buy them anyways then?



Why do people take this black and white view of things? This question makes it sound as if the only two perspectives are either to ban them or for everyone to buy them as snake food or pets. Why can't there be a middle ground that allows others to do something that I wouldn't? In many ways, I'm not just talking about gerbils here. I seem to run into more and more issues where there can be no middle ground. I've run into other things where when I express a personal distaste or even disgust for something, others will accuse me of wanting to round up people and have them shot. I realize that some issues have to be very black and white. I just don't see it here.



I'm not denying that invasive species can be a problem. I disagree with some of what you've given as examples.



The European starling and the English sparrow were both purposely introduced to Central Park in New York City because some fool wanted Central Park to contain all of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. These invasive species exist not because an occasional keeper had an escapee. They were introduced here because someone wanted to see them in parks and backyards across America.



Canada Geese are multiplying because they have no predators now. I'm fairly certain that they were once considered an endangered species. Hunting bans were established, and with no one or nothing thinning the flocks, they became a nuisance.



Coyote and beaver are native to Pennsylvania. They were hunted out of the state in earlier years and are coming back. I don't know whether the beaver are returning naturally or have been introduced. Coyote are coming back on their own. Their presence has nothing to do with the pet trade or people trying to introduce them.



Another example of an invasive species that is expanding on its own is the armadillo. For some reason, they're going north and east. They've reached Middle Tennessee. No one is introducing them. They've just decided to move. No one's decided whether they're going to be a problem.



I think feral cats are a bigger problem than feral rodents. Of course, the cats may be part of the solution to the rodent problem, but the cats do tremendous damage to bird populations. We don't see anyone trying to ban cat ownership except the freaks that want to ban all pet ownership.



I don't particularly like cats or dogs anymore, but I don't try to ban either. I'm on good terms with the neighbor's dog on one side of me and on bad terms with the dog on the other side. I don't see why some people feel the need to support bans on everything that they don't like.





Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

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