Reptile & Amphibian Forums

On behalf of the teenagers, I have to say that it is very hard to not act impulsively when you love herps so much. There have been soooo many times when I have walked into a pet shop, gone to a herp show, or been browsing online when I almost bought a reptile that I wouldn't be able to care for. It is not that there is a reptile that "demands" too much from me, but rather the problem deals with the stage I am at in my life. The timing is terrible: teenagers are constantly faced with leaving there homes and are (generally) irrational, either to go on a family trip; to go to competitive tournaments; or leaving for college. Also, we (probably just me) are very myopic. I see a snake and all I can think and talk about is that snake. The next day I'll see a car and I'll I can think about is that car.
Just wanted to put a teenager's thoughts out there,
Niko

P.S. How could I find out if there are other reptile enthusiasts in the Boston/ Cambridge area?
Just out of curiosity, would it be bad to sleep in a nine-foot burm's cage (if you weren't crushing the snake)?
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1.0 Peruvian red-tail boa (boa constrictor constrictor)
1.0 Argentinian black and white tegu (tupinambis merianae)
2.0 Bearded Dragons (pogona vitticeps)
0.1 White's tree frog (litoria caerulea)
1.1 "assorted" geckoes (???)
1.0 anery Honduran Milksnake (lampropeltis t. hondurensis)
0.1 hypo Honduran Milksnake (l. triangulum hondurensis)

Niko,

I think we all have been in that position. I agree with what everyone was saying in here to the young man. I really dont think, that it was really his mother replying for him as well. Immaturity is the biggest sign of inability to properly care for the animal. Saying that NO 14 YO should own one in my opinion could possibly be pushing just a tad bit. Reason that I say this is because, there are some parents who DO have an interest in them as well. These parents can help to take care of the animal, as well as prepare their son/daughter for the future care of the animal. Just because you are young doesnt' mean that you CAN'T take care of the animal properly.

I had my first alligator when I was 17. Most people would agree that, 17 is far too young to be owning such an animal. However, after realizing the huge mistake that I made in the animal that I had chosen so quickly, I immediately took steps to adjust. I read books,articles,websites, and plus had an advantage because I knew someone who had a 7' specimen that I could work with regularly. Therefore, due to my resources, I was better able to prepare myself for the future of my animal. I am now 21, have purchased my own house, and still have the same alligator, growing like a weed still to this day.

It was due to other friendly and knowledgeable herpers, that I was able to succeed with my love for crocodilians and snakes. Now I see why my mistake was so bad and recommend to younger keepers, NOT to get these types of animals (larger, dangerous species) so early in life and wait. They will be rewarded for their patience.

Not that I am trying to knock anyones advice or knowledge here, but just thought I would shed some light on the fact, that not EVERY 14 year old is too dense to get some info into their brains. Although for me at times, people did have to knock a little harder from time to time.

Stan

thank you
i am glad someone sees that not ALL teens are unable to keep and care for large snakes
also i am going wait (see later post)

P.S. it was my mom (i didnt ask her to do it but chances are u have a mom and you know how they are about their kids)

Some people are getting the impression that I (and others on this forum) don't care for teenagers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of my 10 staff that work at my wildlife center, 6 of them are teenagers! They are my favorite group of people to work with. And, they are hard working, knowledgeable, and always willing to learn. They also fully understand their limitations and owning a burm would never even cross their minds because they know that they are not in a stage of their life where they are ready to take on that kind of responsibility. There are many teenagers who can properly keep a large burm, HOWEVER, most of those are not in a stage of their life where they should even be considering it. They also lack some of the common sense skills that usually fail to surface in an age where most people are rather impulsive (or, they think that they are indistructable....we've all been there at that age). These young adults jumping in to own a burm will only perpetuate the cycle of abandoned animals. That's why I always recommend smaller species that are still impressive such as borneo short tailed pythons, bloods, coastal and jungle carpet pythons, heck, even an Olive python (that reaches 12' or slightly more) would be a decent choice with some precautions. Lets face it, whether you are a teenager or an old fart like me (okay, I am still pretty young but compared to a teenager, I'm prehistoric), most people, regardless of knowledge and ability, should be keeping a burm or any other large constrictor. There are just too many other great options out there. These are snakes that should only be cared for by people who have the resources, their own facilities, and the proper training, commitment and dedication to give these animals a permanent home. That's just my .02.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

