QUESTIONS FOR THE FEMALE SNAKE-OWNERS

1. What type of snake(s) do you own?
Ball pythons, and cornsnake. (also tegu + blackthroat monitors)

2. What sparked your interest in the particular snake(s) you own?
I was steered towards ball pythons, bc I wanted something that didn't get 20 ft long, was handleable, but not flighty.

3. Do you have help with your snake(s)?
(This is NOT a married/single question! Some of us have snakes & husbands/boyfriends that want nothing to do with them!)
No. Just me pretty much. I have some friends I can arrange to have come over if I needed something on rare occasions, but haven't ever needed to do so yet.


4. How tall are you?
?? I'm 5' 11" unless I'm slouching, which is most time.

5. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your size/age?
Size/age? Not really. But I don't want any giants, because I don't have a second person for safe handling. But it's not really a size/age reason, I don't feel anyone, even if they are a giant muscleman should really be alone and trying to wrestle a 200 lb 18 ft long retic back into a raised enclosure. They are like moving giant bags of water when they don't want to go.

6. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your security/safety factor?
Yes, see blabber in above answer.

7. What is your age group?
26-40

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??
Hmm... not ruin. I don't have hardly anyone that comes over here though. Does that count? People just dont' want to come back for dinner when you've pulled a bag of rats out of the food fridge.

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass
ABSOLUTELY! Everyone with a collection or pets should have a signed will IMHO. Mine lays out who gets the pets, and who is responsible for care and getting the pets to the new owners.

Hope this helped you out.

1. What type of snake(s) do you own?

13 Currently (always room for more): Corns, Rats, Kings, Rainbow boas. In the past: Burms, Red tail boas, a Retic and Garters.

2. What sparked your interest in the particular snake(s) you own?

I like the purdy colors ..

3. Do you have help with your snake(s)?

I do now.. at least when he isn't deployed (he's military). In the past the guys were all afraid of them (with at least one in the "scared-to-death-peeing-his-pants-and-screaming-like-a-little-girl" category.. though ONE would assist if I asked nice.

4. How tall are you?

5' 5"

5. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your size/age?

nope.

6. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your security/safety factor?

Somewhat... my husband isn't always home and we live out in cow country.. so if a problem arose I would be S.O.O.L.

7. What is your age group?

Older than dirt... but this works 41-50

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??

Not really.. I just chose the critters over them...

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass

IF I die?.. lol.. I refuse to die.. dangit! But if I get sick they will be cared for.. as well as all the other critters (bearded dragons, cats, chickens, dogs, ducks, ferrets, fish, flying squirrels, frogs, guineas, horses, mice, parrot, rats, and turkeys).

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??

Nope~ but I have........used the snakes to discourage overnight guests I didn't particularly want to host before........you know......"OH! Your coming out this way to visit? And your bringing ALL your kids? How many kids is that now?? And you want to sleep in the my living room.......No No~ we would LOVE to see y'all! There are just a few little details I have to take care of first.......(shouting over my shoulder) HONEY get the BIG trap! We have to catch her BEFORE my cousin gets here! She's bringing her smallest boy! (back into the phone) Don't worry now. I'm sure we'll catch her before she has them babies!! And if we don't it's not really that big a deal~ plenty of antivenom around here! How many pounds did you say your youngest boy was? Would you guess he's bigger than a baby goat? Yeah~ he probably is.....it won't be a problem.......the snake won't even be hungry again until AFTER she drops those babies"

My cousin has not visited me since I got snakes. She's considered it a time or two~ and I always tell her she IS welcome..........

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass

I don't have a list~ but we have an agreement with a neighbor who keeps snakes and rats as well that if anything should happen to me~ dead or just unable to care for my animals~ then my husband will call her and she will take care of everything as she see's fit either by maintaining my animals (including not only my snakes and rats, but my cows, goats, dogs, chickens, turkeys, geese) or if it's a situation where I will not be able to care for my animals any longer (If I'm dead or apparently permanently disabled) my friend will sell my animals (with more consideration going to the quality of the new home than to the sales price of the animals) and give the money to my husband after keeping fair compensation for her time and supplies used.

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??

Thankfully my husband understands my love of these animals, and gives me room to work with them. He's a screaming sissy when it comes to snakes, but he is at least good enough to allow them in the house. I in turn am respectful of his desire to stay far away from them and don't wave them in his face.

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass.

No, I don't. This question has really got me to thinking about that now, though. I guess they would go to the breeders who have helped me along the way with advice and stuff, if they'll have them. I guess I should start writing emails and asking, then write something up. I don't have any friends and family has disowned me so unfortunately that's not even an option.

Interesting questions and answers.

1. What type of snake(s) do you own?

I have 6 boas, 3 BPs, 4 kings, 2 milks and roughly 80 corns

2. What sparked your interest in the particular snake(s) you own?

I've always liked snakes and they are so addictive. LOL

3. Do you have help with your snake(s)?

My husband is over seas atm, but when he's home he's happy to help if I ask. But he wont volunteer. He likes the snakes just not near as much as I do. Hahaha My oldest son likes to help me out a lot though.

