I'm bored and can't sleep. So I'm going to play devil’s advocate on this one. Sorry in advance Also, I warn that it is 4:45 am, so please excuse any structural/grammatical/spelling etc. errors that may have occured. Thanks.

First and foremost, I have always had a problem with the tendency of exotic pet owners to employ tu quoque arguments the way we do (and I do mean we, I have done it as well, and it can sometimes be convincing to the right person, but I digress). What I mean is (using this thread as an example, really honestly not picking on the people in this thread on purpose) saying that "Rodents have been released and have also done a ton of damage" in no way makes it acceptable that the same has happened with big snakes. It's very true that other non-native species have been released in North America and done more damage and spread more widely than most any reptile would be able to. Does that mean that it is less serious for reptiles to have found their way out into the wild? Absolutely not, don't try to act like it does.

The introduction of non-native species is always serious, be it reptile, mammal, bird, mollusc, plant or insect (look at the damage the Emerald Ash Borer has done in a few short years!)

In many ways, giant snakes roaming free in North America does for the anti-non-native species movement what no beetle or mussel can do: It can make almost anyone go "Holy crap, that shouldn't have been allowed to happen."

Tell the average person that the Starling was introduced voluntarily to NA and they will say "Aw, that's too bad, they're annoying". Tell that same person that 20 foot snakes are now roaming the Everglades because of voluntary importation and release. Same reaction?

It's too bad for us that it makes the whole hobby seem dangerous and irresponsible, but I think we have a tendency as exotic pet owners to dismiss the dangers that are inherent in keeping and promoting non-native species.

I read an interesting old thread on some obscure forum that I happened to stumble across the other day. In it, someone who keeps all manner of snakes and reptiles commented that it would probably be better for everyone if exotic species weren't kept at all. It would avoid the unnecessary suffering of animals (and, by extension, although not mentioned by this particular poster, would prevent the introduction of those non-native species into the environment). He also acknowledged that, since it would never happen, he chose to be educated and keep animals in conditions as good as any keeper could provide.

As you can imagine, he was flamed shamelessly for over 15 pages.

Why? Is he so wrong?

The argument from herpers (do keep in mind I am always including myself in these generalizations) is that "We are educated, we can provide for our animals and give them as good as AND IN MANY CASES a far better life than they would experience in the wild." That is our reality; we love these animals and really do take the time and effort to care for them properly.

Is that the reality of the exotic pet world? I would argue it is not.

I would go so far, in fact, as to argue that responsible exotic pet owners are the minority, not the majority as we would like to think. We like to imagine that the unfortunate and despicable conditions some exotics are kept in are one off cases of irresponsible owners. The reality is that the majority of people who have exotic pets (and in many cases, domestic pets, don't think I give cat and dog owners any more credit than anyone else) don't have a damned clue what they're doing. They saw a cool animal in a pet store or online and bought one for that reason alone. I don't want to seem like I think I'm an expert because of this, so please don't misinterpret, but I've worked in a major pet store for a couple years now and met the idiots who own pets. Doesn't matter what species. The average animal owner doesn't know snout from vent on their animal. Last week a dog passed a mass of worms on the floor that looked like moving spaghetti. The owners thought the worms were there because of the food they had been feeding and hadn’t done anything about it. They'd had the dog for 6 months and it had never been to a vet.

These people come in day after day. As a collective they spend billions of dollars on pets they haven't learned how to take care of. They don't think about the consequences of their actions, or ultimately about the well-being of the animal. And they make up the majority of the money spent on the pet industry.

The problem is, as long as exotic pets is an "industry", there will be ten irresponsible owners for every one responsible one. That makes it dangerous. It is dangerous for non-native species to be on the open market; that's just the reality of it. We can all go red in the face about how awesome we are as keepers and it doesn't change that simple fact.

As far as snakes being unable to survive here... It's not unreasonable to suggest they will eventually find a way. Snakes are damned resilient animals. They can survive being frozen; go for months with no food; fit into impossible crevices and make real effort to stay hidden most of the time. Anyone who says snakes won’t be able to survive anywhere in North America isn't giving them nearly enough credit.

Lastly, not to give this guy too much credit... And obviously, this is the internet, maybe he's a 19 year old World of Warcraft player who lives with his mom, but assuming he was telling the truth... He seems to have knowledge and experience to back up his points. In fact, he may be one of the best person to ask about damage that non-native species have done in Florida. Twenty-five years is a long time to have spent making a living exploring the ecosystem in question. If there have been changes as a result of non-native species in that time, let’s be honest, he would know better than most of us.

Also, I found this message to be a perfectly polite rebuttal, it seems like he enjoyed (is enjoying?) your debate.

Anyways, commence the attack. I like these kinds of discussions because they always make me think about my own reasons for owning animals and how I feel about it. I pretty much live and breathe pets, between the animals I own and the animals I see at work, and I think it’s important every once in a while to consider the trade/hobby we are a part of. Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope it elicits some great responses!

- Nick