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Reptile & Amphibian
News Blog Keep up with news and features of interest to the reptile and amphibian community on the kingsnake.com blog. We cover breaking stories from the mainstream and scientific media, user-submitted photos and videos, and feature articles and photos by Jeff Barringer, Richard Bartlett, and other herpetologists and herpetoculturists.
Wednesday, February 1 2012When people ask why you keep reptiles, tell them Every reptile keeper is familiar with it: Total incomprehension on the part of non-herpers as to why we keep the pets we do.While others are off in Washington doing their work fighting this battle on the legislative front, the rest of us have our own battles to fight. I issued a challenge to the members of the reptile community in December to do education in libraries, schools, and public events like pet fairs, but we also need to do one-on-one education about the beauty and wonder of our chosen species. Start by sharing with skeptical members of the public how beautiful you find animals like snakes. Their fluid movements, grace, and beauty enthrall me each and every day I am with them. Their bodies are amazing mechanically; their muscle movements enchant me. We need to help people understand that yes, we have relationships with our snakes. I talk to each one that lives with me, calling then by name even though they never answer back. These are beautiful, low maintenance pets who make me smile each day; what could be wrong with that? My lizards are much more personable. Osama answers to his name and is clearly my favorite. He greets me with a series of headbobs communicating his mood, much like a dog does with his tail. I train my dogs, and I've also trained my lizards. Using treats to reward the behavior I want, I have successfully trained Osama to go where I want him to and remain hands free if I wish. He responds to my voice, not in the same way as my dogs, but in his own way. It's clear he recognizes my voice. He also responds to my touch and often reaches out to be held. No, my reptiles don't follow me around the house like my dogs. They don't share scraps off my plate or cuddle with me on the couch -- but neither does my cat. You may think you shouldn't have to explain to people that your pets are great animals and that you aren't a "freak" for keeping them. You're right; in a perfect world, that would be true. But in case you haven't noticed, this isn't a perfect world, and the more we get average pet-owners to understand that we love, respect and admire our reptile pets, the easier it will be to get them to oppose laws that would take our pets away or irrationally restrict our right to keep them, or to share this wonderful hobby with another generation of herpers. So the next time you tell someone you keep snakes and they say, "Euwww," don't argue with them; educate them. Start today. Photo of me and Osama Binguana, my beloved Grand Cayman Hybrid Iguana. |
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For me, keeping reptiles is all about education. Besides being low maintenance, beautiful, and fascinating, pet reptiles allow me to observe behaviors in species I would be lucky to see in the field, since captives can become acclimated to seeing large, relatively hairless primates lurking around all the time. These insights can be applied to studying reptiles in the wild, and make me a better scientist. I also use outreach with live animals as an excellent way to inspire interest in science, biodiversity, and conservation issues in the general public. Handling a live snake makes a much larger impression than a powerpoint presentation.
I was raised under the "only good snake is a dead snake" mentality. Wild animals (and strays) were not overly welcome in our household. My parents weren't HEARTLESS by any means, but they felt anything other than a dog or a cat shouldn't be kept as pets. I conformed to my parents' rules in their home, until I met my husband. We shared an interest in ALL animals, so we frequented zoos, aquariums, shelters, and watched TONS of Animal Planet. (Back when Steve was just gaining ground) and I LOVED hearing the respect and admiration he had for all these amazing animals. I remember thinking. "THIS guy UNDERSTANDS what it means to care for something without expecting anything back from it." So you ask me "Why do I keep reptiles?" It's selfless love. Sure they are in cages. But their cages are adequate, and they have no predators, no natural disasters, and no human harming them intentionally out of ignorance. My animals are loved, even if they are incapable of showing me love like a dog or a child would, it doesn't make them any less worthy. I think only selfless people will understand WHY we choose to love an animal that by nature is not designed to return the love. Many people don't understand caring for something if there is no reciprocation. People have come to EXPECT a return on their "investments" both financial and emotional. I think the more important question here is "What does THAT say about us as a society that we can't accept someone's love and respect for a certain kind of animal?"
I love dogs and cats, but I feel that reptiles deserve the same amount of love importance.
For me, I can trace my fascination with reptiles to one specific memory. It was '78 or '79, probably, so I would've been 3-4 years old. I was riding shotgun in my dad's sky-blue-and-rust '72 Chevy pickup. I had always called it "Blue-cher" because when I was learning to talk I couldn't say "blue truck." The dust from the country road clouded through the holes in Blue-cher's floorboard making my eyes itch. There was a field on the right with a barbed-wire fence. Suddenly there was a black streak darting across the road in front of us.
"Look, it's a snake," my father said.
He was already applying the brakes and mashing the wheezy clutch by the time I yelled, "Catch it for me, Daddy!"
The truck might have come to a complete stop, but I'm not so sure, because as the snake disappeared into the ditch Dad was already out of the truck and halfway across the road. The snake emerged from the ditch and glided under the fence but my dad just jumped. He cleared the ditch and landed on the little ribbon snake.
A minute later we were rolling again and I held my new captive with pride and wonder. It was, as far as I can remember, my first reptile.
Dad was never into snakes, or any other reptile for that matter. But that never stopped him from bringing home any little critters he found crossing the road or lurking about the many construction sites he worked. No matter how hard his day was, if my dad found a reptile, he brought it home to me.
My dad always instilled in us an appreciation for the outdoors and nature. A true appreciation that you can only get from actually exploring and experiencing nature first hand. So maybe that's why I'm not content to just read about reptiles and watch documentaries. Maybe that's why I've always surrounded myself with cold-blooded creatures. Maybe reptiles are a link to the best times a little boy had with his dad.