Well my dad is scared to death of snakes and he started this way but he slowly got over it and will now be in the same room as them
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My dad was the same. When I approached him about why he was afraid of snakes he said they were “freaky looking and unpredictable” over the past few years though he’s gotten over it and actually actively asks to handle my ball pythons and my hognose snakes. He’s even booped noses with and baby talks to my largest female hog and I think she happily sees him as a big warm comfortable pillow she can sit on/drape herself over. He’ll watch tv with her and talk to her the whole time. Lol.
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That is amazing 
if only more people could have that experience, not just with snakes but the exposure and education that animals are amazing and worth saving, not just the cute fluffy ones. Of course that doesn’t mean we go petting scorpions or bears or whatever but we learn to respect and protect them and give them space to thrive. So much of our world is interconnected and to remove some has real consequences.
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I don’t have anyone who straight-up refuses to enter my home because of my snakes…although who knows, if I carry through with my plans to add tarantulas and some larger snake species to my menagerie (and/or when my blood python reaches adult size), that could change.
My parents aren’t a problem. While neither of them are as into reptiles as I am, they were both very supportive of my love for reptiles and inverts when I was a kid. They bought me my first reptile (a bearded dragon) when I was a kid and facilitated me fostering a Cali kingsnake for a couple years (the snake belonged to a friend of my dad’s who was out of the country for work, so I took care of the snake while he was away). They also facilitated me getting my first tarantula (a Mexican Red-Knee who was a retired classroom pet), and we enjoyed many encounters with various wild reptiles and inverts on family outings and vacations. I’m extremely fortunate in that regard.
Most of my friends aren’t really that into snakes, but they understand that a) neither of my snakes are dangerous, and b) they’re in secure enclosures, so they don’t even have to look at them unless they want to. Most are also animal-lovers to some degree, so even if their tastes run more towards mammals and/or birds, they can still appreciate and understand that I love my snakes as much as they love their furry or feathery pets.
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I agree with you 100% on the exposure and education. Even I had an irrational fear of spiders and insects when I was younger, but getting my first gecko at about age 13 that ate insects I at least got over my issue with crickets. After awhile spiders roaches and everything else lost it’s “repulsiveness” to me. I’ll actually pick up little spiders I find in the house and let them outside. Same with insects.
Think most of it comes down to conditioned response (seeing adults/other children) freaking out over something and you just kind of pick up on it. “Well if they’re screaming and flailing about then it’s obviously something scary or dangerous”. Education and positive interaction helps a bunch I feel.
Also agree where I’m not gonna go poking a scorpion or hornets nest or try to pet a bobcat or grizzly bear but there’s no reason to fear it. Just respect it and give it distance/leave it be. I’ve been chewed up by my cat playing with me and she does more damage on a regular basis than even a nervous snake has done. And honestly to steal a line from “Clint’s Reptiles” on YouTube. “The world is a scary place when you’re a noodle with a head”. Trust when I say they’re more scared of you/just want to be left alone in the wild. No reason to be scared especially when something is safely locked up. But people can be weird. 
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We must look like guants from thier perspective so its natural to be defensive. Many species have poor eyesight so combine that with our gigantic appearance it seems natural that they react in a certain way, afterall we would to if we saw giants. Secondly many animals have learned to not trust humans and for good reason, we have killed so many out of lack of education and fear.
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Same. While none of my pets are truly dangerous, my cats (one in particular) are MUCH more likely to inflict minor injuries than my snakes, yet nobody fears them or raises their eyebrows at my decision to have them. My cats are also much noisier and more messy than my snakes. Of all my pets, my snakes are by far the best and least obtrusive roommates.
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Agreed. I always told students who were nervous about the classroom corn snakes that they had no fangs, no venom. Then I would ask if anybody had ever played with a young puppy or kitten and if so, how did their hands look afterward? It was a great opening to discuss preconceptions and sciatica facts.
I love our dogs and cats, no question there. But the snakes are easier to care for in so many ways.
