Owning Exotic Animals.....

[ravennr]

I don't agree with owning animals such as lions, tigers, things like that. People can barely take proper care of a dog. It scares me to think of them with an animal as powerful as a tiger. 0_o Plus I don't think it's quite humane to keep an animal built for roaming miles of territory in a cage. I don't want to go seizing animals from the very few people with the know-how to keep them properly or anything like that. But I do believe that wild animals should live in the wild.

I do think it's illegal in the states to buy or sell primates now.

When I moved, as far as I know, Virginia still allowed ownership of monkeys without a permit.
Luckily I didn't see it abused very much, in my areas at least.

 

[joce]

Coming from a state with barely any restrictions-I think they need more. Sure there are people who can handle it and why punish them,but there are a lot who can not.

I am not talking so much ferrets or snakes or even smaller monkeys. Its tigers and bears I have issues with. The idiot who has been bear wrestling and running a puppymill for years just had a young guy killed on his property. His place has always been an accident waiting to happen. Same with many other people here with them in their back yard. Which oddly enough we know more than two with big exotic pets. The people down the street with the bear got it at the mt hope animal auction where anyone can walk in and buy anything. You are supposed to have a license to bring it home-but ask the people who do and they tell you they get them well after the fact. This guys bear has broken his wifes foot.

If many counties restrict number of horses by amount of land I have no issues doing the same with bears/tigers and saying if a property is appropriate or not. My dads township requires five acres for the first horse and an additional acre for each after that. If you can regulate farm animals then why not big predators.

I'll never forget stopping for a couple dogs on the way to school to get out of the car and discover they were all wolves when I got closer. Not every exotic animal owner is responcible-most I know are not. They look at it as no big deal. There are people breeding the tiny monkeys in vermilion that will sell the breeding pairs but warn you they will attack. joy.

That said, I have no issues with the small exotics. Here you definately do not have to worry about them surviving the winter if they get out. I do think to many people end up with things like sugar gliders and things like ferrets and hedgehogs that reading a book or something about them to get a license might be a good idea. People just have no clue. Our local cragislist has gliders all the time. They just don't realize what they are getting into and it is the animal that suffers. I got mine from someone that fed them dog food and kept them in the tiniest bird cage you can get the whole time she had them.

 

[milos_mommy]

3 out of 4 of our chinchillas were extremely difficult to handle and not very social...and the only one who enjoys being handled or around people was rescued as an adult, we don't know his back story. Two we raised since they were a few weeks, and one was born in our home, and she was probably the most "wild" one.

 

[ACooper]

If you can regulate farm animals then why not big predators.

I agree completely.

There ARE people who can have/keep larger exotics and primates without issues. Just like there are domestic pet owners who can and do and those who can't and shouldn't. I had no idea the people JUST DOWN THE ROAD from me has owned a monkey for years until it bit a little girl and made the paper! LOL Not the owners or monkey's fault, the parents of the little girl didn't watch her and let her bother the monkey inside it's cage apparently..........so their was no 'consequence' to the monkey or owners

 

[Laurelin]

I think it's a bit of a gamble with chins. Both ours were pet store chins, the first one was a wild hetero beige. He was adorable and hilarious. Very very active and needed tons of time out of his cage. You had to be really careful with him because he did not want to be caught and he could leap very very high. He died when he was 2 of a genetic defect, which is not very uncommon. If you can get them past two, then you're usually clear.

Scout we got from the same pet store but I special ordered her because I wanted a certain color (she's a mosaic). She was always a lot calmer. She gets excited to see you and begs for pets. She still is not happy with being picked up though but enjoys climbing on you. She tilts her little head to the side and makes the funniest face when you scratch under her chin.

 

[Psyfalcon]

I want my cheetah. But, I need to convince a fws to make coursing pronghorn legal first. Or maybe take it lure coursing? They are the big cat least likely to kill a person.

Another issue is environmental damage, like with the pythons in the Everglades.

 

[Dekka]

By definition, ferrets were never domesticated... as there has never been and will never be wild ferrets. Black-footed ferrets, yes, but that is nothing like the ferrets people have as pets. Actually, the domestic ferrets are much closer to polecats (who they were bred down from) then black-footed ferrets.

That is the idea of domestication. Wolves are now dogs. Horses are still horses but very different than the original wild version. Etc etc. That is what happens when you domesticate an animal it changes. Dogs or cats or cows as we know them never lived wild.

So if people wish to spend the time doing that to tigers and lions that is so much better than selling wild animals who will not be happy living with people (for the most part)

 

[Gypsydals]

I think there needs to be a clear definition of whats exotic and whats not. To me exotic is something you would typically see in a zoo (I.E. Large cats, monkeys and the larger snakes). I don't consider hampsters, guinea pigs, Parrots and that sort exotics.
To a certain extent I think there should be some sort of regulations on housing and what not for the exotics. Why not there is regulations on owning domestic animals.

 

[BlueLightning]

Both of my chins are pet store chins they don't like to be handle much, but will melt into a puddle for rubs behind their ears and chins. My two chins are more extreme they are very smart for such little guys and stuff they do baffles me.