Is your significant other supportive of your reptile hobby?

My name is Wendy, and I am a snake-aholic. I can admit it. For the most part, my husband is supportive of my passion for snakes, but every once-in-awhile I think he gets annoyed with it. The other day he sat down beside me and started a conversation that went something like this: "Honey, I am so glad that crack cocaine is not what you are addicted to.... but good heavens! Every flat surface in this house if occupied by a snake viv, and you never seem to have enough time to go hiking or to do anything else with me anymore!" Okay, big guillt trip! I felt really bad and vowed to sell off a few more "keepers" and to spend some extra time with him. I really do want to be a good wife, but sometimes it is hard to balance all of the things I want to do. As much as I love all of my beautiful snakes and enjoy taking care of them, it does consume some time that I might otherwise have to spend with my husband. I really wish he shared my passion for snakes, but he just doesn't. I think he mostly just tolerates it. Anyway, I am posting this poll, because I'm just curious to know whether any of you have had issues with your significant others not being supportive of your reptile hobby?

My wife is supportive as long as the do not flow out of the room they are in and start long productive lives in other parts of the house. That and I only have 30 snakes even if there are more I must always tell her 30 and there are waaaay more than 30.

My wife sort of puts up with it.
If she knew what some of them have cost us she'd have a fit.
Saying that she's happy with the bond it has forged between my son and me and I think she is starting to see that we have a master plan that might work out.

SO? What SO? I'm single. Looks to be the way my life goes, I was single long before I became a snake-aholic. The critters keep me busy & happy. Actually, I was too busy to date before the snakes arrived, and that hasn't changed but I'm happier now. A lot happier. So what if I have even less free time than I did? And no SO?

You forgot one choice: My Significant Other _Is_ A Reptile!! I <3 my Fred!!! And my Isabel!!

I'm fortunate that my husband is my enabler. LOL He knows a little about snakes, but he loves that it makes me happy and he enjoys helping out from time to time. He thinks they're great, but he's not really a herper. He also supports my writing, which is a solo hobby, but then he's a musician and gamer so we are content to spend time apart. We just happen to be at home when that happens!! LOL

Well my boyfriend has no problem with me having snakes because he has snakes too! Actually he has a kingsnake which though it lives at his house is also mine too. It just may turn out that Jack the kingsnake will be coming to live with me soon anyway because he bites my boyfriend all the time but never bites me. After being around my corns, my boyfriend likes them much better and has been thinking about getting one for himself.

For the first time in 26 years of marriage, my spouse is not ragging on me for keeping snakes!!!!! I am currently on disability and my doctor has identified my critters as therapy!!! I am hoping this will continue in May as I come off disability!!!!!!!

Shalom Y'all!

Pat G-C

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2 Chronicles 7:14

TOLERANT is a good word... My wife complains about them every once in a while, but for the most part, is pretty good about "tolerating" them. I know that she actually counts them too... well, she has my kids count them (they're not afraid of them).

My kids are dead give-aways too... before, when I used to "sneak" snakes in, they'd be like, "DAD! What kind of snake is THAT one!!!" Which would cause my wife's ears to perk up.... LOL.

My boyfriend does little snake chores here and there, like changing their water if I'm not around. He's driven all of my snakes home when I have purchased them, and has driven them to the vet. He loves my rosy boa so much that he put together a guitar based on his colouration and named it after him. I'd say he's very supportive.

When ever I have a significant other they usually are ok with it. I did tell this one girl I dated the snakes lived much closer and therefor were much more comforting.

I'm about the same as Dionythicus. My other half likes that the snakes make me happy. Plus, he supports my habit because I support his (model kits and cars, yeah!). Plus, he thinks they're cool, so it works out.

I got him to hold a baby dwarf caiman yesterday. It called for help but was soo cute!

Let me add that I do NOT "sneak" snakes into the house any longer... We had a LONG talk about that.

