If you sell a critter to a minor...

1) please make sure the parents are cool with it first, and 2) don't misrepresent what the animal is.

Pics will follow once my husband returns with the rescue in a few hours.

This sounds like a must-hear/must-see!

Woof. Yeah, I'm not sure how I'm gonna screen it yet, but I'm going to figure out and draft up some sort of sales agreement with a clause specifically regarding minors. Basically, if a minor wants to purchase a snake, the parent or guardian has to sign a thing saying that they acknowledge and are fully aware this is a snake (with a lifespan of 30ish years), that the kid has permission to keep it, and that as the person over the age of majority in the house giving permission, they're responsible for primary care or returning/rehoming the snake should the kid fail to provide care for it.

Is that putting too much emotional attachment on the babies I produce/sell? I know some breeders are kind of hands-off past a certain point, but one of my biggest fears is putting a snake I cared for in someone else's hands only to have it wind up abused/neglected. Most dog breeders I've worked with require you to sign a purchase agreement before selling a puppy. I figure it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to include one for a snake.

Are you considering everyone under 18 a minor? I'm just wondering because I'm 17 with 2 very healthy snakes I do think that making the parents sign a waiver saying they are responsible for their child's pet is a great idea. Makes a parent think if their kid can actually keep a pet of any kind

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Originally Posted by That_One_New_Guy

Are you considering everyone under 18 a minor? I'm just wondering because I'm 17 with 2 very healthy snakes I do think that making the parents sign a waiver saying they are responsible for their child's pet is a great idea. Makes a parent think if their kid can actually keep a pet of any kind

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I'm talking about the legal definition - under 18 can not sign contracts, must do as the parents say unless the minor has been emancipated (which is rare), etc.

In this case the parents were unfortunately ignorant and the snake was almost "taken out back and shot". Fortunately they agreed to having it rehomed, but it had to be gone by sundown...

So the kid went out and bought a snake? Then the parents had to take care of the animal?

"Minor" can be a little weird to define. Technically in Texas you can be tried as an adult at 17, and I know it's younger in some other states and countries. Personally I would consider 14-16 a fine age for purchasing your own pet. I think what's more important in the situation you're talking about is making sure anyone going to buy an animal has consent from the person who owns/leases the place they're living in. There are 30 year old's that live with their parents, and if they bring a snake home that Mom says has to go is that any different than a 14 year old doing the same thing?

As private sellers, it's up to our discretion who we sell to. An irresponsible buyer is an irresponsible buyer regardless of age, it's our job to identify who's who.

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Originally Posted by Daigga

"Minor" can be a little weird to define. Technically in Texas you can be tried as an adult at 17, and I know it's younger in some other states and countries. Personally I would consider 14-16 a fine age for purchasing your own pet. I think what's more important in the situation you're talking about is making sure anyone going to buy an animal has consent from the person who owns/leases the place they're living in. There are 30 year old's that live with their parents, and if they bring a snake home that Mom says has to go is that any different than a 14 year old doing the same thing?

As private sellers, it's up to our discretion who we sell to. An irresponsible buyer is an irresponsible buyer regardless of age, it's our job to identify who's who.

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In Texas you are an adult in the eyes of the law at 17, you will not be tried any other way from that point on. For certain crimes with certain criteria you can be certified as an adult at a younger age.

As to the topic at hand I think 17 is a good age to be able to buy your own animal. But even then if you are living at home and your parents say no, that's too bad. Their roof, their rules.

I do not think that anybody younger than that should be able to buy an animal alone without a parents approval. Not because they are unable to care for as Im sure they are, I did. Its just that they are not an adult and do not have their own place to make such decisions. Also the parents need to be aware of how long some of these animals can live and in many cases a young person has no business buying such a thing because of the life changes they will be experiencing over the next few years.

If I was a breeder I would not let anybody under 17 buy an animal without knowing the parents were on board and fully understood what they were getting into.

"Minor" is in fact a term with a legal definition and ramifications. Age of majority in most states is 18, save for a few odd balls. A 30 year old still living with their parents is still a 30 year old, legally an adult and responsible for the the cost and care of their pet. If they want a snake, but their parents don't, they can bloody well get a job, a room mate and their own place. Kids as young as 14 in some states can be tried as adults if the crime is heinous enough, and they are determined to be in full control of their sanity, and demonstrate they knew what they were doing at the time was wrong/illegal. That has no bearing on them being able to move out of their parents care or be held legally responsible for signing a contract or care of any animals in that house hold. If your kid sneaks in a pet then neglects it and animal control/ASPCA find it, guess who's gonna be held legally responsible for fees or jail time? Hint: not the kid.

Down here in Texas it's 17 but I think it isn't a good way to measure maturity and how someone handles responsibility

I used to work at a Petstore, and the rule was that the buyer must be 18 or older, and that this person had to sign an acknowledgement for the health guarantee, etc. However, there was one instance I remember very distinctly, in which one of the personnel made the mistake of selling to a 16 year old boy who "seemed old enough". His mother came in furious that the store had sold him (her under-aged child) a bunny rabbit. I could imagine a similar response to a snake...or a worse one if the parents aren't comfortable with snakes.

