So I've noticed a trend here on the Escapist. Whenever a thread about pets pops up here, reptiles never seem to come up. Even when I made a topic on it, and only like, two other guys responded with pictures while everything else was how they really wanted one. So what is are thoughts of the Escapist? Can reptiles make good pets? For any naysayers out there consider these videos:
Can Reptiles Make Good Pets In Your Mind?
- Thread starter cojo965
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Well, coming from a person who has never had the will and probably never will own a reptile, this can be taken with a grain of salt.
I don't think reptiles make good pets at all. When I think of a pet, I think of something that I can pet and have it sit in my lap with little to no chance of it trying to kill me or hurt me. They just seem so impersonal and cold, almost like all I can do is look at them. I want a pet I can do stuff with. I know you linked the videos, but we have other stories of reptiles biting or even killing their owners.
Again, I know little of the subject, so take this as it is.
I don't think reptiles make good pets at all. When I think of a pet, I think of something that I can pet and have it sit in my lap with little to no chance of it trying to kill me or hurt me. They just seem so impersonal and cold, almost like all I can do is look at them. I want a pet I can do stuff with. I know you linked the videos, but we have other stories of reptiles biting or even killing their owners.
Again, I know little of the subject, so take this as it is.
I'unno, they seem kind of dopey and aloof compared to most mammal pets. I mean, you scratch a cat under the chin and you can tell it likes it, but you pat a snake and it just doesn't give a shit.
I'd happily keep a snake or a big lizard around the place if I had a suitable home for it, but I doubt I'd specifically seek one out for a pet. Doesn't seem to be much point besides the coolness points for being able to say you have one.
I feel kinda the same towards birds. Especially if you need to keep them in a cage. Although I once met a guy with a tawny frogmouth owl for a pet, and that bird was awesome.
I'd happily keep a snake or a big lizard around the place if I had a suitable home for it, but I doubt I'd specifically seek one out for a pet. Doesn't seem to be much point besides the coolness points for being able to say you have one.
I feel kinda the same towards birds. Especially if you need to keep them in a cage. Although I once met a guy with a tawny frogmouth owl for a pet, and that bird was awesome.
i've had snakes and they make good pets purely for their low maintenance.
chuck it a mouse every couple weeks, keep it's water topped up and clean the tank every month and you are done.
as much as i dare say it snakes have no soul though, hand smells like mouse? fucker is gonna bite you. dude hungry and thinks your new born baby is the right size? baby just became snake snacky cakes.
my cat will steal my chair and give precisely zero fucks and my dog will not stop digging up my gardens no matter what i do but i doubt either one is planning to murder me in my sleep if they grow large enough to swallow me in one bite.
chuck it a mouse every couple weeks, keep it's water topped up and clean the tank every month and you are done.
as much as i dare say it snakes have no soul though, hand smells like mouse? fucker is gonna bite you. dude hungry and thinks your new born baby is the right size? baby just became snake snacky cakes.
my cat will steal my chair and give precisely zero fucks and my dog will not stop digging up my gardens no matter what i do but i doubt either one is planning to murder me in my sleep if they grow large enough to swallow me in one bite.
I don't think anything other than a dog or a cat can make a good pet. They're the only animals that can really build any sort of kinship with humans. Anything that you need to put in a cage is probably not pet material. Fish I see more as an accesorry than actual pets.
I love reptiles, they just don't communicate in same way dogs and cats do. I had a Chinese water dragon for over ten years and he was extremely mellow, he would never purposefully bite me and he never showed aggression. When he was afraid, he would puff himself up really big rather than open his mouth to bite. I took him to a reptile specialist when he needed to go to the vet and the specialist said "This is the most mellow lizard I've ever seen".
The thing is, so many people think reptiles need to be kept in a tank and gawked at and fed like fish only and that's all there is to them. They need to be handled and receive regular interaction with their caretaker, that's what makes them non-aggressive. They also have their own mannerisms, my lizard would wave his arms around as if to say hello, he was very active when he was happy and healthy and inactive when he was sick, he would also lick my hand like a dog and he liked to swim and catch fish. He also had a really extreme fascination with shiny objects.
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He was very high maintenance though and that can be something that (thankfully) puts a lot of people off of reptiles. If lizards like my water dragon become popular and people buy them and don't take care of them properly, that only hurts the lizard in the end and they do take a lot of time and effort.
Some of them (like my water dragon) have very specific needs that need to be fulfilled, his food needed specific vitamins, his tank needed to be kept at the right temperature and the right humidity level, He needed UVA and UVB lamps, he needed a constant source of running water and a habitat that mimicked the rain forest, substrate he wouldn't accidentally eat, plants that weren't harmful and of course all that makes a breeding ground for bacteria.
