Why am I such a mean, bad person?

[LyrisFlame]

Do you guys ever get comments like this?

I was telling a shop owner about Houdini, my WC baby radix. I was telling her all about how happy I was that he was chowing down on trout, and when she looked at me suspiciously and asked if trout was part of his natural diet I explained that garters did eat fish, worms, and occasionally rodents, etc. Then she asked me, "So why didn't you just let him be a happy snake out in the wild like he was meant to be?"

I felt a little bit insulted, to be honest. What makes her think I am incapable of keeping a snake "happy"? I mean, I'm not sure snakes actually feel "happiness" in the sense that humans or mammals do, but I know that it's probably safe to say that healthy = happy for a snake.

Why am I a bad person for catching one of, like, three dozen baby snakes and giving it a habitat with consistent temperatures, abundant and nutritious food, clean, fresh water, and a guarantee of never being eaten by a bird or cat or whatever?

Meanwhile his brothers and sisters will be scavenging for food that may at any time become scarce, same with the water supply, and the constant threat of some other animal eating them or a frightened person killing them... And they all probably won't live half as long as Houdini will now that he is in my care. If anything happens to Houdini, he gets to go to the vet and get fixed up whereas his siblings are just plain screwed.

It just kind of irked me that this lady suggested I was doing harm to Houdini by keeping him in captivity.

Bah.

Do you guys encounter this kind of attitude very often?

[Lumpy]

That's a strange comment coming from someone working in the pet trade business. I would have replied to her that the same question could be posed to her. Every pet she sells either came directly from the wild or was bred from the wild. A bit hypocritical in my opinion.

The other comment might have been "ya know, you're right. I'm going to set him free. Guess i don't need anything from this store. Thanks!"

Lump

[adamanteus]

Freya, it doesn't matter what she thinks. On here, we all keep Garters. Welcome home.

[Snake lover 3-25]

The other comment might have been "ya know, you're right. I'm going to set him free. Guess i don't need anything from this store. Thanks!"

lol that's what i would have said!!!!

[drache]

you're not
some days these comments get to us, other times we don't hear them
and then there's the realm of opinions

[jitami]

Sounds like PETA propaganda... sigh...

[Snake lover 3-25]

what's that????

[jitami]

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals... well funded, sometimes extreme, animal rights activists here in America, not sure of their international reach, but I have a feeling it's wide. They believe that animals should not be "used" for any purpose whatsoever by humans. That includes for food, clothing, medical testing, and for our simple enjoyment, entertainment, or service. They believe that there should be no pets and they're slowly but surely spreading that message. There are tons of websites devoted to the debate. Feel free to look at PETA's own website and then search for the truth behind PETA.

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow i just did!!!! so what if not well treated pets do they think we should do with them???!!!!!! i agree with the fact that they should not be mistreated but not that no one should have pets!!!!!

[Sid]

Freya, more often than not I get asked, "Why didn't you kill it"! You are not a mean, bad person. You are a caring one