Reptile & Amphibian Forums

(c) An alligator;

(d) A crocodile;

(e) A constricting snake;

(f) A venomous snake;

(g) Any other animal designated by the chief in rules adopted under this section.

[url]www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_352_I_N.html[url]

after that idiot let all those animals loose and the subsequent massive slaughter of most of those animals, you knew there was going to be massive repurcussions... it was just a matter of time.

frankly i'm suprised that story didn't get even more coverage than it did. this is going to become very problematic, and this will only be the beginning i'm afraid.

Yes, unfortunately unless we start getting more involved and start helping to regulate ourselves we will all lose the ability to own "Exotics".

So, what will Ohio people do?
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Ritchie Luna
My Facebook Profile - you can add me if you want- click here

All Venomous and All Constricting. Is there any other kind?

For sure HSUS is behind this. I really despise them.

Good luck to us all. The fight never truly ends...

Off to make yet another USARK donation...

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Slytherin Serpents

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 Het Caramels (Edward & Bella)
0.1 Normal 66% ph Caramel (Rosalie)
0.1 Caramel (Bellatrix)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Hypo Pastel (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Hypo(Nymphadora)
1.1 Mojaves (Lucius & Renesme)
1.1 Pastel Lessers (Jacob & Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
0.1 Lemonblast (Luna)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Normal (Madame Olympe Maxime)
0.1 Het Pied
1.1 Pastel Dinkers (Snape & Xiomara)
0.2 Ghana Dinker Babies

Corns
1.1 Normals het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Diffused, Hypo (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Diffused (Tumnus)
1.0 Blizzard poss het Anery, Hypo, Diffused (Cotton)
0.1 Anery Lavender het Amel (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma poss het Hypo (Victoria)
1.0 Plasma poss het Albino
1.0 Hypo Plasma
1.1 Amel Motleys (Harry & Ginny)
0.1 Lavender Motley poss het diffused
1.0 Lavender Pinstripe Motley het Amel
0.1 Fire poss het Anery, Charcoal, Hypo (LeeLoo)
0.1 Normal het Albino, Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.0 Albino het Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.1 Sunkissed poss het Plasma (Arthur & Molly)
0.1 Dilute Blue Motley (Myrtle)
1.0 Pastel Motley (Nick)
0.1 Diffused Caramel

Kings
0.1 Thayeri - Leonis (Sidney)
1.0 Thayeri - MSP
2.1 Hypo Brooks

Milks
1.1 Tangerine Albino Hondurans
0.1 Hypo Tangerine Albino Honduran

Hognose and Indigo's are NOT constrictors! Just 2 off the top of my head! This ban is highly reactionary and I'm sure cooler heads will prevail, but there will probably be some "giant" constrictor clause included w/Tigers, Bears, etc. As far as I know, this guy had no reptiles!

Technicaly yes, but not considered by most!

Most doesn't matter. It depends on what some government official says. And for them being technically right is what they are usually looking for.

The HSUS is whispering in the ears of the law makers as they write up the proposed laws. They'll take all they can and more.

Had to google that one as it's not a species I've ever read much on. They are illegal to own in NY. Only seen one in person at our local zoo and it wasn't eating at the time...

Came up with this:

The Eastern Indigo Snake is carnivorous, like all snakes, and will eat any other small animal it can overpower. It has been known to kill its prey by wildly beating it against nearby objects.

Neat. I love learning new things. Had no clue there was a snake species that beat it's prey to death...

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Slytherin Serpents

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 Het Caramels (Edward & Bella)
0.1 Normal 66% ph Caramel (Rosalie)
0.1 Caramel (Bellatrix)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Hypo Pastel (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Hypo(Nymphadora)
1.1 Mojaves (Lucius & Renesme)
1.1 Pastel Lessers (Jacob & Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
0.1 Lemonblast (Luna)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Normal (Madame Olympe Maxime)
0.1 Het Pied
1.1 Pastel Dinkers (Snape & Xiomara)
0.2 Ghana Dinker Babies

Corns
1.1 Normals het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Diffused, Hypo (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Diffused (Tumnus)
1.0 Blizzard poss het Anery, Hypo, Diffused (Cotton)
0.1 Anery Lavender het Amel (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma poss het Hypo (Victoria)
1.0 Plasma poss het Albino
1.0 Hypo Plasma
1.1 Amel Motleys (Harry & Ginny)
0.1 Lavender Motley poss het diffused
1.0 Lavender Pinstripe Motley het Amel
0.1 Fire poss het Anery, Charcoal, Hypo (LeeLoo)
0.1 Normal het Albino, Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.0 Albino het Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.1 Sunkissed poss het Plasma (Arthur & Molly)
0.1 Dilute Blue Motley (Myrtle)
1.0 Pastel Motley (Nick)
0.1 Diffused Caramel

