Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It is really disturbing to find people who, after walking into a petshop, or logging onto a website, decide that snakes are cool, and impressive, and go out and buy one.

I hate when people buy snakes just to impress others. Or, when they just want to get their hands on the biggest snake they can find, despite the fact they've never even held one before.

I feel a need to bring this up. Time and time again, I see people ask questions where it is plain and simple that whatever snake they buy is going to be neglected.

And so, I urge all forum-regulars to advise ignorant people to spend many an hour browsing these forums, reading websites and books, and speaking to breeders/pet shops.

This is a reply that i wrote to one of the messages posted. He wanted to buy a snake and one of his cheif prerequisites was a 'cool sounding name'... he believed that 'milk snake' wasn't impressive enough:

"You need to realise that snakes live for a long time. THEY ARE A LIFETIME COMMITMENT! It shouldn't matter to you what the specie name is. It shouldn't matter how cool it is, or if you can show it off to your frieds.

Yes, you should worry about temperament and size. But not if your only concerns involve the wow factor.

Grow up. Don't buy a snake until you care less about what the snake says about you, and more about what you can do for a snake.

And, btw, yes these forums are a wealth of knowledge. But that doesn't mean you should ask millions of questions that are easy to find answers to. If you want colour/price/length information, on any information regarding just about anything - SEARCH THE NET or search the forums. You will find that your questions have already been answered.

It really angers me to find people who want pets simply because they think they are cool. Because it is those pets that end up being neglected and dying.

I am in Australia, and even the most common of snakes are $350AU (which is $300US). You need to develop a better appreciation and do a hell of a lot more of your OWN research before making a purchase. Poor bloody snake."

What do you all think? Are you with me? Or am i being harsh?

Cheers.
Aaron.

Hey Aaron - take a chill!
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Thanks,
Dan from Long Island

It was something that needed to be said, however when you get that harsh, people tend to tune you out. You have to learn the ancient art of the BS. No, not a batchlors in science, but close! In fact there is little difference! lol...

Anyway, I completely agree. Living in a beach community, it's all too common to see a guy walking down the street with a ball python around his neck or on his arm trying to pick up girls. But I know when that guy takes that snake home it's not getting any kind of care it should.

I'll not go as far as you to say just because people think that snakes are "cool" means they'll be bad keepers - in all honesty thats how a lot of responsible herpers have started out. Myself included when going to green tree pythons. I started keeping snakes out of a lifetime interest in them, then I thought the green tree pythons were "cool" so I got one. I take very good care of it, however I know where you're coming from. Goes back to the idiots carrying them down the beach.

Personally, if I see someone asking questions about getting a first snake, there is a typical procedure I follow in reccomending one. First, i'll give them a long list of websites i've compiled. I'm actually going to make a page with all the links, when I get some free time.

Then I usually can convince them to take time and research. Basically I'll do this by showing tons and tons of pictures of all these different kinds of snakes and confusing the hell out of them. this makes them wait a while to decide what type he or she wants, giving the individual time to do research needed.

sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. all you can do is try.

I got fired from my job at a pet store once because I wouldn't sell a red ear slider turtle to this lady who had no idea of how to give it a good home, nor the intent to. I was told I couldn't refuse a sale to a willing customer. I said you wouldn't let her take that puppy home if she wasn't going to care for it correctly, would you? He told me I was fired. You can only go so far, the rest you have to leave up to the idiots, sad to say.
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-Chris

0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat
1.0 Black Rat
0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty
1.0 Green Tree Python
0.1 Texas Bairds Rat

The educated are the few. The uneducated are the masses.

North American Rat / Corn Snake Care Sheet

The real world....We all think it. but the fools are going in most cases, follow their sense of what is cool and fashionable and rules be damned. Then they go back to the dealer with their dead animal and blame them (right or wrong). It doesn't seem to matter how much advice you give.

I have spent many years in the hobby and more than a few in the pet trade or in Herp societies.

You just reach a point where you get tired of saying the same thing to deaf ears....

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Through my part-time job and the herp society I'm a member of, I've seen all manner of abused animals that were the direct result of some idiot who purchased an animal without making the aforementioned lifetime committment. I even have several of these cast-off animals in my collection and some have even been in educational shows where I used them to demonstrate how bad things can happen when good animals meet stupid people. Unfortunately, as Frank mentions, the idiots are still going to go out and get whatever they want, and someone else will pay the price for their folly - almost always the animal in question. Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with taking someone to task if they're posting questions and coming across like they're going to be an irresponsible owner. If they've come to this online community for advice or to learn then they should be willing to take constructive criticism if it's obvious that they're going to be making a bad decision as the result of not doing their homework. All you can do is hope you get through to some of them.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois

And it probably always will...
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.........
)

I'm the high school science teacher at a private boarding school. lets just say some of our kids are high profile and come from very wealthy families.

I've been working there for a couple years and have met quite a few parents that seem to have had kids just because it was an "In" thing to do...or "tres chic" for their social group...

Rather scary that people could not only be so ignorant about animals, but children as well...

AMEN Aaron! I've tried to tell this to people here on Kingsnake quite a few times but they throw it back in your face...
like you don't know what your talking about! It's so frustrating to try to help a newbie to the hobby when they won't even take the advice of the people that KNOW what they're talking about!

Isn't that right Dan?

I agree with what you said. What you're talking about here is different than my post below about being dissappointed in the snakes I bought a while back.
One of my biggest pet peeves are definitely the folks who buy big stuff like burmese and rock pythons and retics. They buy snakes because it puts out a "cool aura". Then a few years later when the reality sinks in of what kind of an animal they're dealing with, and they need to get rid of it now. They cant handle the size or the feeding costs. Thats BS and Im sick of it. I wish all the "cool" snakes (meant - HUGE) would be taken off the market or at least made a LOT less affordable so that fewer people would actually get access to them. I guess that kinda goes for hots too. $35 for a Western Diamondback? Wow, thats leaving the door open for a LOT of folks to make an impulse purchase. I feel that there are a lot fewer people out there who can truly care for those animals as they should be cared for.
As far as this new thread you started here, Im behind you 100% on that issue.
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Tom
TCJ Herps
"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"