For as much as I loved my water dragon, I wouldn't ever buy another one, my life is just too busy right now, instead I'd buy a more low maintenance reptile like a beardy or a corn snake (they'd of course get the same amount of handling and love though). I also don't believe anyone should ever buy a lizard or a snake that will get big enough to eat a cat, unless you run a zoo, most people can't take care of them properly and they end up released into the everglades specifically. I would especially not buy a monitor, iguanas are at least vegetarians and really only get aggressive during the mating season, monitors though, they're pretty much mini komodo dragons, including the very dangerous, bacteria infested bite, that first video makes me cringe, it's true, handling them makes them non-aggressive, but accidents do happen and to me, having that lizard's jaws so close to my throat and with those claws, you mine as well be snuggling up with a bobcat.
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I also enjoy watching the lizards in my backyard, they have this whole fascinating pecking order. The big dude rules the territory and the little ones climb up branches and stuff (and always face down) so they can keep watch over the grounds, when a young upstart crosses into the territory (the borderline is where the driveway meets the dirt), the big guy confronts him and they do push-ups and flex like they're on an episode of Jersey Shore, if that's not enough to deter the intruder, the big dude chases him off.
There's also a gecko that's found a strategic hunting spot between a lamp and the wall. It hides there all day waiting for night when the moths are attracted to the light and instant buffet.
The black racers peek their heads up over the grass to see where their going like para-scopes. They're also curious to a pain in the ass degree and ballsy. One thing they won't tangle with though is larger, more dangerous snakes, instead they run like hell, so if you ever see five black racers moving in the same direction, there's probably a rattle snake or a water moccasin in the opposite direction and you should probably avoid.
The thing is, so many people think reptiles need to be kept in a tank and gawked at and fed like fish only and that's all there is to them. They need to be handled and receive regular interaction with their caretaker, that's what makes them non-aggressive. They also have their own mannerisms, my lizard would wave his arms around as if to say hello, he was very active when he was happy and healthy and inactive when he was sick, he would also lick my hand like a dog and he liked to swim and catch fish. He also had a really extreme fascination with shiny objects.
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He was very high maintenance though and that can be something that (thankfully) puts a lot of people off of reptiles. If lizards like my water dragon become popular and people buy them and don't take care of them properly, that only hurts the lizard in the end and they do take a lot of time and effort.
Some of them (like my water dragon) have very specific needs that need to be fulfilled, his food needed specific vitamins, his tank needed to be kept at the right temperature and the right humidity level, He needed UVA and UVB lamps, he needed a constant source of running water and a habitat that mimicked the rain forest, substrate he wouldn't accidentally eat, plants that weren't harmful and of course all that makes a breeding ground for bacteria.
For as much as I loved my water dragon, I wouldn't ever buy another one, my life is just too busy right now, instead I'd buy a more low maintenance reptile like a beardy or a corn snake (they'd of course get the same amount of handling and love though). I also don't believe anyone should ever buy a lizard or a snake that will get big enough to eat a cat, unless you run a zoo, most people can't take care of them properly and they end up released into the everglades specifically. I would especially not buy a monitor, iguanas are at least vegetarians and really only get aggressive during the mating season, monitors though, they're pretty much mini komodo dragons, including the very dangerous, bacteria infested bite, that first video makes me cringe, it's true, handling them makes them non-aggressive, but accidents do happen and to me, having that lizard's jaws so close to my throat and with those claws, you mine as well be snuggling up with a bobcat.
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I also enjoy watching the lizards in my backyard, they have this whole fascinating pecking order. The big dude rules the territory and the little ones climb up branches and stuff (and always face down) so they can keep watch over the grounds, when a young upstart crosses into the territory (the borderline is where the driveway meets the dirt), the big guy confronts him and they do push-ups and flex like they're on an episode of Jersey Shore, if that's not enough to deter the intruder, the big dude chases him off.
There's also a gecko that's found a strategic hunting spot between a lamp and the wall. It hides there all day waiting for night when the moths are attracted to the light and instant buffet.
The black racers peek their heads up over the grass to see where their going like para-scopes. They're also curious to a pain in the ass degree and ballsy. One thing they won't tangle with though is larger, more dangerous snakes, instead they run like hell, so if you ever see five black racers moving in the same direction, there's probably a rattle snake or a water moccasin in the opposite direction and you should probably avoid.
I had a turtle when I was a kid, was a fine pet, but not exactly what I would call affectionate. Bearded Dragons are about the best when it comes to personality & activity. Iguanas are fine but can get mean. I've heard Geckos & Chameleons make good pets, but I don't know.
NOOOOOOOOO! LIZARDS! IN MY HEAD! AAAAAAHHHH!
