To me, I love my hobby and am glad that is what it is. I guess when opinions get in the way that is when the love can also be lost. What I feel is not necessarily what others feel but this is my view.
No animal/reptile is a "crap" animal to me. Just because they arent hets, pieds, albino this or that, doesn't make them worthless to me. I remember when I was terrified of all critters, especially reptiles and the such. A friend was given a tarantula and I thought that was horrible, but as I watched it and began to read, I found a wonderful world of colors and differences. I remember attending my first "show" @ Dixie Reptiles in a motel room in Alabama.
It was mostly spiders and such but a few geckos and the newest crazy "Bearded Dragons". I was in love. No color but cute as can be. Brought them home and read everything I could find. All was well. Then something no one could prepare me for and was in no book, propane gas takes the oxygen out of the air and I began to loose them. I remember the panic, the heart break, heaven knows the vet bills before I figured out what was the problem. Then we got our first breeding pair. I thought I was in heaven as I watched with wonder as she began to dig and later laid her eggs, carefully moving them to the boxes to wait for them to hatch. NOTHING other than my children or grandchild being born can compare to watching those eggs hatch and seeing those first beardie babies that were MINE. From a Ball python named Ms. Amenia that would only eat male mice and got a respritory infection then having to learn to give her shots, to the escapies that got loose and had to be hunted down, to the 2 snake bites I have had, I wouldn't change a thing. I have been here a while and watched alot come and go, But its still a hobby to me. I recently was diagnosed with a idiotic interstitial lung disease. Never smoked, no explanation and the first question from others was " Is it the reptiles?" I held my breath hoping that this would not be the case and thankfully it isn't but had it been, I could never give up the ones that I have loved so much and have given me such love in return as my reptiles. Thankfully, its still a hobbie to me.