Reptile & Amphibian Forums

DELTONA, Fla. -- Snake owners say they love reptiles.

The slithery creatures have made local headlines lately after an 18-foot Burmese python was found in the back yard of an Apopka home.

But why do people make the potentially dangerous creatures as pets?

A group of snake owners in Deltona said they just can't get enough of the reptiles.

They're cold-blooded, sometimes poisonous, and depicted as evil, but Ron Doria, a white-collar medical sales director, can't get enough of his snakes.

"They have such a bad rap of being something so vicious and so violent. It's not like that. It's just, it's false," Doria said.

Doria keeps over 40 snakes in his Deltona home. He shares his passion with a friend, Brian Radenberg, who owns over 100 snakes. Radenberg made the news when the city of Deltona tried unsuccessfully last year to force him to get rid of his venomous snakes.

There's also Scott Quint, a software engineer who owns 35 snakes. Why do these men have such a fascination with the animals?

For Quint, it's the science.

"They're beautiful animals. I think, evolutionally speaking, they're one of the most unique animals," Quint said.

For Radenberg, it's the way they feel.

"They just kind of crawl around on you, and I don't know, they're comfortable," Radenberg said.

And for Doria, who owns rattlesnakes, it's the thrill.

"I like the risk, a little bit, of knowing we have something ... control something that doesn't want to be controlled," Doria said.

The men said because they have the proper caging, proper licenses, and the experience to handle snakes, it mitigates any danger. They get frustrated by the negative stereotypes assigned to snake owners.

"There's still a belief that, if you keep snakes, you're somehow different. You're weird or you're not like everybody else, and admittedly, there are plenty of people who can give that appearance, but there also are plenty who do not," Quint said.

While snake owners may love their snakes, do their snakes love them back?

"They won't show affection, of course, like a dog or a cat. They don't have a brain large enough to do that, and everything is basically instinct for a snake," Chaz Hanna said.

Hanna sells snakes. He believes they're popular pets simply because they're fascinating to watch and easy to care for.

For many people, a learned fear of snakes makes the thought of owning one repulsive.

To help ensure the safety of others, both Radenberg and Doria have posted warnings on the entrances to their homes stating that venomous snakes live inside.

That way, if emergency personnel such as firefighters or police ever have to enter, they'll be forewarned.
http://www.wesh.com/green-pages/21059138/detail.html

Go the CDC site....Dogs and horses kill more people every year than any other animals. Why would you want to keep THEM as pets??? The most dangerous thing surrounding keeping reptiles as pets is other peoples ignorance.

Some ignoramous answered reporter's questions and suddenly they speak for the entire hobby. Lovely.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

A-MEN. Dogs and cats that roam freely, hunting birds and rodents, are also detrimental to the environment - yet snake owners are vilified as purveyors of "invasive species".

Anyway, I've never been in serious danger from my snakes. They might snap at me, but so have the dogs my family owned when I was a child. No, they don't love me, but I don't believe dogs or cats can truly "love" their owners either (they are just easier to anthropomorphize).

I love my snakes because gaining their trust and keeping them in the optimal conditions is rewarding to me. They're interesting, beautiful animals. They let me pet them and play with them when I want to, but they don't care if I'm too busy one day to let them out. And keeping reptiles in general has allowed me to meet all kinds of interesting, friendly people at shows and shops all over my state.

>>> "For many people, a learned fear of snakes makes the thought of owning one repulsive"

This above quote is the only reason this question came up in the first place......because they know absolutely NOTHING about snakes whatsoever, nor probably most of the other animals on the planet either.

Does this cute, very colorful little 5 day old hatchling really look menacing?. This little guy is as harmless and fragile an animal as you can possibly find anywhere on the planet. Most snakes are something to be totally admired, not feared. I say this with 42 years of snake eperience, and know full well how deeply ignorant the general public is regarding them.

Initially I wasn't even going to respond to this, because to give the many reasons I like snakes would simply take way to much time to type.

best regards, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

And NO!,..those aren't bite marks on the tiny water bowl from the snake chewing on it, that's from the router bit that slipped when I was cutting the notches in the top...LOL!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I am disheartened every time i hear or see a report on how "dangerous" snakes are. As others have said here, it is not the animal that is dangerous, it is the owners and their lack of proper knowledge of their pets that are the danger. I have been around snakes since i was a little girl, thanks to my father,and every snake that my father had in our house while i was growing up was an absolute joy to have! Thanks to my dad, i have become a responsible snake owner myself, and i share that joy when my six year old niece visits. She has held every one of my snakes, except my baby sand boas, she has even held my Brazilian Rainbow Boa (under my supervision of course) and the look of delight on her face when she is holding them is priceless=)

Boy, I couldn't agree more!

