Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just want to see how many of us are the typical "goth" type with piercings who owns snakes.

i dress in all black, baggy pants, listen to death metal, and i just got my third and fourth piercings today. i have my lip pierced in 10 gauge, my septum (middle part of my nose) 14ga now but soon to be gauged, and today i got a surface piecing above each eyebrow.

what do you look like?
i hate the stereotypes, i dont believe im the stereotype because ive been fascinated with snakes(and other reptiles/ amphibians) since i found my first salamander when i was 4, and when my dad caught a garter at my grandparents house and let me touch it when i was 8. if i could have i would have gotten a snake 10 years ago way before i even heard of metal or baggy black cloths and any piercing besides ears.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

when i said "i hate the stereotypes" i meant i hate that poeple dont notice the keepers that look normal, pretty much i meant i hate that there even is a stereotype.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

I dont guess I fit the "stereotype". I am just your average looking guy with no piercings. I do have 2 tattoos, one on each shoulder, and they are not of snakes. Dress in everyday casual jeans and t-shirts and listen to 80's rock and country.
Cant get any more normal than that I guess!! LOL
Brian
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RATS
2.0 Corn snakes "Warpath" & "Thunderbird" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Great plains rat snake "Reign Fire" (TX locale)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

I guess I'm kinda weird looking but not too far out. I have a long Scott Ian-esque [from Anthrax] goatee along with long hair pulled back in a ponytail. No piercings or tattoos but I make up for that by wearing Utilikilts exclusively [except at work where I have to wear a uniform].
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Matt Campbell
25 years herp keeping experience
Full-time zookeeper
Personal collection - 21 snakes (9 genera), 20 lizards (4 genera), 6 chelonians (2 genera)

Say it ain't so Matt, your saying you wear skirts?
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
8 ball python eggs due any day now!

Me? Medium brown hair, jeans, T-shirts that usually have nature pictures or some funny saying (and by funny, I mean Geek humor, obscure but tasteful), partially leather sneakers, purple ladybug wristwatch since my Swiss Army kicked the bucket, and wireframe glasses. No piercings, but (eventually) I may consider a tattoo or two where the sun don't shine.

So, I'm basically the classic geek. Of course, there is one herper I occasionally come across who looks like a refugee from the Sale rack at Hot Topic... (no offense at all meant to Goth types, I know it can be done well, and the staff at my favorite reptile store do it well) But most at my local reptile society are just semi-average but kinda weird.
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0.1 chickens (Condor)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.1 Normal phase California Kingsnake (Sophia)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

no offense taken,i dont consider myself "goth" i think its just another stereotype made by poeple who arent in hte group, and i dont really like hot topic the only thing i buy from there is pants, other than that i hate that store, its all napolean dynamyte and carebears its kinda "geeky". no offense to the geeky bunch, i know you guys are cool too(and probably smarter than me)
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

None taken! However Napoleon dynamite and Carebears is quite a different strain of geekiness from mine. LOL
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0.1 chickens (Condor)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.1 Normal phase California Kingsnake (Sophia)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

I am a stay at home mom of two, and married 13 years. I also work with the youth and am on the worship team at my church. I guess I am as far from stereotype as you can get!!
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Jenea

1:3 Eastern Hognose
0:0:1 Florida Redbelly Snake
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:1 Red-eared Slider
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

I'm a 35 year old Lotus Notes developer. No tats or extra holes. I do shave my head, but it's mainly because I'm 80% bald already. My wife is a webmaster (webmistress, whatever), and also collects snakes.

I dont personally feel that I am within that stereotype. I am an average guy, with jeans and a polo shirt. I wear glasses from time to time (when I remember to pick them up in the morning). I do listen to rock music (disturbed, nickelback, staind, etc) but I also listen to rap, R&B, and tid-bits of country here and there. I had one ear peircing since I was in 6th grade (quite a while ago- I am 21 now) and I just last year took that out. So no, I don't think I fit into that category.

Chris
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Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

No...don't like gothic stuff but i don't like preppy stuff either. i like nirvana the chili peppers and the offspring. I just can't understand why in the hell some goth people near where i live will go out in a black trentch coat when its a hundred freakin degrees outside. And just a question for the gothic people...why black?...........no offense
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Be excellent to each other...and Party on dude!

