Things You'll Need
- Some books on snakes
- Local zoo
Instructions
The fear of snakes is in large part due to false information about them. No other reptile is more misunderstood and it is a shame as these reptiles are very valuable to us. The first step to overcoming a fear of snakes is to inform yourself.
Snakes are generally not aggressive creatures towards humans. A snake would much rather run and hide and will do so if you give them the slightest opportunity. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Some snakes are very territorial when it comes to their homes, but they still want to avoid you. As long as you do not corner them, they generally will avoid you at all costs.
Snakes are not all dangerous. In the United States, there are four venomous snakes that are harmful to humans; the cottonmouth, the rattlesnake, the copperhead, and the coral snake. Outside of these four reptiles there are only biters in the United States. A snake bite generally is harmless unless it gets infected. Seek proper medical treatment in the event of a bite, but do not think that all snakes are going to kill you.. Even the venomous snakes listed above will often not kill you if you get medical treatment right away.
Snakes are actually very beneficial creatures to us as a society. If it were not for snakes, we would be overcome by rats, mice and vermin. This would lead to an ecological breakdown. Snakes are not wanting to waste their bites on us as we are not on the food menu for snakes. They want to save bites for animals that they can eat.
Snakes are not slimy as they are portrayed. They actually are dry and scaly. Holding a snake is actually a very liberating experience and there are a number of species that one may hold with no fear of being hurt. Corn snakes, ball pythons, some king snakes and a number of others are pets in people's homes across the country. They are harmless, beautiful creatures.
Finally, keep in mind that snakes will only bite you if you happen upon them and threaten them in some way. Sometimes this threat is accidental and sometimes it is us humans poking around with it. Fearing a snake is silly when you consider that being bitten by a snake is something we likely bring on ourselves most of the time. As long as you watch where you walk outside, do not lift up rocks and logs haphazardly and do not mess around with snakes when you come across them, there is nothing to fear.