East Coast Reptile Breeders » owner responsibility

It’s Time To Bask

Colin Weaver — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:17:39 +0000

For longer than I have been on this planet people have been keeping reptiles as pets. The original reptile keepers were mostly academics, scientists fascinated by their enigmatic subjects of study. As reptiles began to enter into the pet world they were most often the choice of young boys and other people who were more …colorful …than mainstream society typically allows. The keeping of reptiles was often tolerated by the parents of young children who wanted to humor their whims and foster a love of science and nature. Thirty years ago there wasn’t a large captive bred trade in reptiles, at least not compared to what it is today. It wasn’t unusual for specimens to be either imported or, in the case of native species, self-caught. What better way to get a pet snake than to go out and catch one yourself? Those young herpers are now grown and they brought their once unusual choice in pet along with them. They grew up to enter into every facet of society across all levels of industry and income. Their choice to own a reptile was likely viewed as an oddity by many of their friends, family and co-workers. In fact, it was probably not unusual for them to simply not mention they had a reptile as a pet. Because reptiles were not mainstream and were viewed as a quirky choice in pet it was often easier to simply leave it out of conversations. Fifteen years ago I can say for sure the none of my professional co-workers knew that I kept snakes (I worked for a bank in those days). My banking buddies and I exchanged dog and cat stories often but snakes never came up during discussions about pets. On the few occasions that snakes did come up in conversation I often got the typical reaction that comes from the uninformed: disgust, fear and general discomfort at the idea of creepy crawlies slithering around my house.

Another large group of people who have long kept reptiles frequently fit one of several stereotypes; rebellious, disenfranchised with mainstream America, unwilling and unable to conform to “The Man’s” definition of life and success. They are tattooed, gruff and intimidating looking folks with whom you avoid making eye contact. They know that bongs, like cars, have carburators and they wear black leather jackets, and ride big and loud motorcycles. Their homes smell of patchouli and you will likely hear Pantera or some other ear-pounding music blaring loudly from the speakers of their smoke-filled rooms. They like the wide berth their image affords them. And a snake fits perfectly into their image. The uneducated think snakes are dangerous and the rebel loves the added air of non-conformity that a snake brings them. A seemingly perfect match, huh?

Stereotypes don’t become stereotypes without having some basis in truth. But they are always unfair to apply to everyone of a particular group. But using stereotypes is a convenient way to absolve yourself of the responsibility of having to learn about individuals who are different from you. And one of the many reasons that snakes have long been unacceptable to the average person is their negative stereotype associations. The non-conformist proudly sports their snake as a symbol of their non-compliance with society’s rules while the clean-cut white collar professional who sits smack in the middle of mainstream America keeps their pet reptile an accidental secret. The general notion is that “normal” people don’t keep snakes as pets. It’s only the outskirts of society that want them. Every single reptile breeder knows this to be completely false. The diversity of our customers is all the evidence we need.

It happens every day that I am behind someone in traffic who has a sticker on their rear window that breaks down all the members in their family. There is an avatar for each family member including the pets. I regularly see dog and cat avatars but to date have never seen a snake (or other reptile) sitting next to the other family members. And why not? I know it’s not because people aren’t keeping reptiles. Reptiles are kept as pets by multiple millions of Americans. Is it because reptile owners don’t view their ectothermic friends as members of the family? I doubt it. Is it because putting stickers on the back of your car advertising the size, age and gender of all of your family members is stupid? Quite possibly. Or is it a subtle symbol of middle America’s unwillingness to proudly profess that reptiles are an important part of their lives? I think it may very well be. The long-terms success of reptiles being kept as pets means we can’t continue to do this. It’s time to bask.

Reptiles are no longer pets on the fringe of the world of companion animals. They are truly mainstream. Of course they are not as prevalent as dogs and cats but they are a rapidly growing part of the pet trade. It is way past time for reptile owners to start proudly advertising their reptilian family members. I am not advocating that you inflict your choice of pet on your neighbors. Never take your snakes out in public unless it is safe and appropriate to do so. I’m advocating being proud of being a reptile owner and educating people who are not in the know. I do not support perpetuating fear by forcing people uncomfortable with reptiles to have to be around them. Know the laws of the community in which you reside and always be in compliance. The more of us that come out into the open and responsibly share our passion with the misinformed masses they more reptiles will be accepted as pets, even by people who choose to not keep one of their own.

The fight for the rights of reptile owners has to be fought on many fronts. Organizations like NatPet (the National Pet Association), USARK and PIJAC are actively addressing the current special interest group (HSUS, Nature Conservancy, etc.) and political opposition to reptile ownership but it is just as important for the millions of reptile owners out there to make themselves known. Our friends, neighbors and politicians need to become much more aware of the fact that the stereotypes surrounding reptile ownership are false and that we are a numerous and diverse group of people.

Regards,

Colin Weaver

Disposable Dollars, Disposable Pets

Colin Weaver — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:27:47 +0000

Disclaimer: I wrote this post a long time ago and have gone back and forth over whether or not I should ever post it. On one hand it brings up a topic worthy of discussion amongst responsible reptile breeders. On the other hand it can serve as ammunition for those who think that people shouldn’t own reptiles. But in the end I decided that reptiles who suffer horrible fates are no different than dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, or any other animal kept as a pet. People are diverse in many ways; their ability and willingness to care for animals being just one of them. Here goes:

From time to time I get calls from local people who want to sell me their snakes. I also keep an eye on local classifieds, looking for good deals that might come along. Over the years I’ve met some cool people this way and usually enjoy seeing how fellow herpers set up their animals. Necessity is the mother of invention and I’ve seen how limited budgets can help people come up with some really cool husbandry solutions. I’m also often intrigued to see what animals people have in their collections; many are a potpourri of stuff as random as you can imagine.

