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Quick Vent
10 years ago
So, one thing that I really hate.. Is when people think they know everything about something, but in all reality they don't. So to sum it up, I got my baby Ball Python that I take with me sometimes to go pick up my vapor juice. Well, one of the girls there loves snakes, or reptiles. Awesome. But what I hate is when she tries to tell me what to do with her, or how to care for her. "Ball Pythons only get to about three feet." Actually, Ball Pythons, depending if they are male or female, can get up to five feet.. Sometimes six, in some rare cases. So that part is debunked. "You know why they move around when they are in your hand?" They are inquisitive critters and want to explore. "They move to help create friction to warm themselves up." Yeah.. Because a snake moving very slowly along your hand or arm creates sooo much friction. GTFO.
I also noticed that when I got back from RMFC, I ended up with a different Ball Python from Petco, because apparently they can't feed and put the original snake you purchased back into the original tank. I was aggravated at first, but the more I handled the snake I have now, the more I've grown attached to her. Anyway, between her feeding sessions, which was Mondays, I noticed she hadn't defecated once. So I knew she hadn't ate. Next Monday rolls around, I try to feed her again, she wouldn't eat. After she shed, I tried again.. She still wouldn't eat. I was starting to get worried. When I took her down to the vapor shop, the lady there was like.. "She's hungry. She hasn't been eating? Go get her a live pinkie and feed her that. Don't feed her a full size meal." Yada yada yada. Balls are typical for going off feed for months at a time. After that time, they can go right back to a full size meal with no problem. I tried to feed her again last night, in a hope she would eat finally. Only this time, I used half chicken broth (with extremely low sodium content) and water. Let the mouse thaw. After it was thawed and dried off, my baby girl struck at it and coiled it within seconds. My stresses of her not eating are now alleviated. :3
All in all, if someone doesn't know for certain about a subject.. Then keep your mouth shut or ask questions instead. Don't try and lead people to false thoughts and knowledge, because you feel you know best. Do your research before you open your maw.
I also noticed that when I got back from RMFC, I ended up with a different Ball Python from Petco, because apparently they can't feed and put the original snake you purchased back into the original tank. I was aggravated at first, but the more I handled the snake I have now, the more I've grown attached to her. Anyway, between her feeding sessions, which was Mondays, I noticed she hadn't defecated once. So I knew she hadn't ate. Next Monday rolls around, I try to feed her again, she wouldn't eat. After she shed, I tried again.. She still wouldn't eat. I was starting to get worried. When I took her down to the vapor shop, the lady there was like.. "She's hungry. She hasn't been eating? Go get her a live pinkie and feed her that. Don't feed her a full size meal." Yada yada yada. Balls are typical for going off feed for months at a time. After that time, they can go right back to a full size meal with no problem. I tried to feed her again last night, in a hope she would eat finally. Only this time, I used half chicken broth (with extremely low sodium content) and water. Let the mouse thaw. After it was thawed and dried off, my baby girl struck at it and coiled it within seconds. My stresses of her not eating are now alleviated. :3
All in all, if someone doesn't know for certain about a subject.. Then keep your mouth shut or ask questions instead. Don't try and lead people to false thoughts and knowledge, because you feel you know best. Do your research before you open your maw.
Have experienced many of those same things regarding my aquatic turtles. The ignorance of those in pet stores can be astounding! (What's worse, they pass this misinformation on to customers, and it's always the poor animal(s) that end up suffering for it).
Reptiles take a special kind of person. They're exotic, and tons of fun to watch.
But they require a level of commitment and care, housing and food, vetting and such, that most folks simply aren't able or willing to do.
I'm glad to hear your Python is doing alright! May she break all the records for longevity!
But yes, people, or pet stores, seem to think they know everything about reptiles or other animals. I think one thing that bugged me the most when I went to ask about ways to get her to eat.. Most everyone at this pet shop doesn't like snakes. So in turn, they don't know anything about them. I feel personally, if someone is going to open a pet shop, or build one in the town, they should have people who specialize in knowing about these animals or a set of animals, and their care.
Why I say this, someone goes in to buy a snake, or turtle, or tarantula or whatever.. But have never owned one prior. So of course, they have questions. Misleading information can result in a pet dying. Or if they have questions about something, then they get a response of.. "Oh, I don't know. I don't like snakes/turtles/tarantulas (insert animal here)." I've had to learn more about the housing needs, food sizing, eating habits, shed cycles and humidity levels, by reading online. Some are conflicting with others, but I try to find the good middle ground.