Parents

[this_name's_corny]

What do they have against snakes?

 

[this_name's_corny]

does anyone know a way to convince parents to get you a snake?
:sidestep: :sidestep: :sidestep: :sidestep: :sidestep: :sidestep:

 

[this_name's_corny]

hi dave

 

[Snake Dave]

Well herpetoculture (keeping reptiles) has only really come into prominence in the past few decades, so they are unfamiliar to the idea of keeping them. Age-old prejudices don't often die, people have always been scared of snakes. They may have a genuine phobia (like your Mum) also.

I'm 16, and only recently have I succeeded in getting snakes, after 13 years of trying! Now the way I convinced my Mother was to slowly but surely introduce the positives of keeping snakes to her (like a few things each day, so she wouldn't get mad). Then after about a week I asked politely 'could you please come with me to Wildside reptiles please, it's in Newport so I was wondering if you could take me?'. She agreed. So on the weekend we drove down there, and I handled two corns, and showed my Mum. The lady there was also a lot of help, basically she said what I had already told my Mum, but I think hearing it from a professional reassured her.

So you could try this method. Go to the local reptile/pet store together, and make sure you're calm and polite! This goes a long way. Also, encourage her to handle the snake, this will show her that they're not harmful. Now if you don't want to buy your snake from here (from what I hear American pet store workers aren't the best), then still visit, but explain that you'd rather buy one from a breeder to have a greater choice.

This is all you can do really, if she still says no, then there's not much else that would change her mind. You'll just have to wait until you leave home lol.

 

[Snake Dave]

Hello, nice name by the way, I like that.

I hope that advice was helpful to you.

All the best

David

 

[Greeling]

it's just a fear/ignorance thing. i wasn't allowed to keep snakes till i was 16 cuz i already had accumulated the supplies i needed, and even then my dad thought i would get bored with it after a few months.

but if you think parents are difficult wait til you have to deal with landlords. after calling place after place i only found two people who even gave me the time of day. had a couple people hang up on me altogether.

talk to them, do reasearch, do your chores without being asked show them you are competent. also remember pets are expensive, your parents are going to be paying for everything, they arent going to shellout all that money for nothing.

 

[Roy Munson]

This is a strange poll question. Do you realize that a great number of the people on this forum who have many, many snakes ARE parents? And there is no shortage of young people (and non-parents of all ages) who are ignorant and fearful of snakes.

 

[Pet Corn Snake]

my mum and her boyfriend are fine with my snakes, they are interested in them like me although my mum does not like them near her, like handling or anything she does still enjoy watching them =)

 

[Dave123]

I agree with Dean. Anyways, everyone on here likes snakes (or at least I would hope) and the question you are asking is a difficult one. Are they too afraid of snakes? In some cases they may be but in my case...my parents ate not. Are some parents ignorant when it comes to snakes? Yes. Do some parents know about snakes, but think it would be better that you don't have one. Yes.

I had a nice talk with my biology teacher on Friday. After school I told her I raised snakes, and that I knew a lot about them. I asked her if she would want a snake in the class but she quickly said no. She said she has held snakes and thinks they are fascinating. She was just nervous about having one in her class. I actually don't blame her because she does not know too much about them.

I asked her how much we talk about reptiles during biology and she said we only cover the basics. She then said that when it comes to that time she thinks it would be good for me to teach the rest of the class for a little bit about snakes.

So that didn't really answer your question...but there really isn't an answer to it.

And if you really want a snake...show your parents this snake community. Show them pictures from the photo gallery and show them where you ask the questions. Someday I bet they will come around...

 

[Thoth]

I think at least a part of it is that they don't want to have to take care of it. Parents know that children are fickle little creatures, and what's hot right now will be "dorky" in five minutes. I begged my parents to buy me a $4000 piano when I was 10, only to give it up before I even learned a proper song. The thing sat in the living room for five years before they found someone to buy it for $400. Imagine having an animal they've been taught is dangerous and venomous and symbolic of all things sinister in the world--and having to take care of it for up to 20 years while you merrily go off to college--on their tab! Hopefully, they won't just cover the snake up with a tarp and let it sit for 5 years.

 

[Chester'sDad]

My parents have always hated snakes, but I love them. My dad could live without any animals, but I cant. I tried for 7 years to get them to buy me a snake, but they wouldnt. I finally asked my mom if I did good in school, if I could get one. She agreed. I got Straight A's for the whole year, and she let me get one. I traded a few baby bearded dragons for one. After that, she told me I couldnt get anymore. She then told me maybe when we moved, I could get ONE more. But I talked her into another some how and wound up getting 4 more. Now I think we are going to a herp show in a couple of weeks, we'll see what I come home with this time.


