Some things we really shouldn't take for granted...

[Mahone]

CBBC Newsround | UK | Toilet snake is finally captured

I had this link sent to me. I have a certain snakes on a plane scene in my mind which I can't get rid of...

[talisyn]

I feel much safer now

Can you imagine if you lived there and were trying to potty-train your kids? Years and years of therapy for the poor kids.

[Elphaba]

CBBC Newsround | UK | Toilet snake is finally captured

I had this link sent to me. I have a certain snakes on a plane scene in my mind which I can't get rid of...

Since my childhood, this has been my worst fear. I hate snakes. I hate even writing the word "snakes." I hate gratuitous snake scenes in movies. I can't look at this post anymore because it has the word "snakes" in it.

I'm probably going to have to hold it all night long now, thanks to you!

Elph

[Palerider]

Since my childhood, this has been my worst fear. I hate snakes. I hate even writing the word "snakes." I hate gratuitous snake scenes in movies. I can't look at this post anymore because it has the word "snakes" in it.

I'm probably going to have to hold it all night long now, thanks to you!

Elph

for me, just remove the word snake and insert....taxes.....LOL!!!!!!

[Elphaba]

for me, just remove the word snake and insert....taxes.....LOL!!!!!!

YOU WROTE SNAKES!!!! :eek: These smilies even look like snakes.

I can't take it.

Elph

[Guest]

Sorry, I have to get up on the podium for a bit in this here thread... why... because I'm a snake advocate. Notice the avatar? That's my 8-year-old son's pet royal (or ball) python. My 6-year-old has his own ball python too. As a matter of fact, between the 2 of them, they have 4 snakes - 3 ball pythons and a western hognose.

I find the comment about potty-training kids having to need therapy if they encounter snakes in the toilet a little mis-informed. My experience has been that the fear of snakes is not acquired until older and is usually culturally instilled.

Every single child that has been to my house and in the show-and-tells at school, church, etc., has always been curious about them and a lot of them even go straight to grab the snakes. The adults are the ones who panic. I stop them from just grabbing the snakes not for fear that the child will get hurt, but for fear that the kids will strangle and hurt the snakes. Children can be rough on the creepy crawlies! One time, my then 5-year-old son took his royal python out and put him on the bed and proceeded to jump up and down the bed. The snake went crazy from stress. I immediately asked him to get off the bed but on his way off the bed, he grabbed the snake... sure enough, the python struck my son on his finger! My son cried like the dickens (he's not a stranger to pet bites - having been bit by the hamster, the african gray bird, the neighbor's cat...) but the bite was just like the hamster bite - it didn't even bleed but a drop. I cleaned up the wound, put neosporin and band-aid, my son apologized to his pet snake (it was quite cute and an educational experience) and all was right in the world again.

A royal python is a small python - it averages about 5-6 feet in length and weigh about 10 lbs. A boa constrictor is a little larger than a royal python. They average at about 8-10 feet, with females getting as long as 12 feet. This is a relatively large pet snake and therefore, is not considered a beginner pet snake. Some states like Florida require a permit to own one. You can't have one for a pet at all in New York City. Compared to the notorious burmese and reticulated pythons, the boa constrictors are very much smaller. Boas average about 60 lbs in weight. They are docile snakes especially when raised as a pet and only bite to capture prey or in extreme stress. They are not venomous. A bite from a pekingese would do much more damage just by the size of the teeth.

The biggest misconception about snakes is that they eat people. Yes, the giant boids can probably swallow a child - a reticulated python for instance can get up to 28 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds! But, a boa constrictor rarely go beyond 60 lbs. Okay, so, the rule of thumb is that a python will eat prey that is about 15% of its weight. So, for a reticulated python, that can be up to 30lbs. That can be a child (although it is not their preferred food choice). A boa constrictor, though, would eat only around 8 lbs - the size of a rabbit. A royal python even smaller - about 100 grams - a rat.

