Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A lot of my friends and family are terrified of snakes but like my Iguana. My wife pets my IG but if she see's a snake she'll run a marathon to get away from it. I personally don't mind snakes but find much more appeal in Iguanas. I guess it's their eyes that I see personality. Are any of you Iguana lovers terrified of Snakes? What is it that scares people of snakes? Because they don't have legs?

Brett

I have a slight fear of snakes, but I'm fascinated by lizards and amphibians. And strangely enough, spiders. For me, I've been bitten by snakes before when I was younger just being outside. And I've never really had any positive contact with snakes before, so I'm guessing that adds to things. The main reason I don't own snakes is for the simple fact of their eating habits. Being an animal person, it's very difficult for me to think about feeding an animal to another animal. I've also been a vegetarian myself since I was 10. Iguanas are also vegetarians.

On a side note though, you can't really compare snakes to iguanas. In some cases, iguanas can't really even be compared to other lizards. Not only the carnivore/herbivore deal, but iguanas are very social creatures. I'm not really sure that snakes are very social. And I don't know if anyone else's iguana does this, but my iguana loves to check himself out in mirrors. Iguanas are humorous too.

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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

Chibi I agree with you about feeding a snake a live animal(even a dead one). This is why my son got his iguana because I wouldn't allow him to have a snake( even thou I think they a cool). Now my son said he is so happy with his ig because Tiny a a personality and snakes don't.
debs

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The addiction can be dangerous. 1 Uro named Buddy aka Big Boy & 1 Ig named Tiny

He looks so happy and self confident! Great photo!

To each his own, but I have to argue with the comment that snakes don't have personalities. They may be a little harder to recognize, but our Shaman wags her tail when she's happy, and will wrap herself around your wrist to prevent you from putting her down when she wants to be played with. I think a lot of the fear of snakes comes from 2 things. 1. People know that some snakes are extremely dangerous and don't know how to recognize the ones that aren't. and 2. Snakes have had a bad reputation for centuries and we just don't seem to be able to get over it. To answer your original question, I keep a python, an ig and a tokay gecko, and while it's close, I'd have to say I'm more a snake person.
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0.1.0 Ball Python - Shaman
1.0.0 Green Iguana - Ike
1.0.0 Tokay Gecko - Fang
2.2.0 Cats - Pumpkin, Furball, Pixie, Stitch
1.0.0 Cockatiel - Ozzy
0.1.0 Budgie - Tweetie
1.0.0 Dwarf Rabbit - Rascal
0.0.1 Rat who was too friendly to be eaten - Scabbers

Snakes have no ears, and so are deaf. Iguanas have ears, and believe me, our iguana, Iggi has excellent hearing! Personally, I like iguanas because of the vegetarian diet. We don't even like to feed bugs to a lizard. After having Iggi, and raising her for 4 years, we just love her, and she loves us back. Iguanas, in my opinion, have much more personality than a snake. Here is Iggi enjoying a warm day on Ig_mommy's back.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

If one day you want to adopt her out just considere the possibility to send her to India, ok?

Just kidding!

Well, congratulations ! Its so nice to read about people that really love their igs!

We have raised Iggi like a human daughter for 4 years. She has never bit us, tail whipped us, or deliberately scratched us. We don't consider her as a pet, but rather, the only family member who doesn't have to dress up on St. Patricks Day, as she's already green! LOL!
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

SAYING THAT SNAKES CANT HEAR IS NOT REALLY A FAIR STATEMENT... SNAKES CAN HEAR THROUGH VIBRATIONS... ITS A PROVEN FACT THAT LOTS OF MAMMALS AND REPTILES CAN TELL WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE IS COMING BEFORE IT HITS...
BUT FOR AN EXAMPLE... IF I CLAP MY HANDS BEHIND MY SNAKES THEY WILL TURN AND LOOK TO SEE WHAT THE VIBRATION WAS... AND I CAN DO THIS FROM SEVERAL FEET AWAY.... SO SAYING THAT THEY CANT HEAR IS NOT A CORRECT STATEMENT... THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE EARS... BUT THEIR IS MORE THEN ONE WAY OF HEARING...

ALSO ITS INTRESTING US AS REPTILE LOVERS UNDERSTAND OUR PETS... SCIENTISTS STILL SAY THAT REPTILES HAVE NO EMOTION OR FEELINGS... BUT I HAVE REPTILES THAT WILL NOT LET CERTIN PEOPLE TOUCH THEM........ SIMILER TO A DOG... JUST AN INTRESTING THOUGHT..

BEAUTIFUL IGUANA... HOW LONG IS HE??? MY MOM HAS ONE WITH THE SAME NAME... HE IS 6FT 9IN...

I actually saw on one of those “Discovery” type TV programs that the fear of snakes may be “hard-wired” into our psyche, as in we inherited it from out ancestors.

