Pets and the care of them takes and can teach an enormous amount of responsibility. I've had pets for nearly as long as I can remember I wanted a pet snake at a very early age and not being able to finally get one until I was 7. My mother set many many guidelines for me regarding the care of one and the fact that the expenses would be a burden I would have to bare. I did my chores each and every week for over a year to save my allowance up to buy one with MY money. I had to continue those chores each and every week in order to feed him as well. I learned many things that stuck with me my entire life. At 6 I learned to budget money, I learned to sacrifice (my brother blew his money on candy and baseball cards) but I saved literally every nickel, developed a plan and went for it. Those lessens really framed my life, my brother on the other hand never saw the point and never learned to save anything. He's now 26 and just last year bought a motorcycle on a credit card.

I talk many people out of buying reptiles for their children at shows as it often is an impulse buy. Pets should not be impulses, parents should talk with their children, make sure they understand they are taking a life in their hands and until they truly understand that they should not have pets of any kind. I hand my card out and tell them to come find me at the next show if they've gone home and explained the in's and outs and months later the kids are still truly interested to move forward then.