I suspect black is used, first because it's used by goths, and thus is recognized as such. And also the color black can imply darkness, night, mourning, an association with death, etc. Of course white can also imply an association with death, (bones and such) but that's another story.
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0.1 chickens (Condor)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.1 Normal phase California Kingsnake (Sophia)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

i wear black because... i dont know i just do.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

People generally seemed quite surprised to learn I have more than 50 snakes in my home, so I guess I don't meet the stereotype. I'm a college girl with no tats, I've only allowed one single hole to be punched in my body (top of right ear, don't even have the lobes done), wear jeans and t-shirts of no special color, and I'm even a stinking sunday school teacher.

LOL, I look NOTHING like the "stereotype" (although the more shows I go to, the more I realize that the stereotype is crap anyways). I am in my mid 20's and have long blonde hair - look more like a cheerleader than a snake keeper - lol. I used to be a little more into the "goth" look when I was younger, but only as far as having my hair dyed black and liking the color black for most of my clothes - was not into the goth scene at all. Only my family knows what lurks in my back bedroom at home and what rodents are being bred in the basement. My neighbors have no idea and would never guess....
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Amber

3.18.0 Ball Pythons - Tucker, Taylor & Gang
1.1.0 Amber Corns
0.0.2 Amel Corns
1.1.0 Butter Motley Corns
1.1.0 Crimson Corns
1.1.0 Ghost Corns
1.1.0 Hypo Corns
0.0.2 Normal Corns
1.1.0 Okeetee Corns
1.0.2 Snow Corns - Aiden & Kids
1.1.0 Sunglow Motley Corns
1.1.0 Hypo Honduran Milk Snakes
0.1.0 Pueblan Milk Snake - Marishka
1.1.0 Sinaloan Milk Snakes
2.1.0 Dachshunds - Dakota, Montana, & Cheyenne
5.0.0 Ferrets - Tigger, Bailey, Cody, Keyta, & Bandit

I kinda fit that WAAY back many years ago when I was in college, although back then, the term "Goth" only referred to an architechtural style-I was more of a "Punk Rock" type. The only piercings I have had were in my ears, but had to let those close up due to problems associated with my skin type(very fair, freckles, red hair, green eyes-the whole Celtic thing). Today, many, many years later, I probably would be about as far from "Goth" as you can get. I tend to dress quite conservatively, with t-shirt and jeans or shorts being my preferred "uniform", but I have to dress a bit nicer than that for my job. Long hair, no unusual style, very little jewelry(rather spend money on snakes and tarantulas, really), very little make-up, no piercings-though I do have a tattoo of one of my Pit Bulls(now deceased)on my lower left leg. I have a very strong Southern accent, which, along with my looks, probably makes more people stereotype me as a "redneck woman" and assume I'd either kill every snake I see, or run screaming from it, but we all know better than to judge books by their covers, right?

SMcKenzie

Im a 41yo mom....I have a col. boa, ball python, 2 corns,a kingsnake and a garter as well as a large bluetongue
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I am straight, so I don't have any tattoo's or piercing, my wife has both though. As far as fashion is concerned, what's a goth? I dress for comfort and utility, at work, I wear a button up shirt,belt, kaki's, cause that's what's expected. At the gym or out on my jumping stilts, sleaves less shirts and thin shorts, becuase I sweat when I workout. When I am out mountainboarding, or skateboarding, I wear whatever I can buy at goodwill for less then $10.00, because it's going to get shredded anyway. When handling snakes, any of the above, I never considered keeping snakes as needing atire, but I guess if I was going to do something it would be a lab coat.

