I think I have made a final choice.

I am a firm believer in the term "What you take is what you own and what you own is what you asked for"..Just make sure you don't go overboard..I think all of us here know just how addicting this hobby and passion of ours can be..but in every decision we make, we have to make sure we're taking into account every possible aspect of what could happen..Do you have a backup plan for all these snakes? Say you were to choose a different college out of state..do you have a place for your snakes to go? Say you and your family had to move and you needed to stay with relatives that don't like snakes? What would happen to them then? Or say your family fell on very hard financial times..What would you do then for taking care of and making sure your animals are fed? Like I said..just make sure you have backup plans..and include EVERYTHING in those plans...

*Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 10 (10 members and 0 guests)*

Haha your threads sure do generate a lot of attention! Haha

David just curious.. how many snakes do you have total? I'm not going to attack you or anything like that.. i promise!

Maize411 said:

I am a firm believer in the term "What you take is what you own and what you own is what you asked for"..Just make sure you don't go overboard..I think all of us here know just how addicting this hobby and passion of ours can be..but in every decision we make, we have to make sure we're taking into account every possible aspect of what could happen..Do you have a backup plan for all these snakes? Say you were to choose a different college out of state..do you have a place for your snakes to go? Say you and your family had to move and you needed to stay with relatives that don't like snakes? What would happen to them then? Or say your family fell on very hard financial times..What would you do then for taking care of and making sure your animals are fed? Like I said..just make sure you have backup plans..and include EVERYTHING in those plans...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the concer I do have a plan for many scenarios. I am going to stay in state for college and most likley stay local. If finaicial probs hit I would prolly HAVE to sell them and give the money to my family, my relatives are the ones that got me into snakes!

mynamesrick said:

*Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 10 (10 members and 0 guests)*

Haha your threads sure do generate a lot of attention! Haha

David just curious.. how many snakes do you have total? I'm not going to attack you or anything like that.. i promise!

Click to expand...

Hmmm, besides baby garters 16. I am not counting baby garters (They have a later puprose)

Hmm, its really weird that all these people are concerned with you and all your snakes when there are several people on this forum that are within the ages of 15-18 that have several snakes and are heading toward the same problems as you.. like college and stuff.. (including me)

I have 15 snakes (two are not mine), 5 leopard gecko's, two snapping turtles and 4 tanks of fish and have not gotten one word of advice to slow down.. or any criticism about my animals for that matter..

Just think its kind of weird thats all..

I had to rep you fo that one! I don't understand it either, but there is something about me that makes all the difference.

After all Rick we ARE the future of this hobby.

Sorry david, but I have to agree with others. I know we have mentioned before our concern for your snakes. I truly don't believe you do have any contingency plans in the event something horrible happened to you and your family. You make it sound like it would be so easy to just sell your snakes.
You do realize our hobby is a very specialized hobby, and not that many people would be able to take on alot of your collection if it came to that.

Just please take a little time and truly think through all the scenario's of what could happen in the future and what you would do with your snakes.

snakemom1961 said:

Sorry david, but I have to agree with others. I know we have mentioned before our concern for your snakes. I truly don't believe you do have any contingency plans in the event something horrible happened to you and your family. You make it sound like it would be so easy to just sell your snakes.
You do realize our hobby is a very specialized hobby, and not that many people would be able to take on alot of your collection if it came to that.

Just please take a little time and truly think through all the scenario's of what could happen in the future and what you would do with your snakes.

Click to expand...

So snake mom I guess you know my ever thought. of course I have a plan...do you?

Of course I do David. Why do you think I only have 2 snakes and 3 cats? If I purchased every snake I took a fancy to, I'd probably be up to about 20 or so by now. But since I realize my limitations I have chosen to purchase MAYBE one more snake and that will be a black milk snake. As many on here have seen me post in the past.

David, I have to agree with the people who're saying "nay". There's a difference between getting a pair of easy-going, small Hognose snakes and getting a pair of large, moody, and quick rat snakes. It's like getting a King Rat snake instead of a Corn snake... It's great that that choice worked out for you, but what if you ever had to sell your king rat (or is it king ratS now?)? No one would want it. And what if you didn't stay local? You can't be sure your mom will REALLY want to take care of YOUR big, moody snakes. I don't care how much she likes snakes, you still aren't guaranteed that she will want to take care of them. Part of why I'd been thinking about selling Lucy, my Taiwan Beauty, is my mom is afraid of her. My mother LOVES snakes, even has her own boas and has been talking about getting her own Hognose snakes, but I would never expect her to take care of Lucy--even though the bulk of it is just tossing her an f/t rat every two weeks and switching water dishes while she's busy with the rat.

As for why people seem to "pick on" you more than anyone else? You pride yourself on picking out the biggest, toughest snakes you can find. As I recall, you've insisted, in the past, that you were going to get a Savannah monitor. A Blood python. The King (aka "Stinking Goddess") Rat snakes. Probably more, if I paid more attention to your past threads. There's a vast difference between a 15-year old getting a Savannah monitor, and that same 15-year old getting a beardie. It's the same difference between getting a Blood python over a Ball python. Or a King rat, Radiated rat, most Asian rats in general, over a corn snake. Boa Constrictor Constrictors over Hogg Isle BCIs or Rosy Boas. Do you see the pattern? The point people try to get across is, the big stuff can WAIT. How much time will you spend in college? 4 years? Maybe 6? When the average lifespan is rising every year, and even now is 80-90 years, that's just a blink of an eye. Even though it feels like it, it's not that hard to just wait until you're done with college. You have your entire life ahead of you, you don't have to accomplish everything while you're still a teenager.

