More snakes to join Burmese python on restricted list

[A_Kap]

If you want to that badly then do it, a lot of collections are being sold for a pittance right now. PA is a decent sized state so rehoming it shouldn't be difficult if you do have to move.

that's true. Idk, at least my boa is safe, for now. I wouldn't be suprised if in a few months boas will be up for re-evaluation. At least we have big name pet stores like petco to encourage the denial of boas to the snake ban

[Bluebonnet Herp]

that's true. Idk, at least my boa is safe, for now. I wouldn't be suprised if in a few months boas will be up for re-evaluation. At least we have big name pet stores like petco to encourage the denial of boas to the snake ban

They won't. The rule was finalized so USFWS has no more plans to change it. The only time anything else gets added is if there's another proposition written by another d-bag politician. I suspect tegus and monitors would at least be their next target if environmental, misanthropic, and animal rights lobbying continues.

[Daniel.michelle]

Welcome to america, where freedom means we have to do what rich white men say about everything, including things that they have no knowledge of. "I don't know what that is, lets just ban it so I don't have to learn."

7/10 too much water. (If you get that reference, good for you)

[Craigaria]

My wife found this. It looks like they are leaving boas of the list

[IMG][/IMG]

[Sauzo]

Yeah from reading it tonight, it looks like retics and anacondas are the only ones to get added to the ban hammer. Boas are safe for whatever that's worth for how long. It's blanket laws like this that really burn me. I live her in Washington state and there is no way an Anaconda is going to adapt and "spread" to cold Washington state weather... and definitely not to colder east coast states. if the powers that be are going to make these laws, at least make put a little thought into them and make them make sense..../rant off.

[A_Kap]

Isn't it amazing how the small event of a couple of idiots releasing unwanted snakes into the wild can impact the entire nation? It just blows me away.

[Sauzo]

Well its not just idiots releasing snakes. Its also due to hurricanes and storms. I was watching a show on the pythons in Florida and stuff and they said Katrina wrecked a lot of reptile facilities which allowed hundreds of little snakes to escape. I personally think the amount of damage a storm or hurricane does to how many reptile breeding facilities and freeing tons of little babies is more damaging that the release of a few pets. But yes the idiots did add fuel to the fire regardless. They needed to just have the law applied per state and not just a blanket but I guess its much easier and faster and cheaper to just throw it as a blanket law. So I guess i'll probably never get a sweet purple retic or dwarf retic or anything fancy as I live in Washington State and I'm sure breeders up her are slim pickings.

[Jhill001]

Congrats to the US Government for enacting a law 20 years too late. I don't think anyone disagrees that large constrictors are bad for the local environment's fauna. They obviously are and will continue to be. If they didn't want this to be an issue they should have done this years ago. But they are already there and the environment of the Everglades means they will be impossible to eradicate. So who cares if someone lets go a pet retic. There are already tens or hundred of thousands in the wild already. Literally nothing is done here. Not one solid tangable benefit is gained.

Should we be surprised from a gov't that hasn't accomplished anything meaningful since the Clinton Administration.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

At least we have big name pet stores like petco to encourage the denial of boas to the snake ban

Petco could not careless their business does not revolve around the snake or even reptile industry and would continue to do just fine if it disappeared, also keep in mind that they make sizable donations to the HSUS each year.

Isn't it amazing how the small event of a couple of idiots releasing unwanted snakes into the wild can impact the entire nation? It just blows me away.

And it's amazing that people still believe the issue in Florida is due to "idiot" releasing their pets.

So who cares if someone lets go a pet retic. There are already tens or hundred of thousands in the wild already.

There are no retics in the everglades there are burmese pythons and certainly not "tens or hundred of thousands" that what they hope people will believe.

For anyone wanting some good read based on REAL science there is a ton to be found here on this subject http://vpi.com/publications

[Gio]

Congrats to the US Government for enacting a law 20 years too late. I don't think anyone disagrees that large constrictors are bad for the local environment's fauna. They obviously are and will continue to be. If they didn't want this to be an issue they should have done this years ago. But they are already there and the environment of the Everglades means they will be impossible to eradicate. So who cares if someone lets go a pet retic. There are already tens or hundred of thousands in the wild already. Literally nothing is done here. Not one solid tangable benefit is gained.

Should we be surprised from a gov't that hasn't accomplished anything meaningful since the Clinton Administration.

I'd like to see the true number of what snakes are REALLY in the Everglades, which is obviously not possible. I find it funny how the "experts" make it sound like every Burm, Rock or Retic is a full grown 12+ foot animal. The truth is, even in their natural habitats large, adult snakes are more of the exception and not the rule.

Very few snakes in the wild, and to some extent, even in captivity, survive birth/hatch to adulthood. There are plenty of predators that feed on reptiles in the Everglades. King snakes, Indigo snakes, birds, gators, CATS, DOMESTIC CATS not to mention the wild species, and a host of other animals. Climate, pollution and disease wipe out animals all of the time. The wild is not an easy place to survive/thrive.

Any large adult snake that survives to become an apex predator is truly a bad ass and rather rare. It is not something that happens with every snake. However the TV shows would lead you to believe, if a snake lays 20-30 or more eggs, EVERY one hatches and they ALL grow to 20 foot adults. That is pure BS.

It's interesting how irrigation practices, development and pollution have had huge consequences in the Everglades for years, yet the focus is on constrictors, and this focus has somehow become a "national crisis".

All you need is a dramatic voice inflection, some scary music and a show on the idiot box (TV) and you can make anything look like a disaster waiting to happen. Snakes are an easy target, they always have been. I remember the same thing with pit bulls and it continues to this day despite the fact they are a wonderful breed of dog and it's been proven.

Sensationalized hype wins again though.

The "people" have a really small voice. It's sad because there are many, highly educated, enthusiastic, professional and responsible folks that pay the price for no good reason.

The law is not 20 years too late, it's not even necessary, and has nothing to do with the Everglades in states where these animals would die off instantly in the winter or fall.

Responsible keepers panic when their power goes out because their captive collection is at risk of dying, and these are well cared for animals. Anybody who thinks these snakes stand a chance in cool climates needs to take a course in biology.

This "law" is a typical shotgun solution to a small problem that could be handled in other ways. Sadly, it is only one of many. Our municipal laws/ordinances will attack what the federal law leaves "open".

I really feel bad for the great breeders, that have dedicated years and years of their time and effort to producing healthy animals, and tapping into projects that have brought spectacular colors, traits and educational info to the hobby. Also, the enthusiasts who love and care for their pets responsibly.

For some folks, this decision is a total destruction of their livelihood which is just flat out wrong.