i am a single 42 year old female that just loves snake. i don't dress in black or 'goth' or anything like that. i live with my sister in a house and just enjoy the outdoors, hiking, walking the dogs. have a good job and try to think of ways to make room for more snakes. my sis doesn't understand why i love them so much but i do. i can not wait till this weekend to go to tucson for the reptile show here in arizona in hopes of bringing something home

my pets include:
2 dogs
4 cats
6 snakes: a 6-7 foot JCP, 3 corns, a honduran milk and a soloman island ground boa.
also a couple of anoles and fire belly toads

anyone ever see that commercial for computers? Pink girl doesnt have a snake goth girl does..
Also old school stuff like Alice Cooper and numerous other rockers that had snakes on stage did alot for making it appear Goths/Heavy metal rockers all had a thing for snakes....Of course there is always that Christian serpent mythology thing going that snakes are the devil incarnate.....So snakes=devil rocker/goth people......Anyways thats My two Cents...
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those are the people i'm talking about. people that just seem to want a snake draped around them to look cool and they all seem to dress in black.
i'm not trying to offend anyone but before i got into snakes those were the typical folks i saw with a snake. i don't think they have them to care for..just to look cool with. i would see them on the boardwalks with the temp in the 60's. they didn't seem to care about the welfare of the snake at all.

hey, dress what ever way you want.... more power to you..........just my 2 cents also.

thats cruel, in the 60s, thats way too cold.
ive only taken one of my snakes out in public once
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

just walking around..Im sure I would have noticed if there had been...This was before we moved to this podunk town.But even when I lived in the San Fransisco bay area.
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I reject the assumption that "Herp" folks are stereotypicaly counterculture (Goth,tattoed, peirced etc.)

When I think of Herpers I think of folks who run the entire continuim but who enjoy reptiles.

It's your personal bussiness how you wish to dress or come across to others. I personaly think it's an error to link the two together. Be who you are.

On a side note, I am reminded of a Motorcyclist columnist who once remarked after attending a very large rally that, while bikers tend to espouse a sentiment of "being different", "Not one of the crowd", "Free thinkers", 'Wind in the face,Free spirited individuals", The "uniform" of the day was Black T shirts, Jeans, Boots and chained wallets with subtle variations. So much for being an individual.

I have often wondered if the Tattoed/peirced/Goth crowd fall into the same unintentional uniformity.

I think we should be independent enough to choose however we want to dress or come across.If you like Tats/peircings or long or short hair thats your preference. What you really are is inside.

Happy Herping.

a "goth" is one one of those people who listen to the slowest most depressing rock you can find, act depressed and pissed, wear all black clothes, black hair, and black make up which looks fuuny because most are pale
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

A little over 20 years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I needed a roommate for my apartment. So I went down to the student housing office and I filled out a roommate request card. It asked if I had pets and I said yes, snakes and a dog. But I quickly felt the need to correct any perception people have of a snake keeper. Back then I wrote that I keep snakes but don't ride a motorcycle or own any leather clothes. (In those days, if you had a tatoo you were either a sideshow freak, or had just come out of the navy or prison.)

Since that time, the herpetoculture industry has evolved and exploded. That explosion led to me seeing that generally snake people were clean cut, educated, and didn't have any extra holes in their bodies (I was born with all I need, thanks!) and their skin was pretty much the same color as it was when they were born.

When I think of herpers, I think of people in a herp shirt and jeans at an expo. Generally the guys I think of are 30 years old and have been keeping breeding snakes for decades.

To be honest, when I am at an expo and I see a guy/gal with extraneous metal stuff sticking out of their body and black clothes, hair, makeup, etc, I think "snake rookie" - they either own a Boa, a ball python, a burm or a mean ass retic.
So I too am guilty of stereotyping, I just don't consider the goth/heavy metal person as the "typical" herper. Of course, I'm wrong most of the time, like all stereotypers!
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

np

as saying goths, pierced/tattoo'd persons, etc, are uneducated...Whereas clean cut is educated...Hmmmm somehow that sounds so stereotyped....I think no matter how creative/original one tries to be there is always a group to put them into.
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i think thats its human nature to conform, we cant help it.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

It's a definite pressure Jake but you can be anything you want to be. It's whats inside that really counts.

Tattoed/ peirced ... whatever could be very educated but his general observation was...

People are way too complicated to be pigeon holed.

I am fortunate enough to have a very diverse colorful bunch of friends.A lot of the toughest/intimidating lookers have hearts of gold but you wouldn't probably guess that until you spent some time with them.

