Your Mood and Keeping Herps

capsicum · 11-30-04, 01:54 PM

I am just wondering something. Have been thinking about it for quite a while, and thought well maybe others might have answers of their own.

I used to own many small furry critters, and no cold-blooded animals for the longest time. Eventually I gave them up due to allergies and they were no longer producing for me (I was breeding them while studying genetics at the time).

Anyways, I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, and am wondering if others with mental illness have gained any insight or release while working with herps?

I am asking as I have found that during my "manic" stages I a highly interested in working with my herps (rearranging them, etc), and even more interest in my furred animals. I seem to have a higher energy and want, no...crave information regarding various animals (some may have noticed my interest in fifty thousand different animals on here).

I am truly fascinated with herps. I can't get enough of them...they are different than other "pets", though I just can't explain it.

I was also wondering if others have found manic spending a problem when it comes to herps? Always buying more, even if you can't afford it? I am really glad that I don't have acess to credit cards

Anyways, I will probably look at this post later, when I am feeling happier, and wonder or cringe at the thought of posting this. But oh well, I am curious and feel comfortable on this site to seek others of like mind

Take care all,
TK

mykee · 11-30-04, 02:28 PM

I have OCD and the reptiles have been a plus for me, more to; organize, clean, organize, sort and organize.

marisa · 11-30-04, 02:38 PM

Well I don't have any health issues really that would cause the problems or benefits with reptile keeping.

But buying too many animals than one can care for, being obessed with getting more and more is an actual condition....although obviously you don't fall under this category, I thought I'd share this link anyways since its an interesting read:

http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/

Anyways, I find when I am stressed out cleaning enclosures, or feeding my snakes calms me down.

Marisa

joey · 11-30-04, 02:41 PM

Hey, thanks for posting how you feel! I think animals of any kind help soothe people with depression/bipolar/anxiety/ocd---whatever!

It's been proven that animals calm people down.. have a relaxing affect. When I get upset I also spend time in my snake room or watch my fishies/clean their tanks or take my dog out for a run. All of them have helped me cope many, many times. Bless'em all, I'd be lost without them.

atw · 11-30-04, 03:11 PM

Interesting...

I don't know a lot about bipolar but I have heard that a decrease in sleep means more frequent manic periods while an increase in sleep means more low periods. If you say that during manic periods you like to rearrange your reptiles, do you do anything with them during the low periods? If so, perhaps you could chart/anticipate your low and high periods based on what you do with your reptiles?

I won't be surprised if reptiles could help with illnesses just as how dogs can. As you have said, there are a lot of details you can search out with reptiles and there are also a lot of detailed activities associated with them. Perhaps this compulsive aspect of them would help with certain kinds of illnesses. Overall, however, I think that the compulsion issue is common in the reptile world.

Someone on here has a quote that says: '1 snake is too many but 50 is not enough.' I definitely think that is a true statement and perhaps there are tendencies/traits other than compulsiveness that are exhibited and found appealing by people that keep reptiles. I am not sure what these other traits would be but it would be interesting to read a study along these lines.

What other traits do you think reptile keepers have in common?

Adam

sneaky_boa · 11-30-04, 03:40 PM

My sister has, for several years now, been diagnosed with bipolar. We have actually had this exact conversation shortly subsequent to the time she was taking care of my snakes when I was in Europe. She found that the reptiles were not 'resposive' enough to her. She currently owns cats and swears by them: responsive when she on her down swings, and independent enough to not need a terrific amount of attention on her up swings. She too found them fascinating, but they were not what she was looking for as far as a pet goes. I guess its a matter of how much companionship and affection you need.....at least for her it was.

clint545 · 11-30-04, 03:52 PM

I find I can have the crappist day at work or just in general, just be in a foul mood. But once I walk into the "kids" room, and at least one of them pokes their head out, as to kinda say hello, I feel better.
As far as over spending goes, I count to 10, and let it digest for a day or two, before I decide wether I should or shouldn't. My gf is pretty good at bringing me back down, "we don't have the room, wait till we have a house." Plus she threatens if I keep getting herps, than the cat gets a baby sister.

