So....how accepting are your spouses/family about your hobby?

[peter5930]

My mum took a while to warm up to the caudates, but now she's quite interested in them and likes to show them off to visitors, though she doesn't like worms and can't stand to be around while I'm feeding them. I'm hoping to make a small business out of breeding caudates, but I have health problems that can be quite debilitating at times and my mum worries that I'm taking on more than I can handle. She also gets stressed out when the garden looks like a work site with tanks, timber, boards, pallets, pond liner and half-finished constructions lying around the place.

I have a 4-year-old nephew who's taking an interest in my creatures, and a couple of the neighbours want to bring their kids over at some point to see the zoo. My dog barely acknowledges that they exist; she doesn't seem able to pick up any smell from them, and she ignores them even when they're moving around in their tanks. If she sees one moving around while I'm holding it, she nervously slinks off the same way she does if I'm holding one of the mechanical toys that my nephews play with when they visit.

 

[AngieD]

My mum said a firm 'no' to any pets whatsoever, because she keeps claiming that she'll be the one looking after them, that she doesn't want an animal, or that she doesn't agree with captivity.

However, when my boyfriend's newt laid a few eggs, and the first 2 to hatch died, I 'confiscated' the last one to hatch and kept it in my room in secret. When we went on holiday to wales, I took the larva with me and kept it in the caravan.
When we went back home, I explained to mum that I was keeping it until it's an adult, because I have a better supply of daphnia (my boyfriend doesn't live anywhere near a fish shop). On the way home, I managed to sneak into an aquatics shop (thanks to my uncles) and get 2 more newts (pachytriton labiatus). I've got them concealed in my room behind strategically positioned stacks of CDs, and I really don't know if mum knows they are there, seeing as the rest of my family ask about them quite openly when she's in the same room.

Maybe the larva broke through the 'no pets' rule, or maybe I am going to be in massive trouble one day...even then, it would be worth it

My boyfriend is worse than me - his collection stands at: 1 rabbit, 2 snakes, 1 bearded dragon, and 5 chinese fire-bellied newts, and he's on the prowl for more (next up is a pair of boas I think)

 

[clownbarb1]

Well I'am 14 year's old and I keep all my animals in one room.And when I first started keeping animals they did'nt like it much but they got a little use to it lol.

i am 14 too and my grandad lets me keep the zoo in a small room at his house until i move into the garage

 

[Bellabelloo]

What an inspiring idea, I could move my 14 year old into the garage and then have more space for my beasties

i am 14 too and my grandad lets me keep the zoo in a small room at his house until i move into the garage

 

[Eastling352]

My mother is ok with it. Just as long as i have the primary responsibility for them. Which i agree with. I want to do this myself and i can enlist help from them if needed. Exactly described option 2.

 

[Travisdjtg]

"Grudgingly accepting - they like to look now and then, don't want to be involved"

actually that explains it perfectly.

 

[Blaze]

Mum doesn't like fish or amphibians and disliked the idea of getting an Axolotl but has helped out with costs (including forking out $300 for a chiller) and doesn't really care if there are things being left around the house but I like to keep it tidy and Sunny's tank is a display tank also so it isn't ugly in the house. She feeds him when I go away (even though I ask her not to) and i've caught her looking at him a few times and she also shows off him to any guests and tells friends about him, she also listens when I tell her things about him. Shes pretty good but isn't really involved with him.

 

[The Banana]

Sounds like your mum DOES secretly like Sunny! Hehe.

 

[Kiyo]

My mom protested against me getting both of my lovely amphibians (axolotl/fire salamander) but now she loves them both. She shows them off, comes into my room and talks to them... She thought axolotls were ugly at first, but now she defends them when her friends call them ugly by saying "Their personalities make them cute!" Haha. I catch her sneaking in and telling the fire sal how cute he is all the time.

I still can't believe she let a 30 gallon tank in my room, I thought for sure she'd make me take it back. The only thing she doesn't like is feeding time...

The rest of my family could care less about my little zoo. Except one of my cats who seems to be best friends with my fire sal.. They both sit right next to the glass and stare at each other... And she doesn't seem the least bit interested in attacking him for the most part.

 

[Kms124]

Heh I saw this post and had to laugh. For years I wanted an axolotl, bought one about 3 months ago only to find out that night it was actually a tiger salamander larvae, and when we got him he looked abused (damaged gills, skinny). After a week he plumped right up and developed this adorable personality; he would follow us around the room, he would come right up and let you touch him, even he would sit at the surface and open his mouth expecting food to fall into it since he liked to be hand fed. And then while I was at college, a few weeks later, within a matter of days he just evolved... into a tiger salamander.

His name is Muffin. Actually, we don't even know if it is a he lol. But my family likes him, my mom says he's a little brat since the only way he eats is if you hand feed him. I find when I am home people in my room looking at him, so i'm glad that my family is supportive of my love for "odd" creatures as they call them. We also have two African clawed frogs (one is about 17 years old and counting), so they are used to it by now hah. Originally I was going to take Muffin to college, but because of his size and the fact he is on land, he wasn't allowed (he was supposed to be an axolotl and only water based things are allowed). Either way, here and there my mom complains but she's ok with feeding Muffin his bugs and stuff, even though he doesn't really seem to like live bugs. My dad walks in and laughs, trying to find out where he burrows (alls you see is his eyes or nostrils sticking out of the dirt). Its almost like a game. Between Muffin and the two frogs, we have interesting pets. Even the frogs have personalities; the 17 year old one talks to you if you talk to him. I love them. We also have a cat, but personally... I'm not much of a fan of common animals or things with fur. I always liked frogs and lizards and bugs.

or as my family says "weird things". Yet they secretly love those weird things since they go on and on and on about them and can't wait to show them off to guests.

