This is the reason the general public dislikes snakes...

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/pets-and-animals/snakes/442966/


This person's ignorance is thoroughly ridiculous

 

Yeah, lots of misinformation in that person's post, but some small truths as well. I'm not a fan of large snakes, and frankly, I think that they do not belong in the pet trade. This person, however, generalizes quite a bit. He says snakes have poor eyesight, obviously he has never encountered alot of the colubrids we've got here in the U.S. He says snakes cannot recognize their owners. Once again, I'd beg to differ. One incident in particular, where my SD Gopher was at an exhibit, moving around his tank as several people passed by. When I stopped in front of him, he stopped, looked up directly @ me perfectly still, then began to rise up towards my hand.

reako45

 

that page is about as useful as those brown thing i have to pick up out of the anaconda tank heh

 

she acts like snakes are the only pets that can bite or kill you. here are some fun statistics to counterbalance her snake attack horror stories...

A survey by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta ("CDC") concluded that dogs bite nearly 2% of the U.S. population -- more than 4.7 million people annually. (Sacks JJ, Kresnow M, Houston B. Dog bites: how big a problem? Injury Prev 1996;2:52-4.)
Almost 800,000 bites per year -- one out of every 6 -- are serious enough to require medical attention. (Weiss HB, Friedman D, Coben JH. Incidence of dog bite injuries treated in emergency departments. JAMA 1998;279:51-53.)


In the US from 1979 to 1996, 304 people in the US died from dog attacks, including 30 in California.
The average number of deaths per year was 17.
Most of the deceased were children. ("Dog-Bite-Related Fatalities -- United States, 1995-1996," MMWR 46(21):463-467, 1997.)
The chances that the victim of a fatal dog attack will be a burglar are one in 177; the odds that it will be a child are 7 out of 10.

if youre careful neither your dog or python will kill you.

 

Reako, i'm just curious, why do you think that large snakes should not be in the pet trade? I really personally don't see any reason behind it, so i'm curious as to what your point of view is. (i hope this doesnt come off as being disrespectful in anyway, i truly am curious)

 

Though keeping herps/snakes is an in-exact science, large snakes pose entirely different set of concerns than some of their smaller counterparts. They are difficult to provide a PROPER living environment for (seriously, how many "average snake keepers can provide a large enough space w/ proper humidity?... I don't mean a large box where the snake doesn't have room to stretch out), they get large enough to do serious even fatal damage to their keepers, if they escape they can endanger neighbors or their pets, and finally, I'd love to do a survey of the amount of research the "average herp owner" does before purchasing a pet. The risks of doing not enough research w/ a small snake, while bad, do not measure up to the risks of not doing enough/proper research for a large snake. I haven't read the "Sticky" @ the beginning of this forum, but I'm sure it echoes some of the same concerns I've mentioned here.

reako45

 

I can completely understand that, and it does make sense. Also, you're right, a great many people who buy them do almost no research, if any, which is very dangerous to that person, the snake, and the people/animals around that snake. However there are people who i think wholly deserve to own them, look at Blake Herman, he has many large boids and cares for them extensively and properly. I myself recently bought a reticulated python and did a lot of research beforehand, although i hadnt really planned on buying one, it was there when i needed it. Though many people arent "qualified" to care for one, there are many people out there who i think are.

This wasnt meant as an argument, i just always enjoy hearing other peoples' points of view, and in many ways i do agree with you, but in some ways again, i don't i suppose.

 

Wow that site made me angry. Snakes can't be trusted lmao.
Let me say this, I'd trust my little boa over my dog any day. Though she's a good dog, she tends to be mouthy and moody. She's bitten me more times then I can remember. I have a huge bite mark right now actually from her. Though, that was my fault, for stepping in between her and my other dog during a bad fight. But she can do a lot more damage then a lot of snakes can.

 

Zia, no arguement, just my humble opinion, which has been erroneous many times in the past and undoubtedly will be many more times in the future. If you are knowledgeable and can provide a PROPER home for a large snake then more power to you. If someone came asking my advice about pet snakes and large snakes in particular, however, honestly, I would have to say that I would advise them against getting one. Just my humble opinion.
Ash on the snake trust issue, it's sad to say, and I hope this doesn't mark me as a misanthrope, but I'd trust my colubrid snakes more than I'd trust most people (family & friends excluded, thank God). I have a yearling Children's python and we're still working out our "trust issues".

reako45

 

as far as im cocerned that whole thing is a load of crap and whoever wrote that should be strapped to a rocket to the sun.

 

What a load of S^&T. These people are making out snakes to be vicious, mindless killers. Of the examples that were given
- What was the Boa and the terrier doing out together in the first place (and would it have made a post if the rolls were reversed ie Dog eats snake?? )
- Pissed person handling burmese (nuff said).
Reptiles are in some cases far less dangerous than a cat or dog anyway. I'd far rather get nailed by one of my pythons than my friends Bull Terrier any day.

 

i think that person is ignorent and uneducated, though some snakes are dangerous and unpredictable the majority of captive snakes(if raised right) are very tame and great pets.

 

Well honestly that's where you all have it wrong. no snake has ever been or ever will be "tame". Some are just far less aggressive than others. My retic is an absolute DOLL, but on the very rare occassion gets pissed. Same with my rainbow boa. No snake will ever be domesticated, they're wild animals and that's all there is to it.

 

The day you forget these are wild animals is the day you are going to get hurt. Right on Zia.

As far as big boids, I think they should require a permit. Which some States are starting to do. But they should not be banned entirely from the pet trade. If people had to pay for a permit as well that would stop a lot of the impulse buys of those cute little 12-18 inch baby burms, retics, condas, etc.

And sorry, but when people say "general public" .... 'idiots' immediately come to my mind and I dont care what they think anyway.

 

thats generally what i associate general public with, i was just trying to put it politely

 

this brings me back to a philosophy question do animals have free will or can you truly say any animal is good or evil.
and i would trust most snakes over a lot of the people i know including alot of my family

 

that was the biggest load i have ever read. Over my 20-something years of existence i have been taught to be respectful of all types of animals and how to watch for certain types/sign of behaviour (aggression, fondness, etc). If this person is too simple to understand these basic concepts maybe she should be the one kept in a cage and studied for stupidity amongst humans. In the months that i have owned my snake he has come to recognise my 'scent' as i wash with the same brand of soap before handling religiously, and he knows he is going to be handled and now raises his front 1/3 towards my hand. This small act shows they have recognition. In conclusion, this person has most probably had a bad experience with 1 snake and now all snakes have been tarred with the same brush. Very sad too see.

Pete

 

thats a good point Pettc..
where i work we always get the "Will it bite" question...
every time i hear that i just want to roll my eyes...
ANY animal will bite... given enough insentive too.. LOL

 

i dont think ANY animal can be tamed as such they will always have something in them that can break and lead to an accident which is more sensitive in some cases.

 

i hate those kinds of people, especially the part where he lists "its ok the skin a live snake for purses".