But I do agree with the others. A lot of the people here are parents, and I know ignorant kids that are just plain dumb. I could count my friends that love snakes on one hand. I have a few that have pet rats and guinea pigs so they despise my snakes. But I dont care, they dont have to talk about them or look at them.

 

[Hypancistrus]

Funny topic... my parents hate snakes. My mom won't allow mine into the house. When I got the two new ones I had to sneak them in and out for a weekend to get them to my classroom at school. I only started keeping snakes and other herps in '05, when having my own classroom gave me some personal space to use.

What do they have against them? My dad thinks all pets are a "waste of money" (he has no hobbies of his own save watching TV) and my mother thinks that reptiles are "diseased" and "make you sick."

Fortunately...

I put in a bid on a house this week. I am really hoping it goes through so I can have my own place with my own rules... which will be... pack it full of herps!

 

[susang]

Youth and enthusiasm are the only reasons I kind find for you creating two polls asking why parents hate snakes. As Dean said there are plenty of pernts on this site who like snakes also husbands, wives, SO... who don't like snakes. I feel like you have ignored many questions asked you in the last poll about your knowledge of snakes and your ability to pay for the upkeep other then Bar Mitzvah money, since that only happens once in your life, what will you do after that. Your parents know you and maybe feel you are not ready for a snake, and also feel they aren't willing to take on the care of a snake.
While on your other thread I gave you ideas for trying to tell your parents the value of having a snake, I am beginning to wonder if it is a good idea for you to get one. As I said your parents have thier reasons and it may not be just fear of the snake but fear of having to take care of it when you get bored.
:-offtopic I got a call yesterday from a woman who knows I have corn snakes, she offered me a corn at the beginning of summer but allowed her son to talk her into keeping it. It is an adult corn of unknown sex living in a viv in the garage. Per usual the son did not take care of this snake he wanted four years ago. Mom said it has eaten maybe five times this summer and only when she does it, son doesn't have time, forgets to get mice.... Now the Mom wants me to take it, son wants me to buy it for $100.00, Dad wnats me to buy it for $250.00 as he thinks that is what they have in it. As bad as I felt not taking it why should I buy a neglected snake, malnourished, in a dirty cage, probably with mites, of unknow sex. Just an example of what happens when kids a want something but aren't will to take care of it.

 

[Pet Corn Snake]

As bad as I felt not taking it why should I buy a neglected snake, malnourished, in a dirty cage, probably with mites, of unknow sex. Just an example of what happens when kids a want something but aren't will to take care of it.

Don't feel bad, thats a lot of money (maybe your rich) but it's a lot of money to spend on a snake that may have poor healthy, silly little kid, grrrr!!!

 

[Nanci]

I guess I was lucky- my parents let me have whatever I wanted, as long as I kept it out on the back porch. Well, some stuff was in the house. I had mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, squirrels, muskrats, raccoon, snakes, frogs, toads, lizards, salamanders, newts, giant water beetle, guppies, tarantula, parrot, conure, pigeons, crows, owl, ferret, giant millepedes, snails, uncounted baby bird rescues, wild rabbit rescues- I'm sure I'm missing lots!

I let my kid have whatever she wanted, too. In the house!

Nanci

 

[snakewispera snr]

It is an adult corn of unknown sex living in a viv in the garage. Per usual the son did not take care of this snake he wanted four years ago. Mom said it has eaten maybe five times this summer and only when she does it, son doesn't have time, forgets to get mice.... Now the Mom wants me to take it, son wants me to buy it for $100.00, Dad wnats me to buy it for $250.00 as he thinks that is what they have in it. As bad as I felt not taking it why should I buy a neglected snake, malnourished

Tell her she has a problem with the snake (as she doesn't want it) and the problem could get bigger if you point out (to the authorities) that fact. And as a favour you'll take it off her hands and say nothing.
Only if you want it of course.
MIKE

 

[CALIVIK]

I am a parent of 3 all under the age of 7 & I thought I hated snakes til my 4yr. old daughter asked if she could have the 'Princess' snake (Candy Cane) w/out asking her Daddy (my husband) I bought him. 4mths later we have 3 now. My Husband says he just does not like them. Has no reason why, just does not like them & never will.
My parents hated snakes. My Mom had one in the house when I was 6 or 7 & the neighbor came over & shoveled it. Looking back it was probably a king snake. (it had beautiful red, black bands on it) So I thought they bit & killed people. lol Had no idea how gentle they are.
But me as a parent having younger children than you I know I will be souly responsible for taking care of the corns every need & have since we got them.

