Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just read an article on a man in florida who was found keeping exotic reptiles w/o permits including a cobra, viper, and alligator. My first thought was that this is just giving us reptile owners a bad name but when i read the comments i was surprised! So many people were saying all reptiles should be illegal in the US! I just couldn't believe this..the reptile business is enormous and grow increasingly larger everyday! So how can people be this ignorant?!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/rattlesnake-cobras-alligator-found-man-apartment-173534215.html

You names your post perfectly...ignorant people. These people need to be educated. It is the ignorance that feeds people's fear of these beautiful creatures.

I can go on and on with things like - cars kill people - should we ban them?..but won't.

Thing is, with the media, they need/want to "drama up" the article so people read it. It's a sad part of the business...you rarely read about the rescue centers etc that are responsibly taking care of these creatures. Similar to the Michael Vic problem - they focus on the negative, not the positive.

That is exactly why I love going to my local pet shop (whom I know the owner) and hold the snakes for me - walking around the store and answering questions..letting people know they are not the slimy, children eating creatures many people see them as.

Exactly, I wish you would see in the news more stories about reptiles being saved from extinction or something like that. I don't know if you've heard of [ban] TV but that should would really help out if it actually went on air (its by Brian B. of BHB Reptiles)

With shows like Fatal Attractions and Swamp Bros becoming more and more prominent, people can only believe what they see or hear. People as a whole are not typically motivated to go out and research for themselves. Those type of show replace the formerly educational shows and depict the majority of exotics keepers as crazy, irrational, dumb, or redneck that have little business having any type of animal. We need to do our best to get out there and inform that this isn't the case and prove it through our practices.

Mike
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0.1.3 Cal. Kings
1.0 Ball Python
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.0.2 African House Snakes
0.0.2 Oketee Corn Snakes
0.1 Salmon Boa Constrictor
0.0.1 Japanese Fire-Bellied Newt
0.1 Labs

That is right - people may not believe what you say - but they will believe what you do.

I like how you put that. And I'm sure people would be shocked to find out just how good of business men some reptile owners are, this is a huge business. I mean you have snakes selling for a couple thousand dollars and people are don't believe me until I show them on these classifieds. Reptiles just drew the "short stick" when it came to what animal a majority of people will fear and consider dangerous..

Agreed. These shows are just negative propaganda to herpetoculture.
I say the Reptile Nation should make itself heard. Let's show people who we really are!
Not just post in articles and the internet, but get our arses off the computer and say who we are in public.