Why do people who dont keep reptiles consider it "hoardering" when you have a collect

[Reborn]

I dont quit get it. I have 20 leopard geckos and hoping to get some more reptiles(gargoyles and crested are next on the list) but if i mention this to other people or family or something(people who dont have reptiles) they constantly bring up. Dont become a hoarder this and that. Apparently im not the only one people respond to in this way, a few people i talk to hear the same. So my question is why do people who dont own reptiles think its hoarding if you keep more then a few? ALL mine are VERY well fed and cared for, end of story. This goes for my friends too. I dont quite get it, is it because they dont understand the hooby? (i posted this on Y!A and got some intersting response so i wanted to post it here too;D)

 

[Jordan]

i think its just that they dont know of the hobby of breeding as such. i mean neither did i at one point. and then i met someone who had over 50 corn snakes. at first i thought this was odd and then i realised it, its because the diversity of colours and morphs and the ability to breed for more morphs etc.
just the lack of knowledge.

 

[fuzzylogix]

all my family thinks im crazy because i have over 200 reptiles... until they see my reptile room and the cool creatures i have. then they want one...

 

[Reborn]

all my family thinks im crazy because i have over 200 reptiles... until they see my reptile room and the cool creatures i have. then they want one...

Lol my 20 to your 200XD way different numbers!! But i do know the feeling when they want one after handling them! even tho i have only leos once they see how some of mine LOVE coming out(literally walk out the doors of the cages to be held) and there smiling faces most understand why i have so many(wel not many compared to you lol)

 

[LeopardGeckoGirlie]

Honestly that's why we don't really tell "other" people about our hobby. We have 35-40 reptiles. Our friends and family that also keep reptiles of course know about our collection, but most of the people who come in contact with don't because they don't understand.

 

[Jordan]

Honestly that's why we don't really tell "other" people about our hobby. We have 35-40 reptiles. Our friends and family that also keep reptiles of course know about our collection, but most of the people who come in contact with don't because they don't understand.

HAHA lol. im exactly like that. well said.

 

[JordanAng420]

Hoarders are out of control. It is a psychological obsessive-type of issue. They are physically incapable of providing care for the animals they love so much, and they don't.

Legitimate breeders of animals know exactly what they are doing and are perfectly capable of carrying on with their daily lives. Their animals are fed, watered and cleaned.

There is a huge difference between the two.

 

[Reborn]

i know theres a big difference but they are the ones who dont get it. When i try to explain that they say "do normal(they used this alot!) people keep that many animals?" Most people i speak with hear 20 geckos and there eyes buldge. Its kinda funny when they expect a GAINT reptile like a croc or komodo dragon and i bring out a 9-10 inch gecko.

 

[MiamiLeos]

They just dont understand, thats all

 

[JordanAng420]

i know theres a big difference but they are the ones who dont get it. When i try to explain that they say "do normal(they used this alot!) people keep that many animals?" Most people i speak with hear 20 geckos and there eyes buldge. Its kinda funny when they expect a GAINT reptile like a croc or komodo dragon and i bring out a 9-10 inch gecko.

Hoarders are not labeled because of how many animals they keep. It's the conditions they are kept in. You can explain till you're blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is that most people will believe what they want.

Hell, i'd LOVE for someone to call me a hoarder. Go ahead and call all the authorities that will listen, and let the come and see the conditions my animals are kept in. :main_thumbsup:

 

[acpart]

Because of the recent bunch of TV shows about hoarders, it's very much on people's minds and anything that superficially seems to resemble it gets lumped in with it. It happens every time some new idea or fad comes to popular attention.

Aliza

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Dog and cat hoarders make the news when they're arrested for animal cruelty. Starving dehydrated animals roaming all over garbage and living in filth.

 

[gumbii]

animal hoarders is some good good TV... hoarders is horrible... obsessed is also good tv...



anyways... i've always had a ton of animals... at one time i had a rack full of venomous snakes, a rack full of venomous snake hatchlings, a couple of hamster colonies, pond, dogs, puppies, 10 freshwater fish tanks, and a saltwater fish... everyone that came over thought i was sick or something... lol... i got rid of everything except my reef tank, and people would still say that i had a problem collecting corals and too involved in the reef hobby...


anyways... no matter what, "other" people are always going to look at you different for doing things they don't understand or do... it just comes with being passionate with the hobby...

 

[Jade Icing]

I am slowly building my reptile collection but I think I played it smart in the sense that I learned a lot in 6 years owning my BTS and 5 years with my first leo to know this is what I want. The fact that I went from 2 to 5 in a few months to a few of my families and friends is bothering them. All I added was another leo, and two vipers.

Now I also have had rabbits for 5years. They are all spayed and neutered well minus one who can't due to health reasons. I find homes for all the rescue ones. My personal rabbits have all lost their previous homes for one reason or another. Currently we have 10, 8personal rabbits, a sanctuary one and a foster. They are all litter box trained etc.

Between my husband and I we spot clean litter boxes one time a week and do a full clean once a week. I do a spot clean once a week and a full clean every other week on the tanks. I feed reptiles every other day, bunnies we feed 8pm every night, and toss hay in as needed.

