Converted a Scaredy Cat!

[Reinz15]

My adult daughter has never even come close to my adult Ball Python for years now. What solidified her was when I barely got tagged doing something stupid during feeding. And she just won't get over that.

Now fast forward to my 5 ft Boa that I rescued about 5-6 weeks ago. One of the 3 reasons I took her in was that two toddlers kept getting this female snake out of her tub and hauling her around.

Being that my daughter works in a daycare, she could now see the innocence and safety at hand. She KNEW in her mind that this Boa is safe and asked to hold it!



Just getting comfortable and admiring how beautiful these creatures are for the first time! And how soft too!



Getting more relaxed.



We were in the bathroom with the big mirror, so she could watch the snake and relax more. Lots of light to admire the tail.

[Joba1972]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

That's really cool. Nothing as fun as converting the disbelievers.

[Noelle7206]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

I don't think snakes (or other pets) belong in the unintentionally-clumsy* hands of toddlers, so I am glad for both your rescue of this boa and for your apparent success in changing your daughter's mind about serpents...Yay!

*For everyone with toddlers that I've angered by saying that...keep in mind that snakes cannot cry out when in pain...they are at our mercy when it comes to handling. Little children, especially, do not possess the maturity
to foresee what a snake will do...and may easily injure a snake by squeezing or pulling on it's body. But under close supervision, teaching young children about snakes is a positive thing...so what the heck, you're a little over-
due (enlightening your daughter) but it's finally 'taken', lol...

People get nipped when feeding horses or dogs (or just hanging around with pet birds or cats) but somehow snakes are so much "scarier" to most people, even though they generally do far less damage. Keep up the good work!

[Joba1972]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

Unfortunately, I had just the opposite experience lately. My wife, who is moderately afraid of snakes and will not hold them, really took an interest in some HD burms we saw at an expo. I had been wanting one anyway, so I picked one up. We got to the point where she was holding him on a regular basis. We even outright said that he was the snake that was going to convert her...then he bit me...and she saw the bloody aftermath. It's going to be a long road back.

Sorry, had to share. Good job with your daughter.

[Reinz15]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

Oh, I forgot to mention that the snake never coiled to hold on. I warned my daughter not to be afraid of that tight coil. The snake just curled up on my daughter's bossom and rested her head on her arm for 30 minutes until I put her away. My daughter was hooked!! I figured the snake was enjoying the warmth from her heat. I got the heat gun out to show my daughter how warm her body was.

Now here's the cool part about the whole thing. After about an hour of watching TV (this is after we put the snake up) my daughter looks over at me and says, "let's bust Pandora out".

[Reinz15]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

Unfortunately, I had just the opposite experience lately. My wife, who is moderately afraid of snakes and will not hold them, really took an interest in some HD burms we saw at an expo. I had been wanting one anyway, so I picked one up. We got to the point where she was holding him on a regular basis. We even outright said that he was the snake that was going to convert her...then he bit me...and she saw the bloody aftermath. It's going to be a long road back.

Sorry, had to share. Good job with your daughter.

Oh man, that is some tough luck! Sorry to hear that man.

[Noelle7206]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

.... After about an hour of watching TV (this is after we put the snake up) my daughter looks over at me and says, "let's bust Pandora out".

Snakes are very addicting, lol...it just that takes that first little leap of trust. And from what I've seen of snakes, it works both ways...the big BCI I used to keep just loved to be held...especially to wrap (gently) around me
for a couple hours watching a movie. She never did tense up on me & certainly never bit me either. In our fast-paced world, some time spent being "in the moment" is good for us & seems to work for our pets too.

[bebowebb]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

Good job with both the rescue and the conversion.

[artgecko]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

Good work! If only I could convert my family members lol. Both of my parents are afraid of snakes. I am lucky that my husband is ok with them (one of our boas is his "favorite snake") and he will hold them, etc. And my mother-in-law likes them too, but that's it. We also don't have any reptile friends, so whenever people come over, we don't bring the snakes out.

I think boas are a great first snake experience too.. I have other species, but even ball pythons don't handle as well (for that matter, even my kenyan sand boas are harder to handle). They are usually just so calm and relaxed it makes it an easy handling experience.

We don't have kids yet, but when we do, I will make sure all my cages have locks and that there will be a lock on the "reptile room" door as well.. Can't be too safe, for everyone's sake involved.

[gamptff]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

People get nipped when feeding horses or dogs (or just hanging around with pet birds or cats) but somehow snakes are so much "scarier" to most people, even though they generally do far less damage. Keep up the good work!

I have never thought about this, but it's quite true! I get bit and scratched by my cats on a regular basis (e.g. every day), but I've only been nipped at once by my Brazilian Rainbow.

[Noelle7206]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

I have never thought about this, but it's quite true! I get bit and scratched by my cats on a regular basis (e.g. every day), but I've only been nipped at once by my Brazilian Rainbow.

Not only that but compare the rate of infection from a cat scratch to a snake bite....oh, that's right, there's NO comparison! LOL! I've had my share of snake bites over the years (including a few deep ones from fangs
without venom) and while I kept current on my tetanus shot, I never got so much as one infected snake bite. Our warm-blooded buddies are much more likely to hurt us both with injuries & resulting infections. Not that
this information will change any "phobic's" mind...(sigh!) I'll take a snake-bite ANY day over what other pets can do...remember that parrots have taken off fingers! (& some 'evil' parakeets try, lol). But "snakes are evil"?

[gamptff]

Re: Converted a Scaredy Cat!

Oh, yeah! Cat scratch fever! My mom got it as a child, and now she has a big chunk missing from her arm from where it necrotized.