My young nephew just loves to come visit and always asks if we can go into the snake room and hold some "stuff"..LOL!

I also started into snakes at the very young age of 7 years old, and still remember how fun it was bringing my pet Indigo's to third grade "show & tell" back in 1968-69.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I had not had great parents that let me keep, learn about and enjoy the animal's I've always been interested in. I wish some other parents today were as knowledgeable and understanding about animals as my parents were, especially my mom. She would actually buy me snakes for my birthday and Christmas too. Snakes beat the heck out of a stupid toy any day!..LOL!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I keep snakes because they fascinate me. They're incredibly different, possessing senses we don't have (vermonasal organ anyone?), and as a group they display an astonishing diversity for an animal with a shape that's so similar across species.

I'm not going to say all of my snakes are a joy to hold--one of my retics is a biter and probably always will be--but they're not killing machines either. I haven't been keeping as long as many on this board, just 15 years or so, and I've never been seriously into breeding at all--only stuff I reliably bred were actually a few lizard species. But snakes have certainly been a big part of my life for most of my life at this stage, and I literally cannot imagine not having them.

I can't really explain it well. They simply speak to my soul in a deep, fundamental way. "The way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden." Proverbs 30:19. I've been deeply blessed to get to experience all of those in my life. At the best, it's a transcendent joy for me to be able to work with these animals.

Read a book or two on snakes to see what I mean--Snakes: The Evolution of mystery in nature is a good place to start.

GORGEOUS BP!!!! I love them! Can't wait until my daughter's gets bigger!

I grew up in Alaska where there were no wild snakes My first exposures to them were in 7th and 9th grade science classes, when we had boa constrictors. I enjoyed handling them, and of course always loved the mice and rats we raised to feed them.

I had my own snakes when I went to college in Abilene, Texas, and met some real live herpers (fellow students). I have had them off and on every since. I can credit my 21 year old daughter for helping me get back into them. When she was in middle school, she wanted to get one, and I jumped at the chance.

I also have a hard time describing to non-herpers why I love snakes as pets. So, I don't try anymore!

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Kent

For me, (and I'm going to have to agree with the first person to reply), one of the reasons is that it's amazing to gain the trust of an animal that does not normally trust humans. Aside from that, they are are a pleasure to hold (they like to cuddle with your arm! haha), and are interesting to look at, as they come in a variety of morphs/colors.

Another reason: Hypoallergenic. There are many people who cannot have pets due to severe allergies. Snakes, as well as other reptiles, allow these people to be able to enjoy having a pet.

I, personally, do not have a ton of experience owning snakes as pets, (only the past few years), but I have always loved snakes.

Not only am I a "snake mommy", but I have also started my daughter into the snake keepers world, giving her a Ball Python for her 7th birthday last year. She LOVES him!

There is no way to make somebody understand WHY we have snakes as pets. Especially if you do not share the same enthusiasm as we do.

I have a question for you, now...

Have you ever had any experiences with snakes? Caught them when you were younger? Held one?

NO, she is NOT missing teeth! The tooth fairy came around! lol This was when she was 7, and we had just given Neo to her.

When i was around 10 or 11, there was this garter snake that would show up every day in a bush right outside my bedroom window. I was able to catch him, and he was so calm when i was holding him, i just couldn't believe it I ended up naming him "Hermie".

Chrissy

HAHA! Hermie, that's cute! I used to catch them all the time, as well. At one point, (I was around 7 or 8yrs old), I had put one in my pocket and scared the living daylights out of my mom when she found it in the house! I had completely forgot about putting it in my pocket. We let him back outside, of course. But I never put them in my pocket again after that! hahaha!

I only started keeping snakes several years ago while I was a sophomore in high school, and I haven't always enjoyed snakes. As a child, I was 'taught' to fear snakes thanks to an overly religious population in my hometown that brainwashed the message "only devil worshipers deal with the devil's creature" into my head. Yeah, stupid I know. However, before the mall in my town closed down it's pet store, my mom held a boa and I'll never forget what touching a snake for the first time was like. I think the one I first touched was sick cuz it was sticky, but it was cool at the same time. The only reason I never got a snake until high school was because of my mom- she's terrified of them. However, my first snake was a Mojave Patchnose Snake and she came to like him since he was so small, wasn't strong, and wasn't a biter once out of the cage. I'm now on my third snake, and I still have a lot to learn hence why I'm a member on this site.

As to why I like them, I think that's been expressed in varying degrees by everyone that's posted before me. So long as you know what you can handle and research research research! the animal before you get it, they're not dangerous. However, my main reason for loving snakes over everything else is because they're absolutely silent, they can be left alone for several days(so long as they've got food and water) and still be 100% okay. Low maintenance, silent, and more gratifying than a plant. What's not to like? lol