Ignorant!

[anacondaman]

im in my biology class....and my teacher, knowing i collect various species of herps, asks me if i can bring some in and do a presentation for the younger grades...she asks me to hand in a list of species of snake so she could check it out ...so i gave her the list and it was

redtail boa (3 feet)
yellow anaconda (4 feet)
California king (3 feet)
ball python (2 feet)

i do have other species but i didnt put them on the list because they are unpredictable...

now here is the thing that pisses me off...after giving her the list she says its ok and the show will go on...but then one of the younger kids tells his parents that another student is bringing snakes to school...suddenly parents start calling like crazy saying snakes shouldnt be brought into the school they are to dangerous...wut if my child gets bitten and dies of envenomation...so the teacher cancels the show which took me awhile to plan...MY SNAKES ARE NOT VENOMOUS AND THEY ARE COMPLETLY HARMLESS!
i think these kids are missing out on a great chance to understand snakes and see how gentle they really can be...i also believe it is ignorance like this that makes people kill snakes out of fear or misunderstanding
now the teacher is askin me if instead i can bring in hermit crabs and millipieds!!!!!!

im sorry for writing alot guys...just needed to get that off my chest

my 2 cents

adam

[Tim_Cranwill]

I've done quite a few "school shows" and they can be VERY rewarding, but that's just too bad. They really did miss out...

Sucks to their asthmar... :(

[Burium]

Maybe you should go to the school admin, do a small presentation for them. After seeing it , maybe they would be better able to support you to the parents, or maybe you could do a presentation to the parents as well. Be flexible, but approach it in a dignified and intelligent way. If they can see the snakes before hand and you can "prove" to them that their is no undue risk presented to the children, maybe they would allow you to still do you presentation to the younger classes. Just a thought. It sucks though. That's why we are teaching our child about all kinds of animals and their care, so that if somone want to bring a 4 ft yellow anaconda to school to educate, then that is fine with me. In fact I would probably be there just so I could look and appreciate the beauty of it. :D Good luck.

Kelly

[Burium]

Aren't millipeds poisonous? And can't hermit crabs pinch little fingers? I don't know too much about either, but don't they pose more of a risk then your snakes?

Kelly

[Lrptls]

i'v only done 2 presentations so far in my school and although its only been for 9-12th grade i have tought alot of them more than they would have ever have known about snakes. they begged me and begged me not to do it, tried so hard to convince me not the bring them because they were al afraid. then you know what happend...i got the snakes there, i spilled some information about them and i got every one to touch them, half the people even held them. i get askd constantly in school how they are or if i have any new ones, even by people who didn't get to see them. my school is very small and this was quite an impact on it, turnd alot of people to be more interested in snakes.
i think doing this for even younger people would help even more, i would push this if i were you. i love kelly's idea about doing presentations to the school admin and maybe even the parents so they can see it will be educational, but should be fun for the kids. keep trying and good luck

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by Burium
Aren't millipeds poisonous?
Nope, they're harmless herbivores/detritivores. Centipedes are active predators and are venomous.
Cheers,
R

[nita]

Also possibly sending a letter home to the parents advising of the types of animals being brought in assuring them that the animals are not a threat, non venomous and will be controlled by an experienced reptile handler might have helped too. Either way had the teacher properly informed the parents it may have been avoided. To just have a kid come home and say 'hey another student is going to bring in a bunch of snakes' I can see that setting off some parents. If it were me I would simply be asking what kind of snakes and can I come too, but we're herpers!!

[BoidKeeper]

I am a schoolteacher and I have kept a corn in my classroom as a class pet. Right now I have a Leopard Gecko. Next year we will be breeding corns right in the classroom. It all depends on how supportive and educated your administration is on the subject. Your presentation was the victim of myth and misunderstanding on the part of the parents and other adults involved. What the teacher should have done was provided the parents with advance warning and a list and description of the harmless animals that would be there. Then they could chose to keep their kid out. The teacher should have arranged an alternative activity for the students whose parents did not want them to attend.
These are puppies; these things need to be well organized. Take from a teacher who runs a school reptile club and has a different snake in the class at least once a month.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Linds]

Originally posted by Burium
Aren't millipeds poisonous?

Originally posted by RMBolton
Nope, they're harmless herbivores/detritivores. Centipedes are active predators and are venomous.


Millipedes can excrete a noxious substance which can be harmful to some animals trying to eat them...

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

It is, however, not a venom. Poison is something from inanimate objects, venom is from an animal.

Aidan

[anacondaman]

i even gave the teacher caresheets on each snake to prove they are harmless....she still wont budge

[m1k3_88]

piemental?

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

I will be doing a presentation in a younger grade biology class on evolution next week and will be using several scorpions, including higher venomous ones. I will be using all proper precautions in it, and no one will be able to come close to them unless they are in the container. I may allow students who are not allergic to bees, wasps, etc. and know for a fact they are not allergic to hold an emperor, one of my calmer ones undoubtedly. I think it will be fun for me and entertaining for them.

Aidan

[nicola_boulton]

sorry to hear bout your bad experience anaconda man, do you have any really small snakes you could take in? Somtimes people who are afraid prefree smaller snakes.
Nicola

[Sean_.E.]

It is, however, not a venom. Poison is something from inanimate objects, venom is from an animal.

Hmmm... I do believe that you are correct when you say that only animals can be venomous, but some animals can also be poisonous.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t a venom have to be injected into an animal or enter the bloodstream some other way (a cut?) in order for ill effects to occur. Where as a poison must come in contact with skin, be ingested or be injected (not injected by an animal) in order for ill effects to occur?

If so, a gaboon viper would be considered venomous and a dart frog or cane toad would be considered poisonous

Maybe someone else could verify this for me.

ADDED: Considering when the venom of a spitting cobrais sprayed into the eyes of a predator it causes irritation and even blindness would the venom be considered poison aswell?

Thanks,
Sean.

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

Very true Sean, I actually left that out because I did not think it was overall relevant to my statement. Actually, it is better that it is said so it does not confuse anyone. Thanks for the help and input.

Aidan

[anacondaman]

how did u know it was pimental?

[m1k3_88]

I know cuz its pidgeon here, and i had her last semester.

[Kimbits]

it's a really great feeling teaching people about reptiles. the only reason i love my job still dispite everything is because i sometimes end up with several people clustered around me who are afraid but totally facinated with the reptile and they leave just facinated by it. i love showing them off and talking about them. would kill to get a chance at doing some shows but the opportunity has yet to arrive unfortunately.