We know we can handle this, I know I can handle two more reptiles. I will keep it to something I know to care for another leo and an aft. More than we have now? No. We do plan on letting our rabbit numbers become half of what it is now and increasing reptile numbers.

Anyone else looks at us and it is like oh god hoarders. We each have our own limits it is knowing them and sticking to them that sets us apart. As pet owners and not breeders people tend to be even more suspious. They might get a breeder having more but not a pet owner.

 

[T-ReXx]

Like Maia said hoarding is a psychological issue. People who hoard animals can't control themselves, they take on more than they can handle, and the animals suffer in neglect and starvation, despite the hoarder's love for them.

The majority of hoarders have dogs and/or cats, which are a big difference from a large reptile collection. I have over 100 reptiles, they all fit in one room. If I had over 100 cats or dogs, I would need a gigantic house with an even bigger yard, to house them all. My animals are all kept in optimal conditions and are kept very clean and well-fed. Fact is most reptile enthusiasts don't just have one or two reptiles, because of their small space requirements and ease of care compared to mammals or birds maintaining a larger collection is much easier. Reptiles also won't destroy your house, breed out of control if left unspayed or neutered, or even need to eat every day. A collection of 10-20 leopard geckos requires about the same amount of time investment for care as a pair of house cats, which few people consider "out of control." People who don't work with reptiles hear numbers and make assumptions, often based on the false information given out by organizations such as HSUS and PETA. The truth is most reptile owners are quite capable of caring for 50+ animals without things getting out of control. Even if you're not breeding, maintaining a collection of any size is work yes, but not nearly the amount of work involved in keeping a large number of dogs/cats/birds etc. It's just a case of misunderstanding, and media-induced fear. Most people fear what they don't understand. It's up to us as reptile lovers to put those fears at ease and make the truth known. Without eduction others will continue to label us as "hoarders" and other such titles and the hobby as a whole suffers.

 

[Kristi23]

I just don't tell people how many I have. When family asks, I just say that I don't know.

 

[gitrdone0420]

My boss(who is a vet) has put that title on me and I just don't think it's fair, yea I have over 50 reptiles, but like t-rexx said, all of mine fit into one room, get fed regularly, watered and well taken care of etc. I spend the majority of my time in my reptile room because I'm the only one who takes care of them. I am always looking for more, like more leos to expand my breeding stock or just really cool other reptiles.
I do not have a psychological disorder and I am
Plenty able to take care of everyone and this is all considered before I bring another reptile room.
I know what your talking about, reborn... It really hurts my feelings when people that I care about see me in that way. It makes me feel like a bad, sick person and I know that I am not. Especially when I get on here and can share my love of this hobby with people =]
I'm actually relieved to hear that I'm not the only one that has had this issue with friends and family!

 

[stewy84]

everyone has there thing. I dont care for any sport that doesn't involve a motor, so should I call a sports card colector a horder for have thousands and thousands of cards neatly organized? I love telling people that I have 50 to 75 geckos in the mid to end of summer, the look on some is price less. Most of my friends would want a bar with a big screen tv to watch the game, not me just a bigger herp room.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I think people need to draw the distinction between obsession and hoarding mo. Obsession at least the animals are well cared for etc unlike hoarding. People think I hard 'cause I breed show rabbits (we have about 20 netherlands, 1 french and a mutt I saved), 5-9 dogs (5 of my own but between fosters,temp. boarders, and board-n-trains we get up to 9). 1 ball python and soon to be 1 gecko. Am I a hoarder... no... am I obsessed with animals... meh I think so they make me happy... what's wrong with that if they're all taken care of. Mostly the people that don't own or love animals the way we do are the ones calling it "hoarding".

Next time you get one of those say this "it says right in the bible that animals were put on this earth for adam and eve to look over and have company" so in essence I'm just doing God's work right? That has shut more than a few mouths when people start on the hoarding rant with me.

 

[Reborn]

My boss(who is a vet) has put that title on me and I just don't think it's fair, yea I have over 50 reptiles, but like t-rexx said, all of mine fit into one room, get fed regularly, watered and well taken care of etc. I spend the majority of my time in my reptile room because I'm the only one who takes care of them. I am always looking for more, like more leos to expand my breeding stock or just really cool other reptiles.
I do not have a psychological disorder and I am
Plenty able to take care of everyone and this is all considered before I bring another reptile room.
I know what your talking about, reborn... It really hurts my feelings when people that I care about see me in that way. It makes me feel like a bad, sick person and I know that I am not. Especially when I get on here and can share my love of this hobby with people =]
I'm actually relieved to hear that I'm not the only one that has had this issue with friends and family!

:main_thumbsup: i know exactly how you feel. Its what we love its no different then people scrap booking or nitting or well other hobbys.@.@ mine too are all well fed and cared for(if you read my dwarf bit someone thought they were giants there so big;D not obese tho!) but it seems to have no effect on people:/ they hear the number and BAM ideas and assumptionsD: My grandparents have over 100 head of cattle and no one else considers that hoarding and like his cows mine are all in great health and cared for right. I know thats a terrible comparasion but its frustrating! But now i know what to say when they bring it up;D Thanks T-ReXx! that helped alot;D Thanks everyone! it all helped alot and i know im not alone.