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Coon Rapids Tells Man He Has Too Many Snakes

Clay Davenport

Clay Davenport

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COON RAPIDS, Minn. (WCCO) – A man’s love of snakes and reptiles has led to trouble with the City of Coon Rapids.

Scott Nellis owns more than 400 snakes, geckos and lizards; but Coon Rapids wants him to downsize.

From the outside, Nellis’ house looks like your typical Coon Rapids home. But what’s on the inside sets it apart. His house is full of roommates that are of the coldblooded sort.

“You mention snake and 95 percent of people go ewww, snakes. I can understand that,” said Nellis, who breeds snakes.

His hobby that started 15 years ago and eventually bloomed into a business of 60 lizards, 363 snakes and the necessary food, both insect and rodent, to keep them alive.

But Nellis’ passion for reptiles has put him at odds with city.

“It’s very frustrating,” he said.

Coon Rapids City Attorney Stoney Hiljus said the snakes are the issue.

Last October, a neighbor complained. The city then searched Nellis’ home and questioned its livability.

“It could pose a risk for public safety if there is an emergency,” Hiljus said.

The city wanted Nellis to have fewer animals, and he said he could do that. But having a lot of snakes is sometimes part of his business.

During that October search, the city also realized Nellis’ collection included snakes that are illegal in Coon Rapids.

Nellis has several species of boa constrictor and python. He, however, sees many of those snakes as more pet than product.

“I have snakes that are favorites, that I handle two three times a week,” he said. “It would be devastating [to lose them].”

Scott sees his coldblooded companions as an escape from the daily grind, and he is willing to fight to keep them.

“My job that brings home the paycheck is a rather boring job,” Nellis said. “That job brings home the paycheck and it basically sucks the life out of me. So coming home and playing with the reptiles gives me meaning to life.”

Nellis and the city are working together to try to come to a compromise, but it could take months before it’s sorted out. They still haven’t decided how many snakes would need to go, but the pythons and boas make up about two thirds of his snake collection.
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http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/03/23/coon-rapids-tells-man-he-has-too-many-snakes/
 
I'm a lizard person, not a snake person, and have dozens of animals. But, to me, 400 seems like a bit much. Do breeders really keep that many regularly? Maybe so. The snake folks I know have many dozens during busy season, but not several hundred. Seems like that could get really smelly if you didn't keep up with it!


Noelle
 
They could easily have over 400 snakes for breeding. Look at all the other big time breeders. But at the same time having snakes that are illegal in some places isn't worth it. Doing illegal things is what is getting the reptile hobby into so much trouble right now.
 
The stem of the complaint:

"In October, a neighbor complained about an odor coming from a pile of discarded wood shavings in Nellis' backyard, prompting the current debate."
 
rcarichter said:
I'm a lizard person, not a snake person, and have dozens of animals. But, to me, 400 seems like a bit much. Do breeders really keep that many regularly? Maybe so. The snake folks I know have many dozens during busy season, but not several hundred. Seems like that could get really smelly if you didn't keep up with it!


Noelle
Click to expand...

Nearly 400 adult snakes is a lot for the average home type setup, IMO. The sheer amount of space housing those snake takes is probably a big part of the reason the city/town questioned the home's livability...though I'm sure the volume of insects and rodents contributed to that.
That said, it is pretty easy to hit the 400 snake mark during breeding season, even if starting starting with a more modest number of breeders. Keep in mind many colubrids, boas, and pythons routinely have 25-30 babies (regardless of whether they start as eggs)...that adds up quickly.

I have to say that, in a way, I'm surprised at the relatively low key approach by the city. It's nice to see some reasonable judgement on the part of local government, even if it is simply because they don't want to deal with the animals themselves.
 
Who's business is it for anyone to tell someone how many animals they can and can't keep. I'm sorry, but this has been a growing problem in America. To many people worried about what everyone else is doing, when they themselves lead far from perfect lives. It's ridiculous. Have you seen the list of words NY is trying to ban from schools? Words like Birthday, simply because Jahova's witnesses don't believe in celebrating birthdays. How sad is this really becoming? What's next? Excuse me sir, you can have 6 crickets ONLY!!!!! It's getting absurd.
 
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