To Breast Feed or Not To Breast Feed!

[missllama]

yea that makes sence aswel, i guess everyone is in a different situation, i personally dont have kids that i need to be teaching things like that too, i want to make sure tho that my reptiles are use to being handled so that one day when i do that i can feel that they are use to being handled even if it is just once a wk

 

[missllama]

(and i am not talking about snakes im talking about my dragons mainly )
my snakes dont come out very often

 

[redbellybite]

BAHAAHAAHAA I cant believe we are discussing this...............................although i do love my snakes cuddling and canoodling with them just dont do it for me thats why i have a little maltese pooch ...........lol

 

[slim6y]

myself ...i will give TLC to any creature...from a worm....to a Tiger Snake(gotta love em!...& havnt had the pleasure yet!...but waiting)
that needs it...has worked for me
& have had 90% result in all my rescues...reptile or not

i see that some keepers have their reptiles more for show or display

my dragons are all able to be handled at appropriate times...
not when eating or brumating!

yes snakes are different...but more for their health reasons
its just plain stupid to cuddle a snake on feed day or day after...of co****!

Are you sure you didn't say you wanted to 'breast feed' a tiger snake?

So now you're backing down on your original comments?

Tell me - have I got it right - breast feeding means continual attention?

If so your original statement did mention that's what you want to do to a snake - and my answer is it does them more harm than good and you appear to now agree.

If you made this about beardies only I can't give an answer as I have little knowledge of them, but I do know they're not a pack animal and also need plenty of down time for health reasons. Otherwise i can say nothing more

 

[dragon lady]

yes...not great with explain things... sorry

ok... yes ....agree... snake can not be handled on a feed day...nor the day after
by handling wrong the consumed feed could tear lining of stomach etc(correct if im wrong)
but you can handle...give attention if not stressing the snake in question

but other than that ...would love to cuddle a Tiger..or give "continual attention"... if the ven wasnt so much of a issue...hell everyone knows that!
just saying..."i love the Tiger...esp the K.I"

i have dragons....my son has 1 blonde mac,getting mine later
i give allot of attention to my animals...handle them daily... no side affects
would love to put up pics....but computer illiterate!

its a general question/s... some say there is health factors about handling reptiles at all
just want opinions.........

yes...different species... different situations
sorry i wasnt so clear...... never am..no deliberate

 

[ishka]

my personal opinion...

if you want an animal to cuddle... buy a dog.

Reptiles are not really a "companion animal" like most domesticated pets and i think the only ones who really benefit from this molycoddling/breastfeeding behaviour are the keepers... not the animals. I perfer to keep my reptiles in conditions that mimic there conditions in the wild as much as humanly possible as i think that is what is best for them (i am yet to come across an animal in the wild that is stressed out because it hasn't had a weekly bath or a candle lit dinner).

I think this "breast feeding" behaviour that has been adopted by a number of keepers does nothing but put undue stress on the animals and i think that a number of these people seem to have the attitude that they are better keepers and that anyone who doesn't keep their animals in the same way is cruel. If a keeper chooses not to molycoddle there reptiles it certainly doesn't make them any less of a keeper... you only need to look at the most successful breeders in this hobby and i can't think of one that feels it's necessary to baby their animals and treat them like infants, yet they have great success breeding. They must be doing something right because unhealthy/unhappy animals don't breed!

Well that's my 2 cents worth.

Cheers,
Ish

 

[dragon lady]

Ishka...nicely put

the big breeders...how you put it have had success greatly with their huge knowledge of the animals in question
yes...agreed(rare)

but is it that because of the amount of reptiles they have...doesnt allow for the attention
not that any neglect at all...dont misinterpret !

but if they had the time for the extra "attention"... would that be a issue

hmm...maybe ..maybe not!

if a animal was stressed in the wild... maybe its already a dead one?

candle lit dinners....hmm.. well,candle would give some of the heat needed depending on species
& the dinner...well...we all feed the animals in question!

weekly bath... i have a vitticeps,who has periodontal disease...
teeth brushing with a warm bath help her...weekly!

 

[Chris1]

i cuddle the butts off all my animals!

i had to get a snake cos i was keeping the dragons up all night, so now they get to sleep while Loki comes out to play!

i even have a different song for each dragon and Loki that i sing to them.

 

[dragon lady]

thats just beautiful Chris!...awwweee!!!!

each to their own eh!
im not stating my way is the only way....uhh ahhh!..never!

just was interested.... as we have over 2000 members... the stats are interesting..
as you can only vote once!

 

[ishka]

DL when i talk about the "most successful breeders" i am not talking about the ones that the largest numbers of animals, i am talking about the one who have large collection and are high number of live young from each breeding. To acheive these success rates one would have to assume that these animals are getting all the attention that they require to be happy an healthy, so even if they had the time to give these animals "extra attention" i can't see anything that would lead me to believe it would be needed.

weekly bath... i have a vitticeps,who has periodontal disease...
teeth brushing with a warm bath help her...weekly!