Some of my freinds who dress with head rags and leather trench coats and peircings as well as the biker leather type lament at times that while they enjoy that some of the ladies are drawn to their "look" they get tired of the defensive/cautious negative resonse from others.

We should be who we are, but it's hard not to see that we send a message to folks by the way we act/dress and we reap the benefits and negatives by the choices we make.

I wish it was a perfect world but....

and everyday I interact with "kids" who have
- metal stuff in their tongues, ears, noses
- tatoos on their faces, backs, arms,
- cowboy hats, starched white shirts and professionally pressed Wrangler jeans
- college athletic clothing (who are actually athletes, not just wannabees)
- basketball shirts, chains and shorts that they wear around their thighs
- suits and ties (coming off 9-5 jobs)
- etc, etc, etc.

One thing I have learned is that anytime you judge a person's educational background, personality or intelligence by their appearance you are really only measuring your own intelligence.

I'm sorry if I gave that implication, I was just trying to express stereotypes that I have been guilty of in the past.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

i just thought it came across as the typical stereotype of cleancut=good, modified body=bad...I live in a very small midwestern town that is soooo full of people that classify everyone into little neat groups its revolting..I get rather sick of it. I have two sons, one is cleancut and neat, one is tattoo'd and well, different....I see the prejudice here frequently...It cant be helped its just the way people are, must be some kind of instinctive thing. Its just soo hard on the ones that dont quite fit the mold of "Normal", even if they are very good people inside..
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We are certainly a diverse group with one important thing in common: Our interest in snakes

Most of "us" that I have seen "look" almost like normal people. Of course my big cross-section of the herp world is the All Ohio Reptile Show. Yes, I see piercings and tattoos. I see jeans and t-shirts. Not many suits & ties, of course, but who's to say that more than a few of us aren't forced to put those awful clothes on to make a living.

Me: Fairly casual at work. Usually a button-down shirt (often with a hawiian pattern or, better yet, FISH). Very casual on MY time: Shorts whenever the weather permits. Jeans or other comfortable pants in the winter. No piercings of any kind. No tattoos either. The VERY long hair that I wore decades ago has given way to a slightly more conservative cut. Beard going grey. Basically, I dress for comfort and whatever is practical to the situation. Oh, maybe a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes while I'm fishin' or just being outside.

Which brings me to another observation: I think that one of the things that many of us have in common is an appreciation for the natural world. I think that's where our love of animals, and therefore snakes, comes from. If there were a "true" stereotype of our community (as opposed to the media one)... I think it would perhaps be the outdoor/nature-loving group that includes fishermen (and fisherwomen, of course!), hikers, campers, boaters and overall nature folks. That's not ALL of us, but from what I have read on these forums over the years, this seems to be the common thread. And most of THAT group dresses for practical comfort.

Do I ramble? Of course I do. Duffy

np

I agree, not many of us consider herps as fashion excessories. Though some may start out that way and end up finding that keeping and learning about herps is far more interesting then any clicke they were trying to associate with.

I think snakes are so popular today you see a wide range of individuals that share this hobby. When I'm at herp shows the range of people I find there is the same as if you were walking at the local mall, or catching a flight at the airport. I guess if I was going to sterotype a tattoo or goth type person with snakes, It would be more on the line with some of the larger boids, aka burmese pythons, Red-tail boas, retics, etc.
With me it's pretty much jeans and T-shirts or collar shirts, or in warm weather, shorts, sandals, and T-shirts/collar shirts. At work it's military Bdu's (Air Guard) I'm 41, married with two girls, short hair, no piercings, but I do have one tatto.

Steve

Is the stereotype female, fat, and frumpy? Then yeah, that's me!

No, really.... I haven't kept snakes in years because my husband doesn't like them, but I'd have them if I could. I keep lizards, is that close enough? One tatoo that you can't see in street clothes, have typical feminine pierced ears but don't wear earings very much, but I clean up real nice in a dress for hearings in the state capital when the hobby is affected by a bill.

