Owning Exotic Animals.....

[sillysally]

I used to be very against owning exotics of any kind, but as time goes on I have found myself relaxing that stance more and more. So I was curious--what do you guys think about owning exotics? Should it be outlawed? If not, should people have to get licenses to own certain animals (like large primates, big cats, wolves, etc)? Or are you against any restrictions?

 

[Romy]

I don't think it should be regulated or licensed. We already have laws in place concerning public endangerment and animal cruelty. If someone is housing their exotic animal in such a way that it's not meeting the animal's needs, or is putting the public at risk, then we have laws to deal with it.

The thing about exotics bans is they are almost universally backed by HSUS and PETA. It's part of their strategy to outlaw all animal ownership. It goes:

1. Alligators and primates! Oh noes! Nobody needs them. They're dangerous and a disease vector!!

2. Tigers, bears, lions, because nobody NEEDS a large cat. And think of the children if one were to escape!!!11eleventy1

3. Wolves are wild! They need to stay wild. And think of all the unstable wild wolf hybrids people are breeding and turning loose in the woods! (forget the fact they they're mostly malamute mixes ) Wolves and wolf hybrid ban, GO!

4. Look at these reptiles! They carry salmonella! Ban turtles with shells under 4 inches because parents cannot be responsible for what children put in their mouths! Ban all reptiles!

5. Prairie dogs carry monkey pox! ZOMG! Ban!

6. Wait a minute, look at these headlines and bit statistics! What dangerous, large powerful dog breeds we've created. They need to be regulated too. BSL FTW!

5. BSL ad nausem, with mandatory spay/neuter until they achieve their final goal of no animals living with people.

There's a lot of other little niches where other species fit in. I had to write to the west virginia legislature one time urging them not to pass a bill that banned "domestic animal hybrids" along with a slew of exotics. They way the bill was worded, someone's mule could have been confiscated for eating grass (destroying native plant life). Not to mention the cattle industry, what with so many breeds having their origins in mixing different species of cattle.

I feel that as an American citizen, if have the means to put a heated moat around my private castle and fill it with caimans, as long as the animals are well taken care of and nobody is in danger then I should be able to do whatever the heck I want.

 

[JessLough]

Technically, ferrets are exotic pets... therefore I technically own exotic pets.

Seriously though, I have no issues with it... as long as they realize what is entailed in the care.

 

[milos_mommy]

I pretty much agree with Romy...

But I also have seen far too many cougars that grew up in a walk in closet or in a manhattan apartment and were kept hidden under they reached 3 or 4 years...so I'm not sure if having no restrictions is the best idea.

 

[sillysally]

With exotics, who decides what the standard is for "proper care?" For example, if I successfully secured my 1/4 acre so that my pair of leopards could not escape, who decides if it's enough space, etc?

Not trying to be difficult, I'm just not sure how proper care is defined with traditionally "wild" species.

 

[milos_mommy]

Having a cougar or a bear is totally different than having a chameleon or even a ferret or something. A lot of times I think animals in captivity lead a great life, but a lot of times, even at very high end zoos where they get the "proper" care and stimulation, I think they just simply don't belong there. I feel the same way about reptiles, too, somehow, though. I'm not sure what it is, some types of snakes and lizards and frogs do well in captivity, and I see some in cages and just think they are way too wild for that.

 

[Fran101]

I think when it comes to wild animals, there should be more restriction.

I can go out RIGHT NOW in miami and buy myself anything I want. Lion, tigers, monkey (oh my!) with nothing but a certificate/license that costs like $30 to get and proves nothing

I think there should be habitat requirements and all that junk (just like at a zoo)


I have no problem with people owning them. I would never.