Well, my situation is a little different, I guess. Our first snake was supposed to be his. I wasn't happy with the care the snake was receiving, so I tended to be the one actually taking care of it. When I got more snakes, he was slightly protesting, not because of the snakes themselves, just didn't think I needed more and where the heck would I put them. And the snakes kept coming and he kept mildly protesting. But since I didn't drive at the time, he had to chauffeur me around to acquire snakes. I even convinced him to buy me one once! And he built me a snake rack. He's still rolling his eyes as more come in the door. I just got my license, so it will only get worse now, I'm sure. LOL

But, I now have him trained so well that he brought me home a WC snake the other day! I don't know if supportive is the word. I'm thinking enabler. :roflmao:

My wife has tried to be supportive, of my snake fetish...to the point of actually getting a pair of Hognose for herself...until the female bit her...well chewed on her really. Once the swelling went down, she proclaimed them mine... well hers, still really... but I'd be taking care of them from now on...since I already had to take care of the others...this only made PERFECT sence.:uhoh:
She then adopted some gecko's, from a friend whose boyfriend left them behind, after the couple split up. But it's hard to socialize geckos, when you have a cat on your shoulder...(drooling and licking it's lips) potentially trying to eat said gecko.
Truth be told I don't think she cares much for the snakes, but they keep me occupied, and that means I'm not bothering her... you see I don't think she really likes me all that much...most of the time...BUT she tolerates me...BECAUSE I take care of the hognose! :laugh:

My husband is the one who convinced me that it really was okay for me to fulfill my decade-long yearning to get a corn snake to begin with. Neither he nor I was quite prepared for where this would go, though. I started volunteering at the rescue where I got Whisper the next week, and I knew immediately that I had found a serious Thing for me. But it's taken him a little longer to understand that. He was, at first, really iffy on my acquiring more than two. This really didn't make sense to me until just now, because I was looking from my own perspective, and I KNEW I was serious about it. But it must have seemed sudden and odd to him.

We had some disagreements about my continuing to obtain snakes at first. But I think when he saw me utterly miserable and crying my eyes out the last time I left the rescue before we moved, it started to sink in that I really do love taking care of these animals. Those weren't even my pets, but I went in twice a week to clean their cages anyway. And he's seen me fuss over them. He's seen the time, work, care, and research I've put into trying to make a decent habitat for Prize. I'll happily babble about their weight and sheds and food intake, and he occasionally gets a bit of a dreamy, puzzled look and says, "you really do love your snakes." So as this goes on, he understands more that this isn't something I intend to ditch in a few months. He knows how I feel about the cats, two of whom I've had since the late 90's. I think he sees now that I love the snakes no less.

I spent some time trying to convert him, and I did make some progress, though he'll never be a Snake Person like me. But now he goes off on his own at shows and asks to hold snakes when I'm elsewhere, and he's decided he actually LIKES rtb's, Dumeril's boas, and carpet pythons. And, miraculously, he actually told me that when we were settled from this move, he would buy me a carpet python! He didn't even change his mind after I sheepishly told him that I'd won Laura's contest, and there would be another corn coming as well.

So he doesn't Get It, but he does get that it's important to me. And he puts up with it. Really, that's pretty good.

When I had a SO, he was not supportive. I no longer have a SO

Ummm I guess I'll be the odd one out. Both me and my husband are obsessed with snakes.... maybe there should be someone at the house to tell us to stop!

My hubby is amazingly supportive, and he has to deal with a LOT of snakes. It didn't feel totally right voting for option #1 because I wouldn't say he loves reptiles, but I choose it anyway because he is 100% supportive. He "kinda likes" them sometimes, but will always help with anything I need help with. The only time he suggests that I reduce the collection is when he sees that it is taking a negative toll on me. Pretty much when he suggests we should lighten the load, I had already been thinking the same thing. He was the sole caretaker to the collection for months after my two surgeries, not a small task at all. I'm so lucky, he even drove an hour each way tonight when he got off work to drop off some snakes for the Sac show with my friend who is vending for me on Saturday. I guess I better get off this darned computer and go snuggle with him!