• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Exotic pet hypocrisy

Kilala

Kilala

lemme go! I'm sleeping!
I was at a food court and everywhere else was full, so I sat next to this lady. She and I got to talking about our pets after I commented on the adorable hamster she had with her (she had gotten it at a nearby pet shop). She asked me what kinds of pets I had, I mentioned snakes. She looked at me funny and said, "oh. I don't really agree with keeping such exotic animals in captivity." Even after I told her that they were just corn snakes, and that corns are native to the United states (unlike hamsters), she still looked disturbed.

How's that for hypocrisy? I mean, considering corns are native to the US and hamsters aren't?
 
I'd say hamsters are just as exotic as a ball python. So are cats, if you go back far enough. People suck. Just a fact of life... =/
 
I read years ago (from where I'm clueless) that hamsters have only been in captivity since 1933, and most of them originated from a mother and her litter.

1933 really wasn't all that long ago....
 
starsevol said:
I read years ago (from where I'm clueless) that hamsters have only been in captivity since 1933, and most of them originated from a mother and her litter.

1933 really wasn't all that long ago....
Click to expand...

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Origin-of-the-Golden-Hamster

I had read it to, and went to find it. Also in my research I learned that Syrian Hamsters (the short-haired, tan type common in pet stores) are extinct in the wild. Interesting, huh?

In the words of Hagrid "People can be a bit stupid about their pets." People who have never had snakes don't understand that they can make ideal captive pets, especially in today's busy world. I think it would be difficult to go away for a week and leave a hamster alone... it might run out of water or food. A snake can be left alone for a week or a little more with no ill effects.
 
Yeah I dont really see the difference between exotics and any other animal, captivity is captivity whatever you keep
 
Hypancistrus said:
I had read it to, and went to find it. Also in my research I learned that Syrian Hamsters (the short-haired, tan type common in pet stores) are extinct in the wild. Interesting, huh?
Click to expand...
That's very interesting, it doesn't get more exotic than extinct in the wild.

Hypancistrus said:
In the words of Hagrid "People can be a bit stupid about their pets." People who have never had snakes don't understand that they can make ideal captive pets, especially in today's busy world.
Click to expand...
Exactly, people are so preachy about their beliefs on what pets are okay to keep, yet they have no clue about even the basics of snake keeping.

Hypancistrus said:
I think it would be difficult to go away for a week and leave a hamster alone... it might run out of water or food. A snake can be left alone for a week or a little more with no ill effects.
Click to expand...
A snake can be left alone for two weeks if you leave him with the hamster :)!
 
Some people only endeavour to keep exotic, not-so-easy-to-get, high maintenance snakes. ;)
And go on and on and on about said snakes tiresomely on message boards.
Just sayin'..............
 
vetusvates said:
Some people only endeavour to keep exotic, not-so-easy-to-get, high maintenance snakes. ;)
Just sayin'..............
Click to expand...
And some put pink highlights in their poodles hair, and make it wear a tutu. It's a people thing, not a pet thing. I think snakes have the exotic appeal, and people certainly go above and beyond to have the most exotic snakes, but in reality a Corn Snake is less likely to have health issues than most common pets.
 
vetusvates said:
Some people only endeavour to keep exotic, not-so-easy-to-get, high maintenance snakes. ;)
And go on and on and on about said snakes tiresomely on message boards.
Just sayin'..............
Click to expand...

Ahahaha! Apparently I can't rep you again right now, but I wish I could.
 
My dad got weired out by me getting a snake. He didn't like the idea of me having any pet because they are a commitment. He then said he would have rathered me get a bird though! I would love a bird, but they are noisier, messier, more work, and my fiance hates them, yet they are less weird to him so that makes more sense.
 
I have found that people who don't think that reptiles should be kept as pets are generally hiding a fear of them that they are embarrassed to admit to others.

Most people don't realize that with the exeption of working/herding dogs nobody in the United States kept "pets" until the very late 1800's because of the fear of being associated with witches, as only witches kept pets or familiars.
 
I've had an epiphany.

It's because they don't have FUR! ...Or feathers. Or gills. And you can't watch and play with them all day. Plus they crawl. And they look weird... Geeze. We humans suck. Not only do we dislike everything different, we can't even decide what's "different"!:nope:
 
Floof said:
I've had an epiphany.

It's because they don't have FUR! ...Or feathers. Or gills. And you can't watch and play with them all day. Plus they crawl. And they look weird... Geeze. We humans suck. Not only do we dislike everything different, we can't even decide what's "different"!:nope:
Click to expand...

I agree! People are drawn to cute, fuzzy pets. That's why hamsters are so popular. I was in a pet shop one day looking at the rats and a woman stopped next to me and told me "Honey, don't get one of those things. They have those ugly tails." So what if rats have naked tails? I think they are cute and smart. I'd rather have a naked tailed rat and a bare naked snake then a hamster anyday. And, of course, my "stinky" fish. Yes, someone actually asked me once why I kept fish because fish stink. I had to laugh and say that only the dead ones stink and mine are all quite lively.

People call me wierd and for some reason, I wonder why. :laugh:

Kachine Kolgon
 
I was at the San Diego Zoo many years ago and was absolutely in thrall of a Rhinoceros Viper they had there, One of the prettiest snakes IMHO. Then I hear a "lady" behind me go "EWWWW....THAT IS DISGUSTING......" and I turned around to see a much less than perfect, out of shape human that I would hope never to see again....beauty and the beholder I guess...
 

Attachments

  • rhinoceros_viper.jpg
    rhinoceros_viper.jpg
    5.8 KB · Views: 33
Oh my god. My mom has the same deal with the tails--mice and rats actually creep her out because of it.. But at least she's rather open-minded about that sort of thing since I got into snakes (come to think of it, it was pretty open-minded of her just to say "yes" to them!).

I do agree, though. Hamsters are overrated. I prefer my stinky, flighty mice over any hamster, any day... We had one once. We named her "Yummy".. But she didn't have a name until after she died. She escaped from her cage, died somehow, and was promptly licked clean of fur by the dogs.

But, even fish are rather "acceptable". I think it's because they're so "cool"--they live underwater, they're (supposedly) low-maintenance, they (supposedly) can't/won't bite, and you don't really have to touch them. Oh, and they're often "cute" (even if it's a case of "so ugly.."). Or something like that. I don't know, I think I'm confusing myself! See what I mean? People can't decide on what EXACTLY they should hate. Minus living underwater and "can't bite", I just described the average snake or lizard. Stupid humans. (Oh crap, we're humans too!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top