I'm really torn on this.
I don't like the many laws about keeping reptiles, that get ever more restrictive. But I think many times the hobbyists themselves are to blame.
Kids will do stupid stuff. That's just genetic. I look around on reptile pages and forums and I'm blown away how many teenagers and very young adults have giants (or hots). Ok, to be fair, some may be able to provide a good home. But realistically, how many of them are going to be able to house (and feed) 16+ foot retics and burms throughout the life of the snake ???
How many of them will be able to do it correctly? How many of them will eventually go off to college, get busy with life, have families with young children, etc ? Yes, you get the rare serious herper that will make it work. And then you will have those that won't take care of them correctly, or get hurt, or get someone else hurt or try to get rid of it. And getting rid of a giant with a possibly nasty temperament because it hasn't been fed right or worked with is NOT easy. Then you will have the ones released into "the wild".
I see those young people have not only one but up to 6 or more of these snakes. All still small and cute of course. What about in 3 years?
The breeders that produce and sell those massive amounts of those giants (huge clutches) can't possibly think there are proper homes for them. Most likely the problems caused by those numbers of unwanted giants will ultimately cause more laws and more restrictions that may just spill over to keeping more manageable species. Already many proposed laws talk about outlawing "constrictors". This isn't fear mongering, its already happening.
Burms are causing real issues in Florida. Its not just the worry about small children, dogs and cats. They are also doing a number on the local wildlife and ecology. I fear the laws will just continue to get stricter.
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