Yeah that would make sense coming from that kind of background, especially if that breeders care was sub-par. I just didn’t want others to think Spiders in general are like that, which I’ve found them to be a very docile morph overall.
I wasn’t assuming you were talking about Spiders in a bad way, I apologize if that’s how it sounded, I just wanted to share my experiences with that gene.
F pastel clown 1883
F clown 1427
F vpi 3216
F vpi 1387
F pin vpi 2987
F pastel 2249
F enchi 1762
F enchi 1889
F bel 1422
F pied 1287
Males are bangers soooooo no.
End of story for ball pythons for me. Also that’s their names
Since I am not a breeder, if I take in an animal that I come to truly believe is never going to be happy while in my custody, I’ll rehome it with the stipulation that if the new home doesn’t work out it comes back to me. All three animals I have now will be with me for the rest of their lives. The corn snakes are 20 & have been with me since 2001, the beardie’s about 6 & was adopted as a mature adult with the intent of being his forever home.
I can’t say any of the reasons for an animal not to “spark joy” apply to my snakes. Bad temperament? All the more reason to work with them! Not the best looking animal? Still makes a great pet! Granted, I haven’t experienced both issues in the same one. My biggest struggle is that I can’t keep them all.
The only animal I won’t hesitate to get rid of is a rat that bites or chews on the tubs. But they’re snake food anyway. No time for that nonsense from a feeder.
I have frogs I don’t care for a whole lot. I take very good care of them but I really don’t like keeping frogs. They are not mine but I still have them.
I personally have condensed taking in animals that I now I would not like to work with, but if I could I would take in many animals if I like them or not. What I think is the difference is that I am open to keep many different types of reptiles. On the centenary would not breed them if I don’t enjoy them as a species. I think that once I work with a reptile I feel a connection that I would care for them even if I don’t get “joy” from them. They are still my reptiles, regarding pets by the way.
I keep everything at the moment but the truth is I like my normals as much as I like my morphs. They all bring smiles to my face.
I think it is amazing that you’ve still tried to give him a good life and haven’t released him as many would. Shredder is beautiful and looks very healthy.
I don’t/haven’t experienced that with any of my 7 current snakes, but I don’t think I would unless I truly felt like the animal would be better off in another home as far as receiving care, better enclosure, etc.
My snakes are just like my dog, cat, and hedgehog. They’re a lifelong responsibility that I decided to take on and just because things didn’t pan out how I had planned as far as appearance or personality, unless it was something where, for example, I didn’t feel comfortable providing the proper care to the animal due to its defensiveness, I wouldn’t put the animal through the stress of being re-homed/sold for my own selfish reasons.
My viper boas took three months to start eating after they arrived. My boa got sick after being shipped. I get that they don’t necessarily “bond” with us like our mammalian pets, but they definitely, without a doubt experience stress from the move and change. I don’t judge anyone on a personal level for passing their adult reptiles around like hot potatoes, but I do see it as an overlooked problem in the hobby/community and I wish things were different.
Breeders selling babies is, of course, a necessity. I also think that breeders selling their retired, non-productive, or genetically “bad” stock to a pet home is a great thing for the animal, in the long term. But I don’t think any animal should be passed from one breeder to another to another to another, or one pet home to another to another, etc.
I do keep them. For example my hedgehog Mabel is just not what I expected despite doing tons of research beforehand. I have worked sooo hard with her but I just don’t feel a connection and she definitely hates me. That being said I keep her because I know I can spoil her and give her the best life. I’d be worried she would be mistreated somewhere else due to her temperament.
When I first got into snakes I was really into coloubrids. I’ve since realized I enjoy larger snakes more. I do sometimes wish I didn’t get my milk snake and could use the space for something I’m more excited about. But my snakes are all pets and so I keep her. I made a commitment. I wouldn’t judge someone for finding a better home though and I may find a home that will appreciate her more in the future. In the meantime she is well cared for and has a great life.
I’m really struggling with this right now, and it’s not with reptiles. I have approx 15 snakes (including 5 babies I’m going to be sell here in a bit), and I love all of them so much.
I live in a very rural area, so this story might sound super weird.
I have obtained two different farm animals from two different yard sales.
The first one is a mini horse. These super elderly folks had a handful of minis and I was hardcore loving on them at this yard sale. They were possible the most loving little creatures I have ever met.
The husband ended up asking me if I want one, as they were moving to a smaller location that only had room for one pasture. They were trying to re-home their stud (and minor award winning show mini), as he couldn’t be kept with the 3 ladies. They were both pretty upset about the situation, and it hit me straight in the feels. I have 2.5 acre, so I said that I would take him in, so that they could still come by and see him. Their other option was another show-person two states away.