4. How tall are you?

5' 3"

5. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your size/age?

Not really

6. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your security/safety factor?

Nope

7. What is your age group?

26-40

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??

Nope

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass

I don't have but this is some thing I really should think about and do. I'd hate to see what my parents would want done with my collection if some thing happened.

1. What type of snake(s) do you own?
well, i dont own any- there are woods behind our house with small streams, and i enjoy herping back there! i have found various garter snakes, toads, and lizards- nothing too exciting, but these simple creatures make me happy! my parents would literally MURDER me if i brought anything home, which is why i enjoy observing them in their natural habitat.

2. What sparked your interest in the particular snake(s) you own?
(i dont own any) but i used to watch the crocodile hunter every day, so my brother and i used to pretend we were him and would go out to the woods behind our house looking for reptiles!

3. Do you have help with your snake(s)?
(This is NOT a married/single question! Some of us have snakes & husbands/boyfriends that want nothing to do with them!)
ummmm...no i am by myself looking for them- none of my family, neighbors, or friends share my interest in snakes (they think it a little odd that a girl likes that kind of stuff?)

4. How tall are you?
5'2 i am really short, but taller than my mom!!!

5. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your size/age?
i have recently become interested in boa constrictors, and my mom was about to let me have one, then she found out how large they can get and said no! so, i am stuck with reading books about them.

6. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your security/safety factor?
kinda. i could NEVER handle a burm or retic by myself!!

7. What is your age group?
under 15! i am 14

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??
my mom hates snakes, but i thought it would be funny if i put one on her shoulder. my mistake! i went out in our back yard and caught a western terrestrial garter snake- the thing was probably only 2 feet long! so, i went to the kitchen and went behind her. it stayed on her shoulder surprisingly for about 3 minutes. but when that snakes just brushed across her face, you would have thought that the house was on fire! all the food went on the floor and she flung the snake at me. she went balistic and i took it back outside, but she didnt talk to me for about 3 days!!!

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass
nope

Originally Posted by Helenthereef

So far I'm seeing that most female owners responding either are solo or have uninterested partners. That's interesting (wonder if it's the same for the guys?)

we can't all be as awesome as Bry and Lolo

1. What type of snake(s) do you own?

Ball Pythons, Boas ( BCI, BCA ), Bullsnakes, Garter Snake, Xenopeltis unicolor, Sumatran Short tail

2. What sparked your interest in the particular snake(s) you own?

Looks, personality, rarity/uniqueness, care requirements My own personal interest/experience

3. Do you have help with your snake(s)?

None at all. ( Save for friends who might loan me stuff like last year when i had eggs unexpectedly!) Other than that.... im all alone on this one!

4. How tall are you?

5'4"

5. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your size/age?

Nope, it has more to do with caging requirements than anything.

6. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your security/safety factor?

In regards to non venomous yes. Other than that, no, not really.

7. What is your age group?
15-25

But i dont think age necessarily makes a difference in regards to keeping reptiles. Ive met some pretty experienced, younger than me, keepers.



8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??

None so far!!! LOL *knocks on wood*

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass

I dont... but its something to think about for sure. I suppose i should get something written down.

10)
My question for people who want to answer it is....

Why do you keep the species you work with? What are your goals with them?

Simply... For ball pythons, anyway, i want some of the morphs for myself. They are my eye candy, basically, and while i do enjoy them, I really prefer/am partial to other species.

The caulker cays are such a FUN species to keep. They stay nice and small, but i absolutely love their semi arboreal tendencies! Not to mention i LOVE the almost natural anerythristic look they have going on. Plus all them belly speckles. Also their somewhat.. "rarity" attracted me. You really dont see them super often yet. I plan on having a fairly nice collection of these guys, because i want to keep them around for future generations to appreciate in their PURE form!

The bullsnakes are just cool. They are a loud colubrid that just demands a persons attention when you see one. They really are a super super fun species to keep, and they LOVE food. who could hate a snake that hisses as loud as these (most of the time) bluffers do!? ^_^ Plus... they just LOOK mean. Gotta love that. I saw a picture of one, one day... and just HAD to have one. I just want to have a few nice animals to put together now and then to supplement my tables when i finally get enough breeding stuff going on to warrant getting a table for myself. I think more people should check the species out and get one or two! you really wont regret it.


the sumatran is here because ive always admired bloods, and at first i was kinda nervous because they were supposedly mean snakes, that all the scare tactic info out there said they also got HUGE. Once i researched the different KINDS of Bloods/Short Tails i realized that i could very easily keep a "Black Blood" along with pretty much any other species of blood i wanted to, because the care was really NOT hard, and lots of them, really arent nasty and evil as many made them out to be.
I'd Seen pictures of a black somewhere on the net, and didnt find them again till much later on... I was in love with those SUPER dark and black animals that i needed to have one for myself. So i talked to Kara and bought myself a lovely little boy. ^_^ my goal for this boy is to get him a super dark girlfriend, and produce some nice DARK black blood babies.