 

[Scorpion]

They're accepting. They think they're cool, and help out now and then when it comes to buying stuff for them (like food), but for the most part don't really care.

 

[Naut]

I live in an off campus college apartment with 3 other roommates, and I found my eastern newt when I went out fishing with my roommates. We thought he was cool and brought him back (don't know what we were thinking, were like kids). My roommates didn't really care too much for the little guy, they wanted to just keep him in a little pet keeper designed for hermit crabs, but I did research on the little guy, which led me to this forum, and led me to buy a 10 gallon tank setup with aquarium plants, a filter, a turtle dock, spending more than 150 dollars for this little guy. My roommates think he's cool, wish he'd do more to "entertain" them besides swim around the tank, but they wouldn't take care of them.

My girlfriend is skeptical about me keeping an amphibian, she was scared to go near my newt when I first got him, but after investing much time and money into the tank, she likes to get involve too. She likes watching him eat nightcrawlers and she even bought me an aquarium plant for the tank.

I believe people are just turned off by this little "water lizard creature" when they first see them, but after awhile, they end up liking newts and salamanders.

 

[madink]

My daughters have become extremely loving of "our" baby. The oldest one was a bit freaked out by the look of him when he came home but is now monitoring the water temperature as summer hits. The youngest has read almost as much as me about the best things for Axies & loves feeding him & trying to take photos.
Now we are all looking into getting more - it's hard not too

 

[Opacum]

My wife likes the vegetarian critters mostly. She would prefer if I stayed away from things that eat rodents, but has always been a good sport about all of my varied interests since the beginning. I knew she was the "one" when she watched TV with my Blue-Tongue Skink resting on her when we were dating... ohhhhhhhh twenty five years ago! LOL! I'm quite blessed! <3

 

[Binx]

I'm 14 and my parents and brother love my axololt, Peaches, but I doubt they would let me get another salamander or anything for a while!!! :happy:

 

[Rupert]

Wow this thread makes me more jealous than the Ommartotriton breeding thread.

 

[Little Girl]

I'm currently 20 and live with my parents to cut costs. Earlier this year, I really, really wanted a pet but they said no because all the animals I wanted would "smell" and "be a lot of work," and "we already have a dog." I'm pretty sure when I'm a millionaire I'll have a whole slew of creatures because none of them really "smell" to me, and I take pleasure in taking care of them. Anyway, after I moped around the house for a week or two, they finally said I could get a fish. A fish. Because they don't smell and "aren't a lot of work" and they stay in an aquarium so our dog won't try to eat them.

So I took that as "go get a Greater Siren!" Actually, when I was looking I wanted a lesser or dwarf siren, because of the size, but all the guy had was Greater babies! When they later found out about what that would eventually entail, they were pretty grumpy about it, but they knew it could not be undone. My mother fell in love with Nessy and my father thinks she's pretty cool but they're dreading the day she needs her own 200 gal tank. My father hates having pets in the house and he was hoping that I'd just get a fish and then it would die and that would be the end of it. But now I have a companion for life and I love her so dearly!

Ironically enough, I did end up also getting a fish. I named her Princess and I keep her in the tank next to Nessy's. And then not too much later in the year, I found a house bunny hopping around at a park. I only intended to keep him until the owners reclaimed him but the "bunny found" signs have been up since June and he's still here! My father was about to throttle me when he found out I made a permanent home for Eddie-bun in the back yard, but now he's actually really interested.

I'm a brat, I know

 

[Tiger mom Tammy]

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my husband so, thanks babe! His coworkers had kids who weren't caring for their Tiger Salamanders so we adopted them. He loves them as much as I do and loves to hears stories I tell him about the friends I've made here and their pets (Pirate, eleven, etc. ) My mom and others are not on the same boat unfortunately. I quote: " looks like a snake with legs!" Seriously!? I'm saddened that a lot of people don't even like the common or day geckoes we have in abundance here Well, I love them all and when I see them scurrying on the rocks, jumping from plant to plant or scaling the walls of my house all nice and plump from eating mosquitoes and such, I have to stop and smile. We live right next to a lake so you should see the street when its toad mating season, Its lovers lane! Lol

 

[minxytota]

My son is only three. So other than the occasional time I spend with my lotls that he'd rather spend with me he doesn't care. He is willing to "help" though I often discourage it because of the huge mess "helping" creates. We live in my house. I have a spare room just for my hobbies where I keep my empty tanks/supplies. My mom keeps my son at my house on the weekends when I work and she is willing to feed everyone and do tasks like, "There's a sick lotl in the fridge can you suck out the poop every night so it doesn't die?" but not much else. I have even kept a few lotls at her house but I still had to drive over there to clean the tanks.
Mom would like it if I had fewer tanks and lotls but she's more supportive of that than other things I could be doing, like dating, so she goes along with it.

 

[Kittycampbell13]

Unfortunately, my husband isnt very supportive or enthusiastic. Im met with extreme criticism and cynicism any time I want start a project or try something new. Then he wonders why I fail or give up. Not getting me this time.