I LOVE tigers, lions,wolves etc.. and for that reason,I would never go out and buy one. I don't think wild animals belong in my home nor would I be prepared to deal with giving them the habitat/food/care they need.
plus I would feel bad caging them


As for birds, reptiles, rodents, etc.. I'm totally A OK with it. I wanted a ferret really bad at one point but decided against it (litter boxes gross me out)

We have a parrot at home, fish, and my friend has a hamster, I've had rabbits.

and basically I've come to the conclusion that FOR ME.
Dogs and cats are what I'm sticking to lol

 

[Fran101]

Oh and I don't know ANYTHING about snakes but I feel SO BAD for the big ones people have.
The tanks they are in aren't even big enough for them to stretch out let alone move around, plus nothing to do.. i dunno, it just strikes me as sad

 

[corgipower]

So...if owning some animals should require X amount of space and Y fencing and Z knowledge/experience, then where is the line drawn? At rodents and snakes? At dogs and cats? At dogs under 20 pounds? At goldfish? I can't say I'd be thrilled to find out my neighbor was raising tigers, but as Romy pointed out, it's a slippery slope.

 

[puppydog]

Oh and I don't know ANYTHING about snakes but I feel SO BAD for the big ones people have.
The tanks they are in aren't even big enough for them to stretch out let alone move around, plus nothing to do.. i dunno, it just strikes me as sad

Snake should be housed in a large enough environment. But they don't NEED to do anything per say. The not having a frontal lobe thing kinda rules out imagination and therefore boredom.

I own a snake so therefore can't really say much about exotics.

 

[Xandra]

I think snakes should be able to stretch out in their cages for sure. How do they regulate their temp if they can't? I'm not against owning them, but they need space to move. Same with all other reptiles. ETA I agree puppydog about not having to enrich snakes' lives, but you'd think it would be uncomfortable from a physical standpoint to be cramped up like that.

I don't care much about keeping sand cats and fennec foxes and kinkajous and raccoons so long as you take good care of them and mentally stimulate them (easy to do).

Exotic ungulates I have zero problem keeping, as long as you abide by basic livestock welfare standards.

I don't know enough about what exactly it takes to make a lion or a tiger "happy" (by my standards lol) but I go to zoos and am frequently saddened to see their animals go out of their shelter, pace around their 1/2 acre exhibit a couple times, then go back to sleep. It's sad when the highlight of a tiger's life is when a seagull lands in his enclosure lol.

I like zoos where they do shows with the animals, like this one at the Australia Zoo:

They look engaged, I like that lol.

Other than ungulates, the exotic I have the least qualm with keeping would be birds of prey for falconry. I have no problem with a good falconer keeping his birds... those birds have the best of both worlds- free flight, experience of the hunt, and they're also ensured a meal, veterinary care and shelter.

I think they should make it legal to hunt with cheetahs and caracals, too . Neither are particularly dangerous to humans and they've been used for that purpose until fairly recently (they still are in some places, for all I know).

 

[Kat09Tails]

The world is getting to be a more crowded place. Personally I'm ok with restrictions on what a private citizen can hold onto. When I was a kid I had a neighbor who kept a cougar in a 20 x 20 x 15 foot concrete pen for it's entire life. What kind of life is that for a wild animal?

How many exotics loose their luster and get dumped into the wild? I seem to recall there being iguana and python hunting in Florida now.

Getting a zoo license isn't all that hard. IMO it's enough of a barrier to entry that I think it should be used a bit more often.

 

[Labyrinth]

I'm just getting images in my head of people letting their tigers and lions run free around the neighborhood to poop like some people do with dogs. Backyard cougar breeders and such as well. Just like dogs and other pets, these types of animals would end up with irresponsible people. And while a dog can be dangerous (and yes even deadly in some cases), one of these large cats would be even worse if left loose to wander.

I think some sort of ownership regulation would be a good idea, but as to who should decide what that would be I don't know.

 

[BlueLightning]

Smaller reptiles I have no problem with people owning them the larger ones especially Burmese pythons and alligators people shouldn't own them. I don't think people should own the venomous reptiles your just asking for a death wish.

Most people don't give them them the space they need and people dump alligators. My aunt several years ago had two alligators in her pond that someone had dumped them they where about 3 or 4 ft long. She has two small grandsons that she has to worry about. She called the park ranger to see how she could get them removed and was told no one would remove them. That if she killed them and they found out she would be fined like $200 for doing so.

