People who Can't Spell "Burm"

I know I'm nowhere near 100% accurate when typing...

I know everyone makes mistakes...

I know it's easy to hit the wrong key on occasion... or that some people don't speak english as a first language... Dyslexia prevents them from writing well...

I even know that someone who's not associated with a certain species stands a good chance of screwing up the spelling...

But someone who's posting an ad or describing an animal they own who's unable to spell the name... Not even the nomenclature, although that ticks me off too... But the common name... They've got to be developmentally delayed or have been hit in the head or something, because nobody could actually be THAT stupid, right?!

Ads for "Elbino Berms"... questions about feeding "Equannas"... stories about the time their "Bald Python" ate a rat...

These people are claiming to OWN THESE ANIMALS...

To be responsible for every aspect of that animal's health and care and daily checks on humidity, temperature, diet and environment... And they haven't even read enough... not even enough to have figured out that the animal is a BURM! They're from BURMA! They're not from Bermuda damnit!

It really makes me question both the intelligence of the person writing that kind of crap and... More so, the care the animal is getting. If they can't even spell the common name right... the slang for the common name... all FOUR LETTERS of it, what are the chances that they aren't feeding it right or have it fifteen degrees too cold or have the humidity off by enough to cause scale rot or crappy sheds and dehydration? And they expect you to buy this animal from them half the time... give them MONEY and get this "Berm" in return...

And they get pissy when you correct them, no matter how polite you happen to be... getting uppity and loud and claiming that you don't know anything and they've been doing this for years...

It's gotten to the point where anythjing that looks like more than a typo... or anything repeated like that... I just tell the truth... "I have no idea what a red tailed python is, sorry I can't help you." it's just more of a headache than it's worth talking to people like that.

personally i would purchase the Red Tailed python , the Equanna and the Bald python ...
reasons why .... [list=1][*]The Red Tailed Python may be a neat new morph!!![*]The Equanna would just be cool ....[*]And the Bald python ... just imagine a snake with no hair .. how funny would that be [/list=1]

But seriously the ones that do it on a regular basis i just assume ( i know i shouldnt ) but are kids , are not to worried on how they spell it ? or they assume that since the worlds got into typing in "ebonics" on the computer they just think since it sounds right it must be ! but none the less if they cant spell it im not buying it i just browse on let them be ...
PS
Please dont comment on the I's not being in capitols .. its just the lazyness to hit the shift key lol

You hit it on the head Seamus!!!

I can't STAND when people can't even spell their own animals' name right. The scientific names I can understand, to a degree(really, how hard is Python regius, really???).

I think it's a combination of ignorance, stupidity, and just plain laziness. I will NEVER buy from someone who can't do something as simple as spell Ball Python or Albino Burm correctly.

And just one more thing...

People, if the animal has a line running down the length of its back, it is called a STRIPE, not a STRIP!!! Damn that REALLY burns me, ESPECIALLY since it is misspelled on nearly EVERY freakin' ad for a STRIPED animal!

Work in a pet shop for any amount of time and you'll hear them all! My favorites were..

"Guanies"
"Ball boas"
"Rosy python" - once had a woman argue with me claiming that yes, these did exist, and that they were a "new" species, she then had a hissy-fit when I told her I couldn't get her one....lol
"Skanks" - Do you guys sell skanks? Was always good for a laugh

"Skanks" has been a personal favorite for years. Whenever anyone asks me where they can buy some skanks, I kindly direct them to the popular old street corner.

Color me clueless, but what are people trying to write/say with "hoop snakes"? I can't even translate that into anything.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913):


Hoop snake (Zo["o]l.), a harmless snake of the Southern
United States ({Abaster erythrogrammus); -- so called
from the mistaken notion that it curves itself into a
hoop, taking its tail into its mouth, and rolls along with
great velocity.


It was a name given to most any snake that looked like it could grab its tail in its mouth, stiffen its body into a perfect hoop, and then roll itself after little boys and girls that might get too near them! Obviously an "Old Wives' Tale" gone bad . . .

Seamus,
Quite a post! I think I would have to go with the “bald python” on your list. But can I feed it one of those hairless rats? Could be a bald snake eating a bald rat. Now that would make an interesting pic! I, myself can’t spell to save my life! Most of the words I can spell contain very few letters. And most of those I can’t type here because I would be given A LOT of warning points for them! And no Darin, that isn’t because I’m a Raiders fan!! Something that I do, if I want to be taken seriously (not very often that happens) is to type my letter in MS word, do the spell check and then copy and paste it into here. It may not catch all the misspellings but it does get a few of them. Plus it always has those great little grammar hints. I think if you are going to post something for SALE not “SELL” the least one could do is a little cut and paste!!

Yes, a striped boa has a stripe running down its back. But a STRIPPED boa is just the chassis and you have to buy all the other parts seperately.
At least dealing with misspellings are more fun that dealing with 'laypeople'. I just took one of my snakes to show a friend of ours at a video game store, and he inquired about the snakes with the 'ears' (cobras) and was reliveved and suprised to find out that there are no venomous pythons. Nice guy, but I get the feeling that some people just aren't paying attention.
Well, I gotta get back to my b&w kenya boas.

Erin B.

A few Gardener snakes would be nice, do they do lawns too?