I was forbidden to have a snake until I no longer lived under my parents roof. So I moved out at 18, and at 19 I got my first snake. While I could have cared for the snake at a much younger age, (I got my Schneider's skink at age 9 and she's still kickin!), my mother didn't approve, and therefore I didn't have it. *shrug* I think parental permission is a must for anyone under age 18, or they should not be allowed to purchase the animal. If allowed to purchase and the parents aren't okay with the animal, the animal will either be mistreated, released, rehomed, or killed. None of which are ideal situations for our snabies. :snake:

Update: The kid is 16, the parents didn't know about the snake until it had been in residence for a few weeks. Snake is a retic female, jamp het purple, four months old. Not something that can be easily hidden in a few months!

Oh my goodness! He thought he could hide a giant in his parents house without them noticing? :O Wow.

Mom: Son, what are you doing with that rabbit?

Son: Magic!

Mom: Where is the rabbit?

Son: I made it disappear!

Oh dear lord in heaven. Yeah, that kid did NOT THINK THAT THROUGH lol!

Sounds like one of the neighbor kids growing Canibus next to his mom's tomatoesl. :cool:

That didn't actually happen did it?

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Originally Posted by That_One_New_Guy

That didn't actually happen did it?

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The cannibis or the 'tic? If you're talking about the snake, then it's true and it's why I spent yesterday re-arranging my collection, and then cleaning and disinfecting her new digs, so I could QT her in my home office while all my other snakes are crammed upstairs. Fortunately she's spent the last few weeks in isolation already, is free of mites, and not blowing snot bubbles, so I wasn't too concerned about her crossing the threshhold.

Was talking about the Cannibis. I can believe your story

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Originally Posted by That_One_New_Guy

Was talking about the Cannibis. I can believe your story

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Being a LEO I can tell you things like that do happen. I was driving down a street once and found some mature plants growing along side a homes driveway. During the investigation we found the elderly lady that owned the house allowed her son who was in his fifties to stay there as well. He planted around 15 plants along the driveway mixed in with his mothers plants. This was in plain view of the street and everybody that went by. The mother had no idea what her son had done or when.

I have been in grow houses and found plants in backyards but this was the first time I came across something so bold.

my little tidbit applies to really anyone purchasing a reptile, not just minors.

I'm 17 right now and I keep monitor lizards (I just had one lay eggs actually) so there are minors who are very good at keeping reptiles.

I speak from experience when I say to people selling, do not tell the person what the animal needs (at first) for any large animal. An ignorant person(minor or adult) will not care or listen anyway. With anything "large" you should quiz the person on basic knowledge of the animal (how big it will get, how old it will get, and what/how much it will eat, ENCLOSURE SIZE) first (to show it is not on impuls) and if they cannot do that, then do NOT sell them that animal. it may be tedious for if you're at an expo with a lot of people, but it can be the difference between being a good owner, and an animal being released into the wild.

That's my little tidbit anyway. just an idea.

Haha... Teenagers.
I remember my first "big", an adult female burm, when I was around 15-16.

My father always fear from the snakes but he accepted my little hobby. (A good papa)
He didn't really listen me when I told him what I'll bring to home in the next week. (A busy papa)

When I got the big lady, I needed help from 2 friends to get home and to put in the terrarium what I built before. She was heavy and nasty one..
At the evening when my father saw her the first time, he sad to me: You can choose.. That snake, or me... My answer was: Listen Papa, I told to you that I would like to get that one, and you agreed. I spent a whole week to build a good size cage, and hours passed to take out, bring home and put in... I'm tired.. So do what you want, take her out with your bare hands and bring back, or make your suitcase.
I kept the snake and my father too...

Hey, some of us teenagers actually know what we're doing. Granted that's only like 2% of us, but still.

Agree ;)

None of this is to say that teens are all terrible, irresponsible loafs and shouldn't be trusted to care for a living thing ever. I have known far more than just 2% of teens who I think would be conscientious and attentive exotics keepers! But the fact is, that as long as you're legally confined to living under someone else's roof, you gotta live by their rules.

The kid who owned this snake may turn out to be the BEST snake owner ever in a couple of years, when they got an apartment, with understanding landlord, and roommates, but even if they were able to put the time and money into the snake right now to make sure it was set up properly, they did it behind their parents' backs, leading to this, "take it out back and shoot it," situation. Hence why make sure a) the parents know about it and b) are okay with it, before selling to a minor.

Selling to a minor is something I have done (it's rare) however the talk with the minor customer only goes as far as picking out the snake, asking questions related to the snake after that everything else, reminder of the commitment, the actual sale, payment and shipment is handled by the parents.

Nothing like selling a snake to a minor without dealing with the parents for it to bite you back in the butt.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Nothing like selling a snake to a minor without dealing with the parents for it to bite you back in the butt.

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Agreed. It has nothing to do with how responsible the teenager is. At the end of the day, if you sell anything to a minor without parental consent, you're on the hook.

Ayup. Anyway we've reached out to the breeder b/c after we saw this girl, what the kid said she was doesn't match her looks, I'm not seeing Jamp.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/r...pshiwymraz.jpg