>Why do we have the disconnect between possession of reptiles versus birds?
>But, somehow I have to suspect that there is also a disconnect in the >cultural attitudes towards reptiles versus birds. Two thoughts: 1) So much of it is cultural- what we learn from others. I used to have a 9-foot boa that I took for crawls when I was in undergrad. One day we were hanging out in the sun along a well-traveled route between university buildings. A mom and her little girl (maybe 2-3 yrs old?) walked up. Instead of the normal aversion or fear that I would get from both male and female humans, this mom laughed delightedly and said, Oh look, honey, a snake! Pet it! The little girl learned that snakes are not gross; they are not innately scary; they are not slimy. They are amazing critters of great beauty, we can be excited about them, and we should respect their abilities. 2) I work with insects. The difference in feelings between birds and reptiles is only a matter of scale. Compare it to how people feel about bugs! Shelly
