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Justin Bieber has a pet BCI

I am not judging at all but I see that it COULD be a bad thing because he is popular. It has nothing to do with the way I feel about him. As a vet tech I saw it over and over again when a celebrity got a new pet or a new movie came out. It is then people realize that they are more work than they thought. They live longer than they thought. And again what happens to those pets? They get dumped.

Maybe I tainted my point with expressing how I feel first but TBH this has nothing to do with what I think about him. And I never said anything bad other than he got to big headed and if you check out pictures of him driving his first car they prove that. lol

I just personally would not sale one of my snakes to someone who said "My daughter has really really wanted one since Justin has one"
 
Duff said:
Definitely not a Bieber fan, and this isn't about him, but the reactions here. As a community, we rail against the judgmental hatred of snakes and reptiles, and the way some people think about those of us that keep them. But some celebrity you don't like (who you don't even know, btw), has a reptile pet and this is how you respond? It's one thing if there were stories about abuse or mistreatment. This is all just because Justin Beiber has a pet boa, and you don't like him? Seriously? Look in the mirror, people.
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I agree about the uninformed judging that seems to be going on here.
Well Said, Duff!
However, watching the video makes you wonder about his husbandry of the poor baby
 
Stefanie said:
I agree about the uninformed judging that seems to be going on here.
Well Said, Duff!
However, watching the video makes you wonder about his husbandry of the poor baby
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That was what I took exception to...walking around with the poor little thing at a major event like the VMA. It seemed he wanted it more for shock value than anything :/
 
Yeah I hadn't seen the video till a few minutes ago. Needless to say it doesn't change the way I feel about him or the thought of him owning a snake.
 
Duff said:
Definitely not a Bieber fan, and this isn't about him, but the reactions here. As a community, we rail against the judgmental hatred of snakes and reptiles, and the way some people think about those of us that keep them. But some celebrity you don't like (who you don't even know, btw), has a reptile pet and this is how you respond? It's one thing if there were stories about abuse or mistreatment. This is all just because Justin Beiber has a pet boa, and you don't like him? Seriously? Look in the mirror, people.
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OFF TOPIC..
Nice to see you again Duff man,,,,,,, Been a while, good to see you have not forgotten us.....
 
Duff said:
Definitely not a Bieber fan, and this isn't about him, but the reactions here. As a community, we rail against the judgmental hatred of snakes and reptiles, and the way some people think about those of us that keep them. But some celebrity you don't like (who you don't even know, btw), has a reptile pet and this is how you respond? It's one thing if there were stories about abuse or mistreatment. This is all just because Justin Beiber has a pet boa, and you don't like him? Seriously? Look in the mirror, people.
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I agree with this 100%. That being said, I have met the Bieber brat, and he is indeed an incredible brat. I would actually go so far as to say something much worse, but this is a public forum so I'll refrain. He may be a kid, and you can go on and on all day about how his flaws are not his fault, but he is still an individual and responsible for his own actions to at least some extent.

From my limited personal experience with the twerp, I feel very sorry for his pet BCI. The kid treats everything he touches like a commodity, and a fairly unappreciated one at that since every commodity only exists to satisfy his whims. Hopefully his demeanor towards a living creature in his care is different, but based on how he treats other people I don't have much hope.

But anyway, so he has a snake, maybe some kids will get it because he has one... not much anyone can do about it, and really it's the responsibility of those kids' parents to take charge of that situation. Who knows, maybe the herp community will gain some awesome new members because of it.
 
My concern is always for the animals that become popular due to someone's fame or because of a movie. I'm sure there will be people who become good herp keepers from this, but there will be more that just get an animal because they think it's what's cool at the moment. And to see someone in the spotlight mistreating an animal in public (carrying a baby boa around in a stressful environment) makes me angry. Sheeple will think this is ok. Regardless of who it is in the public eye, that person is demonstrating bad husbandry to the world. The fact that Justin Bieber's still a child and his parents are ok with this doesn't inspire confidence that he will properly care for it. If he was any unknown 16 yr old newbie on this forum and showed a video of himself with a snake at some concert or other crowded event, we'd rip him a new one. Bieber's fame doesn't make him immune to criticism. And if people don't like his music, they can share that opinion, too. I think he's too young to own up to the responsibility that his image is used as a standard by other kids. The one good thing is that most parents probably won't allow their kids to go out and buy a snake just because Beiber has one. There is still enough ignorance and stigma around reptiles to prevent an outbreak of "gotta have". I hope.
 
Pretty boa, so hopefully it was from a breeder. But the 30 seconds I watched just showed "idiot with a snake for the cool factor" to me.

At least Justin looks quite handsome now with his hair cut and those glasses. He looks more mature, like he's his age now. He still needs his voice to deepen though. I think I have a deeper voice!

starsevol said:
And I wish it wasn't a boa he had, but a colubrid of some kind,preferably a corn snake.
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Agreed.

