Little brained people

Lately I have been noticing more and more jerk-offs running around without a clue. Tonight I am stopped by a friend at a local store and during the conversation I invite this person over to see the snakes and the new Black Pine I am getting next week. The conversation is going good until someone overhears the snake part and goes off on a line about how this or that guy goes out and catches rattlesnakes and skins them for sale and has a freezer full of skins and bla...bla...blah...
I politely ask why and get a reply that they do it because the snakes are a menace to society... and the person then asks me what I make from my snakes skins and when I tell them that my snakes keep their skins and are not killed they look at me in disgust and shake their heads... Then in a not so cordial manner notify me that I do not know what I am doing... What the hell is up with that?


I have come across numerous morons with not a clue who take this approach and it drives me nuts. I can understand not liking snakes or even fearing them, but promoting the wholesale slaughter of them or calling some stupid because the keep herps out of a love for them... thats idiotic in my eyes!

Rant is done,
Charles

Just think they must be some of the most blissful people in the world!
I know the hassle of owning reptiles also. I have an 11 year old son with leukemia and the hospital staff found out that we own "Dirty" reptiles. I had to go through the lecture about salmonella and all the diseases reptiles can carry. I reminded the doctor that my child seems to catch more ailments when we make trips to the hospital than any where else.
Of course, I am sure that you have run into, "You have more than one pet?, man your house must be nasty!"
And they say animals are the stupid creatures?!!!!!!!

Hah! Good one!

Actually I think kids catch more germs in school than they could ever come up with at a zoo.

I had an old friend over once to see all my animals and he brought his girlfirend along. When I took them into the area where the animals are kept, she puts her hand over her nose and makes an exclamation about how it stinks. I look at James (who does not keep nor has ever kept reptiles) and he shrugs, saying it smelled fine to him. Not wanting to inconvenience her, I tell her she is more than welcome to go sit outside. She tells me no, that's OK, so I tell her no, I insist, while making a waving motion towards the door.

Of course everyone has had the salmonella lectures and the "Can they bite?" questions.

This reminds me of one of the less than bright people we had come into the petshop I was working at a couple of months ago. I was giving the standard 'lesson' on how to care for a hampster, and how to go about picking them up. I told the lady to be sure and wake it up slowly, otherwise, it may be startled enough to turn and bite. Her response was "They have TEETH?!?! I don't want one if it has teeth!"

I still haven't figured out how they'd eat without teeth...

How many of you guys have run into people who think small colubrids like garters and kings don't have teeth, and therefore can't bite/aren't dangerous? I've heard this from many people, including one guy who owned a cal king and believed that it could kill king cobras but refused to believe it could bite him. I guess that the part of the snake people are afraid of is the teeth, and if you don't think it has teeth, you're not scared of it.

Also, it sounds strange, but people who aren't 'into' animals have trouble believing that small baby animals grow into larger, adult animals. I used to work at a petstore, too, and I can't count the number of times I was in front of the rodent cages saying, '
Yes, these small, BABY rats grow into these BIG rats'
'Really? These are the same thing? These get that big?'
"Yes! They grow! They get bigger!'
I think this explains the unwanted RES/iguana/other large reptile problems we're having. No matter how many times you tell people they get bigger, no one ever really believes you.

humanity in general

Erin B.

I use my two brain cells. I don't buy an animal without educating myself on it first. I seek expert opinion and advice. Then I go break the piggy bank!
Humans seem to prefer to live in ignorance instead of trying to learn. Unfortunately some people never realize how stupid they really are.
Charles probably encounters people there who like running over cats and opossums for road kill. I have explained to my son to ignore ignorant people because they don't realize they are acting stupid or they don't care. Those of us who have two brain cells that can create friction will always seek and humbly accept the need to learn more and modify our ways in life.
Our biggest challenge is to gracefully ignore the ignorant people.

Every now and then people will come in to my store and make comments like "I had a fish like that once, it got to mean so I flushed it" does he think I am impressed by that, just makes me not want to sell him anything else. Or, one of my favorites, I had a guy come in asking if I can get alligators. I told him that I could, but that I would not as I did not think they make appropriate pets for 99% of the people who buy them. He says " I know what you mean, I had one about ten years ago but it got too big I had to get rid of it, but I think it would be cool for my kids to have one while it is still little.

Guess what, he bought one from someplace else and he is already asking if I know of a place that will take it in a few years when it gets too big.

Steve schindler

Sometimes, you actually run across someone SO willingly ignorant that you think to yourself:

"Maybe this guy should be ENCOURAGED to keep hots, big crocodillians, lions, tigers, and bears!"


OH MY! Did I write that?

I know exactly what you mean there are a few folks up hear that totally missed the bus on brains. Maybe I could interest a few of them in some Anaconda or Retic... but then I think "Would not be fair to the snake, no challenge".

Sorry if I seem harsh just that I have been putting up with alot of these types lately... I guess I am partly responsible since I am trying to form a Herp group here as well as an education program/reptile center. All it ever takes is for one person to stand out, alone if possible and all the backwood idiots gather...

Sorry if I offended anyone,
Charles