[sunrico90]

New restrictions for python owner. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is putting the squeeze on python owners. The agency voted Wednesday to tighten restrictions for those seeking to own a python, green anaconda or Nile monitor lizard. Starting Jan. 1, 2008, anyone owning one of these reptiles will be required to obtain a permit and microchip, and must be able to answer questions about basic reptile care.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...tory?track=rss

[CelticLady1]

Well, that's certainly one of their better ideas. They need to get control over these animals. They are wreaking havoc, in parts of Florida, with our own native wildlife. Folks buy these animals, then realize they are harder to take care of than they thought, so they dump them out in the woods, etc. If you can't take care of these animals, without dumping them later, (thereby making it everyone else's problem), then you ought not to have them!

[Need_affordable_home]

Dont people realise those snakes can grow to 20+ feet. At that size they can kill people and eat your dog or small child I think there should be a law making you sign a form stating you acknowlege those phthons grow 15-20+ feet so there are no supprises. I know a pet store that was selling a 3 inch catfish with a warning sign that said "grows very, very big and will outgrow your tank" no one bought that fish. Youd need a big pond or convert your pool into a pond for one of those guys.

[Ladywithafan]

Snakes on a Plane anyone?

Now I'm petrified to get a plane to leave the state for sure!

[Prichard]

Ahhh! I knew those Manatee were just some made up fictional creature - they're really just big fat catfish, like that picture shows above!

[sunrico90]

Ah Sirens The ancient Greeks told a story about beautiful girls that lived in the sea, called "sirens". These girls sang very beautiful songs that would put sailors in a trance. The sailors would be so hypnotized by these songs that they would crash their ships into the rocks and sink, just to find the the girls that sang those songs. Just like the story of Hercules, these stories of the sirens were not true. For a long time people did believe that these beautiful and strange creatures were real.

[kavoll]

As an owner of 2.1.2 (Ball) Pythons, I support this law. From reading on the web it covers six species of reptiles: "Burmese python, reticulated python, African rock python, amethystine or scrub python, green anaconda and the Nile monitor lizard". The Burms are the major problem. When they hit 18+' they're eating rabbits, small pigs, maybe chickens in captivity. When they take up residence under the friendly neighborhood grandmother their diet switches to the local dogs and cats. Small children? I seriously doubt it. Burms are prolific breeders, dropping 40+ egg clutches I think annually. The hatchlings are probably only 18". And they live a long time, 25+ years. Pet stores carry these babies by the truckload. I see them all the time. I also see the kind of 18-25 year old punks buying these. Yeah, like they're going to drop $20 every 10 days on a feeder rabbit. That's $60 a month they could use to pimp their car out. It's a real shame Burms get so freaking big. There are a lot of great morphs for them (granite Burms are my favorite). But there are also a lot of great morphs for Ball Pythons (and they max out eating rats at 4').

I would guess 90% of the buyers are not ready to care for such a large reptiles for the rest of their long life.

[Ladywithafan]

Back in May, I came to work on Longboat one beautiful, sunny morning only to see my boss with something stretched out between the pool room & tennis courts.

It was an eight foot long python, laid out to dry. Somehow, it had fell in the pool and got sucked into the filter system and ended wrapped up in the fileter basket & drowned.

It was obviously someone's pet that had been set free, most likely in the tract of woods, next to our property.

It made front page of the Longboat Key Observer.

Just imagine what you can find in the pool during a midnight dip.

[Magnulus]

Why own an animal that would only see you as food? Reptile brains don't have that warm and fuzzy limbic center that inspires mammals to take care of things, pretty much they only think about eating, resting, and sex. I can only thing there are two things motivating keeping these things: 1) inflated machismo 2) misplaced curiosity. Neither of which is a good thing. The Florida law is especially generous... an anancodna? nuts...

[kavoll]

My Balls don't see me as food. I'm sure 99% of the other herps out there don't consider their owners food either. If that was an issue I would not have them in the first place. There are tons of animals people keep that aren't all warm, fuzzy and cuddly. Fish being the big one. Herps are a hobby for people, not pets; anyone telling you different is a liar. If you want a pet get a dog or a cat. You want a better pet, get a human. I don't see the point in a lot of people's hobbies, but I don't bash them for it.