I don't like snakes because their high tendency to be unpredictable. Every animal and reptile can be unpredictable, but in my book snakes are among the highest. I love pretty much every reptile i've come in contact with. But snakes are a big no no.
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1.0 Savannah Monitor - Artimus
2.0 Emerald Swift - Jesus, unnamed
1.0 Baby veiled Cham - Sir August De Winter 1-20-05 RIP
1.0 Green Iguana - King Arthur
1.0 Rose-hair tarantula - Bill
1.0 Basilisk - Adam
0.1 Water Dragon - Lady

By God I love snakes (I also love all reptiles and animals for that matter I am more scared of people)I dedicate my whole summer out in the woods tryin to find one or just even get a glimpse of one. Or 50 for that matter (long rattlesnake story) i think people are scared of snakes because snakes are the only creature that poses a threat to us and they get into everything. I volenteer at the N.C. aquarium when i am not in high school and when i do a snake presentations people go NUTS they swear to god i just pulled a gun out of a bag instead it is a harmless non-venomous snake. I think people should just get to know the snake and learn about it before they blow it up with their gun. I must rescue around 50 snakes every year from people calling me up and asking me to remove a snake.(Which is better than shooting it) I not saying I hate Iguanas and other things I love my Iguana and my cresteds but I also love my 25 snakes. I find feeding dead rodents once a week way more time efficient than feeding everyday. Snakes do not need ears they have way better sences (heat vision and a extremly sensitive tongue) for finding food, no affence to a lizard but snakes can see a food item in complete darkness and kill it in seconds. Overall snakes will probably be on this earth longer than we will. And lizards are not going anywhere soon as least not all of them. As, for turtles Asia is still making soup and fishing boats are still finding 150 or- a few sea turtles every year poor things.

Derek

I adore snakes.... I have 2... and I've had many iguanas and other lizards. I have to say I like my snakes better though I love Iggies too... I have never met a calmer animal than my 2 boas...They have never hissed, struck or acted agressive in any way with me. And their food choice doesn't bother me. All animals have to eat.. and if you have an animal that happens to eat other animals, its your job to provide for it... I raise and euthanize all my own feeders so I know what my snakes get are healthy animals. I have a monitor as well... and her personality completely eclipses any iguana's I ever had. Iguana's are cool.. but I prefer snakes and monitors. Just my opinion....
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

I have a lot of respect for snakes, it's just a matter of personal taste for me. Lizards seem to always look like they are smiling and they do goofy things, that's why I love them. My geckos shake their little tails in the air before they pounce on a cricket. It's adorable. I really don't find snakes cute at all, but their colorings are sometimes really beautiful. And also for me, I have an almost 3 yr old daughter, so any pet I own has to be a safe animal for her to be around. My iguana has never been unpredictable, and has never been aggressive. He lets her pet him, and doesn't even react if she mistakenly pokes him or something, which I'm teaching her not to do. I've heard about snakes biting small children and sometimes the larger ones have eaten them, so I would rather not take any chances. But my daughter's grandmother's little jack terrier is also has a habit of biting children, so it's not just snakes I guess.
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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

Now, I don't know your iguana, and I'm sure he's as friendly as mine, but I just wanted to point out that a full grown iguana can be just as dangerous to a child (or an adult) as many snakes can, and moreso than others. I'm convinced that an iguana could do more damage than a ball python if he felt like it. Not only that, but there are snakes that would pose no threat at all, such as a corn or king snake.

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0.1.0 Ball Python - Shaman
1.0.0 Green Iguana - Ike
1.0.0 Tokay Gecko - Fang
2.2.0 Cats - Pumpkin, Furball, Pixie, Stitch
1.0.0 Cockatiel - Ozzy
0.1.0 Budgie - Tweetie
1.0.0 Dwarf Rabbit - Rascal
0.0.1 Rat who was too friendly to be eaten - Scabbers

Yes, I'm aware of that. But I've also had my iguana for 15 yrs, he's never been caged, and has NEVER hurt anyone. Not even an attempt to do anything. He was very well socialized around people. I wasn't even aware that people had so many problems with aggressive iguanas until I started reading this forum. But, yes, I am aware that an iguana could do some serious damage, but I have no worries about my iguana doing anything. You'd think if he was going to do something aggressive, he would've shown that type of behavior before. I'm sure snakes make great pets for some people, but they are just not for me. And with my daughter being so young, I need pets around that she can touch and handle without the worry about her getting bitten. My bf also doesn't exactly like reptiles, and he hates snakes the most, for what reason I do not know, so me getting a snake even if I wanted to is out of the question. It took me 7 yrs to get him to not be afraid of spiders, but snakes, that might take a while.
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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

my iguana elanore, another wrongly named lizard is actualy a boy. is the nicest iguana in the world. he even loves to be huged, cuddled, will even fall asleep cuddled up to you. but one day out of no where i went to open the door to his cage and he attacked me! jumped right at my face, with a gaping mouth! luckly i grabed her in time before that gaping mouth bit my nose off! lol from that point foward. i am very careful even with the nicest of iguanas. he has not done it since. i have no clue why he was that mad at me. -brandy
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brandy

