Reptiles shown as beasts on cnn

[White_Lotus]

the only reason monitors have venom is because of their diet in the wild..if a captive bred komodo was born and lived it's life in captivity it would have no toxicity levels in it's mouth only raw power because people wouldn't be feeding it decaying meat(same as all monitors) any large reptile could kill you...if a sav wanted to it could clamp down on your throat and dead...the fact of the matter is THEY DON'T WANT TO lol you will never go onto CNN.com and read a man in Florida was viciously killed by his savannah, argus, water, etc...honestly whats next? "Breaking news: Killer leopard gecko rampaging in Washingon D.C. more at 11" lmfao

 

[skippy]

actually, several monitors have been shown to have venom glands. not that this makes them deadly all of a sudden(unless you were to be camping out on komodo island )

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[White_Lotus]

i did read about that in a few places after i posted that and checked my email...oops ^.^ and saw a special where some guy went out and collected a venom sample from a lace monitor again oops ^.^

 

[skippy]

it doesn't affect the gist of the topic and so, is no problem :mrgreen:

i just thought you would like to be better informed, i know i always do as long as it's done in a reasonably polite manner

 

[Utahraptor]

its too bad some people look down on reptiles and other exotic animals as pets. I hope that some of the animals in our hobby can win over the hearts of the general public. If anything has a chance, it's the more docile species like leopard geckos, beardies, and tortoises. And as far as the bigger/more carnivorous animals are concerned, tegus could probably win over a lot of people :-D

 

[Marlene]

I had a little oscillated skink that I rescued and so many non-reptile-loving-folk fell in love with it! They loved it because it looked like a sausage, lol. It is possible to turn people over to the "dark side", you just need to know which reptiles to show! ^_^

 

[nemo66]

honestly whats next? "Breaking news: Killer leopard gecko rampaging in Washingon D.C. more at 11" lmfao

:lol5 lmao seriously!

i think the root of it all is that ppl fear what they dont understand. things like gay marriage and reptiles scare the holy hell out of ppl even though neither of these things are really hurting anything.

 

[White_Lotus]

i just thought you would like to be better informed, i know i always do as long as it's done in a reasonably polite manner

It's true. I would rather be corrected than give out the completely wrong info >.< . And to be truthful i have helped to change the way people feel about reptiles and tarantulas! And its wonderful its all about telling the truth like"NO! My ball python is not going to try and eat you." "No my monitor won't bite your fingers off."

I think if you just bring them around in a controlled environment...don't bring out your wild untamed tegu thats 3ft long and whips at people lol Heck bring out the leo, fat tail, crested...maybe an ackie somethin small and loveable...But tarantulas are a whole different arguement lol

 

[skippy]

what's wrong with tarantulas? i have 70 or so right now and plan on more :mrgreen:

people love my Ts! especially watching them eat

 

[Jefroka]

People often believe that if it can bite or squeeze, it can perhaps kill you and that perhaps it should be illegal to own.

I fool with honeybees roughly ten and a half months of the year. The number one question I get is how many times have you been stung?

As if I could even answer that question, but its many times less than you would imagine. I have learned to bite my tongue (with practice) at those who are misconceived and do my best to educate with facts why they are important and beneficial.

Not everyone will come to appreciate reptiles and other exotic pets like we do but perhaps somehow they will learn through our noble efforts enough to respect them.

Like the saying goes "Kill them with kindness" I have come to learn has so much merit, particularly such as a time as this.

There has never been more of a precedence to be good ambassadors for our reptile/exotic pet passions than in this day and age.

We have got to be respectful, responsible and involved or those who are trying to take our privledges away will succeed.

Let's not allow the ignorant and misinformed to have their way.


...Jefroka

 

[tupinambisfamiliaris]

I watched "Fatal Attractions" tonight. Kind of a joke. One of the experts was saying that "squalor" is a common theme in homes of reptile owners. I guess people living in squalor can afford the python morphs that fetch 5 figures per animal. Also, one of the experts was from the Cincy Zoo Reptile department. They are sitting here talking trash about private owners being inadequate keepers while one of their "experts" is employed at an institution that houses a dozen plus Chinese alligators in an area that resembles a glorified bathtub. They are literally crawling all over each other for lack of space.

 

[nemo66]

yea i watched it 2. -_- it was brutally horrible. what did you think of the killer sav and niles? he lost his life because he was to good to get on some damn antibiotics..... what an idiot.. this whole media scare tactics against reptiles is pathetic

 

[tupinambisfamiliaris]

From what I recall about the case, the guy had died of heart failure, not a monitor bite. The narrator never commited to the specualted cause of death being directly attributed to the varanids, because it wasn't. The issue he had was obvious to any keeper. He had lizards that got too big. He couldn't afford to build, or could not fit appropriate housing for them into his apartment. His solution was crank up the thermostat and let them roam free. I don't know many herpers that would see that as a viable solution. I guarantee you one thing, because I've heard of it happening: if you had a dog or cat and you died alone in your apartment or house and they went without food long enough, they would EAT YOUR FACE. It's not about what the animals were, it's about the situation. No one found him, and the animals did what carnivores do. I doubt you'll see AP running any stories about dead old ladies getting chomped on by cats. I also heard a story of a paralyzed man's dog eating his penis while he was asleep. Guess we should ban dogs, too.