CornSnakes.com Forums  
  Tired of those Google and InfoLinks ads? Register and log in!

Go Back   CornSnakes.com Forums > The CornSnake Forums > Miscellaneous Corn Snake Discussions
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

Miscellaneous Corn Snake Discussions This is a "none of the above" forum. All posts should still be related to cornsnakes in one form or another, but some slight off topic posting is fine.

Help me convince my mom... Please :)
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-23-2008, 06:05 PM   #1
Epi_Les_Paul
Help me convince my mom... Please :)

I have been wanting a corn for the past 6 or so months. Im trying to convince her into letting me get one. She has said that a snake is a wild animal not to be domesticated (ie. dogs and cats). Like a form of animal abuse I guess. My dad, brother, and sister have/had pet mice, chinchillas, hamsters. Point there is those are wild animals too, not meant to be domesticated, but yet it was ok for them to have them?

These corns are captive bred and they live in paradise when properly taken care of. They dont have to worry about finding food, they get fed roughly every 6 days. They get taken out and get excerise, they dont have to worry about predators, etc.

So if anyone else can throw there two cents in on this to help me convince her that having a snake is ok I would gladly appreciate it. If it works ill be sure to post some pics of my new corn

Thanks
 
Old 06-23-2008, 06:34 PM   #2
Cegninedorf
Here's my only thought:

You live with your mom's house, right? So, her house = her rules, sad to say. Besides, will you be going away to college or to school, post high school? Where will your snake go? There have been a few threads on here (not many, though a couple that I've read, for those who plan to quote me on this!) from students wondering what to do about their snake when they go to college, how to sneak it in, etc...why not just wait until you have your own place? If you've waited 17 years of your *whole* life, then I think you'll live if you wait just a couple more...

(My story? I just wanted a cat! But, alas, I had to wait...and at 23 I got not one, but two lovably adorably fuzzbutts...I'm glad that I waited, too, because I had my own place and I didn't have to worry about who'd take care of the cats while I went to college...so, it all does work out in the end!)
 
Old 06-23-2008, 06:50 PM   #3
Epi_Les_Paul
True ^^^ I wont be getting a dorm room though. I live walking distance to the college im going to. So the snake will always be in my possession/care. Im just trying to get past the "its a wild animal not meant to be domesticated". I think the problem is that most of my cousins, junkies/thieves/etc, have these big boas and pythons and boast thinking they are invincible because of the snakes
 
Old 06-23-2008, 06:56 PM   #4
Mrs InsaneOne
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epi_Les_Paul View Post
I have been wanting a corn for the past 6 or so months. Im trying to convince her into letting me get one. She has said that a snake is a wild animal not to be domesticated (ie. dogs and cats). Like a form of animal abuse I guess. My dad, brother, and sister have/had pet mice, chinchillas, hamsters. Point there is those are wild animals too, not meant to be domesticated, but yet it was ok for them to have them?

These corns are captive bred and they live in paradise when properly taken care of. They dont have to worry about finding food, they get fed roughly every 6 days. They get taken out and get excerise, they dont have to worry about predators, etc.

So if anyone else can throw there two cents in on this to help me convince her that having a snake is ok I would gladly appreciate it. If it works ill be sure to post some pics of my new corn

Thanks
It can be difficult to convince parent's to let their children have snakes for several reasons, though usually it's because of fear or dislike on the parent(s) behalf - not saying this is the case here, but just wanted to point it out.

As for snakes being 'wild' animals - it is true in a since because they can't be trained. However, a good number of the snakes on the market today are not technically 'wild' - meaning that they are not taken out of the wild and sold as pets, they are bred in captivity.

So, the first thing to try, is to find out if your mother objects to the snake because she is afraid it will be a wild caught animal (one taken directly from the wild) or if she's worried about it biting you or someone else in the house because it has a 'wild' nature.

Make sure you approach the whole problem in a calm manner, because the more mature you behave while trying to convince her, the better chance you will have.

Once you know more about why she doesn't want one in the house, you can start building your case for why you should be allowed to have a pet corn. Here are some things I'd suggest doing once you have a better idea of why your mom refuses.

1) Do research on corn snakes, put together a report (yeah, sounds like school work doesn't it? lol) with basic information such as what kind of care corn snakes require: ie proper housing, diet, size, and temperament. Make it a point to mention that most corn snakes will take Frozen/Thawed mice as food as opposed to live. Sometimes, it is the thought of feeding off something cute and fuzzy that turns people off of snakes. Make sure to find out if your local pet stores carry F/T mice - many of them do.

Be sure to include that most corns are fairly calm when interacting with people, providing that they are handled often. Sure, snakes may bite, but so do cats, dogs, and rodents - heck, my husband was even bitten by one of our fish. I'd still rather have one of our snakes bite me than one of the rats or mice - hurts less.

2) Put together an estimate of how much it would cost to properly house your snake and the cost of the snake. Compared to a mouse, a snake might seem to be an expensive pet, though generally it will live far longer than the mouse.

3) Once you've done those two things, I'd sit down and talk to your mom about wanting a snake again and show her the information you have gathered. Be sure to answer any questions she has with facts you have learned. By having all the information you gathered you will also be showing your mom that you are acting responsible and are really serious about wanting a snake (That it's not just a passing fancy that she'll end up having to deal with later.)

4) Sit down with your mom at the computer and read some of the forums with you. There is a huge source of information all over the place here that can answer most any question that either of you might have.

You can also so a search for similar topics that asked the same questions you did, and read through some of their suggestions.