My other boas are here because of mostly the same reasons ( i saw a picture and just had to have one), and sentimental reasons. I enjoy the boas, quite a bit Every single species i have acts a different way, and its SO interesting to me to look at and compare those differences when i have an animal out, and then go to get another. Even within species/groups.... the animals act so very differently. BCI do not ALL act the same as other bci. My caulker cays move/behave in an ENTIRELY different way, and carry themselves totally differently than my Colombians.

With Ostara and Toad, i hope to one day have some sunglows, or albinos ( or hey, salmons will work too if toad isnt het!) and im PRAYING toad proves out his stripe for rick!!! That would be most excellent! These guys are both very special to me and i plan on them being with me for a very long long time.

my south brazilian amarali girl is here just because i saw a picture of a REAL pretty one one day on Barry Millers website, and needed one. Shes mostly here for pet purposes, but ill probably get her a boyfriend too one day. No real goals for her, other than to just enjoy her for being so lovely.

My Sunbeam snake is here ( Xenopeltis) because again, pictures.... ( Yep, i got a theme with my wanting animals thing.... i dont see them in books, i see them all ONLINE! LOL *mostly) I hope to one day breed him and a girlfriend snakie for him in captivity to try to help *eventually* lessen the burden on the wild ones being taken in to the USA every year. These guys are kinda delicate, in some ways, because they need the right humidity, and a nice secure home they can BURROW in. they DONT like being out in bright light at all, and will try to hide at any chance they can get. Not a really hands on snake for people, but absolutely stunning to see in person, and feel. their scales are like glass, and they are THE most iridescent snake ive ever come across. They truly have earned the name Sunbeam Snake Breeding these guys successfully and hatching a viable clutch is a HUGE goal of mine, that i would love to one day achieve. Personally, it would be THE moment in my snake keeping/breeding life.


Anything i may have missed that i have here... i can always explain later, but for the most part, i think i covered stuff fairly well. Most everything has the same reasons for keeping, sort of.

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??

I have friends and relatives who strongly dislike the snakes. I don't get it. Who wouldn't love a fat little short taile who would bite your face off if you got too close? Sangre (my STP) is such a sweetie!

I have, however, damaged a relationship due to slimy ones that are for the scaley ones. I got a shipment of mealies and my friend was standing around telling me how gross they were. I couldn't help it... there was this really fat one... and, well... I threw it at him. I feel awful about that now.

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass

It's common knowledge that everyone would go to my friend, who is also their babysitter when I'm away, and the only person I have ever met who knows the first thing about reptiles. (I trained her.)

10) Why do you keep the species you work with? What are your goals with them?

Easy. Balls are no doubt my favorites. I adore heavy-bodied snakes (obviously), and balls are the best heavy-bodied snakes around. Normals are gorgeous and there are also some killer morphs. They get to be somewhat large but not unmanagable. Great temperament. I love cuddly snakes.

STPs are so beautiful, it's addicting to look at them. There's something very attractive about large, fat, mean snakes.

Beardies are buddies. It's as simple as that. I love mine to death. They have such funny personalities. Very lovable. <3

As for rainbow boas, that's also simple. They are so beautiful. Imo, the most beautiful non-venomous snakes. Not too big, either. Husbandry isn't easy, but I'll manage. Can't wait to get one in a few weeks!!!

As for my plans, I have a lot of snakes I'd like to get. For the most part, more balls, and probably some more STPs. I'm thinking maybe a carpet or a woma or something morelia. Maybe a BCI, but they aren't top on my list. In terms of breeding, I plan to breed some balls this upcoming season, but that's about it. I'm tempted to have a go with STP breeding, but they are really so large, I don't have room for more than a few.

1. What type of snake(s) do you own?
Currently BP and Rat

2. What sparked your interest in the particular snake(s) you own?
Been a reptile (animal) fanatic/keeper since elementary school, much to my parents chagrin

3. Do you have help with your snake(s)?
(This is NOT a married/single question! Some of us have snakes & husbands/boyfriends that want nothing to do with them!)
No, though I will get help from my son if I need it.

4. How tall are you?
4' 11"

5. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your size/age?
Nope

6. Does your choice of snake have anything to do with your security/safety factor?
Nope

7. What is your age group?
41-50

8. How many of you have had your love of the scaley ones ruin a relationship ?? Friend? Lover?? IN LAW??
Nope ... but if they did, then it's their problem. I yam what I yam
Most people I know outside my few real-life herp friends are not the least bit interested or are downright scared of snakes.

9. Do you have an "if I die" list, of who gets, or what to do with the "collection" once you pass
No .. and I suppose I should, eh? Good question.

And yes ... fun thread