Having a cat or a dog doesn't say " I need attention no matter what my mommy did to me" Having a full blown lizard who should be left the fuck alone in areas that humans shouldn't be near, does?
I think you're wrong. I've never had reptiles to get attention. In fact, only my close friends have ever seen my pets. I've always loved dinosaurs and my lizard is as close as you can get to that. He's a great pet. You don't have to get up and walk him in the morning, he hangs out in my back yard, he's supercool. I understand most people aren't into it, just as I don't understand people who want to put tattoos all over their body, but I won't insult them for it. I've had this lizard from the day he hatched out of an egg, so it's not like he was plucked from a jungle.