[Public post] Help with an assignment, por favor?

[starcrossed]

For my vet assistance course I have to write an assignment including this question:

Why might someone choose a snake as a pet?

I am basically clueless except that's it's an exotic/unusual pet, can anyone or anyone's friends help? Feel free to link this post as necessary :) I would be really grateful.

Comments

[spifftronica]

My friend actually just bought a pet snake. She'd been wanting one for a while, mainly because you can't have cats or dogs in her apartment, only things that live in a tank or bowl, and she wanted something that would interact more than a fish. So she chose a snake. She loves it to death and I actually even got to watch her feed it last week. Silly snake ate the mouse fetus tail to head instead of the other way around, so it got caught on the front legs.

[smiles1_9]

my best friend has snakes. Has had them for years. I can't give real specifics as to why she has them except that she thinks they're cute. She's a huge animal lover and likes all kinds of pets.

[shellizzle]

Well, I don't understand why someone would own a snake, but my boyfriend's friends have three and they absolutely adore them.

They say that snakes are fun and have personalities and they aren't as slimy as some would think and they are low maintenance and don't cost as much money as a cat or dog when it comes to feed and vet bills. Depending on what snake you get, they don't get that large, so you don't have to base your living arrangement (apartment that accepts pets) around your animal. They are easy to take care of. They don't make a mess of your house. You don't have to be home at a structured time to let them out or feed them.

[citharize]

Here via rhombal! I'm a snake owner, and for the last year have been the proud mother of a sweet little cornsnake. I got her originally because I was in a dorm and wanted a pet that was small, quiet, and easy to care for, yet also cuddly-- I'd tried with mice but unfortunately was allergic to them.

Anyway, providing you're not getting a huge snake (which I'd like to do someday, when I've got the space and the money available), a lot of snakes (like cornsnakes, milksnakes, ball pythons, rosy boas, and a few other varieties) are small, can be domesticated easily and make great pets-- they're quiet, reasonably easy to care for as long as you meet their habitat needs, interesting, pretty, and also have very interesting personalities. (Mine likes to slither into my sleeve and hang out around my waist under my sweatshirt.) The feeding can be a little harrowing (no one should get a snake if they don't feel as if they can handle a dead mouse or rat), but if you're all right with that snakes can make a very sweet and fun pet.

[anandrine]

I've never had a snake (I wouldn't be able to feed it), but I do like them. They're interesting, not slimy in the least like people think, they're pretty low-maintenance but you can still actually play and interact with them -- they're not as high-maintenance/active as a dog, but you're going to get more out of them than, say, a fish; they're probably around the same level as something like a hamster. And on a purely aesthetic level, lots of different kinds of snakes, different breeds and sizes and patterns and colors.

I don't know if snakes are the type you can do a pro and con list like you can with other pets! But some people are just drawn to them.