couple other species I have for pets that I never plan to breed, even though they're perfectly healthy. But if you're not careful you might talk me into it, I like livebearers... She's not big enough yet at any rate. She also carries the dubious distinction of being my only snake out of 40 that eats live adult rodents, I just can't get her switched.

LOL, There is a joke about me and my mutant babies in the one chat I visit. My first chondro is a runt (his name is Worm). The one I am currently buying has a curly tail...not a kink..but a curl. It was an incubational thing (His name is Piglet). I am being given a one-eyed chondro which I have named One-eyed Willie. (ever seen the goonies ) And this year, I hatched out a freaky baby Leopard. He has a reduced eye and a weird jaw. I named him Frankenstien. lol.

So just call me Professor X.
-----
2.9.9 Leopard Geckos
1.2.3 African Fat-tails
0.1 Gonisaurus Luii
1.1 Central American Banded Geckos
0.1 Gargoyle Gecko
1.1 Calabar Pythons
1.1 Savu Pythons
1.1 Cornsnakes
0.1.2 Chondropythons
0.1 Standing's Day Gecko
1.0 Frog-eyed Gecko
1.1 Ball Pythons

Well, all I know is that I'm a woman and I've always loved all kinds of snakes for as long as I can remember. Yes, people have thought I'm crazy. But a lot of people (women included!) have also shared my love of herps. I will NEVER understand people who are afraid of or disgusted by these absolutly gorgeous animals.

BRBs are beautifully colored, they are somewhat slow moving, they have "cute" faces (IMO anyways, BRBs and Ball pythons have the most adorable faces of any snake) and they are incredibly soft. And their irredescence is amazing.

Not that all women like BRBs. But from my experience, people who are "ok" with snakes will usually take to rainbows faster than to, say, a corn snake or red tail.

I know that I am completely turned off by size. Some of my favorite snakes are retics, burms, and blood pythons. But I am intimidated by their size and strength (and what they eat). So, unfortunatly, I have to avoid keeping them. Guys OTOH, as you said, seem to think that bigger is better and somehow more macho *great big eye roll*
LOL!

I currently have about 40 some reptiles and most of my friends think I am crazy. I will admit that I prefer the smaller boas and pythons to the larger. I guess it's because I know they will never see me as "lunch". It's not the color factor, because I have some calabars and Savus. I actually prefer Argentine Rainbows over the Brazilian Rainbows.
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2.9.9 Leopard Geckos
1.2.3 African Fat-tails
0.1 Gonisaurus Luii
1.1 Central American Banded Geckos
0.1 Gargoyle Gecko
1.1 Calabar Pythons
1.1 Savu Pythons
1.1 Cornsnakes
0.1.2 Chondropythons
0.1 Standing's Day Gecko
1.0 Frog-eyed Gecko
1.1 Ball Pythons