Katrina

No. I didn't even know that there was a stereotype. Snake enthusiasts come in all forms--pierced & unpierced. Some look like grandmas and others like the man behind the counter at a country post office. Herpetoculture now seems big but there were people decades ago who kept snakes and learned about them so we today can do it "recipe" style. Back in the early 70s boa constrictors became popular when Alice Cooper used them on stage & on one of his albums (forget which). Your style of dress wasn't anywhere on the drawing board back then and there were plenty of us who had terriums set up in our bedrooms filled with racers, water snakes, gopher snakes & more. Some of were science nerds and or kids from broken homes patching our pants together with duct tape--not because it was in style or cool but because it was fast, easy & necessary. If there is one stereotype among us snake enthusiasts, it is a deep appreciation for the intensely beautiful creations that we have found in our keep. We love nature, wildlife, and beautiful, healthy snakes. Does that answer your question?

I'm a 19-year-old married female artist, geek, and nature lover. I'm also a Christian, which really doesn't fit the stereotype at alL! (I love the reactions from folks at my church when I tell them I have two snakes at home ) I'm enrolled at Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio working towards an Animation major, as a freshman in the Foundation Studies program. I love watching anime and playing console RPG's, doing illustration, animation, photography, going camping, kayaking, writing, and reading.

I don't have any piercings (not even my ears, I'm too much of a wimp!), I don't have any tattoos, and although I like wearing black, it's "classy" black. I dress pretty normally most of the time.

I don't really fit the stereotype. When I bought my rainbow boa, my mom started joking with me that the tatoos and piercings were next...
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)

I to get lots of looks from folks at church too.. Not just that I have snakes, but am actually trying to incubate their eggs! I am a youth leader and my husband and I are both on the worship team. Lots of people do asscoiate snakes and evil, but I just think of them as another example of Gods majesty. I mean, they are so fasinating. To move as gracefully as they do without legs....absolutely beautiful in my opinion. Oh well, I just consider it their loss.
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Jenea

1:3 Eastern Hognose
0:0:1 Florida Redbelly Snake
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:1 Red-eared Slider
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

Hehehe... yep, I just try to enjoy the looks and funny comments, and move on. It definitely gets amusing at times! Thankfully, I don't live in the South so I haven't had anyone tell me I'm evil for it - but people do wonder what I'm thinking, sharing my house with a couple of snakes.

I, too, find reptiles (and snakes especially!) to be among the most beautiful of God's creation, and I love introducing others (Christian and no) to their unique beauty and design.
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)

I am as in the south as you can get!! All of my snakes are kept in my 11 (oops 12) year old daughters room. She had a sleep over last week and several of the girls were...ummmm.... lets say a bit hesitant about sleeping in her room. After a little discussion and show and tell, the girls warmed up. Today at church everyone of them asked me about the snakes. Did one of them shed, did they eat, how are the eggs......on and on. No fear now, just curiosity. I have even one some of the parents over. Not they would ever own a snake, but at least they admire them a bit now. It is very cool to see reactions change like that. Of course it helps that one of my snakes, fullgrown, is the size of a large earthworm and the others are hognose. Nothing big and scary, just "cute".

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Jenea

1:3 Eastern Hognose
0:0:1 Florida Redbelly Snake
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:1 Red-eared Slider
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

Oh wow, that's awesome! It is really cool to see people warm up to snakes like that. Especially to win the parents over, too!

I have a similar situation here. The youth pastor at my church, his wife, and his two daughters (4 and 9 years old) moved into my apartment complex about three months ago. I started "babysitting" the oldest daughter, Amber, now and then, and got to know the parents really well. To make a long story short, nowadays Amber just adores my two snakes, Zia (a rainbow boa), and Houdini (a leucy ratsnake). When I asked someone in my congregation a few weeks ago if they had seen Amber at church, they asked my name... I introduced myself.. and what response did I get? "Oh! Amber talks all about you! You must be the Amanda that keeps the snakes!" *lol* Kids are funny that way.

It's great to see her really learning about the snakes, too. She came with me to the All-Ohio Show last Saturday and had an absolute blast. The church preschool is asking me to do a "Show and Tell" for the kids sometime next month now, too.

Anyway, it's been cool talking with you! Talk about using snakes for the glory of God... *grins* I'm sure THAT sentence would raise a few eyebrows among some in our faith!
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)