Can someone tell me why Ball Pythons would be illegal.

[SlitherinSisters]

I just don't understand why some cities don't allow Ball Pythons. I don't see them as a danger to people and most pets. I knew of one city in Iowa that didn't allow BPs and jpman told me Cedar Rapids doesn't allow them either. It's beyond me.....

[frankykeno]

Most often it's because those that draft the laws don't have a clue about the species they include. Sometimes it's a law meant to deal with giant pythons like burmese and retics and balls just get lumped in with "python" in general. Sometimes it is in reaction to something stupid somebody in that community did with their snake and everyone else gets to pay the price. Often and sadly, it's about blind and very stupid fear.

Laws don't always make much sense. Take Michigan for instance. They have laws like you would simply NOT believe about owning a wolf/dog cross....major and very detailed laws, pages of them actually. However you can order a Gaboon Viper, a venomous snake with the largest fangs in the world over the internet and own it quite legally. Nobody cares if you are 12 years old and keeping it in a bucket, it's a legal species to own at least where I used to live in northern Michigan.

I don't have a problem with laws if they made any sort of sense or if the people that draft laws would take a moment of their time to actually talk to expert breeders and hobbyists about the reality of keeping that particular species.

[SlitherinSisters]

Most often it's because those that draft the laws don't have a clue about the species they include. Sometimes it's a law meant to deal with giant pythons like burmese and retics and balls just get lumped in with "python" in general. Sometimes it is in reaction to something stupid somebody in that community did with their snake and everyone else gets to pay the price. Often and sadly, it's about blind and very stupid fear.

Laws don't always make much sense. Take Michigan for instance. They have laws like you would simply NOT believe about owning a wolf/dog cross....major and very detailed laws, pages of them actually. However you can order a Gaboon Viper, a venomous snake with the largest fangs in the world over the internet and own it quite legally. Nobody cares if you are 12 years old and keeping it in a bucket, it's a legal species to own at least where I used to live in northern Michigan.

I don't have a problem with laws if they made any sort of sense or if the people that draft laws would take a moment of their time to actually talk to expert breeders and hobbyists about the reality of keeping that particular species.

jpman told me it's mostly likely they just got lumped in with "pythons". It's so frustrating someone wouldn't make the time to research. There really isn't any harm in having one. Thank goodness they aren't illegal where I'm at (as far as I know)

My home town allows owning wolves and wolf crosses That's a bit much for me. Our neighbor (out in the country) breeds 1/2 wolf 1/2 german shepard. Now THAT'S something to fear and make a law about IMO.

[karma279]

That's a bit much for me. Our neighbor (out in the country) breeds 1/2 wolf 1/2 german shepard. Now THAT'S something to fear and make a law about IMO.

That's as bad a statement as someone saying Balls should be restricted

[Rakk101]

Alot of time I think law makers do not put in the leg work to see what the animals are actually like.

Take for example Pit bulls, the city of Chicago wants to ban these dogs. They do not go to the families with great pit bulls that love their families and the kids around them. Instead they go to the people that beat their dogs, tie them up all year round or fight them and then the law makers determine they are bad dogs.

How about go after the bad owners instead. Now we just get new stories about a dog/snake/lizard (any animal really) that turned on it's owner or kids and the poor animal gets blamed all the time and then banned

[ncbloods]

They ban them either because of the thought that they are dangerous (in a bp's case that's ignorance obviously), or because of a perceived threat on native wildlife.

In Iowa, however, I don't think a bp would make it through the winter.

[dsirkle]

I remember when wolf crosses became an issue in Michigan. The experts testified that a dog was bred to mentally stay at the puppy stage and would always view it's owners as it's leader's of the pack. They said that a wolf cross may mentally stay as a puppy if it was 1/4 wolf or less. Any more wolf blood than 1/4 and the wolf/dog would eventually try to assert itself as pack leader and become a threat to it's owners. I can't say whether this is true or not but I clearly remember when it was a big issue. Another useless bit of trivia.

[BMorrison]

1/2 Wolf 1/2 German Shepherd would be a beautiful dog.
I had a big black german shepherd that we recently had to put down after 15 years and IMO... hands down the best dog you can own.

As for the bans on certain critters certain places Jo is right, alot of it comes from blissful ignorance.

Jo : Where were you in Michigan that you could own a gabby? I've never heard of this and it interests me.