Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am currently a student at a university in Chicago and my final is a research paper. My topic is "why private owners should be permitted to house exotic pets." I need enough information to support an 8 page paper. Any ideas, information, books, articles, etc. would be appreciated. Thank you!

Because most of the good breeding of reptiles is done by the private sector not zoos. Zoos have limited space and money.

Is there a source where you were informed of this? Or how do you know this for a fact? Thank you, it will make a great point.

I agree with you that a lot of good breeding is done privately, but couldn't you also say that owning exotic pets endangers their wild populations more than helps them? Can breeders really keep up with the demand, or are the wild populations at risk of becoming "pets"?

To the author: Are you just considering large, dangerous exotic pets, or are you looking at hedgehogs and leopard geckos, because those could also be considered exotic (compared to cats and dogs, and less exotic compared to crocodiles).

On a side note, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the appeal of keeping crocodiles, their pretty cute when they're little, but they seem pretty nasty when full grown. Can you interact with them? Are they entertaining? Do you sit on your lawnchair in the morning watching the crocs watching you, wondering when you'll become their next meal? Is it a macho thing to have a dangerous animal that you have to lock up? How many people on this forum are women who have crocodiles, or other dangerous animals? I'm really not trying to offend anyone, I'm just genuinely interested.

Thanks.

Keeping exotics as pets is a touchy subject all in it's own. Most of the data that you will find will be trying to talk people out of owning exotics. Keep in mind that when you say "exotics" you are not only refering to reptiles, but bears, lions, tigers, etc. that anyone can get ahold of. Just as most of us in here support being able to keep them, we will at the same time try to deter someone away from keeping crocodilians, simply because of their requirements of upkeep and handling experience required. But if you ask the majority of us, we will provide info to help get you started and some pointers so that hopefully your animals will do well and prosper. Captive breeding is probably the biggest benefit. Education to the public and conservation of species is something else you might want to look at but conservation can file in with captive breeding if you are not careful. As much as I would love to sit in a pet store that sells exotics, and sell something to everyone who walks in the store with a fistful of cash, it wouldn't be responsible of me to do so. The reason for that would be that most of the people that come in with a fistful of cash to purchase the animal, shouldn't have it. Keeping exotics isn't exactly a right in my opinion. It is more of a privilege. I relate to that in this manner.....
When you are a kid, you get your parents permission to do things when you prove that you are responsible enough to do so. The more responsible you prove yourself, the more privileges you get. When you screw up and take wrongful advantage of those privileges, you get them taken away. While I feel that everyone has a right to own what they like. Not everyone deserves to. It is not always for the sake of the human, but for the sake of the animal. Many pet shop owners will disagree with this simply because, hey customers mean money.

" You want a nile croc? Hey I got one hell of a deal for you. How old are you by the way? 12? Hey no big deal, niles are like kittens. "

Ownership of exotics is sticky. Just make sure that most of your claims are supported by data. Check in with some herp socoieties, and so forth. I wouldn't go to any pet stores. Of course they feel that you exotics should be kept. It's money isn't it? I am not saying that every pet store/owner are this way. But quite a few of them are. Those quite a few are the ones that threaten our privilege the most.

I know this probably wasn't quite what you were looking for, but I hope it helps you in some way.

Chris

Thank you, I will keep that in mind. I really appreciate your input and it will help better my paper. I have focused on snakes through the majority of the paper, and am currently looking for more information to support a tiger claim. I do, however, find that I may need to find another animal to bring into view, but I'm working for a challenge! Your ideas and perspective is greatly appreciated!

While I will not argue with your point, I think you missed hers. Keeping exotics should be a responsibility. However, if laws are preventing it then the biggest people effected are the most dedicated and passionate. People that just want an exotic to be cool will not be so bummed out about loosing an animal they were neglecting anyway. I keep a variety of snakes (including anacondas and other species that are illegal in many states) and agree it is a privilege to do so. However, I keep locks on my cages and do not parade them across the neighborhood. Anyone who is reported as irresponsible and caught housing and caring improperly should be punished...just like the dog keepers you see on animal cops. Most people in fact are responsible that is a big reason you only see big retics in front yards on rare occasions on these police shows. Laws prohibiting will hurt everyone. I agree a pet store should not be selling any croc, venomous reptile, anaconda, and especially the burmese pythons that are in countless stores and collections that eventually will be the big calm snake people treat at a pet and not a responsibility that will injure or kill them. There is a level of responsibility to the sellers as well...maybe instead of making it illegal to keep crocs and large snakes in most states (or God forbid a federal ban) maybe if you tag some dealers with some charges when someone does act irresposibly then there will be an idustry that regulates itself.

I definitely see your point, and I have thought about that. I understand that the ones who will be greatly effected by a ban or laws preventing ownership are US, the people who put all of their time, money and dedication into their animals. The ones who spend countless hours with their animals, learning about them, taking notes, admiring their capabilities. The ones are just looking for a big cool pet will most likely say the hell with it.

These people don't have a problem turning it loose. When it causes a pandemonium in a small neighborhood somewhere and then someone raises a ban on exotics in that neighborhood. Despite that fact that when the alligator was loose it didn't bother anyone and was just sunning itself on someones lawn. But last week a pit-bull escaped and mauled a teenager and killed him. I will guarantee the alligator will make the headlines first. At the same time- the alligator will be the first to have a ban placed on it.

I just feel that while she is working on the paper on "why exotics should be in private hands", I think it would be a wise idea to span over the responsibility of keeping them. You see things posted on internet all the time deterring people away from owning exotics. I would recommend finding some of those articles and using their arguments to provide an idea of what our opposers claim, and then add some fact to battle that.

Good luck with your paper, I hope when you are done you will share it with us.

Chris

She is my little sister. She has been told a number of times she needs to include responsibility issues and I am sure she will lol...especially responsibility of sellers. I told her to post in multiple forums because I felt many people would have text and facts for her to site. Believe me I know which will make headlines first, if a reptile is involved it will be in the news (even if it is a ball python found in someones basement)..and W von Papineu could deffinitely tell her that. I currently keep no crocadilians so I figured I would not be the best to ask about that. I do not keep them right now due to a lot of snakes which take up my time..I have no time for something that needs to eat that much and takes up that much space. Your 4 ft caimen and other even small crocs need more space than my female green anaconda will ever need. Thanks for the posts for her though.