Kings
0.1 Thayeri - Leonis (Sidney)
1.0 Thayeri - MSP
2.1 Hypo Brooks

Milks
1.1 Tangerine Albino Hondurans
0.1 Hypo Tangerine Albino Honduran

By Mark Guarino, Staff writer, The Christian Science Monitor
Oct. 23, 2011

The slaughter of over 50 renegade animals let loose from a backyard zoo in Zanesville, Ohio, Wednesday is shedding light on the people who actively pursue owning lions, bears, tigers, baboons and other exotic pets and why they risk their lives to tend to animals many consider dangerous and unfit for private habitation.
Terry Thompson, the man who released 56 animals from captivity before taking his own life, was already well known to national animal welfare advocates, not just because of the unusual number and variety of animals he collected, but because of the multiple complaints of animal mistreatment he incurred, including a 2005 conviction of animal cruelty. Mr. Thompson also served a one-year federal prison term for illegal gun possession.
His interest in curating his own private zoo on his 73-acre farm fits the description of many people who live with or near exotic animals, says Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA, a national animal advocacy organization in Sacramento, Calif.
Unlike legitimate zoologists or veterinarians, many of these people are hobbyists, Mr. Roberts says, which means they don't have the professional experience needed to tend to the needs of the animals, and they often dodge public scrutiny because they carry themselves as experts.
"If that guy had that many dogs or cats on his property, he would be looked at as a hoarder. But because he had a menagerie and carried himself almost as a zoo operator, somehow that's considered better," Roberts says.
Others who live close to exotic animals tend to be men who "want the biggest, baddest animal on the block," Roberts says. Certain dog breeds such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Dobermans used to fit the bill, but in recent years, due to the relative ease in most states of securing larger animals, animals like panthers, tigers, and lions have taken their place.
A third type of exotic animal owner is someone who "feels genuine love for the animals and wants them as surrogate children," says Roberts. "There are people who keep non-human primates and treat them as if they're their own children, let them sleep with them and dress them in human clothes as a replacement for the human children they never had," he says.
Lax state laws coupled with an urge to own an exotic creature is often a death sentence for both the owners and their pets. Animal care experts insist that private ownership is a public health and safety issue because the animal's behavior is often misunderstood and their health misdiagnosed by their owners who are ill equipped to be tending to their care.
According to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Campaign in Washington, D.C., 90 percent of large animals considered wild or exotic die within the first two years of captivity.
Their owners "really love these animals but they're loving them to death," says Tim Harrison, director of Outreach For Animals, a rescue operation in Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Harrison, a former police officer, was one of the emergency responders to the Thompson property late Tuesday.
"I've never heard of a happy ending for anyone owning a large, dangerous predator. It's like bringing a time bomb in your house and turning it on and never knowing when it will go off," Mr. Harrison says.
Another motivation for ownership is financial. Many exotic pet owners are breeders who sell offspring on the commercial market through auctions, trade shows, and online.
Another revenue source for owners is for photography and television shoots. For example, Thompson supplied a lion club for a 2008 fashion shoot featuring supermodel Heidi Klum.
Because these situations force the animals in close contact with people who have no experience dealing with them, they too are often fraught with peril. One example: a Siberian tiger killed a teenager in Altamont, Kan. in 2005 after her high school class decided to have their class photos in an exotic animal sanctuary.
welfare experts say that, besides the political will needed to change state laws prohibiting the private ownership of wild animals, more education is needed to teach the public to respect wildlife by not coming into close contact with it.
Reality television is not helping that cause. Shows featuring professed animal experts like Jack Hanna, Jeff Corwin, and Steve Irwin often glamorize up-close encounters with animals that otherwise should not be domesticated. The popularity of television shows and video games like "Awesome Possum" and "Fatal Attractions" have only increased ownership of exotic animals, Harrison says.
When wild animals like alligators or tigers are ushered onto talk shows, they are often "surgically altered or sedated," says Harrison, which creates a misconception that the animals can work well in domesticated environments.
"[People] think they can do what their heroes do on TV. It's an American phenomenon," he says.