snake hating friends

[Pebbles]

I am glad to see I am not alone at being long winded!

It seems Im always trying to edit and delete because I just type and talk to darn much! haha

Im glad to hear stories of non snake lovers becoming snake tolerators, or even snake lovers! It gives me hope!

 

[Michael823]

I guess my friends are mostly either accepting, or just indifferent. My closest friends are intrigued by my snakes, and the ones who don't frequent as much are generally curious to how much my snakes have grown and changed. My family is similarly accepting, and even the occasional friend of a friend seems overwhelmingly interested. I'm surprised when I hear that so many people get strange looks and nasty comments about their snake endeavor, I have honestly not met anybody that makes fun of me for liking snakes, or won't enter my home because of them.
I usually break my snake discussions down as factual descriptions, and zoo like explanations of their habitats, feeding, etc... I try to steer away from using anthropomorphic story telling, and try to fascinate people by showing their natural behaviors. This allows people to not think I'm some weirdo who think I relate to snakes, as most people associate that with being anti social, and creates more of a fear. I show how each snake requires a different environment, and how care has to be strictly monitored. I explain how amazing snakes hunting and survival abilities are, and then describe how I go about taming them, and what great pets they can make. I think people fear the idea of dropping a soft mouse into a dark uncontrolled shoe box enclosure to feed a blood thirsty python, and they usually grow an appreciation for snake keeping after they realize it takes much more specialization and knowledge to care for them than that.
At the end of the day though, friends can be mighty fair weathered. Not to sound all gloomy, but if they can't accept your interest in snakes, then they really don't sound like very good friends. Not to confuse that with those who are genuinely scared to enter your home because of the snakes, they will come around eventually, just keep educating them. But those who make underhanded comments, and make fun of your passion for keeping snakes really aren't worth the time of day.

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

Sigh! I can relate. I just converted to the religion of scales and my poor mother won't set foot in my house because my sand boa's tank is in the living room. It might be different if my mother and I were at odds but I really like her coming to visit and it hurts that she won't even come in the house now but waits in the car.( I DO think Mom has one of those unnatural phobia things about snakes because even pics or jewelry that looks like a snake, freaks her out! ) My in-laws think I'm weird for owning snakes but they think I'm weird anyway and married to the weirdest one in their clan so I don't let that bother me too much. They're so enabled by their rich, suburban, lifestyle and I think THAT'S weird!

When I get too down about the world's hatred of snakes, I watch the "crocodile hunter" or go to a reptile show or come here. Then I'm as "normal" as I want to be!

But I still can't understand how people can be afraid of a sand boa! I want to do reptile outreach and education with mine because she's so blaise about anything!

Don't worry Hon! You're safe with us. ( I think! How big is your wallet and how many tanks do you have??)

Devon

 

[Pebbles]

Haha! well I dont know how safe I am. Ive had a few thoughts of which bill could i not pay to afford another snake/tank. i have the sickness!! :rofl:

 

[Mina]

My best friend didn't like snakes, she wasn't afraid of them, but she didn't want to look at them and didn't want them discussed. My beautiful female lav got this awful eye infection and had to go to the vet numerous times for shots in her eye. My friend heard about it and was sympathetic. I had to drop off something for her one time on the way back from the vet and had the snake in the car. To make a long story short, she let me bring the snake in the house, asked to see her, and the next thing I knew, she had my baby curled around her neck and was cooing at her.
She now loves all of my snakes and handles everything except my big RTB.

 

[Hypancistrus]

My very best friend has not come over since i got the snakes, but wont really give a reason why. and any pictures I put on myspace, facebook of my Fluffy and Aleister get comments like "ew, sick," or the one of them eating "you're demented".

I have not experienced this... even my friends who are scared of snakes seem inately interested in them. I have had coworkers make comments about reptile keeping, and that's easily solved by leaving the room.

My policy is if you're not paying my bills, then I don't need to respond to you and your petty insecurities.

I tend to try to ignore most of those sort of comments. I did ask one work colleague who was being quite offensive about my snakes how she'd feel if I said similar things about her dog and that seems to have stopped her bothering me.
Any friends who won't visit (unless they really are phobic) might come 'round in time, if not it's their loss.

Good advice... any friend willing to ditch you because of a pet you keep can't be worth it.

You're running with the wrong crowd...stay here with ussssssssssssssssss, WE understand!!!!

Agreed. I don't have very many friends, but I met my GF Tara on this forum, and my sister is also into snakes. I have lots of online friends on this forum and I try to meet as many of them as I can at shows. That's all I need.\

Reading Pal-O-Mines laments about her mother reminded me....

My mother once called me at 10:30 PM to tell me about a story she heard on the news of a "big snake" that free roamed its owners house and slept in bed with her... it started stretching out next to her in bed and her vet told her that it was "sizing her up," to eat her and they put the snake to sleep. So my mother calls me late at night to tell me this. I said "I think they are giving that snake a lot of credit... I really don't think mine spend any time "sizing up" their prey... they just grab and constrict... heck, look at the burms in Florida that try and eat gators and die from it."

She then proceeded to call me a know-it-all and said "Well if you get any big snakes, that's it, I won't come over your house anymore!" and hung up.

If I had known that's all I had to do, get a big snake, I'd have had one YEARS ago.... laying on my couch... every time she knocked.... :grin01: As it stands, walking to the door with a snake around my neck sure has cut down on the Jehovah's witnesses that come a'knockin.

Perhaps you can defuse the negative comments with humor. When someone says "Ew, sick," just say something like the above... "Perhaps, but it cuts down on the uninvited door to door salesmen."

 

[Pebbles]

If I had known that's all I had to do, get a big snake, I'd have had one YEARS ago.... laying on my couch... every time she knocked.... :grin01: As it stands, walking to the door with a snake around my neck sure has cut down on the Jehovah's witnesses that come a'knockin.

Perhaps you can defuse the negative comments with humor. When someone says "Ew, sick," just say something like the above... "Perhaps, but it cuts down on the uninvited door to door salesmen."

haha I love your humor! Thats what I need! Im just too stinkin serious dangit and forgot the humor defense!

 

[francka]

I have a similar experience. My mum can't sleep after I told her I will have a snake lol and we are not leaving together lol

 

[CarlyEliz]

most friends iv had never had a problem with my snakes and would hold them and take pictures with them to put on their myspaces lol. my boyfriend is a different story though he hates snakes but loves tarantulas I HATE SPIDERS... so dont know how thats gonna work out but he is the only person (not in my family) that has had a problem with my snakes

 

[Kel]

I don't sweat it. Some of my friends can't stand snakes and they have a right to feel that way. It's no big deal. I loathe creepy crawlies and can't see why anyone would want them as pets, but I have friends with pet spiders. It's just a matter of personal taste and learning tolerance for one another's perferences.

As long as my friends like me more than they hate my snakes, then all's well. If they don't, then they weren't friends to start with.