PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING GETTING A PET REPTILE
If you REALLY WANT to get an animal, especially a reptile or fish or amphibian, YOU NEED TO DO YOUR RESEARCH. FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES. You cannot just get a pet on a whim after one night of note-taking and reading one care sheet. Follow multiple different reptile owners* on different platforms to see what your new day-to-day might look like! (*Do NOT only follow influencers or breeders. Many reptile influencers have shown complete disregard for their animals, which is why I'm writing this post, because I didn't know what they were doing behind the scenes, since I live in a box and kept mentally excusing the on-screen issues I saw because 'hey, they're rich, they prOBAbly take all the animals they see to the vet on a regular basis,' but that naïvety is EXACTLY how they get so many subscribers and followers to begin with. Sometimes I see a cute baby snake face and I'm suddenly blind to everything else going on.) There are MILES of differences between "surviving" and "thriving." Ask questions!! Find out what common health issues can be with the type of pet you are interested in. Find out the actual life expectancy of the animal, and make it your purpose to carry them through that goal post. I won't forget the time I was considering getting an iguana. I followed a handful of iguana accounts on Instagram, and very shortly after, realized that an iguana is not right for my lifestyle! And I'm already a reptile (snake) owner. Someone random I was briefly in contact with, a few years later, had been posting about their rats, and while I did not agree with their habits, I mostly kept my mouth closed, since I've never kept live rats. Then, once that person mentioned thinking about getting an iguana, I immediately jumped in and was able to inform them of the great need these animals require, which would obviously be inappropriate (for someone unable to even safely house rodents - which have a much shorter lifespan and much better temperament). I feel like I can sleep more easily, feeling like I saved one iguana from a short life of misery because I was able to back it up with all this knowledge I had accumulated about iguana-keeping. Which brings me to one more point I want to make: A $5,000 snake in a $5 enclosure is not a better pet than a $5 snake in a $5,000 enclosure. (Though let's be honest, Dollar Tree can be a great source for additional enclosure materials. You just shouldn't RELY on cutting corners where quality-of-life is concerned.) If you have $5,005 to spend, and that snake needs a vet visit, what are you going to do? Wait until the GoFundMe clears? Your snake will die first, because by the time you can SEE a problem, the problem could be much bigger than you think. You can be the most enthusiastic lover of snakes, but still not have the budget to handle a potentially life-saving vet bill. IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD YOUR PET, enclosure, food, and at least the first payment of a vet bill, YOU SHOULD NOT OWN A PET. (Yet.) FOR SOME PEOPLE, THIS MAY MEAN NEVER OWNING A PET, AND THERE IS NO SHAME IN ADMITTING THAT TO YOURSELF. We humans would be much better if we learned to swallow our pride when it comes to the ownership of other living beings. Having a pet reptile/fish/amphibian is like having a child, except that a large number of humans won't care if you let that pet die because it's gross, or dangerous, or ugly. And you are not doing that animal any favours if you are unknowingly irresponsible with keeping it, no matter how good your intentions are. Try keeping plants alive, first, tbh. I've been suckered into buying plants during 2020-2021 since I know I cannot afford another reptile. ((I did get praying mantises, though, but that's only a year-long commitment that I already researched in 2018, and I had all the supplies already from owning a baby snake that grew up.)) But once I'm financially ready and ready to add another 25+ years of responsible commitment, you bet I'm going to get another snake (and probably, a rescue.) The skills (patience, diligence, research) you learn from plant-keeping, will help you make the transition to pet-keeping when you are ready. It is not a race. We live in a time where endless information is at our fingertips, so there are no more excuses for naïvety or ignorance. People, 20-30 years ago, did not have the privilege of information you have today, so it's critical that you use it (before you harm an animal!) and encourage others to do the same! My snake is 15 years old, and I've learned more about him/snakes for each year I've had him. The reptile hobby in general is learning more each year. New information and discoveries happen all the time. We need to use the wealth of information available to become better parents to our animals. Mistakes, accidents, and fate happen: ignorance does not. You can always learn more. [ If I have convinced anyone to not own a snake, then I've been successful in writing all of this. If you research snakes and snake-keeping for the specific species you want for at least a year, and you're able to make a fully-informed decision, then I've also been successful. ]