>>thank you
>>i am glad someone sees that not ALL teens are unable to keep and care for large snakes
>>also i am going wait (see later post)
>>
>>
>>P.S. it was my mom (i didnt ask her to do it but chances are u have a mom and you know how they are about their kids)
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

you said "most people, regardless of knowledge and ability, should be keeping a burm or any other large constrictor." which I believe you meant "SHOULD NOT be keeping a burm or other....."

Perhaps the only teenagers that SHOULD be keeping the large constrictors are those that are co-owners and keepers WITH THEIR PARENTS! Those would be the parents who were the ones who got the cornsnake for their preteen knowing full well what that entailed and are the parents who are willing AND able to keep the giant constrictor if or when their teenager might lose interest or be too busy at a time in their life to pay proper time and attention to the snake. These would also be the parents who own their house and are able to provide a suitable room for the constrictors and provide the money necessary to properly care for the animal. And of course, these co-owner/keeper parents also will have another adult capable of helping them for when the teenager is unable or unwilling to help them. Hmm, does the available parent pool seem to be dwindling?

sue, keeper of smaller colubrids and who is a mother of son who got into herps when he was 16 (with a cornsnake)
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sue

>>you said "most people, regardless of knowledge and ability, should be keeping a burm or any other large constrictor." which I believe you meant "SHOULD NOT be keeping a burm or other....."
>>
>>Perhaps the only teenagers that SHOULD be keeping the large constrictors are those that are co-owners and keepers WITH THEIR PARENTS! Those would be the parents who were the ones who got the cornsnake for their preteen knowing full well what that entailed and are the parents who are willing AND able to keep the giant constrictor if or when their teenager might lose interest or be too busy at a time in their life to pay proper time and attention to the snake. These would also be the parents who own their house and are able to provide a suitable room for the constrictors and provide the money necessary to properly care for the animal. And of course, these co-owner/keeper parents also will have another adult capable of helping them for when the teenager is unable or unwilling to help them. Hmm, does the available parent pool seem to be dwindling?
>>
>>sue, keeper of smaller colubrids and who is a mother of son who got into herps when he was 16 (with a cornsnake)
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>>sue
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Nick,

I don't want you to get the wrong impression of the people in this forum. Everyone in here knows that there are a few out there who are responsible. The problem is 98% of the kids that purchase a large constrictor like this doesn't understand the facts of ownership.

From one of your other recent posts that I have read, you say that you didn't mean necessarily "care" advice, but more of ownership and experience advice.

So for future questions such as these, heres a line you can use to get your point across without getting the whole forum in an uproar, lol.

"Hello, everyone. In the future, I might consider getting a _______. I have already looked up the basic care of the animal and understand the committment and responsibility necessary. Just looking for some first hand info, from peoples personal experiences, that I might need to look out for, that probably isn't in most care guides. If anyone has any info to offer, I would greatly appreciate it."

This way everyone understands the information you are requesting, and doesnt automatically assume that you are wanting us to tell you how to take care of your animal. However, even with the "template" above, you still might have some clarifying to do, about how far away is the "future".

Good Job on deciding to wait. Personally even a year, I must say will probably still be too short. However, I am not going to start another riot in the forums,lol.

After you do get your burm, don't forget that this forum is here. Despite your first experience with us, we wont' bite, I promise, you just might get a little bump on the noggin from time to time,lol.

Good Luck,
Stan

Nothing against any individual

I got my 1st Burm when I was about 13. I'm 36 now and into Boas
not burms anymore. Well, the first one I got was from a breeder
there weren't many back then, and he completely neglected to
tell me or my parents anything about the future size of my new
burm. I guess it just slipped his mind at the time...

At least now there is this great forum and the internet which
is like instant knowledge, as long as people actually take the
time and effort to thoroughly research things. The info is now
easily accessable. Now if only we could do something about the
shrinking attention span of todays'youth...