This little man is the most ill-mannered, cantankerous, angry horse I have ever met. And I’ve worked with studs before. He bites, he kicks. It’s a fight to clean his hooves, give him a bath, work him, etc. It has been a year and he has hardly improved. At least he’ll lift his feet for me now. I’m guessing he went barn-sour after they got too old to show him anymore.
The second one is a goat. He was bottle fed, super friendly, and his owner told me they were moving to Florida but couldn’t take him with. She was crying.
…I took the goat.
I don’t know what it is about me that makes people want to hand off their animals.
But anyways, I love him, but he is an escape artist and will eat half a bale of hay while I’m at work. He is so food obsessed that now if I try to take him away from the hay or put him back in the pasture he will hook me with his horns. Not a pleasant feeling. My other goats that I raised myself aren’t like that.
I have not taken in any other yard sale animal since. Mostly, people try to offer me cats.
I would keep them unless I absolutely couldn’t provide for their needs. I’m just a pet owner so when I get an animal it’s with the mind of ‘till death do us part’. I’ve had animals that didn’t spark joy. Finches. I found I really don’t like birds and never want to own any again. But the finches were kept until they passed away.
For me, I guess it would depend on the needs of the individual animal. If it’s a healthy, typical example of it’s species that I’ve truly just lost interest in, I wouldn’t feel too bad about rehoming it. It’s a reptile, they have very limited social bonding, they’ll adapt to a new loving home pretty soon. (Dogs and other animals with social bonding are a different story… Til death do we part, unless there’s a major behavioral issue I don’t have the knowledge to fix!)
However, if an animal is special needs or circumstances and I have the ability to care for them, they’ll stay with me forever. I have just such an animal that stopped sparking joy in me a long time ago- Guinevere, my 17 year old leopard gecko. Gwenny is a blizzard morph with special needs (needs to be tong fed, bites, extremely nervous and jumpy) and I would never be able to pass her off to someone else in good conscience. So she’s with me for the rest of her life… however long she decides that’s going to be. I swear that lizard is immortal sometimes…
it is good to read so many stories of people who keep the animals that they take in out of a sense of responsibility and others who admit that they need to rehome to a better situation. I worked rescue for a long time and saw up close the effects or irresponsible keepers. Some times it was the owners fault and sometimes irresponsible sellers. I had a bunch of Burmese pythons at one point that a pet store was selling with 10 gallon aquariums and telling people that that would be good for “a year or two” I also had a lot of monitors, especially Niles that people didn’t care for because they bit . That is what Nile Monitors do! I had animals with burn, missing limbs, malnourished and a few that were just so bad off there was nothing to do but euthanize them. And the really sad part is, at least back then, almost no one cared. After all they were just reptiles, not real pets likes cats or dogs. I am glad that reptiles are much more accepted and valued than they used to be. I still have a Ouachita Map Turtle That just takes up space. Not that I dislike him, but he needs a pretty big tank and a really good (and pricey) filter and a lot more maintenance than other animals in my collection. I have a big koi pond in the back where he could probably live, but he is an adult and never lived outside, so I am very hesitant to do that. I took him from a kid, about 7 years old who wanted to sell him because he knew giving him away might mean he would not go to a good home. He had been trying to sell the turtle for months with no luck so I gave him $5. The kid’s dad was p*ssed because he had spent $100 on the turtle and another $40 on shipping and he still had the setup that cost another $150. But turtles are another one of those pets that get abandoned all the time. They are not cute anymore like they are when they are the size of a quarter and their tanks get very smelly, very fast if not properly filtered and regularly maintained. I know I will have Turt Russel for the next 20 years or so .
No, I rehomed my Ball Python.
Oh man, sorry about the mini stud, what a nightmare. I’ve met so many minis that have the worst manners because “they’re so small and cute! What harm could letting them get away with bad behavior do” Any chance you can get him gelded? Unless you’re going to sell him to someone who wants to breed there’s probably no amount of value in future babies worth putting up with that nonsense. It won’t solve his bad manners but it sure makes it easier to modify the behaviors he’s learned.
As for the goat…yeah…the only people I know who like goats like them because they’re impossible little aholes.
I’m sure people see that you really care and will take care of the animals no matter what, finding someone who will commit to taking care of jerk animals is pretty rare.
I love tokays. I really want one but i’m new to reptiles and I am starting out with a leo. I definitely see a tokay in the future though.
I don’t.
I had a ball python, she was my first love, but I just didn’t feel the same connection I felt with my retic.
I ended up rehoming her, I wanted her to go to someone who would truly appreciate her.
I posted an AD on craigslist, got many replies, and decided to sell her to a professional tarantula breeder. It was his first snake, but the guy was highly intelligent, he had a rodent breeding facility, and showed a a strong capacity to learn and had done a lot of research. I felt he could provide her with the best home and he has.