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I was a “closet keeper” for years. I’m a high school teacher and finally brought in a couple corns and ball pythons to make a point about stereotypes, stigma, perceptions. The lesson worked very well.
Interestingly enough, a few of my long-time friends stopped coming to my home. One told me straight out she was questioning our friendship, as she just couldn’t see herself being friends with “someone like that.” And she was one of the school counselors!
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Welcome to the community. Thats crazy to think someone would question a friendship and labeling someone other than a person simply because you keep reptiles. Some people…
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That is downright bizarre. Though I do know there are… how shall I put it… parts of the USA (and some other places) where there are some specific beliefs held, namely beliefs where snakes are regarded to literally be Of The Devil, and therefore Snakes Are Evil. And so anyone who associates with them may be considered tainted by association with Evil.
Are you in an area where that sort of belief is prevalent? That could explain it.
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That’s pretty ridiculous. Refusing to go in someone’s house is already pretty silly in my opinion, but phobias are a thing, and I get that people can let irrational fears get the best of them. But not wanting to be someone’s friend because they keep snakes is beyond ridiculous. Frankly, her reaction says way more about who she is as a person (in a bad way) than your decision to keep snakes says about you.
I know plenty of people who are afraid of snakes, but thankfully none of them think that my decision to keep them as pets makes me unworthy of their friendship. 
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If snakes were considered an evil animal.
Why did God let Noah put them on the Ark?
He said a pair of every animal, He didn’t omit snakes.
I have a few friends that are afraid of snakes.
One of them is my Sister- in-law. She actually wanted to look at them when She and my Brother came to the house. She stood there and watched me pick them up and explain what
Morphs they are. She ask a lot of questions.
My not so friendly Spider girl even struck at me.
LaDonna was startled but stayed in the room.
I resumed getting T-Pol out and showed how
I got Her out without Her biting me.
Some people just don’t want to change their way of thinking about certain things, even if they are wrong. They will never change.
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That is truly sad ro hear. So many animals in our world have very unfair reputations attributed to them.
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My mother is that way, infact someone told my mom i bought a snake while i visited her, only that is not really the truth, yes i bought a snake online which i arranged for it to be delivered after i got home from vacation.
My momma was like if i knew you bought a snake i would have kicked your a** out of the house along with the snake.
She has never liked snakes and forbade me to have one growing up, im thoroughly convinced its not a phobia but a religious thing with her as she is hard-core Catholic and the bible is full of “evil” serpents. The bible was never meant to be taken literally it is full of parables and analgies and it takes a certain level of understanding to grasp what they are really saying. I even believe that St. Credited for the absence of snakes, however Ireland has had a long history with invaders, i suspect the “snakes” they refer to were the English. Back then people were not allowed to speak ill of the crown etc. So they had to speak in code such as nursery rhymes.
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Garret Hartle on Reach Out Reptiles actually did a video with a priest to clear up once and for all if an animal whose name is used in allegories is a literal embodiment of evil… or is it just a legless lizard that goes Blelelele. A Dopey Rope. A Slinky Boi.
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The only “evil” animal that i know is the 2 legged variety called humans.
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And we don’t even have to go into the whole thing that Cherubim (type of angel) where seen as serpents with wings around God. So a fallen Cherubim like Satan would have no wings, there for looking like a snake but being truly an angel. Also, to your point, snakes are animals, and angels can look like a lot of things including people. I think that people don’t look deep enough into faith to actually see the real reason, instead they just assume what they see.
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Ugh.
My mom has never been inside any of my apartments. I think it’s mostly because of the reptiles. I also found out a few weeks ago that she thought cresties got as big as iguanas. She is 100% not a fan, but does enjoy looking at our Leo.
My best friend and I both have a zoo, so we like to go over each other’s and hang with the babies.
Also a teacher, and most of my coworkers are intrigued by my zoo, and have asked when I’m bringing one in as a classroom pet (probably never will as our heating/cooling system can’t get itself together.) so I’m pretty grateful there.
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" cresties got as big as iguanas."
Can you imagine if they did though?? You’d have to mix repashy in a dog bowl! XD
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