does anyone feel the sames as me

ilovemypets1988 · 07-02-11, 10:00 AM

so after a pueblem milk snake (missing), then an amel corn snake (perished for unknown reasons), then a larger normal corn snake, then a boa - common bci, then a western hognose snake, and finally a ball/royal python; its left me thinking and wishing that i started my collection with a ball python rather than the milk snake.

and its got me thinking, does anyone else on here own a particular snake that they didnt start there collection with but wish that you did.

infernalis · 07-02-11, 10:02 AM

I wouldn't trade the way I progressed into this for anything.

The course of events as they happened led me to where I am at today, had I started differently, I may have wound up down a different path.

stephanbakir · 07-02-11, 10:02 AM

I started with bp's and didn't appreciate them until later when I got into arboreals and retics. I got into more active snakes late and if I had started with them I would probably have liked working with mellow bp's way more.

Lankyrob · 07-02-11, 11:28 AM

I am with Wayne - never regret anything as it got you where you are today.

Coffee Black · 07-02-11, 12:02 PM

I regret being a stupid keeper when I was younger. Lost a JCP because I didn't know what I was doing. I blamed it on bad advice for a while but eventually realized it was my own damned fault for not researching and being unprepared. Live and learn, I suppose. I still feel bad. I didn't own any herps for a long time after that.

ilovemypets1988 · 07-02-11, 01:37 PM

that maybe so coffee, but we are all naive and irresponsible when we are younger and even thought its not really a constilation but now you are making up for your mistakes by properly looking after your herps and on top of that, u now know what you do to enjoy these animals properly and you help others by giving them advice from what your learnt from your experience, so i wouldnt dwell on the mistakes of the past but enjoy doing the right things into the future, hindsight is a wonderful thing, if we had it when we need it

whoaxmary · 07-02-11, 05:05 PM

Quote:

I wouldn't trade the way I progressed into this for anything.

The course of events as they happened led me to where I am at today, had I started differently, I may have wound up down a different path.

Totally agree with Wayne.
Each snake that's come into my home has it's own story and reason behind it, and has helped my passion progress to where it currently is.

Had my dumb boyfriend not dumped Blue on and jumped out of province I never would of begun to consider snakes as pets, or atleast owning one myself. Blue is a ball python, and they're one of my favourites still.

infernalis · 07-02-11, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffee Black

I regret being a stupid keeper when I was younger..

Nearly every single one of us has been there. The lessons we learn from failures humble us and makes one realize there is still much to learn.

I honestly lost over a dozen baby & juvi (sub adult) snakes to dehydration before I learned that I was in fact witnessing the symptoms of dehydration.

Now that I know what I am looking at, I share my findings in hopes that my information saves the lives of other snakes.

I killed many small pets by over handling when I was young, I would sit and wonder why my hamster died a week after I bought it.

In retrospect I now know that small animals cannot be mauled by their keepers all day every day and expect it to live long.

Nos · 07-02-11, 07:46 PM

I started with Bearded dragons. Love my two beardies but i cant see myself ever replacing them.

marionsclan · 07-02-11, 10:48 PM

Owning an animal, to me, is not only about companionship but also about the happiness of the animal. I go to great extends to make sure that they have the basics they need when I first get them and then I start adding to their comfort by handling or not, increasing space, change food, etc. And IMHO pet ownership should not be a selfish one but a reciprocating one and that will only happen when we as human beings stop seeing a 'pet' as our personal entertainment. And for that we need to realize what type of pet suits us best and will fit in our lifestyle dynamic. Getting a pet on a whim is never a good idea, my parents taught me that, and so far more pets have passed away due to old age or disease (natural not caused), while in my care, than to my neglect or by giving them away. I take it as a personal failure when I'm confronted with having to give away an animal because it wasn't a good fit. It tells me that I didn't put enough though behind it for I prefer to be a forever home for any animal that I get. Of course there are exceptions.

Rog · 07-03-11, 07:49 AM

I used to really want to get a cockatoo. More than anything. I almost bought one twice but the birds where not a good fit. Then I got into ball pythons. The store I go to too get my mice has a cockatoo there. It is loud as heck. I think any snake that u start with is a great start. I would love to get a white lipped python at some time in the future, but am enjoying what I have in the meantime. 2.3 ball pythons 1.0 corn

Will0W783 · 07-03-11, 09:08 AM

I am completely satisfied with how I got into the snakes- my first snake was a male normal BP, then I got a milksnake and a hognose. I had my first snake for 3 years before I bought a second, and after 4 years I found out about reptile shows and got into collecting them. I built up to the giants slowly, so I feel confident and appreciative of their power and size. In some ways, I do wish I'd been more selective of what species I kept early on, instead of just buying anything that looked neat, and ending up at one point with a bunch that all needed different environments, and at that point I had to decide which ones were most important to me and narrow the focus of my collection.