They are very interesting things to observe. We've had our pets for over a year and we're still learning about them constantly. My pet is the dog and the bird. They are a constant source of knowledge and companionship. But my son's pet snakes have the advantage of needing only minimal care. The snakes don't bark, don't make noise, don't need to be walked, only eats once every week - can go up to 3 weeks without eating - poops only once a week - or even once every 3 weeks, and they don't stink! They're perfect for my unreliable kids. They just need a daily water-dish change and that's about it. They don't even mind it if you don't pet them for weeks at a time... as a matter of fact, they like it better that way. Short vacations are not a problem at all.

Like any other pet, extensive research needs to be done before deciding to acquire a snake for a pet.

Anyway, I try to spread as much information on snakes as I can. My purpose is to make it so that a time will come that when somebody encounters a snake in their backyard, they wouldn't automatically reach for the shovel. Last week, my husband found a scarlet king snake in my neighbor's yard. They look just like the venomous coral snake (remember the "red on black friend of jack" rhyme?). My neighbor knows about our snake enthusiasm, so instead of whacking it with her shovel, my husband picked it up from her yard. It is a baby and is sooo cute with the vibrant red/black/white pattern (pic below).

A few months ago, a southern-banded water snake curled up under the van. The neighbor came with his shotgun, but we were able to explain to him that the snake was not the venomous water mocassin but the relatively harmless water snake, so we were able to just shoo him to the lake. Living in Florida, we have our share of racer snakes crossing our yard too. They are aggressive, but also non-venomous, so we just keep out of their way and shoo them off when they get too close.

Anyway, sorry for the super long post... hope this helps some of you understand snakes better.

I'll share some photos of our pets:

Salazar:

Curly:

Sunshine:

Zeke:

And the scarlet king snake we found in the neighbor's yard:

Okay, off my podium now.

[talisyn]

lol ty Anatess, very informative. And the kids are adorable!

But I stand by my statement. I defy any potty-training 2 yr old to not be affected by seeing a snake head peeking out of a toilet bowl.

[Guest]

lol ty Anatess, very informative. And the kids are adorable!

But I stand by my statement. I defy any potty-training 2 yr old to not be affected by seeing a snake head peeking out of a toilet bowl.

My nephew. He was 22 months old at the time. Not during potty-training though. The snake was napping on the couch. He comes in and sits on the couch, sees the snake wedged under the couch pillows and grabbed his head. I think he thought it was a toy and was even more excited that it moved.

[Guest]

P.S. If I was using the toilet and a boa comes out, now, I just might get a heart attack!

[talisyn]

P.S. If I was using the toilet and a boa comes out, now, I just might get a heart attack!

Me too! But I wouldn't do what the people did in the article. Instead, I'd try to catch the snake so I could use my bathroom in peace.

[Elphaba]

Sorry, I have to get up on the podium for a bit in this here thread... why... because I'm a snake advocate. Notice the avatar? That's my 8-year-old son's pet royal (or ball) python. My 6-year-old has his own ball python too. As a matter of fact, between the 2 of them, they have 4 snakes - 3 ball pythons and a western hognose.

I find the comment about potty-training kids having to need therapy if they encounter snakes in the toilet a little mis-informed. My experience has been that the fear of snakes is not acquired until older and is usually culturally instilled.

Every single child that has been to my house and in the show-and-tells at school, church, etc., has always been curious about them and a lot of them even go straight to grab the snakes. The adults are the ones who panic. I stop them from just grabbing the snakes not for fear that the child will get hurt, but for fear that the kids will strangle and hurt the snakes. Children can be rough on the creepy crawlies! One time, my then 5-year-old son took his royal python out and put him on the bed and proceeded to jump up and down the bed. The snake went crazy from stress. I immediately asked him to get off the bed but on his way off the bed, he grabbed the snake... sure enough, the python struck my son on his finger! My son cried like the dickens (he's not a stranger to pet bites - having been bit by the hamster, the african gray bird, the neighbor's cat...) but the bite was just like the hamster bite - it didn't even bleed but a drop. I cleaned up the wound, put neosporin and band-aid, my son apologized to his pet snake (it was quite cute and an educational experience) and all was right in the world again.

