Think I have created future cornsnake owners....

[JustineNYC]

I moved into my subdivision in November and everyone around me has kids in the 5 to 11 range. When I am out walking my Labs, they usually take the walk with us, and Im friendly with all their parents, if I am going to the pool, sometimes they come along with me cause they have to go with an adult.

One day a few weeks ago, it was rainy, and the little girl next door wanted to come in and see my house. Her home and mine are the same floorplan and she wanted to know what I had here and there. So all the kids ran home to ask if they could come in, play with the dogs, etc, their parents said yes.

So after running around, they discover the game room, then they got bored of that, they come back down and one of them says "Whats in that room"

I had the door closed to the first floor bedroom. So I figured what the heck?

I opened the door and they followed me in. Now Sadler is the first viv we pass and he is totally out and about, hanging from vines and one of the girls yells out excitedly "WOW YOU GOT SNAKES!"

I walked over to take Suri out, shes my RO and looks the least threatening, well I turn around and the 5 year old Brianna, is on the verge of crying.

I said "Brianna, if you're scared, I promise I won't take anyone out and you can just look through the glass Ok?"

One of the other girls is really mean and she told Brianna to leave cause they wanted to hold the snakes and i wouldnt take anyone out unless she said she was Ok with it. :uhoh:

Anyway, Brianna ends up saying "You can take them out but i dont want to touch them"

I took Suri out and the 3 little girls were all in awe. I showed them how to hold her, I got the usual "Wow I thought they were slimey!" I told them I had gotten her when she was a little baby, and she didnt bite, she was very sweet, and then the 5 year old comes over and says "Can I touch her?" LOL

I ended up taking everyone out one at a time and letting them hold them, explaining how they smell with their tongue, and why they have to live separated (I didnt tell them they eat eachother, thats kind of graphic, but I said they fight cause they are animals that like to keep to themselves)

One of them says to me "What do they eat?"

So I said, they eat mice, but they are frozen and I defrost them like you would do with frozen chicken.....and one of the girls was like YOU GOT MICE IN YOUR FREEZER!! CAN WE SEE? Ironically the mice in the freezer didnt stop any of them from want an ice pop.

I thought, these kids are going to go home and their parents are going to think I am the weirdest girl on the planet.

Well now every time I am outside and the kids see me they yell "CAN WE SEE YOUR SNAKES!!" lol I'm like SHHHHHH!

Ive become the designated reptile girl, whenever they find frogs or lizards, I get a knock at my door

 

[RobbiesCornField]

Aww! How fun!

 

[JustineNYC]

Sorry, hit the enter key too soon.....Anyway I just thought that was a cute story. Children are so better then adults as far as being rational about fears, its the adults that are irrational.

 

[Nanci]

The parents are probably just glad to have them at your house for a while, no matter what the reason!! You should make sure to teach them about native venomous snakes, so they don't accidentally bring you a copperhead or something. I wonder if they have handouts at shows, like they do for the Florida venomous snakes! I just looked it up- you have the exact same venomous snakes we do. HOPEFULLY I can remember to pick up a few flyers at the next show, if you'd like, and send them to you!

 

[JustineNYC]

Actually the funny thing is, they were educating me on the venomous snakes here! LOL They are all from NC, and one of them is from Texas, so they are knowledgable about the dangerous ones, I just think no one educated them about the harmless ones LOL

One of the moms told me her daughter came home very excited and say "Justine let us hold her snakes and shes got mice in her freezer and she gave us ice pops and then we played pool" LMAO

 

[Caryl]

It's great that you're willing to share yourself and your snakes with the neighborhood kids. Some of my favorite "snake moments" are when someone who was afraid decides that the snakes are okay to touch after all. The looks on those faces are priceless!

 

[VickyChaiTea]

That's extremely adorable. XD I've had something similar happen to me, my room was seen as a zoo by the kids.

 

[Okeetee_Corn_Snakes]

Lol thats so cute! And very nice of you too!

 

[jmksnakes]

Sorry, hit the enter key too soon.....Anyway I just thought that was a cute story. Children are so better then adults as far as being rational about fears, its the adults that are irrational.

Sing it again, Sista'! How true is that??? It's great to know when you may have planted a curiousity into someone who was a skeptic before, heh?

 

[Leonore]

That is so sweet. You really provided them with a special moment.

 

[ZoologyGirl]

I moved into my subdivision in November and everyone around me has kids in the 5 to 11 range. When I am out walking my Labs, they usually take the walk with us,

I just have to say...this sounds like my worst nightmare :laugh:

Good to see people coming around to snakes though. The more people who understand them, the more people will like them.

 

[JustineNYC]

I just have to say...this sounds like my worst nightmare :laugh:

Good to see people coming around to snakes though. The more people who understand them, the more people will like them.

Haha! I used to feel like that, they're alright though, they like to learn and they wear my dogs out LOL

Its very good socialization for my labs, being around kids, and getting exposed to children, and the way they pet and are a little loud....it does come in handy.

 

[JustineNYC]

Sing it again, Sista'! How true is that??? It's great to know when you may have planted a curiousity into someone who was a skeptic before, heh?

It is true....that 5 year old started to cry when she realized I owned snakes, that was something implanted in her by, Im guessing her parents. I didnt want angry parents at my house, but I was ready to explain how I never put anyone in danger, etc. They didn't mind though.

Children are like little sponges. They asked me yesterday if I could take my snakes out and bring them outside and I had to explain that they had just eaten and how you can't handle them when they have full bellies, and why LOL They are very interested in it all.