Ok, so I've got to stop just reading the titles. My brain seems to love mis-interpreting them in the most dangerous ways.
Ok, so I've got to stop just reading the titles. My brain seems to love mis-interpreting them in the most dangerous ways.
Well, I have a milksnake, so yes, I think they make good pets.
But she's different from social animals.
My snake Cinnamon (or any of my tarantulas or other invertebrates) doesn't love me the same way my ferret Milou does.
The snake has probably gotten used to my smell in a way that she's not in other humans, and is comfortable with me handling her, but she just lacks the kind of behaviour cats or dogs or ferrets can display.
Some reptiles are more social, but I don't think any of them are to the extent mammals or birds can be.
But she's different from social animals.
My snake Cinnamon (or any of my tarantulas or other invertebrates) doesn't love me the same way my ferret Milou does.
The snake has probably gotten used to my smell in a way that she's not in other humans, and is comfortable with me handling her, but she just lacks the kind of behaviour cats or dogs or ferrets can display.
Some reptiles are more social, but I don't think any of them are to the extent mammals or birds can be.
You can't establish an empathic bond with a reptile the way you can with a mammal (cats and dogs in particular since the species have been domesticated for so long by mankind). I know they look cool and alternative but there's nothing beneath that. I'd much rather share my flat with an animal with whom I can empathize with.
I think that is up to the person than the reptile itself. To me having one would be cool but I don't think it would be great to have one as a pet due to the fact I'm not in a warm climate place (horay Britain!) and I would have to be careful where I step if I let it free roam the house (I mean they kind of smaller compared to an dog or cat well depending of the canine and feline species.
Well, the one big question to answer before you can consider anything a good pet, is whether you as an owner can take care of the animal and offer it enough room to live in. Also important is the question whether the animal wouldn't be better off NOT being kept.
I guess most reptiles wouldn't be too demanding in that regard (though I'm sure there are major exceptions).
As for affection, I'm really not sure. Personally I haven't ever noticed a significant exchange between owner and reptile pet in those videos, or with friends keeping them.
But I guess it's possible.
Of course, by their very nature they're going to be more passive than mammals.
I guess most reptiles wouldn't be too demanding in that regard (though I'm sure there are major exceptions).
As for affection, I'm really not sure. Personally I haven't ever noticed a significant exchange between owner and reptile pet in those videos, or with friends keeping them.
But I guess it's possible.
Of course, by their very nature they're going to be more passive than mammals.
I love reptiles. I actually think that they're almost up there with cats and dogs in terms of cuteness.
If they make good pets? It probably depends on how you raise them. I'm sure they can make great pets if you take your time with it. You probably can't snuggle with it in the same way you snuggle a kitten, but surely there must be other ways of showing affection to a reptile?
I don't think people should keep crocodiles or alligators as pets, though, so I think it also depends on the reptile.
If they make good pets? It probably depends on how you raise them. I'm sure they can make great pets if you take your time with it. You probably can't snuggle with it in the same way you snuggle a kitten, but surely there must be other ways of showing affection to a reptile?
I don't think people should keep crocodiles or alligators as pets, though, so I think it also depends on the reptile.
Not to mention the harm that they can accidentally cause. There was a case here in Colorado of a guy who had a rock python that had grown to 11 feet long (about 3.5 meters) and he came home from work one day to find his younger brother dead in the living room. Upon investigation it turned out that the snake had killed the younger brother... by accident. They were just playing, and the snake got wrapped around the younger brother just tightly enough that he couldn't breathe.lechat said:
I've had at least minor interaction with various dogs, cats, rodents, and reptiles; and I can say that reptiles just don't make meaningful connections with people as well or even at the same rate the others do. At least from my experience, dogs will almost instantly make a connection with anyone they don't view as a threat to their owner, and while cats and rodents are a little more independent, it still doesn't take very long for them to start getting along with new people. Reptiles, on the other hand, just don't seem to make anywhere near the same connection except for in rare circumstances, and even then it takes a while for that connection to be made.
Overall, most reptiles seem to devolve more into accessories than pets. As a result, I personally wouldn't bother with them, even if they have worked for a few people. If I want a less popular kind of pet, I'll get some kind of rodent.
Overall, most reptiles seem to devolve more into accessories than pets. As a result, I personally wouldn't bother with them, even if they have worked for a few people. If I want a less popular kind of pet, I'll get some kind of rodent.
I really like my russian tortoise because he's pretty easy to take care of. He recognizes my voice and gets excited when I come into my room but that's just because he's expecting food. I take him on walks too. By that I mean I put him in the front yard and watch him wander around while I text or something.
Birds can be great pets but you got to pay for the really expensive trained ones that will sit on your shoulder and stuff.Zhukov said: