Reptiles

[a7xoff]

These animals seem to take the most shit from people. A lot of people do not like Reptiles for one reason or another. The biggest victim of the dislike is snakes. So many people look at a snake and think it will kill them. Working at an Aquarium I handle snakes, some much larger than myself and others very small... People freak out when they see them. None of the snakes I work with are poisonous, but everyone thinks that they are... I wonder seriously where people get that misconception. Gators and Crocodiles have a terrible reputation in the Southern United States for making their homes in people's back yard. These animals only interact with people if they feel threatened...... Or much like any animal, if the person feeds them. So many people feed gators, then wonder why they wind up in their homes. Many species of lizards also get gripe for one reason or another. The only family of reptiles that most people don't seem to have a problem with is turtles. Little do they know that some turtles are actually more dangerous than an Alligator....

So the reason I made this topic is to see if anyone here has problems with reptiles as far as being afraid, or just not liking them. Also I made this to see if I'm alone on the feelings I have here. I figured this will be a good start as to increasing the number of people I talk to on here, so please give your opinions!

 

[Sparky]

i dont think there is anything wrong with reptiles, i mean fair enough some like crocodiles look scary and menacing but as long as you leave them alone they will leave you alone. where i live i back up onto the bush and in the summer there are always snakes in my back yard. i still work on my car and that they dont bother me. i used to have a pet snake that lived in a certain part of my back yard it was always there. It was a tiger snake but i knew as long as i didnt do anything stupid and pick it up or get to close i would be fine. i was always the only person in the class that would handle the reptiles when someone would bring them to my school. there is nothing wrong with reptiles imo.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I'm not sure why people would be afraid of them. It's pretty easy to avoid reptiles. It's not like you see many just hanging around in England. Yeah I'm sure there are snakes around, but I've never seen them. If you don't like them, then don't go near them. It's not like they are spiders, that can come from anywhere. Or even something like a cat. I just don't see how you can encounter a reptile unless you make an effort to.

 

[kieran_devlin]

in the US of A i guess you might get a gator or what but really just avoid it

the most we get in the UK is a grass snake and they soon as the go near you crap it and slither away

most people in places that have spiders snakes and various other dangerous animals know what to do if they see one because it is common knowledge like they got told by a parent grandparent or the school or something

Snakes can be cool pets obviously the type that can survive in our UK temperatures the other ones constantly have to be in a tank with heating

 

[HBK-aholic]

I've never seen a snake, unless it's been in a petshop or something similar, where they're suppossed to be. I don't have a fear of snakes, why should I? I think I'd probably be a little more frightened if I lived in somewhere like Australia where poisoness snakes are more common. I can see where the fear comes from, but really you could let anything scare you at the end of the day.

As for spiders, I hate them. I just hate the way they can be anywhere. Snakes, as I said, Ive never seen one. But spiders will crawl anywhere, and I have an awful image of one being in my hair, it is just awful. and once you see one, I freak out at the fact I don't know where it's gone. And spiderwebs are awful. You can hardly see them, and then they can just be there. Then you know if you've seen a spiderweb there's a spider somewhere close which is an awful feeling.

Reptiles in general, are ugly. And that's where the dislike stems from. No one wants to go near something like that. It's unfair but that's the usual reason. I can't say I want to go near a reptile. Or any animal actually, but that's a different story.

Also, we see films and hear stories of people being crushed by snakes, or posioned by spiders. It may not happen that often, but it's alwaus well publicised, meaning, yes we will get a bad feeling about them.

 

[a7xoff]

I don't know about England, but stemming off of what Becca said. The media is the biggest pain in the ass with Reptiles. Mostly snakes for some reason. Numerous times on the news here we get reports of a pet Python eating a baby or a small dog... Now as much as I think it sucks... How stupid do you have to be to leave a 13 foot snake alone in a room with a 2 foot dog or a 3 foot person. If I was the snake I'd eat it too. That's just they're nature, to eat things that are a lot smaller than they are. The media also loves to butcher Sharks and make them seem awful... Problem being.... Worldwide, Crocodiles and Alligators kill 10 times more people in 1 year then Sharks do in 100. So where's all the media abuse of Crocodiles and Gators? Often times in America anyways it really does not exist. Crocs and Gators live where it's very swampy or treachorous waters. People are stupid to go in them anyway espiceally with the danger Alligator signs. So perhaps that's why.

I don't know if you've ever seen the ridiculous movie Snakes On A Plane, but on that movie they use a Corn Snake as a venomous snake. Corn Snakes are proably the friendliest Snake that a human can own. I have one and he's really cool. Example: If I'm playing Wii he sticks his head out of his house and watches for hours at a time. He is not venomous. If he was I'd sure as Hell not let him near my other reptiles let alone be in the house. So ya... Media + Reptiles=suckage

 

[HBK-aholic]

You get wild British Grass snakes, why are Snakes supposed to be locked in a cage?

Sorry, did I say that? You do get grass snakes yes, but I said I've never seen one. My post was regarding my opinon on the matter, in which I stated I aren't afraid because I've never seen one.

I didn't say that all snakes should be in a cage. I've seen snakes in 2 places.
- A pet shop. Where they will be in a cage.
- Reptile houses such as Tropical World. Where they're in an enclosure for themselves. I won't be afraid of seeing that will I?

Snakes are in Britain, but my opint is I've never seen one in any position where it could be a danger to me.

 

[a7xoff]

You get wild British Grass snakes, why are Snakes supposed to be locked in a cage?

Wow.... Something I can agree with finally from you. Snakes are not supposed to be in a cage. If anything that is the worst thing you can do to the thing. Many snakes live in trees and other high areas. People think that a cage with a branch in it is good enough for a snake to be happy. It's really not at all. I have my corn snake in a 50 gallon tank with a little tree in it. He spends his whole time in there either up the glass trying to get out or in his cave. That's why I leave the lid off the tank whenever I'm home. He goes out and wanders my room. Often times I'll find him on the highest shelf in the room. The bottom line is snakes... Well... No animal should be kept in a cage, but for those that are, the least people can do for them is try to make the cage/tank as close to the animals natural enviorment as possible. The pet stores around here don't do that. Example: They have a full grown Bearded Dragon 2 ft long in a tiny little plastic tank that you would keep a hermit crab in... The poor thing can't move at all. Lets not talk about the 6 foot Corn Snake in a 5 gallon tank...

 

[Father:_Polley]

I think the reason people fear reptiles is that they seem so cold and calculating. Unlike the likes of a dog, you can't really imagine getting friendly with the likes of a crocodile. However, I think it's a little unfair that they get such a bad reputation as for the most part they're not bad things.
My sister has a turtle and it's one of the most interesting things i've seen. Ok, it's not warm and cuddly, but it's entertaining.

As for the likes of snakes...it's the reputation that they're all going to kill you is the problem with them. Ok, I'd be terrified of a python or a rattlesnake loose in my house, but i'd also be scared of a wild cat roaming the hall as well.

 

[a7xoff]

So I took a little trip to the local state park and while I was walking around in the woods I found a decent variety of reptiles and amphibians. The first thing I saw was an American Toad... Whoopie, followed by some green and leopard frogs. Then came some more interesting stuff. I found a box turtle which was neat. It was the first one I found out in the wild, and it was cool to see how the animal is actually able to close it's shell completley. Then came the Northern Water Snake. Not a friendly animal what so ever. Water Snakes are capable of delivering very painful, but not venomous bites. My friend figured it was a Rat Snake, which are harmless, and wanted to pick it up. Originally my friend almost stepped on the thing, but from there the snake just kinda went under the bush. I got a rather long stick, and as soon as it came near the snake, it struck it. From there I knew what it was. The Snake didn't try to attack us at all. However it would have if we tried to touch it would have.

So the moral of today's story is... Snakes even out in the wild will leave you alone, unless you make it feel threatened. Snakes... Well in NJ are used to almost getting stepped on by deer or some other animal, so they simply move out of the way, but when in serious trouble they will... Just as humans would defend themselves.