IMPULSE BUY ON FAUNA!?

Originally Posted by RepLover1022

I think tree boas and Burmese python are very "cool" looking bu not dumb enough to get one as my first snake. It's not a puppy or kitty.

ok.. "not a puppy or a kitty".. just sounds ignorant..

reptiles require a LOT less hands on care/requirements etc..


Have you ever had a dog? A LOT more work, time, and knowledge goes into cats and dogs.. You ever had to take your snake out many many times a day to make sure it can pee outside? ever had to give it hours and hours of play time to keep it exercised? Keep it entertained so it does not destroy your house???


This point of yours is nonsense..


As for the situation.. Maybe she did not start going about it in the right way.. but she did not come one here saying she bought a boa, now what.. she said she was looking at such and such.. what do we thing.. which means people can give their opinions, and she can then do the proper research to care for something..


oh.. and ANYONE can accidentally kill an animal.. not just noobs. not to mention they can do tons of research and STILL get things wrong..

Originally Posted by Mike554

Out of their league?? And what makes you think that? Just because they may not know much about them now - when no purchase has been made - doesn't mean they wouldn't do the research, learn the care, and be great keepers. Heck, isn't the learning half the fun when someone gets into reptiles?

Lets see she said that she needed a snake quickly for her son's birthday. Doesn't sound like much research was done. That and she htought that BPs got big. I'm sorry but she should instead buy him a book on Corns or other snakes instead.
BP's do get big, relative to rosy boas and kenyan sand boas.
I think the 3 options she posted were pretty reasonable. While I've never kept, or even researched, rubber boas, I'd say the kingsnake and the sand boa are probably easier to keep than a ball python. No, BPs aren't hard to keep...but even CB BPs that have been in the same care for years can randomly decide to go off food....that makes them a pain in the , and not necessarily the best for a first time keeper.
She's looking at big snakes? You just showed your cluelessness. I wouldn't be surprised to find that you don't know any more about the level of care of the species she mentioned than you do about the size. (btw - she even specified that she was only interested in species that would stay small...or did you just think she was so clueless that she mistakenly selected big snakes?)

She seems like she was window shopping if she didn't know the size of the second most popular snake on the market. Also she was looking at Sands which while easier then the other two she picked which wasn't a king it was a Rosy. Neither the Rubber nor Rosy are the best to start off with.
Rosys are excellent to start out with. They have good temperaments usually and don't get large. Just because you don't know much about these animals doesn't make them hard to keep.
What's wrong with starting with something that interests her/her son?
Ok if a kid liked a Rhino Iguana or a Sulcata Tort would you give it to a first timer? I really want Savs and Green Tree monitors but i'm starting with Ackies to learn the ropes of Monitors then get into the bigger species. Which most first-timers do.
If they seemed like they had researched it or were listening to me when I told them how big it would get, what it would need for care, etc... then yes, I would give an 11 year old a sulcata.
Or, the kid could really get into it, learn a lot, and work hard to keep it. Granted, a lot of first timers don't fare very well...but that is the case with corns and balls, as well. Better to at least arm them with the information they need to give the snake the best chance, than to jump all over them and make them go it alone.
Sure AFTER he has the snake and it is to late.

I saw this post as well, but you know what I did? Instead of assuming this lady was an idiot who was irresponsible with animals (which was the exact opposite impression I got from her), I sent her a gentle PM suggesting a corn snake as a first snake, citing their good tempers, their activity, and their ease of care. Then I linked her to Rich Z's cornsnake forum. I didn't bash her; I didn't even find anything wrong with her post, minus her desire to catch a wild rubber boa for him.

Originally Posted by RepLover1022

I really don't want to argue with u rich. I understand what your saying but this is not the 80s and this isn't a snake guru. It's a housewife. I'm sure she has a billion other things to do than sit and figure everything out after she buys the snake.

But don't let your merely saying so keep you from doing so....

No this is not the '80s. My point was that back in the '80s, virtually NO ONE was a "snake guru". Everyone buying or even catching animals to bring into a captive environment really didn't know all that much about them. And those people were kids, teenagers, young adults, old adults, and yes, even housewives. Most of them really had NO resources to go to in order to make themselves educated about their new found interest and really had to learn by doing. And as most people know, most people will expend a whole lot more effort on an interest and hobby than seems reasonable to someone without a like interest.

Originally Posted by RepLover1022

And fyi I am a learn as u go type person but when it comes to animals I rather play it safe than sorry. I don't want to get something I don't know how to take care of and make it suffer. I guess that makes me less intelligent as you.

I would never say such a thing, but sorry you feel inadequate in this conversation. I really didn't intend to make you feel that way.

Originally Posted by ShortStack

Please explain to me how my rant was any different than you ranting? At least you are here to defend yourself, whereas the person YOU are ranting about, can't do the same.

She can come and defend herself at any time. Also it was different bcause you used personal attacks i didn't.

Originally Posted by Mike554

She can come and defend herself at any time. Also it was different bcause you used personal attacks i didn't.

wut. You cannot be serious.

Originally Posted by Alex G

wut. You cannot be serious.

Sadly, I think he is, Alex.. Wow. Just.. woooooooooooow.

Just for the record- I wasn't saying he NEEDED to inform her of this, because no- this isn't the BOI. I was just making the point that if we're talking about people, at least he's here to see this and can reply, and she can't unless someone chooses to direct her here. I think he definitley should have sent a PM to her and nicely explained his concerns if he was so concerned. This wasn't a generic rant about impulse buys, it was a specific one about a person.

OP, you posted this about a certain person on the forums. How is that not "personal"? You basically have said she would all but murder whatever pet she ended up getting, but that's not 'flaming', but pointing out your own ignorance in ID-ing a common species is 'flaming'?

Pot... kettle.

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

OP, you posted this about a certain person on the forums. How is that not "personal"? You basically have said she would all but murder whatever pet she ended up getting, but that's not 'flaming', but pointing out your own ignorance in ID-ing a common species is 'flaming'?

Pot... kettle.

Wolfy, oh how I love thee <3

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

OP, you posted this about a certain person on the forums. How is that not "personal"? You basically have said she would all but murder whatever pet she ended up getting, but that's not 'flaming', but pointing out your own ignorance in ID-ing a common species is 'flaming'?

Pot... kettle.

It pretty much was a rant on impulse buys in general also if you actully read the whole thread I apolgized and admited I lost my cool. Also SS pretty much flat-out called me an idiot.