reasons why I LOVE snakes.

[plasticknives]

Hello all!


My name is Kelsey and I am debatably new-

I have been lurking slash researching slash stealth-posting for about a year,

but having just recently (finally...) acquired my normal cornsnake (Tolmie) about a week ago, I have newly become active.

Thus, I figure a belated intro is in order? I'd like to get to know some of the awesome individuals that have educated me so well in the fine art of snake-keeping!


A little on me:

As a kid, I was never into rodents. It seemed all my friends had hamsters/gerbils/ rabbits/ whatever, but I thought they were pretty boring.

When I was six years old I really wanted an iguana or a parrot. Parents (smartly, looking back on it) said NO WAY.
My sister wanted a rabbit. We got rabbits.
sigh.



I revised my hopes after reading "The Secret World of OG" by Pierre Burton in third grade.
(its this supremely excellent children's book where these kids find an underground world populated with little green people who eat only mushrooms and speak in a language that only consists of the word 'OG.' best. premise. ever.)
One of the characters had a little pet garter snake named "snavely".... and so the fascination began.


I went on garter snakes searches every summer from then on, and tried to catch them if i came across them. I got musked/pooped on a lot, but fell in love with snakes anyways.


Suffice to say, I never did like those rabbits, kept researching snakes for years, and NOW, my friends, after moving out of the house for university, and then out of residence where pets are not allowed, I HAVE GOTTEN MY SNAKE.




I do love a happy ending.








I love snakes for so many reasons. I've always found reptiles fascinating just purely from a biology standpoint.

I've also got an unhealthy fascination with dragons. And what is a snake except a legless wingless fireless dragon right?

I also love (and hate!) the fact that they only eat every 5-10 days and actually require to be left alone sometimes.

I mean..... really I hate it,
but it has the effect that I always want to handle Tolmie, but often can't.... which means i can't get bored with caring for her. It's not a chore, it's a treat!
Feeding the rabbits was always such a bore. And cleaning out their massive amounts of poo? Yick.


anyways, I am most certainly addicted.








why do you guys like keeping snakes?

I want to hear your stories!

 

[tyflier]

I have always lvoed snakes. Had a roomate with a ball python and a red tail boa many years, but never had any of mine. I researched for awhile about cornsnakes, figuring I would get one when my daughter got a little older.

This past Christmas, she saw one she wanted, so we got it. Did I mention she is 2 1/2?

Anyhow...my reasons for loving snakes are varied so much that I can't even put my finger on alot of them. The way they move, the way they look...everything about them, physically, is just simply appealing to me. The way they eat, their individualism and independance, there distinct personalities from one to the other. The fact that they show their distrust as well as their trust in unmistakable ways. Their self-reliance and disdain for social interaction. In alot of ways, I feel very similar to them...

 

[raisingKane]

My story is somewhat similar to yours. I found a green garter snake was a little kid. I loved it!! Carried it around with me all the time for about two days. He was dying when I found him. Anyway, after he died, I wanted to get another one SO bad. Unfortunately, my stepdad is TERRIFIED of snakes. So, once I moved to college, I got my little guy Kane. He was sick and unhealthy. *sniffles* He died, too. Now, I have Schism who is very healthy, happy, and eats like a .... snake!

I love him for so many reasons. He's beautiful (I know stripes are your favorite morph and Schism is a stripe -btw, stripes are now my favorite morph, too). He's great to handle. The way he moves, the way some of my friends are actually scared of him, his little eyes. I just love him. Wish I wasn't at work right now so I could just watch him...hide under his log.

 

[plasticknives]

HAHhaha

After i brought Tolmie home I sat in front of her tank for, no joke, more than three hours. Just watching her explore. Isn't that sad?

 

[tyflier]

HAHhaha

After i brought Tolmie home I sat in front of her tank for, no joke, more than three hours. Just watching her explore. Isn't that sad?

No. I've had Sammi Snake for coming up on 2 months, and I've Luna, my mBK, for coming up on 2 weeks, and I still sit in front of their cages for hours at a time watching and wondering what they are gonna do next. I like to change things around and put in new "furniture" just to wathc them explore and find the new stuff. They are very entertaining...

 

[Markey]

Great introduction!! You know how to tell a story...

I was never interested in snakes. I had a dog for most of my life. He died shortly before my 23rd birthday. I had a few cats as a child, and a hamster and a rabbit in my early adulthood. I pretty much love all animals and have rescued turtles from the middle of the road as well as some racoons. I actually did not rescue those because my boyfriend at the time refused to stop for fear that the babies would have rabies and bite me. We drove by a few hours later and ALL of the babies along with the mother were in the road dead. I vowed to always save an animal if I could after that night...

Anyway, my son always wanted a hamster and my husband flat out refused saying that they stink. I knew better but how could I convince him? So I didn't try. Well, I did try for about a year or more and then I gave up. We got Parker some fish. He had this Bala Shark that he adored. When the shark died, my son was pretty much traumatized and refused to have anymore fish. We looked at turtles but we found that if they were overhandled, it could affect their slime coat. We looked at a few other things and then we both saw these corn snakes. They were beautiful! I went home and immediately began researching corns. I talked to my husband about it several times and he said, "No." I reminded him that we could get a hamster and he still said, "No." So I did the only thing a Mother could do......I took Parker out and picked up everything and then some that we needed for our snake. We found a breeder by pure accident and ended up getting a beautiful albino from him. She was seven months old at the time and a wee tiny little thing. It was love at first sight on my part. Since my son was only six when we got her, I did most of her care. Over the past few months Parker has become more confident in handling Markey so the bond between them is closer than ever. I love it!

My friends think I'm crazy for having a snake in the house. They tell me that I'm "too girly" to have a snake. I remind them that she is not my snake....lol (they know better!)

 

[plasticknives]

man, I hate that "girly" thing!

"YOU have a SNAKE??"


People are so... set in their ways sometimes.
I tell people i have a snake and they tell me thats a "goth" pet. Like theres no other reason that you'd own a snake except to be "weird"?

argh.

 

[Markey]

I've never heard the "goth" reply.....maybe if you owned a bat or something. LOL Just kidding of course! I don't prejudge people like that.
When I pick up my feeder mice, sometimes I'm in tweed capris and thigh high boots. My breeder just laughs at me. My friends tease me but they mean no harm. My friend Kim loves seeing Markey's 260 gallon condo. She says, "Leave it to you, Lisa." I'm like.....Well, she needs room to exercise!! LOL
I could so easily fit another corn in the house but my husband would probably leave me. Oh well....I just keep coming here and looking at everyone else's beautiful babies! A girl can dream....

 

[snakemom1961]

I've been in love with all critters. Growing up had an assortment of animals, from dogs, guinea pigs, parakeets to anoles and hermit crabs.

Mom would NEVER even dream of allowing me to have a snake.

Fast forward 20 years. When my kids were about 5 and 7 I got a baby albino cornsnake(hubby hated it). Sadly it got out and crawled by the door, which was veyr drafty and cold.. We found it the next day, It had died.

Anyway about 3 years ago, I picked up Tiaga for my daughters for christmas, She was probably about 2ft long at the time. About 3 months ago we picked up a baby corn that is also a normal, but much prettier then Tiaga..lol

Anyway. Thats how I(and my daughters) got into corns..