mykee · 11-30-04, 05:04 PM

Now I find that the only pets that I have in the house that can immediately boost my spirits are my dogs. Just looking that their goofy, smiling faces makes me happy. I cannot say this about my snakes or my torts, or even my ferret. However, it's been proven that dogs as companions or pets dramatically improve the lives and attitudes of those who live with them. As you see dogs travelling to visit retirement homes and hospitals to cheer up the patients, I'm not too sure that reptiles would elicit the same response.

thunder · 11-30-04, 06:51 PM

i often handle one of my BCs when i am depressed or angry, and their slow, deliberate motions always calm me down. its kind of a zen thing for me, like a living stress ball and screen saver rolled into one. plus it gives me a chance to check up on them, listen to their breathing and making sure they are growing right. also, i, like mykee, am ocd, and i take pleasue in keeping my collection super organized, with charts for everything.

Nicky · 11-30-04, 08:17 PM

I also find playing or just even watching my snakes when i'm upset, makes me dramitacly calmer and able to think. I sometimes find myself just watching them for an hour or so during the middle of my studies lol. something about thier habbits just totally mistifies me. Plus my cornsnake is the oddest snake i've ever had the pleasure of owning.

peterm15 · 11-30-04, 08:39 PM

it tends to work with anything... its just a matter of being happy at doing something...

myself being bipolar i found that on any given day it can be any given thing that will make me happier or take my mind off stuff.... doesnt help with sleep though...... at least not with me....

on my down days i can do many things from playing with my leos to madel cars to just plain spending money...lol

i will say that owning pets is great no matter what they are.. i think its the fact of having to take care of something and worry about there probs not just yours...

munchy · 11-30-04, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mykee
Now I find that the only pets that I have in the house that can immediately boost my spirits are my dogs.

id have to make a similar statement but with cats instead of dogs...
if i had to choose between my cats or my whole snake collection it would be hard but id probably have to say goodbye to the snakes.

D J N · 11-30-04, 09:52 PM

I donno about any mental disorders but that just means they havn't been diagnosed yet lol but seriously I have always loved animals and retiples and invers more then other but in my case it might have been more enviromental becuase my father is an entomologists so i guess it's in ma blood.

Slannesh · 11-30-04, 09:56 PM

I think pets in any form do a good job of 'grounding' people to some extent... I know both of our cats are great when you've just had a really crap day, they always just sort of appear in your lap and cuddle up.

My lizards and snake aren't quite so loving

But I find them fascinating. I was quite surprised at the range of personality that leopard geckos exhibit.

though I have to say for just plain vegging out value my fishtank is probably the best. I actually find myself turning around and watching the fish during commercial breaks on TV and half the time forget to go back to my show after the commercials are over!

atw · 11-30-04, 10:12 PM

I find that watching and handling reptiles has the same effect as watching fire... it is very relaxing and it can be trace like... time slips away, I definitely prefer watching reptiles to watching television... no doubt about that. I become angry with TV but with reptiles, I forget about everything.

Mykee,

I think that the only reason for why reptiles would not have the same benefits as dogs would be because the way we are socialized to perceive reptiles. I am sure you know what I mean: lizards carry diseases; snakes are evil, only kids have lizards as pets, snakes are dangerous, etc. My favourite question is: 'does it bite?' I mean, come on, cats bite you all the time but that doesn't stop you from having them as pets. Anyway, that last comment is a little of topic but ultimately, if the stigmas were removed, I think reptiles could used the same way.

peterm15 said, 'it tends to work with anything.' In other words, it is just a matter of perception. If it is a matter of perception, I think some related questions would be: what traits do people that perceive reptiles are mentally beneficial have in common? If you could compile such a list you could relate such traits to mental disorders that are characterized by either a lack or surplus of such traits, in order to order to create and verify a hypothesis on the matter. This would only matter of course if scientific proof was important to you but to me, I often don't really value what science has to say as it is just another form of religion.