I'm sorry that happened to you, but like I said, I'm not concerned. I feel that most of the problems people have with their iguanas is due to not raising them properly. I don't believe iguanas should be stuck in cages. They need constant room to roam free in. They like to climb trees and be free in the wild, why would anyone just throw them in a cage and expect them to be happy? I also believe that iguanas need to be well socialized and trained properly just like dogs do. Or sure, they will become mean and unpredictable. When I first got my ig, he was a little wild, but after a year, he became the best pet I've ever had. And like I've said before, he's 15 yrs old, he lives with 4 cats and a dog, and the cats sometimes harrass him, but he's never reacted to them either. He's never even been aggresive at the vet. So, I think it's pretty safe to say, I have nothing to worry about.
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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

my iguanas are not stuck in their cages all the time. they are in their cages at night, and during times when my sisters baby is here and when certin other people are here. or when im not home it is for there own safty. when you have five iguanas you have to watch them very closly or they may fight. or get into something that will harm them. my iguanas have a good life. -brandy
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brandy

In the almost 10 years that I've been doing rescue I've had alot of contact with different snakes and lizards, from 6+ foot iguanas, 7 foot Nile monitors, and snakes from 5 inches to 16 feet. The species that I am most cautious with and that makes me the most nervous are Green Iguanas. In my opinoin they are more unpredictable than any snake that we've had here. With most snakes and monitors you will get at least a subtle warning that a strike or bite is coming. Iguanas can go from being calm and seemingly enjoying interaction to a lightning quick snap of the jaws. No gaping, no hissing, no telltale curve of the body. One minute you can be petting an iguana and it pushes it's body into your hand, the next minute he takes a taste of your hand, face, ankle, or whatever body part is closest.

I would much rather be bitten by a 10 foot Boa or Burm than have a 3-4 foot iguana really get a piece of me. I love my iguanas and monitors but I like snakes too. You can't beat the beauty of a nice Dumerils boa or a newly shed African Rock Python.

i love snakes. but i dont own any because i could not bring myself to feed it rats or mice. i have 5 pet rats that are so lovable and smart. and i used to have a pet mouse. i just couldnt do it. although my boyfriend is kinda pushing the issue. he wants one and he used to have them before we were together. so i know im just going to have to deal with it eventualy. but ill be damed if ill be the one feeding it. that can be his job.
-brandy
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brandy

Out of all the animals I've owned (those below and lots of furry critters) my ig is the most unpredictable. The snakes will give you warning if they're going to strike and most of the time they don't. If anything they'll try to get away or poo (like they did to the kids I took them to see today ). I'm gonna stand up and say that they have personalities as well. Slink, my 5 year old male cornsnake is so disgustingly easygoing - nothing fazes him, while Suzie, my 7 year old female is more skittish and much faster. It's fun watching the babies develop too. Don't get me wrong - I love my ig (although I'm not sure she loves me yet - she's still really young) but the snakes are definately more predictable than she is.

~Katie
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JK Pets - Online Pet Supplies

2.3 Cornsnakes (Slink, Shadow, Suzie, Snickers, Selena)
0.1 Columbian Red Tail Boa (Baby)
0.3 Leopard Geckos (Cutie, Lily, and Miss Piggy)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Sam)
0.2 Pac Man Frogs (Gordito and Spud)
0.1 Suriname Toad (Squishy & the Squishettes)
0.0.2 Giant Millipede (Mega & Mila)
0.0.1 Green Iguana (Iggy)
0.0.1 Red Eared Slider (Tiny)
lots of snails and fish...

Well, from reading everyone's post snakes and igs that bite have come from a rather bad history. I would understand that an Ig that has come to a rescue shelter or whatever would bite because the owner apparently didn't take proper care or abused him, hence him being there. I'm an ig lover, snake hater. My ig has had some times in the past of trying to bite and tail whiping, but i understand it was either my mistake or the owner I got him from didn't raise him properly. My friend had a snake and it was the most dull thing i've ever seen. He would just sit there. Even his feeding was boring. With my ig he is constantly running around, eating, basking, etc. I even enjoy it when he's swimming and takes a big nasty poop in my tub. But you can't say snakes are better, igs are not. Igs are better, snakes are not. Because when it comes down to it their attitude is based on their history with interaction and their raising.
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1.0 Savannah Monitor - Artimus
2.0 Emerald Swift - Jesus, unnamed
1.0 Baby veiled Cham - Sir August De Winter 1-20-05 RIP
1.0 Green Iguana - King Arthur
1.0 Rose-hair tarantula - Bill
1.0 Basilisk - Adam
0.1 Water Dragon - Lady

I know I"m late in responding to this. I think I was waiting to see what everyone else said before I added my two cents. I agree with a lot of things, but there is one thing I didn't see anyone else address.

