Hello Herpgirl,



Both my wife and I held several speeches on the misconceptions people have regarding snakes. I am mainly a snake guy, so that is what I brought for the speeches when I attended high school, as well as, one of my speeches in college. The main thing you must keep in mind is many people have a true phobia of reptiles. Respect others rights when giving the talk, and hold the animals while you are delivering the speech. Yes, expect "OHHH"'s and "AHHHH"'s. Once you are finished ask if anyone would like to pet the animals. I always kept the heads restrained just incase. As a herper, I am sure you are aware of your animals striking ranges, so keep this in mind. There is a potential law suit you do not want if your animals become stressed and pops a fellow classmate. I would not allow ANYONE to hold the animals solo. Lastly, I would recommend bringing your most docile animal/s. There is no need to bring your komodo dragon to impress friends. I always brought my sweetest ball python, but certainly could have brought my 12ft female boa. Non-herpers will find your pythons, lizards, turtles, frogs, etc. most intriguing since this is not a pet they commonly interact with at their home.



Inform the people why the animals react the way they do. Tell them to pet the animals after your speech to prove it is not slimy. You know the drill. At the time I considered the reasons my parents did not like herps and took it from there when developing the speech. Cake walk!



BTW, I did receive an A on all the speeches. Good luck and let us know how it goes.



Todd G.

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