Duff said:
Definitely not a Bieber fan, and this isn't about him, but the reactions here. As a community, we rail against the judgmental hatred of snakes and reptiles, and the way some people think about those of us that keep them. But some celebrity you don't like (who you don't even know, btw), has a reptile pet and this is how you respond? It's one thing if there were stories about abuse or mistreatment. This is all just because Justin Beiber has a pet boa, and you don't like him? Seriously? Look in the mirror, people.
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So glad someone said this.
 
chris68 said:
Like him or not (my 15 yr old's room is a shrine to the Bieber ) a high profile celebrity involved with any herp can be a good thing for the community, business-wise as well as interest-wise. Sure wish he was photographed holding a corn snake, cuz I'll take a bunch of his screaming fans pm's looking to buy snakes anytime ;)
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Actually...here u go...

justin-bieber-vmas-mtv-2011-pictures.jpg


http://thejustinbiebershrine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/justin-bieber-vmas-mtv-2011-pictures.jpg
 
ShenziSixaxis said:
...But really, WTF does he need a boa for? I highly doubt he's the kind of person to have such a large snake because he 'genuinely' likes them.
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I don't like Justin Bieber's music, and I think the hysteria over him is completely overrated. But that really doesn't have anything to do with whether or not he is capable of properly loving and caring for a BCI.

He needs a boa for the same reason that anyone else would need a boa. Because he wants a pet boa. The fact that he sings songs that young girls seem to like really has no bearing on his ability to care for a pet boa.

What makes you such an infallible judge of character that you can make such claims as these against someone I can easily presume you have never met?:shrugs:
 
So I don't like Bieber and his music. I'm not ragging so much on Bieber as a person, but as an idol to kids who see his behaviour and copy it. This is about a celebrity showing off his new pet in an unresponsible manner to millions of impressionable young people. Like I said, if it was a 16 yr old newb that joined here, people would be up in arms. It's happened before. I don't see how carrying a baby boa around as a fashion accessory is a good example of repitle care. I also don't like that Alice Cooper uses, or has used, snakes in his stage act. If Bieber is a PETA advocate then he's a hypocrite because we all know their stand on reptiles as pets. Hypocrisy is another can of worms.
 
my concern is that he thinks his boa is only going to get 4ft long. if he thinks that, the evidence suggests he has no idea how to care for it.
 
SquamishSerpents said:
my concern is that he thinks his boa is only going to get 4ft long. if he thinks that, the evidence suggests he has no idea how to care for it.
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Perhaps it's a dwarf? Though I don't recall if any of the dwarf localities stay quite that small.

Either way, my concern is the same as others, that the little snake is being used as an accessory and that the precedent has already been set before by 101 Dalamations. Hell, maybe earlier than that. Who didn't want a collie after watching Lassie or a german shepherd after Rin Tin Tin?

As for the singer himself..meh. Maybe he'll be good in a few years, but my own personal preference runs counter to young voices.
 
RepLover1022 said:
Actually...here u go...


http://thejustinbiebershrine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/justin-bieber-vmas-mtv-2011-pictures.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm confused too... this is definitely a baby boa.

I agree with the majority here. This is going to create a boa phase, just like with the chihuahuas and dalmations. That poor snake and all the ones that are going to end up in bad hands in the next few years... :(
I take my boa out in public too, but at least it's not like that. As soon as he starts showing signs of stress I put him away. And I never let kids touch him anywhere near his face like that lady did. Babies stress too easy..
 
azhketh said:
Perhaps it's a dwarf? Though I don't recall if any of the dwarf localities stay quite that small.
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Actually, there are a few that do. Maybe his is a Nicaraguan morph--those max out around 3-4 ft usually. Though, honestly, it looks more like a Albino or a Hypo Colombian, which most definitely will NOT stop at 4 ft. (It's a shame the paparazzi isn't interested in the snake itself--a better picture would be wonderful! :p)

I have to agree with the overall concern of an oncoming "101 Dalmations"/"Paris Hilton" effect. Hopefully the snakes get lucky and, as has been suggested, the stigma around snakes will still be just strong enough to ward off most of the "gotta haves," but chances are this will still happen to some extent. All the die-hard Bieber fans with very lenient parents, or no parents to control them (here meaning less responsible adult Bieber fans), will likely now get the bright idea to get a baby boa, or other snake, and for the majority, the snake will then either get totally neglected, carried around as a fashion accessory, or some unfortunate combination of both.
 
I don't see it as so bad that someone is popularizing the keeping of pet snakes, maybe one or two teenyboppers will really get into the hobby and be the next Kathy Love, lol. I wonder if there is really any kind of correlation between bad taste in music and bad judgement in getting/keeping pets. And what celebrity would be OK to like that keeps snakes? I can only think of a couple that are even known to keep snakes- some will incorporate them into a stage act which I don't much care for either. I think the lead singer for one of the metal bands I like, Anthrax, keeps BP. No matter what your introduction to the herp keeping hobby is, you should be judged more by how you keep them than who you are and what got you started. .I wouldn't mind seeing more celebrities keeping reptiles if they at least gave their fans good information on their care requirements.
 
I don't mind that someone (even if it is justin beiber) is popularizing pet snakes, I am just worried that many people are going to buy one because it's "cool", and in a few years when they hit 8-9 feet everyone is going to be sick of them and we'll have a surplus of pet boas. Not to mention a lot of people are going to get one and try keeping it in a 55 gallon tank as an adult, or not do any research and only feed the babies a hopper mouse once a month (sadly I've seen people do that here). If people get them and do the research on them, then great! I'd love to see more people embrace reptiles, especially snakes, as good animals.
 
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