Lions, tiger, bears, chimps, wolves, and etc shouldn't be owned by people only zoos should have them. Again most people don't give them the required space they need they are not dogs or cats that people can come up to play or cuddle with or show them to your friends. You could, but I wouldn't recommend it they are wild animals most people loose sight of that when they raise them from baby. They think they are tame since they raise them, but they still can do damage they are still wild. You can't walk them on a leash down the road they shouldn't be locked up in small cages or apartments. They need space to move around and things to do to work their bodies and mind. At least zoos are better equipped to own them they can provide the things that they need.

I wouldn't want a large cat, bear, wolf and chimp running loose if people are scared of loose dogs attacking just imagine one these on the loose.

Macaws and birds like that don't see a problem with people owning them. Reptiles, rodents,and ferrets I see no problem owning them. I own two chinchillas they are consider exotic.

 

[ravennr]

I support exotic pet ownership by responsible owners. There need to be restrictions, but I do not agree with outlawing it completely. I'm on several exotic pet forums, and the owners there have cats, foxes, large birds and reptiles, etc. The ones I have spoken to provide plenty of enrichment, they don't leave their animals in cages all day and never interact with them, only owning them to say they have them. And they don't publicize their existence all over the place to let everyone know about them.

One girl on my forum has a Tamandua Anteater.

I grew up with exotics, from ferrets to opossums and someone in our family even had a few deer. We had foxes and raccoons as well.

My goal in life is to open a sanctuary for exotic pets that are seized or discarded, and help people understand what goes into owning an exotic animal, rather than tell them they never should.


My boyfriend and I are still on the waiting list for a fennec fox, actually. But if that falls through, there are others that I'd love to own. Hybrid cats are ones I'm a huge fan of and would love to work with. If only they weren't so expensive.

 

[Dekka]

So...if owning some animals should require X amount of space and Y fencing and Z knowledge/experience, then where is the line drawn? At rodents and snakes? At dogs and cats? At dogs under 20 pounds? At goldfish? I can't say I'd be thrilled to find out my neighbor was raising tigers, but as Romy pointed out, it's a slippery slope.

Not really. We do say that keeping dogs in cages (aka puppymills) should be against the law.

Yes there do need to be regulations because 1/2 the time animal control can't tell what is and isn't cruel for dogs and cats.. they would have no idea what is ok for a chimp or a lion.

And its a bit more serious if your tiger bites the visiting friend and needs to be rehomed than if your dog does the same.

Ferrets might be exotic, but they are domestic animals. If people want to own tigers etc, then breed them for domesticity and regulate to make sure the people who are buying them don't live in an apt.

 

[milos_mommy]

A few years ago, this nutjob PETA group in my area tried to get a ban on exotics. They sent around a petition for some kind of bill that I don't even think was ever created and tried to get people to sign. They told everyone how it was banning exotic pets, and used examples (which are unfortunately common around here) of people keeping 8 foot alligators in their bathtubs and cougars in their closets and being bit by poisonous snakes.

When you actually read the bill, it was an attempt to ban "exotics" including hamsters, all snakes and lizards, ferrets, amphibians, chinchillas, etc. I don't think it included rats and mice or guinea pigs....and some local reptile groups and things raised enough awareness about it that it kind of disappeared, but really?

 

[milos_mommy]

Ferrets might be exotic, but they are domestic animals.

Most bans would not put them any differently than a tiger. "Exotic" means anything that isn't a dog or cat or goat or horse.

 

[Jules]

Well, but there is a middle ground in between feeling that owning exotic animals should pretty much be unregulated and the PETS nutjobs.

 

[smkie]

THis topic gives me one gynormous flash back on the animal warehouse where I worked for a year. I thought I was helping, honest to God, to help the sick and injured, but I will never know. I will not put anything in a cage or tank, ever since. All i can say is if you get it from a petstore, your doing no better than a puppymill.
If you buy from a reputable breeder from rat and mouse on out, then that is better.

If you consider that they will need just as expensive of vet care, that is better.
IF you research out the wazooooo about the proper way to set up a tank instead of rushing home filling it with water and dumping in an assortment of fish, if you do it RIGHT, that is better.
IF you understand that birds and tortoises are a long time commitment, not a temp enjoyment, that is better.
If you understand that birds develop very deep bonds and that often it can tear them up if that bond is broken, that is better.

Read and read some more and then wait, save, and do it right, that would be better.
The whole thing makes me want to go weep.