herp friends

[drache]

I don't know about any of you guys, but I'm pretty isolated in my passion for herps and more so garters.
Occasionally I meet someone who used to have a boid or an iguana, or people who think it's cool that I have herps and/or disappointed that they're not big ones.
In essence, until I came to this forum I was very lonely. It's a little better now and I also know I'm not sufficiently pro-active - like I don't go to the meetings of the herpetological society (well, it's a bit of a journey)
Anyway, in the past week I met two people who are into herps and I so hope the connection will happen. One is a friend of a friend who doesn't have any right now and is excited to meet mine (yes, even the garters) and the other is a guy on the Subway who overheard Mikhaila and me talking about Drache and chimed in. He has two beardie females and we talked about having them meet Henner. I gave him our phone number, but we didn't have the time to get his before his stop. I so hope he follows through.
How is is that in a place this big and populated I have to convert my daughter's friends to herp nuts in order to have company? Am I just too weird?

[Snaky]

In my local area, I also don't know anyone who has herps. But well, I'm kinda used to it ( even here I'm the only person from Belgium ). So I met a lot of people by going to fora, shows, ... and it's been fun meeting them, although it usually take's me some time to get there. But it would indeed be nice to meet someone in my area also:)

[krystalirelan@southslope.]

we have the same problem. my kids are always asked about our pets. we have taken them to show at a few of thier classes but some teachers are very afraid and don't want them there. adults I know just think we are insane. Being in a college town there are alot of people who have herp, the problem is when they graduate mom & dad won't let the kids bring them home and alot are left outside or picked up by the animal shelter. ( this is why I have the iguana and the red tail boa) unfortunatly I can't take in everything, though as soon as I win the lottery I am bulding a house that centers around reptiles!

[Sid]

Rhea,
I think you'll find the same is true for most of us here. It is for me, but I do have the consolation that one of my sons live very near by and is as much into herps as I am. He and I buddy up and go on at least "short" field trips routinely.

Sid

[adamanteus]

No one outside this forum even knows that I keep snakes. I've never liked the way people always assume you're some kind of eccentric or just a nut. I hate having to explain myself to people, so I just keep my passion to myself. Lonely? Maybe, a little, sometimes.

[GarterGuy]

No one outside this forum even knows that I keep snakes. I've never liked the way people always assume you're some kind of eccentric or just a nut. I hate having to explain myself to people, so I just keep my passion to myself. Lonely? Maybe, a little, sometimes.

Wow James, I've got to say I'm just the opposite....EVERYONE knows that I keep snakes, hell in my neighborhood I'm known as the snake man. I actually really enjoy "explaining myself" to people, for just the fact that I've found that I can change some of their misconceptions about snakes. Yeh, I still have the people who think I'm a freak, but hey......I AM...HaHaHaHaHaHa!!!!!!!!!! :cool: Anyways, I also really don't have any close reptile friends. All my good friends that I have, we get together for other stuff. I've got one buddy that I "converted" several years ago and that's about it. Good thing, a HerpClub started in my area, so now I'm finding new people to talk with and go herping with. And not to be forgotten, all the really cool people I've met here on the forum. I've always liked garters, but being here has really ignited my love of them and gotten me pointed back to the right direction with them. So here's to the freakish, garter lovers of the world!!!!!!:D
Roy

[Sputnik]

I feel incredibly fortunate that my best friend keeps snakes, too. Pythons rather than Garters, but he is always fantastic to talk to and has useful advice handy. Sadly he lives a 3 hour train journey away.
Other than him most of my friends shudder at the thought of my snakes. In fact one of my closest friends has such a terrible phobia that her husband has to go through any magazine she buys and cut out any possible pictures of snakes. Sometimes it's so bad she can't even say the name and just refers to snakes as "the lizards without legs" or even "you know what". Needless to say, I don't tell her about my "you know whats".

[Todd6494]

Im getting my wife into snakes!!! My son and I caught the 2 we have now, used to have a corn but has since passed. Other than that, I too am a lonely snake keeper! lol.

[Lee]

When I was a kid I had friends that would go, one that loved to go looking for critters just as much as me, I'm the one that caught/kept the snakes, he kept the salamanders lol. Moved found another friend in middleschool, found a snake once and we scarred his mom, then spent the rest of the day looking to uncover a dozen large ones hiding in holes under his wood pile ! None since though, I'm a lone ranger ;*)

[krystalirelan@southslope.]

we went to a fair yesterday and my 12 year old daughter (who can't leave the house w/o the right clothes, hair, lipgloss, nail polish, ect...) played a dart game and won a prize. the guy thought he was being funny by getting a rubber snake out of the bucket to throw at her. She caught it and was like, COOL! Joke totally on him!

[ssssnakeluvr]

aaaaaaaahahahaha!!!!! Love when that happens!!!! :D

[Stefan-A]

Wow James, I've got to say I'm just the opposite....EVERYONE knows that I keep snakes, hell in my neighborhood I'm known as the snake man. I actually really enjoy "explaining myself" to people, for just the fact that I've found that I can change some of their misconceptions about snakes. Yeh, I still have the people who think I'm a freak, but hey......I AM...HaHaHaHaHaHa!!!!!!!!!! :cool: Anyways, I also really don't have any close reptile friends. All my good friends that I have, we get together for other stuff. I've got one buddy that I "converted" several years ago and that's about it. Good thing, a HerpClub started in my area, so now I'm finding new people to talk with and go herping with. And not to be forgotten, all the really cool people I've met here on the forum. I've always liked garters, but being here has really ignited my love of them and gotten me pointed back to the right direction with them. So here's to the freakish, garter lovers of the world!!!!!!:D
Roy
I sort of advertise my hobby. I mean, it's a way to get other people with the same interests to realize that there are others. Hopefully, they'll make contact. And when you're literally shoving a camera in the face of a big pissy adder in front of 15 people how can you NOT advertise it? :D

By advertising I don't mean doing stupid stunts or even having stuff or clothes with little reptiles. ;) Just by showing interest in them whenever they're under discussion.

[drache]

I want there to be more of us herp appreciators
that is not going to happen, unless they get exposed
that thing at my daughter's school was a total eye opener to me
not only did it show me how utterly uninformed the average person is about herps, but also how readily they catch the fascination

our new friend from the train hasn't called
probably lost our number

[Odie]

When I was a kid, I would catch them show it to Mom then let them go @ the end of the day :cool: My brother was the only one in the famaly the would even touch them. Now Robin/wife has us doing it and I get to keep them :D

[ScimitarX]

Quite a few people know we keep herps, especially now weve started up a business and have local customers. Our neighbours kids are always asking to see the snakes, we let them hold the friendlier ones. We onced took some to my step-dads workplace, a residential home for the elderly, as several people there had expressed interest and i think it was enjoyable as we showed them the snakes and explained a bit about them. We are also members of the International Herp Society and go to monthly meetings at our local branch.