I volunteer at the zoo. We use live animals in public education programs, ranging from walk-n-talks on zoo grounds to community events and school programs. We do have a variety of snakes in our collection, ranging from some small constrictors to medium-size constrictors, then onto large constrictor and one large snake that isn't a constrictor at all. One of the things I was taught in my training was that when we are out on a program, most notably school programs, to always announce it before you bring out a snake so that kids have a chance to leave the room. The reason being, is that there are a lot of kids with native american heritige in my area, and some native american cultures are very superstitious about snakes. Some believe that just seeing one is a bad omen, let alone touching one. While these are the kinds of misunderstandings we are trying to correct, we also want to respect different beliefs, and the fears that sometimes result from them.

So I wanted to add cultural beliefs to the list of 'reasons why snakes are feared'.

I also knew someone growing up who had witnessed certain 'religious' rituals involving snakes and was so traumatized by the things he saw that he is afraid of snakes to this day.

We are all a product of our environment.

Also, some people are afraid of snakes for reasons that they can't explain. When I took psychology in college, it was pretty much accepted that true phobias often have no precendence. While I am not afraid of snakes, I am very afraid of spiders. Not so much the big ones, but the smaller ones. My husband, who is not afraid of snakes OR spiders, is very afraid of sharks, to the point where he can't even watch them on TV. Some people are afraid of heights. Others are afraid of the dark. Either way, I think it's very important that we, as folks in the herp community, respect other peoples' fears.
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~Alika~
1.0.0 green iguanas
0.1.0 cockatiels
1.0.0 senegal parrots
0.1.0 blue-fronted amazons
0.0.1 red belly piranha

very true! by the way im not afraid of spiders or snakes but am also very afraid of sharks! they are the scariest animals in the world. i mean just look at their eyes and teeth. they look like they came straight from the hell! man i get creeped out everytime i see them on tv. it does not stop me from watching though. but it does stop me from picking up a sport lke surfing. no way would i go in the ocean. -brandy
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brandy

I can't swim, so sharks are a scary thing for me too. I went to Cape Cod once, and I was too afraid to go into the ocean because of jellyfish and some kind of "Jaws" re-enactment happening.
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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

Like reptiles, sharks are widely misunderstood. When looked at properly these predators are amazing examples of successful evolution that haven't changed in millions of years. Scary perhaps, but beautiful as well.. I've always dreamed of swimming with sharks. I'd love to go diving with them no matter what the risks. There are many harmless sharks. The grey Nurse shark near Australia with the huge teeth....those teeth are used on nothing but fish. The only 2 sharks I wouldn't get in the water with is a Great White and a Bull shark.....and not because I fear them but because I respect them enough to know they pose a greater danger than most other sharks. I love sharks though. I can understand some people being afraid of them.. but they also shouldn't surrender to the hype surrounding sharks no more than they should surrender to the hype about reptiles. Fear is due to misunderstanding and the potential for harm. Understanding brings respect which should be what everyone feels. Fear can only bring harm to both animals and people unfortunately. Most shark bites occur when the animal mistakes a human for a prey item. Brightly flashing metals or white patches of skin can look like a struggling fish's stomach to a shark. They respond to stimuli we can't even explain. Most bites are experimental....it isn't their fault we're in their territory and they don't know what we are or if we're food. What else are they supposed to investigate with? They have no hands... only mouths. There are also a lot of instances of them merely mouthing someone.. it leaves small bite marks but nothing serious, just to find out what it is and if its food. There are also territorial strikes where the animal is protecting its turf. Any animal can do this...why we pick out certain ones to fear is anyone's guess.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

i agree. but am still very afarid of them. lol i cant help it. i do find them beautiful in a horrifying way. no way would i go swimming with them
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brandy

Oooh, I've been diving with nurse sharks

Several years back, when I was testing for my advanced open water certification, my class went to a human-maintained, landlocked, naturally-occuring salt water lake stocked with all kinds of marine fish. In one of the side pools, there were two nurse sharks. Very cool.

Not as cool as an ocean encounter, but still not something to be forgotten.

I'd love to do a whale shark dive someday... if I can ever talk hubby into going with me.
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~Alika~
1.0.0 green iguanas
0.1.0 cockatiels
1.0.0 senegal parrots
0.1.0 blue-fronted amazons
0.0.1 red belly piranha