Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Why do people keep like so many reptiles?
I would like to hear different opinions on this.
I work at a pet store, and I know that 90% of the customers who buy reptiles or small animals every day aren't going to spend the money that they need to for proper care especially potential vet bills.
I also know that many of those people constantly buy reptiles from us,and I highly doubt they have the money they need to bring those animals for a vet visit in the case of sickness.
One of my coworkers constantly reminds us of their 30 collection of reptiles. And I've worked there long enought to know that person doesn't bring them to the vet because she feels like "all they do is give something for appetite".
Now, that person is "highly respected" by the customers and employees and I think it's sad because I do not consider that a true reptile keeper. I believe a reptile owner should be considerate and responsible enough to know when to STOP and see if they have the money for proper care if they get sick. I am so tired of dealing with customers who buy and buy and buy and buy.

When a person is buying an animal, they are taking responsibility for their life including all the financial costs. I find it depressing there are people who boast about their animals just because of the fact that they have so many and are "proud" of it.

i have a lot of animals and their is no part of me that does it just to say i have them. i have them because i find it an enjoyable hobby and i DO provide the right care.in fact, most of the herps i have i have had for two years or more, one snake is almost 15 years old. just to assume that someone has more than one is not properly taking care of them is a very negative assumption. and i think most ppl would agree that one or two, compared to three or four, speaking in terms of money really isnt that much different. honestly, when you have more herps you can afford to buy things in bulk (like crickets and other feeders) that would normally die off with only one animal and it turns out to be cheaper. you can spend the extra ten bucks and get some mice to breed and you have your own food supply. coming from a person that does have more than one reptile, i dont think you should be saying that everyone that has multiple herps doesnt give them the proper care.
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1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Maybe some people have it.Like those cat ladies you hear about on the news.Many just want to be able to say they have them or just to show off.Some people like me just dont have a life and my pets give something to do till I get old and die.Really I love all my reps and other critters but I dont have too many either, considering..If they all got sick at once Id be in trouble thats for sure..But my vet lets us make payments, so I have a vet bill monthly, just when I get it paid something else happens.
You would be surprised at how someone can come up with the money to care for a pet..There will always be idiots.But there are those that learn from thier mistakes eventually when they lose animals to illness and cant treat them too.
I will say I have traded off some other snakes and lizards but its not like they get attached to you like a dog or cat.
Here is my very handleable manageriem the ones Ill never get rid off:
2 corns,1 kingsnake 1 ball,1 boa, 1 bluetongue skink, 1 tegu
3 cats(all fixed) 3 dogs(Chihuahua,bordercollie and Bloodhound)
and a Beta, I dont think a cockroach colony counts as pets.
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watch him go NUTZO, or a re flower as Herpgirl said, NO DOUBT they see the color , LOL
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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

Some of us were born animal nuts. Can't explain, other than even when you did not buy a pet, something hurt seemed to be laying in your yard, or someone knew you loved animals and brought sick or hurt creatures to you.

I have alot of reptiles, I do breed my favorites, and I think they are all BEAUTIFUL and show people their pics. But thats what I DO ALL DAY, besides taking care of our home and personal things I take care of my reptiles.

I have reached a time in my life after having children early, they are grown and married. This is MY time to enjoy and do something I have grown to LOVE doing! I never stop learning,

I TRY my BEST to give each and every lizard a great life and home for as long as it lives. Everyone, is a PET and stays except for the few kids that are hatched each breeding season.

Ya know even when some of us brag on here about our little PRETTIES, in the END when ya turn this thing off it's US who spend the time, money, care, and boy do I mean lots of time, money and care, Takes me a couple hours each morning to get everyone situated and cleaned up , fresh water, crickets(which I breed, more work, and buy some feeders)

Then a few hours later it's salad time for others, and then the spot cleaning after they all eat and GO .... My point is ALOT of time is devoted to these guys, EXTRA for anyone sick.

I must admit, I could not do it if I was not home all day!

Anyway, some people buy clothes, expensive jewery, take magnificent trips, play or watch sports all the time.

** Then there are the serious animal lovers, who devote a part of themselves to these magnificent, awesome creatures God put here for us to look after !

Don't worry about what others do, just be the BEST you can be with EVERYONE and to EVERYTHING BE KIND..

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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

that was very well stated PHeve.btw, how many and what to you have? i never thought i would ever hear of someone that was angry that people had multiple reptiles. i can understand being upset if they are not being taken care of and they have all of them squashed together in the same tank because they wanted it sooooo bad but not enough to buy seperate supplies. but you should take notice that not everyone is like that.
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1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

I always see ya around

I will not say how many , hehehehe but many LOVED ones.

I don't think he was mad, I know the poster, and know that they are a GOOD person.

I just think they are upset seeing people buy so many at petstore and wonders if they are all being taken care of properly !

CRITTERS RULE !