Good Luck!

 

[Nastassja]

...Your parents know you and maybe feel you are not ready for a snake, and also feel they aren't willing to take on the care of a snake.
While on your other thread I gave you ideas for trying to tell your parents the value of having a snake, I am beginning to wonder if it is a good idea for you to get one. As I said your parents have thier reasons and it may not be just fear of the snake but fear of having to take care of it when you get bored.

I can still remember when I was 12 years old. My parents were pretty kind in the aspect that they allowed me to have a few ephemeral pets growing up.. Mostly goldfish, but I had some hamsters, a bunny, and for some reason I was hard pressed into thinking I needed some hermit crabs, and my mom let me have those too.

I always, ALWAYS wanted a dog of my own, because I hated my mom's dog.. It was a yippy, bitey, awful-tempered, gnarly, ugly terrier, and I wanted to have a nice dog that would sleep with me at the foot of my bed and be my buddy and my friend. But my parents very firmly told me no. Now that I have grown up, moved away to college, and have actually have purchased my own dog and have raised her and cared for her, I realize why my parents refused to get me a dog.

Dogs, just like snakes, live upwards of 15 years when cared for properly. 15 years! You aren't even that old yet. Buying into an animal that's going to live that long is an investment of time and dedication that you should be able to plan for far into your future. When I was your age, I may not have considered myself a child, but truely, I was. When all of my pets became somehow sick or needed special care, who was it that took care of them? My parents. They were generous enough and kind enough to show my pets that they purchased for me (with their hard-earned money) the real attention and care they needed when I was off running around being a goofy, short-attention-spanned kid.

If your parents don't believe that you're capable of putting 100% of the work involved with keeping your pet snake happy, you're going to have to WOW them with knowledge. If your parents are not only not fond of snakes but not fond of having a snake dumped on them to take care of because you don't want to, you're going to have to do a lot of work to convince them otherwise. Have you convinced yourself yet? Because that's the first task. Are you going to commit yourself to monitoring temperatures every day, changing the water dish twice a week, cleaning out poop when it happens, thaw out and feed him a mouse every 5/7 days, and constantly and knowledgeably monitor the health of your snake? Those are the kinds of things that you're going to have to do for the rest of 15 years.

At your age, I was definately not prepared to handle the responsibility of an animal that would require the amount of attention and care that a snake or a dog would. I loved animals, they meant the world to me! But I was not ready for the responsibility and the special amount of care that a dog needed, and I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have been ready for what a snake requires, either. In order for me to have a pet like that, I would've needed parents that had a lot of spare time and enjoyed stress-free blissful lives to assist me in that task, and I don't know about you, but I haven't yet met a parent that matches that description.. Lol.

The real gravity of having an animal that lives that long which becomes your sole responsibility is how you're going to take it with you as life pushes you along in its wake. How is that animal going to fit into your plans after you move out, go to college, and start living on your own? Are you going to be able to take it with you, or are you going to have to abandon that animal?

These are all just things to consider... Your situation may be drastically different, but when I take a trip down memory lane to the age of 12, I'm baffled by how young and stupid I was, and amazed and shocked at how fantastic my parents were to me. If you take a look at the situation and analyze it all around, frontwards backwards in between and through, and still believe that you've got what it takes to own a pet and take care of it all on your own, then you'll find a way to sit down with your mom and dad and prove to them that you can do it.

Goodluck to you and the final decision you make!

 

[Susan]

It was my parents that had all sorts of critters while I was growing up. True, it was mostly the domesticated stuff, but not too many parents would have lambs in a baby crib being bottle fed, a calf in the kitchen, also being bottle fed and baby pheasants in the living room for my brother's Boy Scout project. We were all encouraged to look and learn and respect all creatures, but everything we caught had to be released as part of respecting them. I am teaching my children the same thing.

At 12 years old, I'm sure your parents have some very good reasons why they won't allow you to have a snake as a pet. My oldest is 10 years old and she will have to do alot of maturing in the responsibility area in order for me to allow her to have any special pets that she alone will be taking care of.

 

[wade]

My parents have never owned an animal of any kind. They did allow me to have pretty much what ever I wanted. When I met my wife, I had 18 green iguanas in my bedroom. She adjusted. My kids have raised almost everything on gods green earth.

Now that I stop to think about it, does it make sense to allow kids in your house but not snakes? At least when I go to bed at night, I know where most of my snakes are.