A royal python is a small python - it averages about 5-6 feet in length and weigh about 10 lbs. A boa constrictor is a little larger than a royal python. They average at about 8-10 feet, with females getting as long as 12 feet. This is a relatively large pet snake and therefore, is not considered a beginner pet snake. Some states like Florida require a permit to own one. You can't have one for a pet at all in New York City. Compared to the notorious burmese and reticulated pythons, the boa constrictors are very much smaller. Boas average about 60 lbs in weight. They are docile snakes especially when raised as a pet and only bite to capture prey or in extreme stress. They are not venomous. A bite from a pekingese would do much more damage just by the size of the teeth.

The biggest misconception about snakes is that they eat people. Yes, the giant boids can probably swallow a child - a reticulated python for instance can get up to 28 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds! But, a boa constrictor rarely go beyond 60 lbs. Okay, so, the rule of thumb is that a python will eat prey that is about 15% of its weight. So, for a reticulated python, that can be up to 30lbs. That can be a child (although it is not their preferred food choice). A boa constrictor, though, would eat only around 8 lbs - the size of a rabbit. A royal python even smaller - about 100 grams - a rat.

They are very interesting things to observe. We've had our pets for over a year and we're still learning about them constantly. My pet is the dog and the bird. They are a constant source of knowledge and companionship. But my son's pet snakes have the advantage of needing only minimal care. The snakes don't bark, don't make noise, don't need to be walked, only eats once every week - can go up to 3 weeks without eating - poops only once a week - or even once every 3 weeks, and they don't stink! They're perfect for my unreliable kids. They just need a daily water-dish change and that's about it. They don't even mind it if you don't pet them for weeks at a time... as a matter of fact, they like it better that way. Short vacations are not a problem at all.

Like any other pet, extensive research needs to be done before deciding to acquire a snake for a pet.

Anyway, I try to spread as much information on snakes as I can. My purpose is to make it so that a time will come that when somebody encounters a snake in their backyard, they wouldn't automatically reach for the shovel. Last week, my husband found a scarlet king snake in my neighbor's yard. They look just like the venomous coral snake (remember the "red on black friend of jack" rhyme?). My neighbor knows about our snake enthusiasm, so instead of whacking it with her shovel, my husband picked it up from her yard. It is a baby and is sooo cute with the vibrant red/black/white pattern (pic below).

A few months ago, a southern-banded water snake curled up under the van. The neighbor came with his shotgun, but we were able to explain to him that the snake was not the venomous water mocassin but the relatively harmless water snake, so we were able to just shoo him to the lake. Living in Florida, we have our share of racer snakes crossing our yard too. They are aggressive, but also non-venomous, so we just keep out of their way and shoo them off when they get too close.

Anyway, sorry for the super long post... hope this helps some of you understand snakes better.

I'll share some photos of our pets:

Salazar:

Curly:

Sunshine:

Zeke:

And the scarlet king snake we found in the neighbor's yard:

Okay, off my podium now.

I have to go to the emergency room because I have to have all of these images surgically removed from my brain.

Thanks a lot!!!

Elph

[BenRaines]

Make you squirm a little Elphaba? You should sing I don't like spiders or snakes :)

Ben Raines

[Guest]

I have to go to the emergency room because I have to have all of these images surgically removed from my brain.

Thanks a lot!!!

Elph

Elph, my mother is deathly scared of crawlies - she won't open my emails anymore because she doesn't trust that I won't attach a picture of the crawlies. She wouldn't visit me anymore either!

Now, I'm wondering... maybe that's why my husband bought our first crawlie... instant mother-in-law deterrent!

Just joking. My mother adores my husband. Hey, so I didn't mention the word snakes. Oh, woops!

[pam]

You will like snakes..you will like snakes...you will like snakes.