Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicOwl
Hmm... this thread drifted into some weird territory.
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I suppose this is my fault for not being explicit in my original post, but I was talking about animal welfare. Hence why I brought up wild caught hots and alligators being kept in kiddie pools. We can argue all day or which animals we have the "right" to possess, but that's not the point. The question is, does owning these animals result in a positive or negative outcome? Do the animals benefit or suffer? What are the impacts to the environment should these animals escape? And so forth.
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If the subject is welfare, then why limit it to reptiles? Walk a month in my line of work. I'll tell you right now, there are many people in this country alone completely unfit to keep animals period, whether it be dogs, cats, cockatoos, or snakes or horses, but the laws we have are laughable. Even if there is a violation, most of the time, its a slap on the wrist and the owner is merely instructed to straighten up. And what is welfare exactly? Keeping the animal healthy? And the ability to keep the animal safely confined so it does not escape and injure itself or anything else? [shrugs]
For example [I may have already cited this in thread - forgive me if I have, its been going on for so long, I can't remember!
], in Alabama, it is permissible by state law to chain up your dog in your yard as long as the chain is 10 ft long, there is a shelter (no real definition listed), and fresh water & food is given. Could be a plastic doghouse with no floor, and its over 100'F outside, and its within the law.
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So back to the initial question: in terms of the average person being able to provide any given animal what it needs to not only stay alive, but thrive...I would definitely say...
Herps I don't think should be kept as pets are:
- large monitors (except ackies perhaps)
- crocodilians
- large iguana species (green, rock, rhinos, etc)
I almost said large tortoises, like sulcatas, but despite their size, they are hardy, their mortality rate in captivity is significantly less than iguanas (even as babies), and contrary to what some sites & groups claim, it is not hard to rehome large adults. Yes, it can be hard to securely confine a large sulcata, but in terms of feeding, and just housing them, they're pretty sturdy (more along the lines of a small pony or goat).
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