Partner who isn't reptile friendly?

[Gregg M]

Just do like I do... Stay single... LOL

Seriously, I have my own place... Any woman who gets involved with me will get "the talk"... I nicely but firmly let them know in advance that we would break up before I give up my reptile collection... Its good to throw the cards out on the table from the start...

 

[Lena]

Just do like I do... Stay single... LOL

Seriously, I have my own place... Any woman who gets involved with me will get "the talk"... I nicely but firmly let them know in advance that we would break up before I give up my reptile collection... Its good to throw the cards out on the table from the start...

Yeah, better to get it out right away then let it pop up later. :main_laugh:

 

[LizMarie]

I think I'm going to have to start picking up guys at the near by Reptile Expos, lol..

Long term I wouldn't be able to be with someone that made me pick between him and my pets. My pets keep me sane and are a BIG part of my life and if they don't like it sorry but they come before any man. I'm tired of dudes trying to control aspects of my life that they don't approve of or aren't willing to accept. If that means I'll never get married so be it, I'll be the crazy lady with all the pets

 

[hulker75]

This is a great thread! This situation is definately one we all deal with especially being single and owning a herp collection. I started collecting snakes when i got my own place at 18, and its been building every since. Leos are a new thing to me but i always felt like it would be harder to find someone with this room in my house full of snakes, lol. Eventually i realized its not a drawback at all. When someone new is educated about what you do as a hobby, and you show them the animals and let them handle them, i've found that almost everyone warms up to it eventually and even finds it very interesting. My girlfriend now isn't to fond of handling the snakes but she finds my hobby very interesting and even goes to the shows with me. Truth is if you end up in a relationship, and the person despises your hobby and passion, or gives you an ultimatum, then its obvious that the person isn't right for you.

 

[rubym]

I guess I am lucky, my husband loves animals as much as I do. We both knew that about each other from day 1. I think that if you really love a person then you can get used to ( atleast tolerate) the things that that person loves. If your special someone deosn't care for reptiles then they get their own room and she just doesn't have to go in there. Out of sight out of mind type of thing. I think that if you are up front with whoever you meet in the future then she should be willing to compromise with you about your pets. My mom usd to tell me that my animal thing was a phase and I would get tired of taking care of them when kids came along. It didn't happen. My "critters" were my stress release from my wonderful kids, lol.

 

[sciteacher]

I was breeding snakes when I met and married my wife. Had a reptile room full of them. Had a few geckos also, but the snakes were my main interest. She never made a big deal about it, but she NEVER went in there. She really has a snake phobia that she's had since she was a child. I felt bad that I was spending so much time on something that she would never share, and I gradually whittled the collection down and got out of reptiles for a couple of years.

Then, I decided to pick up a couple of crested geckos at a reptile show, and she thought they were "kind of cute". Since that time I've built a fairly large and diverse collection of geckos which she tolerates very well. She still isn't exactly interested in them, but she'll sit with me in the room while I'm feeding, and visit. She likes to see the newly hatched babies, and my 2 year old son loves to look at the geckos, so she brings him in when I'm not home so he can have his "gecko fix".

Gary Hamann
Ridge and Valley Reptiles

 

[kyahbean]

If someone truly cares about someone, they wouldn't ask them to give up something that meant that much to them. And if they did, and you gave up your reptiles for them, you would undoubtedly harbor resentment towards them for it, and it would ultimately mean the demise of the relationship.

I agree it's better to throw the cards on the table. And besides, why would a reptile lover want to be with someone who despises their pets enough to want you to get rid of them? You would never be able to trust them to care for them should something happen to you, or should you get sick. And don't you want to share your life with someone who can share your loves?

 

[bitterbeauty]

I'm tired of dudes trying to control aspects of my life that they don't approve of or aren't willing to accept. If that means I'll never get married so be it, I'll be the crazy lady with all the pets

I couldn't agree with you more Liz!!! :main_thumbsup:

 

[Gregg M]

Liz and Tiffany, you ladies need real men in your lives... Not insecure little boys... Trust me, guys do not fully mature ever, but we do get better at around 28 or so... LOL

 

[LizMarie]

Liz and Tiffany, you ladies need real men in your lives... Not insecure little boys... Trust me, guys do not fully mature ever, but we do get better at around 28 or so... LOL

Lol are you saying I should start dating 28year olds!?

 

[kyahbean]

Well, I do have to admit there is a HUGE maturity leap for guys in their mid 20's. Compare a guy who is 22 to a guy who is 28 and you'll see some major differences. Granted, there's exceptions to every rule, but in general, I'd say that's a good assumption.

 

[ClownCarOnFire]

This brings to mind a conversation I had with my ex.
I love Dachshunds and he hated them, I think I told him that if I had to choose, I'd choose the dog. [Which, by the way, I didn't have at the time....lol]

It's the cold hard truth. My animals come first.