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Harimoni Proudswift

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Hi, I'm Harimoni Proudswift and I love snakes. I'd really like to have a python as a pet, but my family have never been too enthusiastic about it.
 
Hello Harimoni, and welcome to the forum.
Either you can talk your family into having a python as a pet, or wait until you have your own place. Either way, make sure you respect your family's decision.
 
Hi, and welcome to the wonderful world of herps!

Many of the people here have had the exact same experience that you have- many of our families aren’t exactly reptile friendly!

My own family weren’t reptile keen at all, but with some persuasion, I now have several reptiles. Much of it was down to me promising no one else would have to have anything to do with the reptiles- I do 100% of the cleaning, handling, feeding and everything else involving the snakes. And I do cover most expenses involving them, so there’s also that to consider (and it does mean a fair bit of personal sacrifice in terms of expenses- the running joke I have is that I spend money on only two things: food and snakes).

Best of luck! (And in the meantime, get researching and looking into thing last you might like!)
 
I'm almost in my mid-30s and already have my own place to live. Perhaps the reason my family don't like the idea of me wanting a snake is because I have a cat.
 
Apologies. I misread your post, thinking you were still living at home.
As long as you keep the two separate, and don't allow interaction, there should be no problem. As an example, keep the cat out of the room when handling the snake, or cleaning the tank out.
Do your research first, decide on which snake you really want. There's no such thing as a beginner's snake, but some are better than others as a first snake. As a new snake owner, personally I would recommend getting a young snake, or hatchling. That way you can grow in experience as the snake grows.
 
I'm almost in my mid-30s and already have my own place to live. Perhaps the reason my family don't like the idea of me wanting a snake is because I have a cat.

Snakes should be kept in lockable terrariums, so having a cat (or any other pet for that matter) isn’t going to be an isssue in the slightest. I’ve had dogs, cats, chook, mice... all in the same house as my snakes and never a problem. Heck, with proper housing you can have natural prey/predator species in the same room without an issue (ie: Woma’s are known snake eaters and yet all my snakes are housed in the same room without an issue)
 
Snakes should be kept in lockable terrariums, so having a cat (or any other pet for that matter) isn’t going to be an isssue in the slightest. I’ve had dogs, cats, chook, mice... all in the same house as my snakes and never a problem. Heck, with proper housing you can have natural prey/predator species in the same room without an issue (ie: Woma’s are known snake eaters and yet all my snakes are housed in the same room without an issue)
Yep. My snakes are less than 2m from my mice tanks and are back to back with my budgie cages. No dramas.
 
@Aussiepride83
Physically it may do no harm but mentally it would cause issues. It is like sticking you in a box with your favourite meal right beside it and not letting you have any for days on end. Snakes don't constantly smell food in the wild and shouldn't in captivity either.
 
@Aussiepride83
Physically it may do no harm but mentally it would cause issues. It is like sticking you in a box with your favourite meal right beside it and not letting you have any for days on end. Snakes don't constantly smell food in the wild and shouldn't in captivity either.
Perhaps... but then again... snakes in the wild don't experience a lot of the things that their captive counterparts do .. like a stable consistent environment, no competition, no predators, regular hassle free feeds... comparing the 2 scenarios is pointless.
 
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Physically it may do no harm but mentally it would cause issues. It is like sticking you in a box with your favourite meal right beside it and not letting you have any for days on end. Snakes don't constantly smell food in the wild and shouldn't in captivity either.
With all due respect, I disagree. Snakes often occupy burrows that are made by their prey animals, such as lizards, mice, rats, small marsupials, rabbits etc. They also occupy hollows and shelters that have been used by nesting birds and arboreal mammals. Aside from this is the physiological reaction of "sensory adaptation", where prolonged exposure to a stimulus reduces the reaction to that by increasing the threshold required by the receptors to react. In other words a stronger stimulus is required to elicit a response from the receptor neurons. A common example is contact of an object with the skin. After a while you cease to feel it unless a stronger stimulus of touch is applied.
 
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Makes total sense... they'd just get used to it. Similarly, I've been standing shin deep in cow's blood for 10 hours a day slaughtering for 15 years... newbies and visitors will ask... "how do you put up with the smell of the blood, I feel like throwing up." ... I honestly don't/ can't even smell it at all. I could be standing on a beach, in the bush or on the slaughter floor at work, smells the same to me after that long. Same goes for people that own cats... I don't own cats, Never have... when I walk into a house where someone has 5 cats, the smell knocks me base over apex... yet they can't smell anything...
 
I don’t see problems with tigers being housed next to deers in zoos :O
 
As long as everyone is securely contained and not stressed out, I don’t see the issue.

When my Woma moved in to my reptile room he was placed in a tank next to my Stimmie. For the first couple months I did have to place a screen up between them (glass terrariums) and the crazy Woma did strike at the glass if he saw the Stimmie moving about, and the Stimmie was very stressed as a result. Put the screen up for a bit and now everyone is fine. Neither care about the other and I can have them out together supervised.

Just like we handle snakes to ‘get used’ to us, they eventually ‘get used’ to the environment around them
 
Tried to talk to mum again about me having a python. Still didn't get anywhere. I think she's concerned about how Ruby (my cat) would react to it.
 
I'm almost in my mid-30s and already have my own place to live. Perhaps the reason my family don't like the idea of me wanting a snake is because I have a cat.
the 2 things are not mutually exclusive,in our house we have a cat and 11 snakes plus various dragons,skinks and monitors.+ CHICKENS.There are no conflicts,the cat walks around looking at all the reptiles and they ignore him.
If you have your own home and are a mature person your family has no say in it.Just tell them you ARE getting a snake,no if's buts or maybe's.
 
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the 2 things are not mutually exclusive,in our house we have a cat and 11 snakes plus various dragons,skinks and monitors.+ CHICKENS.There are no conflicts,the cat walks around looking at all the reptiles and they ignore him.
If you have your own home and are a mature person your family has no say in it.Just tell them you ARE getting a snake,no if's buts or maybe's.


When you handle your snakes and other reptiles, how does your cat respond to the scent of the reptiles? Has he ever shown signs of being distressed? Also, I think another concern mum has is cost, since I'm unemployed (having a mild intellectual disability and other physical issues has made it hard for me to find permanent employment).
 
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