Exotic Pets Debate Renewed

[redbird]

I had two guinea pigs a few years back. My problem was finding a vet who knew enough about them to care for them. I did find one but was not all that happy with him. They each lived about 5 years and were the cutest little things and I really loved them. They were females but again, I just don't think there is enough knowledge about exotics, at least in my area.

I also feel terrible about what happened to those beautiful animals that were hunted down and killed, that was very sad.

[sparks19]

Thats a tough one. exotics doesnt just mean lions and tigers (which i think should take a special license). But it also applies to things like sugar gliders and lizards and reptiles which i think should stay available to those who want to care for them. Its a slippery slope to say just ban them all because its such a broad spectrum of animals that fall under "exotics"

[Alysser]

I was never one for "one rotten apple ruins the bunch". No, I don't think Tigers and Lions count as pets, I don't even understand why the HELL anyone would want them as pets. The upkeep and money necessary to properly care for these animals is just not practical for most people. But I really don't think it's fair for a ban of all exotics, like sparks said reptiles, lizards, some small mammals, etc. are considered exotics but don't need what a LION needs to be properly taken care of. I also don't think it's fair to the owners who actually take amazing care of their animals, regardless of species.

I view it as a BSL sort of thing, it is a very situational thing and banning isn't always the right answer.

[Karen]

I do think that certain exotics should require a license to own, which is true in many states. I was horrified me to learn that all the "big cats" the Ohio guy owned were declawed - if you have to declaw them for your own safety, they should not be pets.

We have been to the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary in Texas - that was our first-ever meeting with Pet Talk people (rest in peace, Molly, a.k.a. "Sammi"). They had tigers and lions there with deformities because the people who had owned them cared for them improperly. One lion, seized from a drug dealer, had legs so short he looked like a dachshund version of a big cat. The reason? His person loved him so much he was only fed good steak - so didn't get the nutrition he needed for proper development. It was sad.

I have moved this thread to "The Dog House," as it is upsetting, all the examples of reasons certain exotics should be carefully controlled.

[wombat2u2004]

I was never one for "one rotten apple ruins the bunch".

Yup, I'm with you on that one.
I would think that MOST people who have exotic pets are responsible enough to care for them properly, so why should they be subjected to new bans and laws because of one whacko.

[innoweb]

great discussion!

[Karen]

Yup, I'm with you on that one.
I would think that MOST people who have exotic pets are responsible enough to care for them properly, so why should they be subjected to new bans and laws because of one whacko.

There are too many people who are NOT responsible owners of these animals, especially big cats, and the sanctuaries are largely full, because people get an adorable baby and fail to realize it will grow up to be a huge predator that will require a large commitment of both time and money to care for it properly. Even monkeys, for example, have a hard time finding a new home, and zoos and sanctuaries can only do so much. Many primates are difficult to care for as they mature, and should only be in the care of someone with the right knowledge and financial resources to give them a good home for their whole lifetime. In most states here, you have to have a license or a permit to own a monkey, and often have to pass a written exam to get that permit.

I'm not talking 'exotics" like hedgehogs, or certain snakes, or guinea pigs, but animals like bears, lions, tigers, chimpanzees, and animals like that. In Florida, for example, there is a huge problem with people who have decided their Burmese Python is just too big or too expensive to care for, and set them loose. They are causing huge ecological problems - they have no natural predators in Florida, and are prolific breeders as well as big eaters of anything they run across, whether it be a rare species of native waterfowl, or your neighbor's cat or dog.

[wombat2u2004]

There are too many people who are NOT responsible owners of these animals, especially big cats, and the sanctuaries are largely full, because people get an adorable baby and fail to realize it will grow up to be a huge predator that will require a large commitment of both time and money to care for it properly. Even monkeys, for example, have a hard time finding a new home, and zoos and sanctuaries can only do so much. Many primates are difficult to care for as they mature, and should only be in the care of someone with the right knowledge and financial resources to give them a good home for their whole lifetime. In most states here, you have to have a license or a permit to own a monkey, and often have to pass a written exam to get that permit.

I'm not talking 'exotics" like hedgehogs, or certain snakes, or guinea pigs, but animals like bears, lions, tigers, chimpanzees, and animals like that. In Florida, for example, there is a huge problem with people who have decided their Burmese Python is just too big or too expensive to care for, and set them loose. They are causing huge ecological problems - they have no natural predators in Florida, and are prolific breeders as well as big eaters of anything they run across, whether it be a rare species of native waterfowl, or your neighbor's cat or dog.

It's not going to make any difference to the perpetrators, they will simply go underground and not bother with permits or anything else.
The people who end up paying and wearing all of the burden will be those who are serious about keeping exotic pets. It's always the same, it's the responsible who pick up the tab.

[blue]

For 2 years I kept a pair of Motoro sting rays, and some day I hope to keep rays again. During the same period I also kept 3 Lima Shovelnose catfish. I dont know if these are considered exotic in this discussion but in the fish keeping world they are considered advance due to the water quality issues as well as their tankbuster status.

My rays where captive bred and where almost mature enough to breed themselves, I have no idea if the Lima's where captive bred or wild caught.

I did have two breeding colonies of plecos at the same time, the common Albino Bristlenose plecos, and the less common Clown pleco. Too my knowledge both colonies are still producing locally so they help to limit in a small way wild caught fish being sold as pets.

I got out of fish keeping not because I couldnt afford it at the time but I wasnt putting the time in during the summers. Now that I have the time I dont have the money.

Some of the fish I kept like my Royal and Snowflake plecos may be more common in the lower 48 but are still consider exotic and fetch a rather high price here.

A lot of tankbuster and exotic breed keepers in the states try and breed their fish to try and stop wild caught fish being sold as pets.

I know its not the same mentality as those who want to keep a penguin or a marmot.