Movement of our herps... opinions please

[swingonthespiral]

ASLAN.... why am i irresponsible to let my family also enjoy my reptiles??? my mum has full time care of my senile and voilent grandma so for her to leave the house to come see me is not an option..... by the way im a vego so theres no sunday roast....

why am i irresonsible to take my snakes out while no one is around to get some sun??? it would be irresonsible to do so in my own home, my housemate is a wildlife carer so with my 2 dogs at the momentin the backyard is 5 magpie geese, a barn owl and an injured frill neck so the risk of me taking him out at the moment is far more than running over to a basically deserted beach for 10mins.....

 

[Tsidasa]

In NSW you are allowed to take your reptile to a Herp Society meeting.

Now, something that hasn't been considered: you want the law changed so you can take your snake or lizard to the beach, or friends, or work etc. Your snake won't bite, it's not stressed, and you think you're doing a service by introducing people to the wonderful world of reptiles.

But what about the idiot with venomous species? Or with the scrubby which can be a little snappy, but is usually OK when out of the cage?

Just because you and your friends will do the right thing doesn't mean everyone else will too. And lets face it - we all know some idiots who have herps.



Hix

I agree I think it will do more harm than good.
Because...one horrible incident with a snake will be frowned upon much more than a dog or a cat or anything like that.
I think one "accident" caused by an idiot would cause a crack down on laws to keep the general populace happy. There's still too many people that think a good snake is a dead snake. I think if this was passed as a law it would be met with too much unease.

 

[Aslan]

Swingonthespiral - The risks involved with transporting your animals back and forth have been discussed over and over so far in this thread - whether you want it or not, or even whether it is PROBABLE or not, it is still quite POSSIBLE for you WANTING to do something that potentially has negative impacts on the entire herp community, their collections and wild specimens. Being RESPONSIBLE would be to sacrifice your wants in light of the overall wellbeing of the rest...

Why does your Bredli go for a walk to the beach? You say because it needs some sunlight, where 99% would be kept and bred happily in captivity never receiving a ray...so the question remains WHY does your Bredli go outside with you, because you WANT it to...refer to previous paragraph about the irresponsibility of that...

Simon

 

[swingonthespiral]

aslan.... im sure if i let him out the first place i would find him would be basking in the sun.... are we saying that reptiles dont need enrichment at all???? isnt it a fact that every animal in the world enjoys (for lack of a better word) something????

 

[Aslan]

No, I'm not sure that's a fact...I may be wrong but I would appreciate any reference you could provide me that states otherwise...

Enjoyment is a human emotion, it would be anthropomorphosising to consider a reptile basking in the sun to be enjoying it...it is more likely he is merely looking for warmth because he no longer has his heat lamp...he NEEDS warmth - which of course is provided by heat lamp...

 

[Chris1]

well, Loki clings to his tree on the balcony when i go to take him in, but never clings to anything in his cage when i go to take him out.

both places provide him with heat, but he clearly prefers being outside.

 

[Tsidasa]

my snake enjoys eating mice =D i know because of the look of sheer delight and the big toothy grin

 

[Aslan]

well, Loki clings to his tree on the balcony when i go to take him in, but never clings to anything in his cage when i go to take him out.

both places provide him with heat, but he clearly prefers being outside.

By that theory why not release him irrespective of the consequences...it is clearly what he wants

 

[Chris1]

cos i like him and i want to keep him!


but that doesnt mean he wants to stay in his cage at all times,..!

 

[Isis]

The scary thing about this thread is that unfortunately some people dont take the threat of disease seriously. I dont want to bump into someone in the street whos snake has OPMV and then unwittingly take it home to my collection or pass it on to someone elses. They do not know how it is transmitted and people who have the strictest quarentine in place and have done so for years are getting it.
Then theres the stress and the public opinion ect ect ect. Walking along the beach or to a mates place with a python in your arms is only going to interest a few people but it is also giving them the wrong idea. We need to get away from the "cool" image of keeping reptiles. Unfortunately there are too many people that keep snakes for that very reason and thats not a good thing.
If you want an unusual pet to get attention when you walk down the street then get a ferret or rat. Dont be cruel and use your herps to get attention, which I believe is the underlying reason. If your mum, brother partner or mate is interested. Give them the paperwork to get there own licence and head them towards a reputable breeder and let them get there own. If you really want to educate get the right attitude and a whole lot more information then get an exhibitors licence.

