#ophiophobia

Prepares for battle because "How the hell did Starscream get in here!?"

Turns out it was Heatwave freaking out over a snake that got into the garage and slithered over his foot.

Hey, people who are scared of snakes! I’d love to hear from you, if you’d be willing (and comfortable) to reblog this with an explanation of what it is about snakes you find scary/unsettling/etc. It doesn’t have to be “rational” as I’m not looking to do a scientific paper or anything, I’m just writing a character with a fear of snakes and struggling with it because I think they’re neat. 

Today I was roused by a soft male voice hesitantly calling my name from downstairs. I quickly dressed and peeked down to see my housemate, an adult man with a good thirty pounds and at least half a foot of height on me, cowering at the foot of the staircase. He informed me that there was a large white snake in his bathroom. Immediately I knew that one of my wily and borderline enormous leucistic Texas rat snakes, Blanche or Dilbert, had somehow breached the confines of their cages and had gone on walkabout looking for snacks and someone to terrorize. Texas rat snakes are an intimidating snake with quick minds and quick tempers, and I was not enthused about having to wrangle one at the onset of my day. I took a breath and steeled myself, feigning full confidence and nonchalance in front of my clearly terrified housemate.

But whY dOEs it have to be a Snake T^T idk if its a phobia but I can't help shivering every time I see it, it's no fun looking over the screen waiting for the next scene

I have a few things you could try! This may get a bit long-winded, but stay with me lol. 

So first, the number one thing I cannot stress enough is to not get a snake until you are 100% ready for one. A lot of people with minor snake phobias think getting a snake will cure their phobia, but it usually doesn’t go well and the snake ends up being housed in less than ideal conditions and/or having to be rehomed. 

That being said, here are a few ways to desensitize yourself: 

Research. Learn anything and everything you can about snakes. Especially the ones that appeal to you. Where are their native habitats? How can I identify snakes in my area? What other things do they eat besides rodents? What’s their temperament like? Can I handle them often if I so wish? Researching about snakes will help you gain some introspection as to why you fear them and (hopefully) help you learn that most snakes are pretty harmless! Most people are afraid of getting bitten (and that’s ok!), so researching about snake body language can be a big help before you go out handling snakes. 

Media. It sounds like you’ve got the whole “looking at snakes is pretty cool” thing down pat, but desensitizing yourself to snakes with videos and pictures is a great way to lead up to our next step! I personally recommend the YouTuber Clint’s Reptiles. He’s a university professor and puts out very solid information on reptiles.

For those that can’t even look at a picture of a snake: Try looking up “cute” drawings of snakes (or having a friend compile some photos for you), then maybe move on to “cute snake photographs”. Then move on to more regular looking photos and video. Take it slow if you need to. 

Seeing a snake in real life. If you have a nearby Zoo, that’s probably the best way to see a snake safely. Other places that may have snakes you can look at are Herpetological Societies, Reptile Clubs, Natural History Museums, and some areas even have reptile programs you can attend.

There’s a good chance, if you live in the US, that your state hosts a few Reptile Conventions during the year. Tickets are fairly cheap, and you’re not obligated to hold or buy anything. You’re free to ask questions to the sellers, but also be sure to do your own research. Sometimes even breeders don’t know what may be best for their animals. However, if you feel like you may impulse buy a snake, I don’t recommend going. 

If all other options aren’t available, you can always stroll into a pet store and look at them behind glass. 

Touching a snake. Where you can see a snake, you can usually touch or handle one, too. The first time I held a ball python was actually at the university I attended! So look for areas near you where you can get your hands on a snake with a professional to teach you how. 

If you can’t find any events or places like those mentioned above, sometimes pet stores will have special programs where they let their patrons interact with the reptiles. I don’t really like supporting stores like Petco/Petsmart, but if it’s the only thing you’ve got then it’s better than nothing. Just…don’t listen to anything they tell you about how to take care of a snake. It’s usually bad information.

You can ask to handle a snake at a convention, but normally breeders only let you if you’re super interested in buying (they don’t want their stock to accidentally get sick).

You have to be 100% comfortable handling a snake before you get one as a pet. You’ll have to be able to take your snake out of it’s enclosure to clean it’s home. You’ll have to be able to handle it in case it needs to be transported (to a vet, or during a move, etc). If you’ve tried all of these suggestions, and still don’t feel comfortable around snakes, then that’s ok! You’ve given it a try, and that’s more than what most people even attempt! Also bites and “tags” happen, but it’s honestly nothing worse than a cat scratch when dealing with beginner species of snakes :)