Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I have been researching for 1 year everyhting I can re snakes esp. corn snakes. I have been keeping and breeding poison darts for 3 yrs. My wife is fine with fruit flies but says no to snakes. We have a 8 month old daughter and a 5 year old boy. Any suggestion as to how to convince her. She hates the ideas of feeding rodents live or f/t. Anyone have similar experiences?

A

I convinced my girlfriend (with whom I live) by doing two things- First, I promised she would never have to see a mouse if she didn't want to. Second, I took her to a reptile show where she could see snakes and become more educated about them. That got her onboard. It also helped that the ball python I got was a particularly good natured animal that she could hold and feel comfortable with. It has been great ever since- at the last reptile show we went to together, she wanted me to get an Argentine Boa.. haha.

I've been married for over 11 years. My wife conceded to allowing me to keep a snake.......yesterday. I think it's important that she be educated about the variety of snakes you wish to keep. Once educated, even if she won't admit it, she will realize that her fears, arguments, and frustrations are almost completely unfounded. I heard everything from, "I don;t want mice in my freezer" to "I don't want your snake (New Mexico Milk)to eat my dog(Shetland Sheepdog)". You do need to have the discussion and find out what her arguments are...not to tell her she is wrong, but to help her understand how your snake is not going to be an issue. I'd also ask her for her input. Is size an issue for her? Does she think that a certain breed might be prettier than another? Take her to a reptile expo and help her acclimate to the idea. If you have friends with snakes, you can volunteer to watch them while they are out of town for a week. Show her pics of the ones you like on-line and get her feedback. Marriage is an absolute compromise. If having a snake means that much to you, that will mean something to her. If you go the extra mile to make your snake hobby as accomodating to her as possible, she'll be more likely to accept it. I had to agree to keep my snake in the basement, to not keep frozen mice in her freezer and agree that I won't start asking for a "snake room" next. If she gives you an inch, don't attmept to take a mile.

Lastly, you should understand by now, that women can be bribed and don't even see that as a bad thing. If you know what she likes and offer to get it for her, you might find yourself owning that pet snake sooner than I did. Yes, it's costing me a trip to Disneyland (I truly hate going there), but it's still worth it to me.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

Jamison