Good luck... =)
 
Old 06-23-2008, 06:57 PM   #5
Mrs InsaneOne
Christina raised several good points as well... =) She types faster than I do. lol
 
Old 06-23-2008, 07:03 PM   #6
Epi_Les_Paul
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs InsaneOne View Post
It can be difficult to convince parent's to let their children have snakes for several reasons, though usually it's because of fear or dislike on the parent(s) behalf - not saying this is the case here, but just wanted to point it out.

As for snakes being 'wild' animals - it is true in a since because they can't be trained. However, a good number of the snakes on the market today are not technically 'wild' - meaning that they are not taken out of the wild and sold as pets, they are bred in captivity.

So, the first thing to try, is to find out if your mother objects to the snake because she is afraid it will be a wild caught animal (one taken directly from the wild) or if she's worried about it biting you or someone else in the house because it has a 'wild' nature.

Make sure you approach the whole problem in a calm manner, because the more mature you behave while trying to convince her, the better chance you will have.

Once you know more about why she doesn't want one in the house, you can start building your case for why you should be allowed to have a pet corn. Here are some things I'd suggest doing once you have a better idea of why your mom refuses.

1) Do research on corn snakes, put together a report (yeah, sounds like school work doesn't it? lol) with basic information such as what kind of care corn snakes require: ie proper housing, diet, size, and temperament. Make it a point to mention that most corn snakes will take Frozen/Thawed mice as food as opposed to live. Sometimes, it is the thought of feeding off something cute and fuzzy that turns people off of snakes. Make sure to find out if your local pet stores carry F/T mice - many of them do.

Be sure to include that most corns are fairly calm when interacting with people, providing that they are handled often. Sure, snakes may bite, but so do cats, dogs, and rodents - heck, my husband was even bitten by one of our fish. I'd still rather have one of our snakes bite me than one of the rats or mice - hurts less.

2) Put together an estimate of how much it would cost to properly house your snake and the cost of the snake. Compared to a mouse, a snake might seem to be an expensive pet, though generally it will live far longer than the mouse.

3) Once you've done those two things, I'd sit down and talk to your mom about wanting a snake again and show her the information you have gathered. Be sure to answer any questions she has with facts you have learned. By having all the information you gathered you will also be showing your mom that you are acting responsible and are really serious about wanting a snake (That it's not just a passing fancy that she'll end up having to deal with later.)

4) Sit down with your mom at the computer and read some of the forums with you. There is a huge source of information all over the place here that can answer most any question that either of you might have.

You can also so a search for similar topics that asked the same questions you did, and read through some of their suggestions.

Good luck... =)
WOW! Thanks a billion I really appreciate that. I have been on here researching everything I could for the past two weeks. Ill do exactly what you suggested. Thanks again for your input, everyones as well
 
Old 06-23-2008, 07:05 PM   #7
Cegninedorf
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epi_Les_Paul View Post
True ^^^ I wont be getting a dorm room though. I live walking distance to the college im going to. So the snake will always be in my possession/care. Im just trying to get past the "its a wild animal not meant to be domesticated". I think the problem is that most of my cousins, junkies/thieves/etc, have these big boas and pythons and boast thinking they are invincible because of the snakes
Ah, I see...so are you getting a snake just to prove a point to your mom, or is this something that you really want for yourself?

Personally, I don't feel that snakes can be classified as "domesticated" -- mine don't come to me when I call for them! (Then again, neither do my cats, most of the time!) They're "captive," so the instinct is still in them, just a bit more muted...at least, that's my understanding.

I think because your mom has already such a negative perspective on owning a snake based on how it sounds about your cousins, then I think it's going to take a lot more *gentle persuasion* to allow her to see your side. Perhaps take her to a reptile expo & talk to breeders, so she can hear a professional's side of the story. Or here's a great article: http://www.moreptiles.com/cornsnake%20pets.htm Or, even better, and you may have to go to your library to find this one, Kathy Love wrote an article for Reptiles Annual issue 2006 on a kid wanting a corn snake...maybe after some literature and having a mature conversation about it over a few months, perhaps then she'll see that you're serious and not just being flip about it, like your cousins. Oh! Here's a great idea, too...two books that I recommend people to get are Kathy Love's (link)Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide and Don Soderberg's (link) Cornsnakes in Captivity; get them and *casually* leave one or both lying on the couch after a long night of reading them for mom to find the next day... Play innocent, saying that you're serious & there's no crime against research, is there?

I dunno...maybe one of those will help!
 
Old 06-23-2008, 07:06 PM   #8
Cegninedorf
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs InsaneOne View Post
Christina raised several good points as well... =) She types faster than I do. lol
But Jenn put far more effort into her response!
 
Old 06-23-2008, 07:14 PM   #9
Epi_Les_Paul
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cegninedorf View Post
Ah, I see...so are you getting a snake just to prove a point to your mom, or is this something that you really want for yourself?
No no no lol. I was giving an example as to why she wont let me. I figure she would think that I would turn out the same way. This corn is something I really want for myself, not to prove a point. Her being scared of them is out of the question. She used to mess around with rattlers on the outskirts of Texas with my uncle when they were young. I have to emphasize that the corns will feed on f/t to her, feeding live mice doesnt appeal to me neither lol.
 
Old 06-23-2008, 07:17 PM   #10
JustineNYC
Also, just wanted to bring something else up....Most moms refuse to allow dead mice to be kept in their freezer. People who skeeve snakes also skeeve dead rodents next to their chicken pot pies.

Id recommend purchasing a little freezer and telling your mom she'll never have to see the mice.
 

Join now to reply to this thread or open new ones for your questions & comments! Cornsnakes.com is the largest online community dedicated to cornsnakes . Registration is open to everyone and FREE. Click Here to Register!

Google
 
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:53 AM.





Fauna Top Sites
 

Powered by vBulletin® Version
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.04964209 seconds with 11 queries
Copyright Rich Zuchowski/SerpenCo