I don't know anything about peridontal disease as it is not something i have had to deal with in an animal but there is a big difference between giving an animal extra care because it has a problem and just molycoddling an animal for the hell of it. Even us keepers that keep for "Display/Show Purposes" (by that i mean keepers who not treat our reptiles like infants) do take the additional time to care for any animal that has a problem requiring attention.

 

[Hickson]

my personal opinion...

if you want an animal to cuddle... buy a dog.

Reptiles are not really a "companion animal" like most domesticated pets and i think the only ones who really benefit from this molycoddling/breastfeeding behaviour are the keepers... not the animals. I perfer to keep my reptiles in conditions that mimic there conditions in the wild as much as humanly possible as i think that is what is best for them (i am yet to come across an animal in the wild that is stressed out because it hasn't had a weekly bath or a candle lit dinner).

I think this "breast feeding" behaviour that has been adopted by a number of keepers does nothing but put undue stress on the animals and i think that a number of these people seem to have the attitude that they are better keepers and that anyone who doesn't keep their animals in the same way is cruel. If a keeper chooses not to molycoddle there reptiles it certainly doesn't make them any less of a keeper... you only need to look at the most successful breeders in this hobby and i can't think of one that feels it's necessary to baby their animals and treat them like infants, yet they have great success breeding. They must be doing something right because unhealthy/unhappy animals don't breed!

Well that's my 2 cents worth.

Cheers,
Ish

I agree 100% with that.

My animals usually get left alone except for cleaning, feeding and other essentials. I look at them most days, but nothing gets cuddled. Herps get handled when cleaning or moving.

The only time I devote extra attention to an individual is if it is sick/injured, or a youngster and vulnerable to the elements. Even then, it's usually only extra heat and food that they get (and more observations).

The only other exception is when I'm handrearing parrots, they get much more attention simply because they won't be dogtame when I sell them to a petshop otherwise.

If you want something to cuddle, get something with fur.



Hix

 

[dragon lady]

ok.... so if you get high #'s with breeding & give cuddles...

the same as no cuddles & high #'s... same

why are people opposed to cuddles?

 

[ishka]

ok.... so if you get high #'s with breeding & give cuddles...

the same as no cuddles & high #'s... same

why are people opposed to cuddles?

Probably the same reason "breast feeders" opposed to the way some keepers choose not to molycoddle, personal choice.

the big word there DL is IF... if people where achieving these high success rates in large collection that had been BFed there might be a bit more substance behind that argument but i seriously don't know of any... all the breeders i know of with these kind of success rates do not baby their animals.

 

[dragon lady]

thats fair... the ones i know do..lol

but the ones who have larger collection wish they had more time!

thankyou for the input all the same

 

[Chris1]

isnt it strange,.... those of us that cuddle our pets dont hassle the non cuddlers, but for some reason the non cuddlers just cant accept that some people enjoy cuddling scales and dont have time to walk furry pets!

 

[dragon lady]

all good Chris.. takes all types
just interests me thats all!

no body has yet to say the cuddle their tiger..... how disappointing!

 

[Tsidasa]

define hassle, cos I see a whole thread started by a pro-cuddler =)

I'm sort of in the middle of this argument, I only have a few animals so i do have more time to spend with them, however i've noticed less stress in my snakes when i handle them less. (less stress is noticed by their reaction to me in the room, their food response, the amount they come out etc)

However I have a beardie that I spend more time with as he doesn't seem stressed by the ordeal and also simply because I have to do more with him, daily cage cleans and feeds and misting while he's little so I dont know...I don't think I mollycoddle my animals but I do enjoy their company.

However as Ishka put I have seen large very healthy collections that are rarely touched in this manner.

The very act of getting the animal USED to being held, suggests they dont necessarily need it. I agree with the idea that it's something that benefits me as a keeper rather than the animal itself. (Except for necessary touching due to illness etc).

 

[dragon lady]

honest...nice
thankyou Tsidasa,...hell could have come up with a member name easier to spell!..lol

 

[Magpie]

"Breast Feeding" is not about the occasional "cuddle".
"Brest Feeding" is when people won't feed their lizards live insects in the fear it may harm them. It is when people won't keep their animals in a cage because they "get sad". It is when people constantly hassle and handle their reptiles. It is when people resort to scenting, assist feeding or using skinks because their snake has not eaten for a week. It is about people that lose sleep because their snake has not pooed for 2 weeks. It is when people bathe their lizards regularly, or believe that beardies cannot survive with humidity below 50%. THAT is "Breast Feeding"

 

[dragon lady]

:lol:glad you were able to vent:lol:...Magpie!

alls good... yes, see your point!...hmm
well i dont do that lolololol!!!!

but do other stuff..lol


have since even coined a group...hmm,oh well!

but i value everyone opinions... a
& thus wanted everyones terminologies & ideas on the phrase
so thankyou...well said!