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I love getting people to touch a snake for the very first time!

smigon

smigon

Old enough to know better
Thanks SO SO SO much to Joba, I was gifted with a beautiful Amel Tessera girl named Sunny. While at his job picking her up I took her out of the Critter Keeper to check her out and put her in my own carrier, and one of his co-workers saw me holding her. She was so curious and I offered to let her touch Sunny, and although unsure, I told her I would hold Sunny's head away from her hand and she petted Sunny for a few seconds.

Then I went off to a doctor's appointment and, not knowing how long I would be, I brought Sunny in with me in a reuseable grocery bag (LOVE those bags!). I asked my doctor if he liked snakes, he said he didn't mind them but had never touched one, I showed him Sunny and he petted her too and was amazed that she wasn't "slimy" like everyone thinks.

I absolutely love educating people about our hobby, I NEVER force them to touch them or shove them in their face if they don't want to, but I think everyone ends up touching or even holding them once they see me holding them so easily and seeing that they never strike and are very calm. I do have a few corns that I would never offer to a newbie to touch, they are just too crazy and move fast and aren't good candidates for "snake ambassador"!
 
My little dwarf boa Koda is my best ambassador. He's so chill, and he's not big enough to be intimidating. I bring him to the pet store when I go if the weather is warm enough. Half of the people there run from me, and the other half run to me. Once, I was standing there with him when a man came running up to me. He said, "I was in the car and my wife told me that someone had a snake. I'm so glad I found you! Can I hold him?" There's one cashier who say she's terrified of snakes, and I got her to touch Koda after the customer in front of me wanted to hold him.

Once my roommate and I each brought a corn snake when we went, and they were a huge hit. My roommate had our caramel, and I had our pied-sided granite. Everyone was so amazed that they were the same kind of snake, and some teenage girls took turns holding them and taking pictures of them.

I just love showing people that snakes aren't gross and slimy, and it's always fun to have someone who's afraid of snakes touch one and (hopefully) change their mind!
 
smigon said:
Thanks SO SO SO much to Joba, I was gifted with a beautiful Amel Tessera girl named Sunny.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. She was hard to part with, but I'd rather she be with you than sold to some unknown. I know she's in good hands!

On topic, I work with kids, so I often get to introduce kids to snakes and help alleviate some of their fears over these amazing creatures. I took my albino boa girl Daisy in to meet the preschoolers, and now they have renamed their plush snake toy "Daisy," and fight over who gets to hold her. It's incredibly rewarding. My wife is even coming around. She would never hold my snakes, but she's in love with my half-dwarf burm and now feels like they're buddies; she holds him all the time. Now, if I could only cure my own fears of spiders!
 
My daughter got her first snake (after asking for one for 6 months following a Herpetology camp- they had a snow corn named snow there) recently and 2 of her friends have been over and love it. She has told everyone at school about it and I've had parents tell me their kid wants a snake now too.

Big difference from the reaction from adults we've told!
 
I love that feeling too! I'm glad she went to you and I would love to see some photos of her, by the way.

The last time Petco did their Reptile Rally, me and my 11 year old sister each brought one of our snakes to show them off to people. There was only one other person with a reptile there (a bearded dragon), but everyone was so interested in our snakes. We talked all about them and people who had never touched one before were very surprised that they aren't slimy. They were a really big hit and we totally enjoyed ourselves. And Orville won the beauty contest! ;) (Not that there was much competition.)

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For me, it really depends on two things. What the snake's temperament is like and how confident the handler is. I'm completely confident handling my snakes, but nonetheless, I chose one of my calmest 3 year old snakes. The snake that my 11 year old sister brought was a yearling who is very calm and relaxed. I also made sure that my little sister would be confident enough to not only handle the snake and talk to people, but to also be confident enough to remove the snake from any situation that she wasn't comfortable with. She also knew to not let people touch her snake's head, since that can irritate them. We also transported the snakes in containers, so if we felt like they were getting stressed, we could put them away.
 
Defo one of the better parts of my zoo education job. We have a corn that comes out for shows and a ball who is about 30yo that always impresses visitors. I usually keep my personals at home but did bring my girl once to an amateur movie shoot and got to show her off to the cast and crew. In all of these cases I'm just the assistant to the talent but get to inform the public on these amazing creatures.
 
I agree! It's one of my favorite parts of this hobby :)

My Mom-in-Law used to be terrified of snakes. Slowly but surely, she got used to seeing them on a consistent basis (she lives upstairs from us), and seemed much more comfortable when we had our scalebabies out and about.

When we had our first hatchlings last year, she actually said they were "cute", so I asked if she wanted to touch one. She hesitantly touched at first, and once she realized they weren't slimy, she was completely enthralled. Next thing you know, she's picking up the baby bins to check them all out without even blinking!!! :D While she's still a little hesitant to hold a large adult, she will gladly pat one, and loves to hold the babies :)

It's such a great feeling to open someone's world like that! :)
 
My girl Savvy is still way too young to be brought out in public, but I've taken my beardie to a few pet stores before and everyone loves him so much. It's funny how many people want to pet him and talk about him, rather than calling him gross or weird, which has happened before.

I remember the first time I pet a snake! Someone had a pretty large snake (burm maybe?) at a family day type thing and I got to hold part of the snake. I've wanted one ever sense!
 
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