Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Are you guys worried about the proposed bill HR 699? Have you seen threads about this in other forums? I'm downright depressed about this. This bill could be passed and virtually All of our beloved animals will become illegal overnight! Even animals like hamsters and birds. No more ferrets, parakeets, or fish! No more small animals for children to learn responsibility from and respect for life and nature. Not to mention, my collared lizards, geckos, pythons, corn snakes, etc.! I have no idea what I would do if this passes. I'm married and too tied down to move to Mexico or Canada!

What do you guys think about all this? Are you worried? I think we should be! I feel like we should be doing something but I don't know what would really be constructive. I've written to numerous representatives about this but I suspect my letters go straight to the "round file".

If this bill passes, there are going to be a LOT more homeless reptiles and birds thrown out by people that don't know what to do. There are already not enough rescue operations. That would be a disaster!

I've never really completely believed we have real democracy in this world, even in the US. If this bill passes.....I don't know what to say.

Ok, sorry for my rant....I needed that!

As far as I can tell, it only applies to things that aren't "native' to the U.S.

Cats, dogs, goldfish, horses, cows, sheep, humans... hell, even WOLVES came over from Russia; are we going to deport them? I guess we'll have to, to make it look like we're serious, because let's face it, we sure as hell aren't going to deport the humans, dogs, or cattle.

Collareds, however, are a U.S. species. Most of my own pets would still be legal,which doesn't change the fact that it's a foolish, overly generalized, badly phrased law, but with U.S. species the biggest thing to worry about is changes at the state level.

I live in Ohio, so I don't have to worry about my captive-bred collareds suddenly being "protected" as a local species, but people who live in their native range might eventually. Not from this bill, but from similar ones.

Also, since we've already got "scientists" claiming that Burmese pythons can live all the way up to Washington D.C. (because apparently coming to North America magically gives them the abiltity to live in warm temperate zones, despite the fact that in Asia they've had tens of thousands of years to spread northward and haven't) reptilian invasions might become the new "killer bee" thing.

Remember back in the 70s, when the killer bees were going to be massacring Canada by about 1985? Well, far more people use honey than keep reptiles as pets, so bees didn't get outlawed (although European honeybees ARE technically illegal under 699, as is every single other animal imortant to agriculture) but I could easily see a lot of states passing laws against anything not already native to the area... lest Pancho someday go feral and start devouring small children.
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

You're from Ohio? Where in Ohio? Maybe we're neighbors.

I live in the middle of nowhere between Dayton and Cincinnati. I teach at Miami U in Oxford.

That's a good point about Collareds being native. Here in Ohio we cannot sell or breed species native to Ohio, like box turtles. But Collareds are alright since they are not native to Ohio.

I would, however, be very depressed, if my pythons became illegal. They are my babies. And I have big plans to get some parrots some day. My wife and I really love birds and I want to get some parrots.....guess I better by them now while it's still legal.

I'm up in Cleveland. Pretty sure collared lizards aren't going to take over anywhere here, but you never know when people might decide that the best way to go is with something as vague and over-sweeping as possible.
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

plus if the bill passes thank about the impact on pet stores and other places that sell animals we would probably lose a lot of pet stores because of it and with the economy how it is that will only have a negative impact. plus if someone has a banned pet they aren't going to kill it or ship it overseas they'll probably just release it outside. thank about how many people keep red tail boas well imagine if everyone who owned one just released it.
I thank this bill has some major issues.

plus if the bill passes thank about the impact on pet stores and other places that sell animals we would probably lose a lot of pet stores because of it and with the economy how it is that will only have a negative impact.

Pet stores will not survive. I own 2. Mice and rats are not 'native' to the USA, so breeding them would be illegal and therefore feeding your reptiles will not be possible. Then snakeowners have four options, breed rodents and be a criminal, let the animal go, let it starve or euthanize it.

If this bill passes you could not take your pet with you if you move. Then it must be euthanized.

Export is banned. If they don't want them here, why not allow export?

Further, 'native' is not defined. native when? 1492? 2009? 1? 5000BC? (think woolly mammoths as pets!) There is an executive (presidential) order defining 'native' as species whose range you live in. That makes Crotaphytus illegal in Ohio. This bill has so many problems, it must be stopped. Send your letters:

Stop669.org
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