What Is A Good Age To Own An "Exotic"?

[Mr. H]

I thought this would be a very interesting topic of discussion. There has been a lot of controversy, well, I exaggerate, perhaps a little controversy on the forums on what is a good age to own an "exotic" (i.e. snake, spider, lizard etc.)? Should some less mature owners not be allowed to own such animals? Is maturity even directly linked to age? Discuss. I'll gauge your replies and then post my views on the matter.

[JLC]

I think there's no specific answer for these questions. Individual people differ so greatly....in age, maturity growth, life experience as well as life circumstances. A young child can own an "exotic" if his/her parents are also willing and able to be a part of the process and supervise. And some grown people I know should never own an animal of any sort, regardless of how "exotic" or common it might be.


Is maturity directly linked to age? I would just say there is a very strong correlation between the two. It might be more accurate to say that there is a direct link between maturity and life experiences. Some children experience more life in their few years than many older people. And some people seem to never learn and grow, no matter how much life they go through. But, in general, most of us grow and learn and grow some more as we age. I'm WAY more mature now than I was when I was 30....and was more mature at 30 than I was at 20.

[Kesslers Kreatures]

I don't think any Immature people should own a pet of any kind. If they are nor responsible then there is no need to own a snake.. I don't think age has anything to do with it... well I mean not crazy young but some kids mature before others and if they have proven the ability to take care of the animal and give the animal what it needs and not neglect it then I don't see any problem with it no matter what the age.

[Kagez28]

as long as said "kid" does his research, and is responsible enough to take care of the snake by himself, i don't see a problem. i guess i would throw some parameters down like...

-needs job. reptiles aren't cheap to care for. you have to buy the right husbandry supplies, feeders, and be able to pay for vet visits, ect.
-needs all family/ roommates to agree with owning reptiles.

thats all i can really think of right now. i have had my little cousins (6 and 8 yrs old) ask me if they can have a pet snake and i flat out told them know. these kids couldn't keep a fish alive, and have an attention span of a door knob. a snake would defiantly not last long in that house. not to mention my uncle isn't a fan of snakes. so my 2 parameters are broken right there.

[Mr. H]

I'm fifteen and I consider myself mature enough to own an exotic without outside help, although I'm holding off actually purchasing the thing I've been learning about for roughly two years to respect my parent's wishes and because in a few years time I will probably be going off to university where the situation will not be ideal for a ball python, meaning I would have to most likely permanently or temporarily give up one of my most treasured "possessions" so soon after acquiring it. I think that once you've got to a certain age, perhaps the mid-twenties, you are reasonably mature. Otherwise it can vary greatly.

Not naming names, but there have been one or two members here (I have no idea how old they were) that simply were not mature enough to own any sort of pet, as they simply were not responsible enough to do all that is necessary to take good care of it. At times, they didn't even do all that was necessary to keep it breathing.

[Kesslers Kreatures]

I think you should hold off for the fact that you will be going off to college. Most campuses wont allow you to have an animal in your dorms and I doubt your parents would take proper care of the snake while your away. It also would be hard to part from your snake as well. I know that if I had to get rid of my snake i would be depressed... as well as a few users that i know of here that have moved and had to give up their collection. Just hold out til you have a place of your own and can take care of the snake without worries if your going to be able to take it anywhere you move to.

[Mr. H]

I think you should hold off for the fact that you will be going off to college. Most campuses wont allow you to have an animal in your dorms and I doubt your parents would take proper care of the snake while your away. It also would be hard to part from your snake as well. I know that if I had to get rid of my snake i would be depressed... as well as a few users that i know of here that have moved and had to give up their collection. Just hold out til you have a place of your own and can take care of the snake without worries if your going to be able to take it anywhere you move to.

WHAT DID I JUST SAY!? Lol, j/k. But seriously, that's pretty much what I just said, just phrased differently.

On with the conversation!

[Kesslers Kreatures]

WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?

You givin me attitude Boy! haha


jk


Good luck when you do get a snake!

[Sunny1]

I think that Judy hit the nail on the head!!! Great post!! It is all about maturity and responsibility and that depends upon the individual person. I have been keeping my own pets since I was about 5 yrs old (had some very beautiful gerbils). But even then I still needed the help of my parents to get food and bedding, their setup, and the gerbils themselves. So when it comes to younger kids, people need to just realize that ultimately the pet will be the parents responsibility, esp. if the kid decides that they don't like the pet anymore. My 4 yr old calls calls our BP hers and also has "her own" cockatiel and kitten, and while I take all the responsibility for caring cleaning and supervising etc., I am glad that my kids are being able to have the experience of growing up with all different types of animals, to learn to love and have a healthy respect for creatures of all types whether they be soft and fuzzy, feathered, or scaley.

[weirdbuglady]

For my 10th birthday, my parents got me a sugar glider from a relative who used to breed them. I had no idea what the heck it was, had never even heard of them before. I tried my best to take care of her but it was really tough, I definitely wasn't prepared enough. And we didnt have the internet then, and by the time we got it, I was set in my ways and didn't think to research how I should be taking care of her. Either way, I was definitely not ready. When I was 15, she got sick, and even with lots of vet visits, she passed away. I loved her to death, but if she had lived I couldnt take her to college with me, and it would break her heart because she was so closely bonded to me... it was a tough situation all around.

A little while after that I started getting into snakes, and even then, I wasn't quite ready. Well the corn snake was easy enough, but I didn't do enough research on the ball python, I'm finally getting things correct three years later (I just read care sheets, didnt find this site for quite a while).

Now at 19 I have lots of pets, some of them family pets, though the snakes and tarantula are definitely mine

I'd say kids/teenagers should not really get into pets that live a long time (like snakes) unless their parents are very willing to care for them when the kid goes to college, or they have a plan to take the animal(s) with them (if they don't want to go to college then I guess this point doesn't matter). I've run into problems with that (going to college in another country) but my dad loves my snakes and is good at caring for them and feeding them. I'm happy to know they're here for me in the summer and will still be around when I'm done. I read too many ads on craigslist and such with kids going to college and having to sell their pets. Still, though I love my snakes all to death, I kind of wish I had held off simply because it's made things complicated. I've got the money for some ball morphs but I'm waiting till I'm done with college.

I'm quite willing to admit I've been doing a bunch of things wrong when it comes to caring for some of my animals, simply because I didn't know any better, but I'm willing to learn and I've got proper setups now. That's the kind of attitude it takes to sucessfully keep exotic animals, be willing to do what's best for them, and to make changes if needed. And to be willing to spend the money. If you're relying on your parents alone to care for your pets, they might not want to spend money on expensive thermostats and such.

I say it depends on maturity but it also depends on common sense, self control, degree of parental support, and amount of spending money. You need to be able to look into the future and see that you'll still be keeping that animal for another 20 years. That's really hard to visualize when you're a child/teenager. It's a tough call because I'd love to see more children appreciating snakes as pets, but attention spans can fade and it's easier to deal with a hamster that lives for two years than a snake that lives for 20.

In the end I believe that if a child/teenager wants a snake as a pet, it should be something the parents want as well, so it can be a family pet, taken care of responsibly, and not be left out in the cold if the child becomes uninterested or moves out.