Why are so many people opposed to keeping wild snakes as pets?

[theapexgerman]

Most AZ kings are WC from here and sold to other places there are CB but most are wild

[red ink]

Originally Posted by Kingsnakechris

Oh here come the poaching preachers..... It's no different then catching any other wild snake. Id prefer CB but to say someone is poaching by catching one species but not poaching by catching another? Makes no sense...

YES makes no sense... How much do you know about sustainable harvest, how much do you know why a species snake is protected vs one that isn't? Maybe if you go and find out it would make more sense....

Even if it was legal, the animal isn't in decline from the wild, you still think it's OK for someone to grab one from the wild if it's available in captivity?

[red ink]

Originally Posted by theapexgerman

Most AZ kings are WC from here and sold to other places there are CB but most are wild

HENCE.....

AZ trying to protect them from POACHERS

[theapexgerman]

So you got an problem with me so called poaching them while others poach to sell for money in other states

[Kingsnakechris]

No, read my previous post on the topic. I'm against collecting from the wild, but what your saying is poaching, isn't. I live in AZ as well, they don't fine you for "poaching" but possessing a native species.

[theapexgerman]

They don't even fine you most of the times just take away the reptile

[red ink]

Originally Posted by theapexgerman

So you got an problem with me so called poaching them while others poach to sell for money in other states

NAH mate I got a problem with ALL poachers, your just the first one I met silly enough to openly admit it.

[theapexgerman]

I admited awhile ago but what ya going to nothing lol

[jarich]

I think that context is always key in these discussions. Most places that have these laws do so because there are native species that are threatened due to things like habitat encroachment, pollution, or other human disturbances. In which case, a bunch of people going out to catch them and put them in cages isn't the only problem, its just one in a list of many problems. When you put it in a cage in your room, it isn't just that you might kill that one, its that all the offspring that might possibly have come from that one are now no longer in the wild either. Its also why zoos and license holders can keep them if they plan to breed them and then release them back into the wild.

So its not just about one person going out and taking one animal, its about the entire context of human interactions with species in the wild.

[Kingsnakechris]

That and they are not endangered. Just native.

[jarich]

Its a blanket law, usually. To both keep the endangered ones safe and to keep the ones that aren't yet endangered from being so. Think about those other human encroachments and you'll understand that its pretty unlikely that trend is going to reverse anytime soon

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by theapexgerman

Yea I. Poach atleast with me has an better chance at living

Yeah cause you know the whole species hasn't survived in the wild without your help for the last X number of years....

[Kingsnakechris]

Yeah, I understand. At least you have common respect to make your point without name calling and insults. You get your point across to people much more efficiently that way.

[Kingsnakechris]

Originally Posted by jarich

Its a blanket law, usually. To both keep the endangered ones safe and to keep the ones that aren't yet endangered from being so. Think about those other human encroachments and you'll understand that its pretty unlikely that trend is going to reverse anytime soon

^^^^^ this is who i was talking to

[zaroba]

Originally Posted by RandomStranger

I caught two juvenile Black Rat Snakes two months ago, and I stormed the internet googling the proper ways to take care of them, and they are both doing fine and will let me hold them about half the time and if they start to try to escape my hold on them, I don't force them to let me hold them. I let them go about their business, and I only feed them other things I catch. I want to know why almost every source of information I find on the internet says things like "Omg, don't take in wild snakes, they will definitely get parasites and mites, and infections, and die for sure!" Both snakes are healthy, and if I notice any drop in their health that I can't fix, I plan on returning them to the wild. Note that both are juveniles, so I'm not affecting the native population because they won't be breeding this year anyway, and under my care they are protected from predators that could easily make a meal out of snakes this small.

Why is it so wrong to keep wild snakes as pets?

1. Typically wild animals of all types have parasites just due to living in the wild. Just like if we go out in the woods, we can come back with ticks and mosquito bites. Being captured and brought into captivity can cause severe stress which reduces the effectiveness of the snakes immune system thus allowing any parasites to become worse, possibly to the point of death of the snake.

2. You say your not effecting the population because they wont be breeding this year, well, they wont be breeding in the wild next year either since you have them so yes, you are affecting the population in the long run.

3. In many/most states, it is actually illegal to take native reptiles out of the wild or there are limits (you'd have to check with your states Fish & Game department). Mostly because they are endangered DUE to people taking them out of the wild like you did.

4. In many/most states, it is also illegal to RETURN reptiles to the wild after they have been in captivity for more then a few months due to the possibility of introducing new parasites/diseases/illness to wild populations which may pose to be harmful or even detrimental to the survival of the wild population if they have no natural immune defense to it. for example, you releasing it due to it getting sick, you may introduce a new illness to the wild population.


The only time that wild animals should be kept are for short term purposes:
1. Rehabilitation. A while back one of my cats kept catching baby garter snakes, so I took them in so their injuries could heal and then returned them to nature, away from the house and cat.
2. Relocation. I've found Box turtles in places where housing developments were going up, moved them to a large park. Same with snakes from my neighborhood due to kids that insist on killing them.
3. Education/Research. Take in a tadpole, watch it morph into a frog, release it. Catch a snake, weigh it, measure it, study it, release it.

The only time a wild animal should be kept in captivity forever is if it is no longer able to survive in the wild due to injury. A local zoo here has some animals that are injured, like an eagle with one wing. It was either shot or hit by a vehicle and as such can no longer survive in the wild and actually requires human care for survival.