OK..So What Alternatives Can WE Propose?

[joepythons]

Ok see how this sounds.In order to drive you have to take a test and show you can drive resposibly BEFORE you get a license.So BEFORE anyone is allowed to own ANY reptile they should be forced to take a test and pass it 100% BEFORE they are allowed to buy a reptile.Then said reptiles will be microchipped so IF they are released they can be tracked back to the owner.Then the owner will be punished not everyone else .So what do you think about this idea

Permits can be, unfortunatly, prohibitively expensive, especially if it is a per-animal permit as is likely the case.

That would RUIN any breeders of animals that require permits. Could you imagine how much dough it would cost in permits once you hatched out a 20 foot retic's eggs for a single season?

See above idea.

[llovelace]

[QUOTE=Anyone with a brain knows that people who own burms are not driving all the way down to the everglades at the tip of florida to release their pet! It's no cooincidance that Miami is the hotbed for importing.. and hurricanes destroyed breeding facilities down in south florida.. and burms are in south florida. That's NOT the fault of PET OWNERS.
Outlawing all pets just because a handful(relatively speaking) have mistreated their pets is not a fair answer. It's the animal rights folks using it as an excuse to outlaw ALL pet ownership.[/QUOTE]


6 breeding facilities were destroyed by hurricane Andrew in 1992, which is what has caused the problem down there.

[wolfy-hound]

Yes, thus the mention of breeding facilities.

A permit for the large boids, large monitors, and venomous is not a bad idea. It's already implemented in florida. I think that a short questionaire to be sure the person understands the requirements wouldn't be a bad idea either.
A seperate permit for BREEDERS would also have a test about requirements, but would have one fee for xx number of animals. Perhaps a larger fee for a larger number, so that small hobby breeders are not paying the same as a larger commercial breeder.
I seriously think that any import laws should be kept seperate from laws about captive keeping and breeding. That would simplify it, as we can draft two bills, and know what is in each.
The hobby needs to stand up and address the issues, and help solve it, so that no one else tries to with disasterious consequances, like the currant bills.

[nixer]

the only way i would ever support any permit would be in the money went to land purchases for wildlife refuges in your own state.

oh yes ans this is the reason why i dont support a permit http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...20#post1034420

[Jay_Bunny]

I don't think there should be a permit for each and every individual animal you keep. I think someone should have to submit an application to keep a specific kind of animal. For example a person wanting to keep a ball python would submit an application to keep ball pythons, answering several questions about enclosure requirements, heating, ect. Once approved you pay a one time fee. Lets say this same person wants five ball pythons to start. They go out and get their ball pythons, showing their permit before purchase, and then each ball python is required to be chipped at a small fee. If you are paying $300 for a snake, a $50 chipping fee isn't going to be too bad.

Now I don't think native species should have to be chipped. If a native species gets loose in its own native habitat, its not going to do much to the local population. You are just out of an animal. I say the permits and chips should be focused on non-native species only.

[grim reaper in NY]

We may not like the idea of paying for permits to keep our reptiles. BUT, the alternatives are far more severe and we stand to lose a whole lot more unless something like this is implemented.
I see that a lot of people have the mentality that it's all or nothing regarding this subject and I sincerely hope that idealogy changes soon. We aren't going to accomplish anything except create a greater divide between those trying to take our pets away and ourselves unless we start to work toward the common good for everyone concerned. While we may not like having to pay for the ability to keep our pets, it makes perfect sense and I honestly believe it would be one of the best ways to keep these politicians at bay. Think about it. We have to have permits to hunt, fish, drive, and do a host of other things in this country and we accept those rules without so much trouble. So, why is it such a bad thing to have to be held accountable in this regard?
We even see it here on this forum. People join here AFTER buying their snake and start asking tons of questions that should have been asked BEFORE they purchased their pet. So many times people put the cart before the horse when it comes to bringing reptiles into their homes as pets. Whether it's impulse buying or whatever, people do it all the time. A mandatory class and permit test with a fee would discourage people from making these rash decisions and in the end, hurting the reptile they tried to raise as a pet. This behavior doesn't just apply to our snakes. It happens with every reptile on the market.
While this proposed bill, in it's current state, is definitely NOT in our best interest, we, as the reptile owner community can actually turn this bill in OUR favor and establish some ground rules for people who want to own these animals for pets. We stand the chance of beating these right wing activists at their own game and we can actually thank them for getting the ball rolling for us. It's up to us to make the most of this opportunity and in the end, we can rub their noses in the fact it was actually THEM who helped us establish a framework for reptile ownership in this country.

[wolfy-hound]

Be aware, you can't chip smaller snakes. (or lizards, frogs, etc). Chipping is just not viable in every case.

[Chuck]

You know I have not read all this posts in this thread but I honestly have changed my opinion due to a lot of things I have read recently. I place blame on giant keepers for putting us here in the first place. That is how I see it and no one can tell me different. That said we are all in this togeather. Now we could throw the giant keepers to the wolves to save our necks but look there are examples of dangerous dog breeds that should be looked at in the same way giants are, but due to dog popularity they will never be banned in the fashion the reptile industry is looking at. I see this as a discrimination issue. I still think we need some sort of regulation on giants in some form but we should stand togeather and not let us divide each other. we have just as much right as a pitbull owners to keep a big snake. Its sorta funny that democrats are so up on equality and yet the major sponsors of this bill are democrats. Now this is coming from a more than less democrat, so it really pisses me off.

[gmcclurelssu]

I definantly agree on the idea of permits, although i don't think radio tracking individual animals is necessary. every owner would just need to meet certain qualifications and need to renew it every x years. "injurous" (as defined in the bill) species could have stricter requirements to try and make legislators happy, but this would fall far short of a ban.

i believe the next step after we (hopfully) fight off this bill will be to address the dog and cat problems, perhaps even use the ides we are developing for exotics in regulating the mainstream pets.

[neilgolli]

Ok see how this sounds.In order to drive you have to take a test and show you can drive resposibly BEFORE you get a license.So BEFORE anyone is allowed to own ANY reptile they should be forced to take a test and pass it 100% BEFORE they are allowed to buy a reptile.Then said reptiles will be microchipped so IF they are released they can be tracked back to the owner.Then the owner will be punished not everyone else .So what do you think about this idea

I hate it..... 1, you don't have to pass your driving test 100%, 70% passes you. 2, I have a 200 pound dog. Should i have to get a permit for that as well? Why should reptiles be treated differently than dogs or cats? They (dogs and cats) create AND harm 1,000 times as many people and the environment that reptiles do. While attempting to fight the problems that face us, why should we hide like 2nd class citizens. Why should we be held to standards not seen in other industries. Last I checked, while this country is barely what our forefathers fought and died for, this was still the United States of America and day by day, we are just giving that all away. Our pets, our business, OUR RIGHTS should not be infringed upon any greater than that of others.