2008 Woodie Awards
Observations and Experiences
by Matthew Jackson
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Opinion
As an avid animal lover and owner, and employee at a pet shop, I have had my encounters with numerous mammals, reptiles, amphibians and arachnids. Would it be unfair for me to say I have a favorite animal? Perhaps.
But I definitely have a favorite category of pets. Believe it or not, it isn't cats, dogs or birds. It's snakes.
Not venomous snakes. I see no point in owning something that you can't pet, hold or otherwise enjoy when not protected by a wall of glass. I am talking ball pythons, red tail boas, and the gentle members of the colubrid family such as milk snakes, king snakes and corn snakes.
I've been a huge reptile fan for as long as I can remember, ever since my mother was a park ranger for the Corps of Engineers in Arkansas.
Now I have quite the collection, which includes a few of the above referenced, along with some more exotic types.
There's Magnolia, an emerald tree boa. She's not too friendly, but gorgeous to observe through a cage, and fun when she wants to be nice.
I also have Type-O, a young, but rapidly-growing blood python. These species are known to be aggressive, but that little girl is as sweet as sugar. She only bit me once, and it was due to a mistake I made.
My other pride and joy is Autumn, a Kenyan sand boa.
I think that snakes are some of the best pets to keep and also the easiest to care for. They only eat once a week, they don't need to be handled every day, nor do they use the bathroom every hour. They are fun to watch, and depending on what kind of snake you own, fun to hold and pet.
After working at a pet store just over a year now, I've learned and seen so much more than I ever imagined. The sad thing is, I've seen people coming to us with sick, malnourished, or mistreated snakes all too often.
I've done my best to educate people on the proper care of their pets and tried to nurture the animals back to health, but sometimes they're too far gone to save. It always breaks my heart to see or hear of a snake, or any animal, dying due to a lack of information. Before you purchase a snake, make sure you do your research.
But I definitely have a favorite category of pets. Believe it or not, it isn't cats, dogs or birds. It's snakes.
Not venomous snakes. I see no point in owning something that you can't pet, hold or otherwise enjoy when not protected by a wall of glass. I am talking ball pythons, red tail boas, and the gentle members of the colubrid family such as milk snakes, king snakes and corn snakes.
I've been a huge reptile fan for as long as I can remember, ever since my mother was a park ranger for the Corps of Engineers in Arkansas.
Now I have quite the collection, which includes a few of the above referenced, along with some more exotic types.
There's Magnolia, an emerald tree boa. She's not too friendly, but gorgeous to observe through a cage, and fun when she wants to be nice.
I also have Type-O, a young, but rapidly-growing blood python. These species are known to be aggressive, but that little girl is as sweet as sugar. She only bit me once, and it was due to a mistake I made.
My other pride and joy is Autumn, a Kenyan sand boa.
I think that snakes are some of the best pets to keep and also the easiest to care for. They only eat once a week, they don't need to be handled every day, nor do they use the bathroom every hour. They are fun to watch, and depending on what kind of snake you own, fun to hold and pet.
After working at a pet store just over a year now, I've learned and seen so much more than I ever imagined. The sad thing is, I've seen people coming to us with sick, malnourished, or mistreated snakes all too often.
I've done my best to educate people on the proper care of their pets and tried to nurture the animals back to health, but sometimes they're too far gone to save. It always breaks my heart to see or hear of a snake, or any animal, dying due to a lack of information. Before you purchase a snake, make sure you do your research.
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