Herps you don't think should be kept as pets?

CosmicOwl · 06-26-14, 12:30 PM

I'm pretty much all for people keeping whatever exotics they like, so long as the care is good. However, some of the things I watch and read do give me pause. When I see something like a 5 foot alligator being in a kiddie pool in someone's basement, I can't help but think that it's wrong. And even though venomous snakes fascinate me, I wonder if it's worth it to keep wild caught snakes that are quite stressed and weakened from the process.

What do you guys think? Are there any herps that you don't think should be kept as pets?

alessia55 · 06-26-14, 12:45 PM

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**millertime89** · 06-26-14, 12:59 PM

Personally I feel you should have to be trained and licensed to own any snake that will pass 12ft or is venomous, any crocodilian, or any monitor that will surpass 4ft nose to tail tip. You should need a permit to breed and sell. Also you need to be over 18 to do either. However this sets a dangerous precedent as this gives information to people that have a tendency to take legislation from a "restricted" stance to banning them all together. I feel like USARK would be the best organization to facilitate a training, licensing a permit system as they're in a position to work with local herp societies.

SuperSleuth · 06-26-14, 01:02 PM

I think anything that can/will outlive you is a bad idea. While *you* may be capable of providing proper care for it, you can't be certain of what will happen to it once you're gone.

**millertime89** · 06-26-14, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperSleuth

I think anything that can/will outlive you is a bad idea. While *you* may be capable of providing proper care for it, you can't be certain of what will happen to it once you're gone.

Unfortunately anything CAN outlive you. We're fragile creatures and death is always around the corner. Just something to consider.

SuperSleuth · 06-26-14, 01:06 PM

Miller, I'm aware of that, but intentionally buying something that has a longer lifespan is different.

Mikoh4792 · 06-26-14, 01:27 PM

I think any animal should be able to be kept as pets provided they are taken good care of.

SnoopySnake · 06-26-14, 01:39 PM

I think that species that have been taken from the wild time and time again and never survive, or end up only living a couple years shouldn't be kept. Species like dragon snakes that just can't really successfully be kept.

But with that I also realize that every animal we have in captivity now was probably once a similar story, where it took thousands of them to finally figure out how to successfully keep them - what temperatures and humidity they need, and what prey they can and can't survive on.

I also agree with Millertime that larger species and hots shouldn't be kept by the average keeper and should require some kind of training and proof of an adequate enclosure, as this is something most people just can't provide for the much larger species.

Jim Smith · 06-26-14, 01:47 PM

This can be a touchy subject, but I tend to agree with millertime89. Animals that pose a significant threat to life should have some limitations placed on owning and breeding them. I also have concerns about people keeping animals that can become invasive with little or no natural predators. This of course splashes over into people who keep fish (pun intended). Exotic species such as snakeheads, species of catfish and even piranha have been caught in local lakes here in Georgia. Believe me, I am not a fan of government interference, however, history has shown us that animal owners are not always the most responsible people you'll ever meet in life.

smy_749 · 06-26-14, 02:10 PM

Anything you can't take care of properly haha

**EL Ziggy** · 06-26-14, 04:21 PM

I believe giants, hots and crocodilians should require training, licensing, and regulation.

FWK · 06-26-14, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosmicOwl

I'm pretty much all for people keeping whatever exotics they like, so long as the care is good. However, some of the things I watch and read do give me pause. When I see something like a 5 foot alligator being in a kiddie pool in someone's basement, I can't help but think that it's wrong. And even though venomous snakes fascinate me, I wonder if it's worth it to keep wild caught snakes that are quite stressed and weakened from the process.

What do you guys think? Are there any herps that you don't think should be kept as pets?

Such a sensitive issue lol. I agree with you, I think people should be free to keep just about anything as long as proper care and security is provided. How to regulate proper care and security is the problem. My home state, Texas, has some of the most lax herp laws in the country and I hope it stays that way. In my opinion most states ridiculously over-regulate herps. Ignorance breeds fear and fear sells newspapers and gets politicians elected, it is easy to drum up support for legislation restricting animals the general public are already afraid of. If I ever have the space (and money) for a properly fenced private pond I'd like to keep a gator myself. There is a breeder in Florida working with albino gators, just breathtaking animals. But keeping a gator in a kiddie pool in a basement I don't think could be considered proper care lol. To me the real issue is not so much people keeping the animals, it's released or escaped animals. And even then the real danger (in my opinion anyway) is, as Jim Smith mentioned, the threat invasive species pose to local ecosystems. And this threat goes far beyond herps or even fish as Jim mentioned. Do a little research on the absolutely catastrophic damage that has already been done by the domesticated cat, especially to isolated ecosystems such as islands. The numbers are simply staggering. Any politician going to propose legislation banning domesticated cats? No, nobody is afraid of domesticated cats. And it would be political suicide lol. Then research how many people in the U.S. are killed by exotic pets. Those numbers are, in all honesty, minuscule. There are inherent dangers in working with hots or giants but to be fair there are inherent dangers in just about any hobby. I've been riding motorcycles for better than a decade. That hobby kills more than four thousand people a year. I have seen friends die and I've even been involved in a nasty wreck when a someone in an SUV playing on her cell phone pulled out in front me. I understand the dangers and accept the risks and responsibilities that come with riding because I love to ride. The same goes for my herp hobby. Heck more people die weightlifting, another of my hobbies, than are killed by giant snakes and crocodilians in the U.S. But you are not going to see legislation banning motorcycles or weightlifting are you? Because people aren't afraid of motorcycles or weights. People are afraid of reptiles. Fear makes money. A lot of money.

**EL Ziggy** · 06-26-14, 09:13 PM

I think proper training, demonstrated proficiency, a minimum age requirement and sometimes insurance should be required to operate a motor vehicle, carry a firearm, or to own deadly exotic animals.

jpsteele80 · 06-26-14, 09:40 PM

I personally don't think anything but hots should be regulated, it all comes down to common sense, if you cant properly take care of an animal then you shouldn't buy it, it is the owners responsibility to do the research and be able to take care of it.

**EL Ziggy** · 06-26-14, 09:51 PM

Unfortunately common sense isn't so common these days.