 

[Aslan]

Very well said Isis...

 

[mrsshep77]

I am in agreeance Aslan & Isis, we have to think of our herps first! I know it's not fair that we can't take our beloved pets the same places that others take their dogs etc to but isn't this why we have reptiles to begin with - because we don't want your EVERY day normal pet!
I love my snakes and would do anything to protect them from disease and other people's stupid behaviour (thieves etc) so I don't want to draw unwanted attention to myself or my herps! They cost a fortune to purchase and upkeep as it is I don't then want to add the cost of replacing stolen herps when someone who decides they want what I have breaks into my house after following me home from our little outing!
I understand there is frustration, however rules are generally in place for a reason... to protect US or in this case our herps!
I know my family & friends love interacting with our snakes and I definately encourage that, but it's under strict conditions at my house! I don't want to take them some place that I can't control the conditions. I'm not saying your family would knowingly do something to hurt or inadvertantly infect your snakes but it's just too big a risk to take!
I know sometimes rules can be very restricting and hinder us at times but just think about the alternative... not having the rules! What if we could all take our snakes whereever we wanted, we run the risk of our snakes hurting other people or god forbid a child, infections from other snakes (wild or captive) and we run the hugest risk of escape and theft!
We see the headlines when somebodies dog has mauled a child or even adults and then that animal is put to sleep.. could you imagine if it's your beloved 5yr old herp thats been in the family since birth and never bitten before but being put into a situation that stresses(which is highly possible) it can make even the most placid animals do the unthinkable...and then what, they put your snake down and all for what?? Because we hated those "stupid" rules!
Just really think about what the possibilities are if these rules aren't in place... regardless if you know your snake or you think you have the situation controlled! There is still room for human error and things DO go wrong even with the best of intentions!

Mell

 

[croc_hunter_penny]

very valid points from everyone.

I just wanted to point out that i didn't buy my snakes because I didn't want an "every day" pet as you call them. I bought my snakes because I genuinely love snakes and have ever since I first found out that they existed when I was a young child. As a teen I found out that you could actually OWN such wonderful creatures, and then since that day I have been wanting one of my very own. Eight years later and I finally win the plea with my parents to let me get one (or two or six :lol

My point is, I am not trying to be weird or different, I am just doing what I am passionate about.

I hope every herp-keeper can say the same.

-Penny

 

[croc_hunter_penny]

oh yeah I also wanted to say that snakes cost as much as dogs do, no more expensive than a "normal" pet.

and I'm sure when snakes start popping out babies as fast as rats and rabbits do, they will be priced accordingly.

-penny

 

[swingonthespiral]

same here.... i got the passion from my pop... who used to travel the world with the his work..... ive got pics of him with snakes from everywhere ill be sure to post..... ever since i first held a snake at 6yrs old... a 2.5m diamond at batemans bay nsw birdland and animal park named boris..... i think we all knwo that us on here are respsonible and have a genuine passion for snakes.... im not tryin to be cool i drive a bloody datsun for buggers sake.... i dont think any of these offensive comments in regards to showing off or being cool or using our snakes as an acessory apply in here.... :x

 

[swingonthespiral]

and yeah they do cost as much as dogs.... chocolate border collie pups with papers $500 if ur lucky..... pound puppy at least $150.....

 

[bredli84]

what kinda datsun? some are cool. 240z's are very cool

 

[swingonthespiral]

74 260z... her name is scarlett and i love her but i get told a million times a day to take her to the wreckers or sell her even though shes only got 82thousand kms on it and has no rust:shock:

 

[Chris1]

my brother and i started hassling my parents fro a snake when we were 8 and 10,... the doctor down the street had a diamond python and we fell in love.

they refused and 23 years later after i'd grown up and finished 'partying' i finally bought my own.

 

[bredli84]

74 260z... her name is scarlett and i love her but i get told a million times a day to take her to the wreckers or sell her even though shes only got 82thousand kms on it and has no rust:shock:

see! that is a cool datsun! dont wreck it, restore her.