My Scaly Kids pics and more

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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

wow, you have some gorgeous kids! those collards are beautiful. would you mind telling me where your saharan uro came from? he is amazing. i just love the uros too. they are just so personable.
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1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Thanks, Mothers are allowed to brag about their lizard children, LOL

The male saharan uro is gorgeous, very red/orange His name is Crispy, and I orginally got him as a wc from Reptile depot about 6 years ago, so he has done well. I have been thinking about a female for him, but I have had alot going on, and may hold off until next season.

You have quite a family also
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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

yea, i kept mali uros years back, i had a female mali that was my first "larger lizard." that sounds funny now because i considered her a big lizard then, now i barely have any that small. thats just cuz i was keeping anoles and treefrogs so, comparatively speaking...that was big to me. but anyway, i loved her personality so i got a male (i think i can post a pic of the male)that was a long time ago and they have both passed on since then... and i have been wanting to get back to uros again, i really like red nigers. hopefully i can get 1.2 at the hamburg show dec. 3. *Cant wait!!*
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1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

oops! forgot the pic! btw, i am not holding him in the pic, it was actually taken by tina, from geckoville

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1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Very good looking uro shes holding, looks real healthy, fat, nice color!

Like your pic
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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

i have to agree with the other posters.. i work at a petstore too.. and i do have quite a few animals.. its what keeps me going.. i get off work, come home and take care of my babies! they get money from my paycheck for food and supplies before i buy groceries for myself.. and i have a similar deal with my vet, we pay in installments for any work needed and she cuts me deals because i refer a lot of herp owners to her..

i do know what you are talking about though.. we have a few repeat customers that come to the store and buy and buy... i honestly cant say if they take care of them or not because i havent ever seen thier setups or anything.. one woman in particular we barred from buying because she took the attitude of "oh well if it dies ill just get another".. bought a water dragon, kept it in a 10 gallon tank until with no light or heat until it died, then came back and got another one and kept it in the same conditions until it died.. when she came back again, we refused to sell her anything else.. that store has since closed and she has started going to the one i work at now.. i explained her attitude to my manager and we will not sell her a herp unless she buys the full setup with everything it needs for lifetime care .. so she cant say "oh well ill buy it a bigger tank later"

some people are just like this.. hard to believe, but there are a lot of people who dont think that thier survival or quality of life is relevant because they are "just animals".. not everyone though.. and in my opinion, most people who are herp nuts usually take a lot of time and money to keep them healthy and happy.. thats part of the joy in keeping them!

(sorry so long!)
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

I agree that there are quite a few people out their who can't say no to the impulse buy, and soon they have much more than they have time or money for. After all, with so many cool, easily available species, it's soooo easy to get caught up with.

I think the people here on kingsnake however are a select portion of the population. Being a part of forums like this shows that we are at least interested in educating ourselves in herp care. It also shows we have the time to do so, and thus arn't overburdened by our herp collection.

My collection

Leopard Gecko, Gargoyle Gecko, Madag.G.Day Gecko, Mangrove Monitor, Boa constrictor and babies, bull snake, three corn snakes, suriman toad, pacman frog, blue tongued skink, firebelly newts, two russian tortoises, african spurr-thigh tortoise, two red-eared sliders and a box turtle.

Of course buying the animals was the lowest cost involved with keeping them properly, proper food, proper housing, vet bills, etc are much higher than 90% of reptile keepers seem to realize.
Heres some pictures from my collection, all were sent to me, or 2 were picked up at a reptile show, none bought from petstores (most are more like pet funeral homes), specially picked out by me all but 1 that was given to me as a fresh import by a friend, all others are or were true captive bred and born animals, all except 2 were between $200-$375 each, one was previously mentioned and one is a flavi-argus cross that was given to me. One monitor was a great deal because the former owner had to get rid of him (my storrs, he was under $200).
The largest female albigularis known of, almost 6.5ft long, a blackthroat/whitethroat/whitethroat cross, almost 4 years old.

2 weeks after I got her, 2.5 months old.

Her cage, cost me around $1000 to build, this was cage number 6, she outgrew the others, fast..

This was taken while building the cage.

I was given this flavi-argus, I paid shipping on him, his cage was over $200 to build.

Storrs monitor, got a great deal on him because he killed his mate, less than $200 delived I think.

Red ackie pair, the male was $375 when I bought him, he was a great deal then, the female was suffering from calcium problems etc she was a great deal at $200, she recovered fast in the right care.

Their kids, so cute.

Do not try this at home, this is a few months or so ago, my male beardie, the ackie pair, and our cat, yes the cat learned his lesson a split second after I took this picture. The female ackie who is sizing him up and defending the other 2 lizards leaped on him biting him, he gives them space now.

My only snake, pink patternless pine snake female.

My spider, until recently and unidentified species, had her for 2 years now, shes an East African Shiny Gray Tunneling Spider, very fast, very aggressive, and unknown venom toxicity. A pig eats 6-12 crickets a week sometimes. She was bought at a petstore, she was misidentified and they just got her in, they didnt have time to ruin her, lol.

Almost forgot the only import, was given to me, a male blackthroated monitor missing a sizeable chunk of tail.