But… sometimes I go to houses that make me sad. Like a few nights ago, for instance. Someone posted some snakes in a local classified ad and I decided to call and talk with them about what they had to offer. The person gave a compelling description of the animals, describing how wonderful her animals were, how much she loved them and how it hurt her to have to part with them (she claimed to be broke). So I took the time to drive over and check things out. It was a catastrophe. The snakes had one of the worst mite infestations I’ve seen in years. Anemia was a given; the animals were emaciated, ridge-backed, listless and in all around poor health. And to top it off they weren’t even what she had advertised them to be. These animals needed to be rescued from their owner. I know it makes me a jerk but I’m not in the animal rescue business. I don’t have the time, space, or ability to take on rescue projects. Those animals are more than likely doomed and they don’t deserve it. They were some of the unlucky few to be picked by people unqualified to own reptiles. I left feeling sad for the animals but it’s not something I haven’t seen before.

None of these animals were high dollar animals when they were healthy; maybe $65-$100 each when they were purchased at a snake show or a pet store. And on my way home I thought about two things: The first was that I wanted to burn my clothes and take a bath in Nix to clean any mites off me and the second was a sad realization of something I have known for a long time but have chosen to not really acknowledge.

What realization? Well, have you ever known something for a long time but subconsciously chose to never really let it come to the forefront of your thoughts? I’m sure you have. We all do. After almost 20 years in the snake business I’ve seen some horrible things done to snakes. The neglect, the poor husbandry, the lack of feeding, the untreated illnesses; I’ve seen it all many times over. It comes with the territory. But it’s not just reptiles. I’ve seen it with dogs, cats and many other types of animals. For most of my years I chalked it up to that small portion of people in our business who basically just suck. They have no business owning a reptile (or any other animal) because they aren’t willing to take the time, put in the effort or spend the money to give the animal the care it deserves. Fortunately for the snakes, most of us aren’t like that.

But the revelation I had that night was not that it’s just that some people suck and don’t deserve to own a reptile, it’s that some snakes are actually too inexpensive and it’s their low price that dooms them just as much as the idiots who buy them. A normal ball python costs $25 or less at a reptile trade show. Corn snakes are often less than that. There are an endless number of snakes that cost basically nothing to buy. And if something costs next to nothing there is a greater degree of likelihood that a person won’t give it the care it deserves. It’s financial value makes it disposable, not worthy of any real effort or caring. “My $25 snake got sick and died? Oh well, I’ll just buy a new one.”

There are exceptions to every rule, of course. There are always are. A friend and fellow breeder named Carl Gilmore (www.suffolkselects.com) recently spent many hundreds of dollars in vet bills to treat a normal ball python who had developed some medical problems. The money he spent was multiple times over the value of the animal. But he did it because he believes that a snake held in captivity deserves the best care its keeper can provide, regardless of its financial value. As much as it hurts the bottom line its the right thing to do. Not all of us are so honorable. Carl has my complete respect because he always does the right things when it comes to his animals. Their financial value isn’t part of the equation when it comes to their maintenance.

How often do you see high-end ball pythons, say a Ghost Mojave, in a mite-infested, emaciated state? Pretty close to never. Why? Because that animal costs a lot of money and someone willing to spend the money to buy it is going to be much more likely to give it the care it deserves.

I know it will never happen but wouldn’t the overall state of reptile health be light years better if a normal ball python was $400. People would not buy them on impulse and because they had a vested interest in them they would be much less likely to neglect them. It wouldn’t be a perfect system, of course. Again, exceptions to the rules always exist. But let’s compare it to the world of home ownership. Banks want you to put at least 20% of your own money into the deal before loaning you the other 80% to buy a house? It’s not because the bank can’t afford to loan you the whole 100% (all jokes about the current state of the financial industry aside); it’s just that they know that if you have a vested interested in the house you’re more likely to take care of it. That provides a measure of protection for their portion of the investment. They know you are less likely to trash the house and let it fall into a dilapidated state because you have a vested financial interest in its continuity.

It’s a bit idealistic for me to even think of it but wouldn’t it be cool if breeders required their customers to put more into the purchase of an animal to increase the likelihood that the animals would live a long and healthy life. Sadly we’re on the opposite side of that particular coin. It’s all about money and most of us will sell a snake to anybody waving cash in front of our face. I know I have sold snakes to people who weren’t ready. I talked with them about how to take care of the snake, I encouraged them to buy a book about successful husbandry of their animal and I always make myself available after the sale for advice. But I can’t be judge and jury when it comes to selling an animal. In the end I have to expect people to be accountable for their own actions. I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter lately about making animal sellers more accountable. But how? Should I interview a customer’s neighbors before selling a snake? Should I schedule a visit with their pastor or preacher to talk about what kind of person they are? Should I make them provide references from former employers and school teachers telling me how responsible they are? Seems silly, doesn’t it? I don’t want to sell a snake into certain death. I love these animals, even the $5 ones. But how do I discern the responsible from the irresponsible? I can’t. Now, in my defense, there have been a few times when I knew the person I was talking to was going to kill the snake within hours. Their stupidity was just too obvious. On those few occasions I did talk them out of buying one from me. But they may very well have moved to the next table and picked up an animal there.

Few people love capitalism as much as I do. But nights like the other night make me momentarily guilty, knowing that those low dollar animals I sell to people are occasionally going to meet a terrible end.

Not so cheery,

Colin Weaver