RobbiesCornField said:

Another thing to consider is that they are FAST as the dickens! You have to reach into the tub and grab them without hesitation or they'll be across the room before you can say "Um... what?". ..... :laugh:

Click to expand...

Please pardon my oblivious ignorance in this matter, I've never seen even a dicken, could you show me a photo of one, and provide more information on how fast ? they are? What size tubs does one keep them in, etc/Thanks, dp

I see where you guys are going but what you need to understnd and grasp is I have a plan. I know about what will happen. It is very unnerving to get all these repsonses. Rick brings up an excellent point. Why I am getting slammed into a wall? I love asain rats. I can tame asian rats. it takes time but the breeder himself has pictures of his with both his radiateds sitting very contently in his hands! He told me asian rats get a bad rep because when they first became recognized in the hobby they were mostly imports and people thought all of them were like that.

No one seems to question Torsten or Taylor about how many snakes they buy...

Really, guys, how frequently has *stop now* worked on teenagers that YOU know?

David, just remember... If they become to much for you, rehome them before anything bad happens to them. As long as you rehome before their care and health suffers, I see no problem with you enjoying these same scaly things that the rest of us do.

If perhaps the David-witchhunt could STOP, I think a lot of us would appreciate it.

Unfortunately, David, I doubt anything you say will change some minds. However, not all of us are leaping upon you at every opportunity... And remember, PICTURES!!!

I have to agree.. David knows by now how we feel about the size of his collection. If he feel he can handle more, than let him. Going on and on about this topic is just useless. If David and his mother haven't got it together by now with all the comments that has been posted since he has join, then....they we never get it!!. No matter what more is said. Only he and is mother can really say what he can handle.
I hope it works out for you David. I wish I had an .."open door" like you have at your home but I have issues to consider before I expand my collection.

David, you're a lucky child. Not only do you have a parent that allows you to explore your hobby freely, but you have at your fingertips the ability to research their care.

My mom was awesome when I was a kid. She let us keep everything we caught, including snakes and other creatures. Unfortunately, we didn't know how to take care of them properly so she made us let them go. Nothing died in our care except a few insects, but I don't know how they fared after being in a tank for a week in our basement. Regardless, I allow my own sons to acquire pets (within reason) and they LOVE my small collection of snakes. My one son is much more into science than sports, which makes him a bit of an outcast in this particular state. Not every child wants to be an athlete.

I agree that a few of your "wish list" species were a bit over the top, like the monitor, but you seemed to come to the best conclusion on that one yourself. Enjoy the hobby. You certainly seem to know enough breeders out there that would be able to help you rehome your collection should the need arise. Kudos to your mom for letting you enjoy and learn about these animals.

Hmm, I dont recall ever being told to slow down either, Tho I do try to stay with what species I can handle and how many. Tho the numbers are getting up there.

ZoologyGirl said:

"The Frontal Lobe, often called the “command center” of the brain, is the part of the brain
that controls the decision making process for adults, including long-term planning, riskassessment,
impulse control, and other behaviors associated with criminal culpability. It is
also one of the last parts of the brain to fully mature (in the early 20s).1 This late maturation
process suggests that adolescents are not as capable as adults of weighing long-term
consequences, and evaluating risk-assessment."

http://www.youthadvocacyproject.org/pdfs/Brain Mailing.pdf

Just sayin :shrugs:

Click to expand...

this is very true and thats why almost all teens act like complete idiots i myself also have this problem at times but most of the time i think a week or 2 before i get a new snake like my kingsnake i got 2 months ago was at the pet store for 2 and a half months and i finally decided that i was going to get her so i think in some cases you mature in your late teens but most of the time your in mid 20s before you grow up.

your about to turn 16? and you have that many keepers? i have 14 right now but some are 09 hatchlings i havent had an oppurtunity to sell or trade yet and right now im just trying to focus on getting boyfriends for them (cuz i ended up with all female snakes somehow)...

so before you start snapping back at everyone thats gets on you about your impulsive actions you should think for a little while. now i know how annoying it is when people try to tell you something you dont want to hear (especially when you feel they dont know the whole story) but alot of people on here have been where we are right now and know exactly how it is. if your planning on going to college you better really limit yourself until you graduate.


i know there is hundreds of different kinds of snakes that you would probly love to have but your 15 you have an entire lifetime ahead of you to worry about it. try focusing on getting through school and being able to make enough money to feed all these snakes before you get them

sorry to just butt in like this but i think some things had to be said

David, here's a good tip for you... Stop saying what you are planning or thinking of getting.... Make up your own mind what you want, then post it when it's settled in....
I never ask advice on here about things I am planning, and I sometimes don't even post them up here when I have them....
It's the way forward.....