# Sad whats going on in FLA



## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 21, 2021)

It sickens me to see laws being passed prohibiting reputable reptile breeders in Fla to make an honest living ( Iguana and Tegu breeders) are being forced to get rid of their stock because of the few morons that buy these beautiful creatures and do not do their research. Buckle up reptile lovers because im sure its headed our way next!


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## LeahK (Jul 21, 2021)

That is really sad! I hope they never come for tortoises, and doubt it'll happen since tortoises aren't really invasive species. 

Plus, tortoises are just really cute and cool animals (and I am definitely not biased).


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 21, 2021)

LeahK said:


> That is really sad! I hope they never come for tortoises, and doubt it'll happen since tortoises aren't really invasive species.
> 
> Plus, tortoises are just really cute and cool animals (and I am definitely not biased).


Yeah but tortoises might wipe out all the native weeds


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 21, 2021)

Then what would the old retired ppl have to do all day with no weeds to pull?


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jul 21, 2021)




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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 21, 2021)

Chubbs the tegu said:


> It sickens me to see laws being passed prohibiting reputable reptile breeders in Fla to make an honest living ( Iguana and Tegu breeders) are being forced to get rid of their stock because of the few morons that buy these beautiful creatures and do not do their research. Buckle up reptile lovers because im sure its headed our way next!


Yeah.
It especially sucks because it's 30+ years too late.
There are dozens of green iguanas everywhere you look here and just south of me, Tegus are as common as feral cats.(which they eat)
In most areas of south Florida, you'd be very hard pressed to find a single indigenous lizard.
I see no logical reason to stop captive breeding since it is not going to affect a damned thing
This is a band aid on a gaping wound.
These are a few photos of a few of the "common as dirt" evasive lizards found absolutely everywhere.


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## Cathie G (Jul 21, 2021)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Yeah.
> It especially sucks because it's 30+ years too late.
> There are dozens of green iguanas everywhere you look here and just south of me, Tegus are as common as feral cats.(which they eat)
> In most areas if south Florida, you'd be very hard pressed to find a single indigenous lizard.
> ...


Which they themselves took part in on a much bigger scale then that. The Florida panther is a perfect example.


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 21, 2021)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Yeah.
> It especially sucks because it's 30+ years too late.
> There are dozens of green iguanas everywhere you look here and just south of me, Tegus are as common as feral cats.(which they eat)
> In most areas if south Florida, you'd be very hard pressed to find a single indigenous lizard.
> ...


Now they are paying ppl to catch them.. who is paying? The tax payers? And you need a permit to catch them now. .. Doesnt make sense


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 21, 2021)

A brown Basilisk
A common Curlytail
A Knights Anole (From Cuba)
A common Green iguana
And some sort of red "Swift" that is relatively new. But suddenly everywhere.
Just to name a few.
There are probably more than 2 dozen exotics here.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 21, 2021)

Chubbs the tegu said:


> Now they are paying ppl to catch them.. who is paying? The tax payers? And you need a permit to catch them now. .. Doesnt make sense


Catching them won't make even a tiny dent.
What's needed is something we don't have anymore.....Cold winters.
That kept the numbers down a bit.


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## Cathie G (Jul 21, 2021)

Cathie G said:


> Which they themselves took part in on a much bigger scale then that. The Florida panther is a perfect example.


They brought into Florida Texas cougars to save them but because of that there are no Florida Panthers. Their DNA has been forever changed but they get federal dollars for that booboo. Not to mention what they've been doing to legitimate people for at least 20 years to gradually change the laws. In the meantime, instead of trying to irradicate invasive species they've been persecuting people that were trying to help the native species with their own dollars. What sucked was when I heard on the news (several years ago) that most of Florida's mammals were gone. OMG don't get me started. Sorry I'm done.


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## chibicricket (Jul 23, 2021)

This is so sad to me. I get they are having issues with iguanas, but taking peoples' captive animals away is not fair. I was an iguana owner in NY for 21 years, and they had a bunch of insane rules there too, but as long as I had a permit I was good.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 23, 2021)

Cathie G said:


> They brought into Florida Texas cougars to save them but because of that there are no Florida Panthers. Their DNA has been forever changed but they get federal dollars for that booboo. Not to mention what they've been doing to legitimate people for at least 20 years to gradually change the laws. In the meantime, instead of trying to irradicate invasive species they've been persecuting people that were trying to help the native species with their own dollars. What sucked was when I heard on the news (several years ago) that most of Florida's mammals were gone. OMG don't get me started. Sorry I'm done.


Yep.
Until very recently, developers could pay a fee and build a structure right on top of a Gopher tortoise or Borrowing owls home.


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## chibicricket (Jul 23, 2021)

That's the biggest thing that bothers me. Here in Virginia, huge plots of land that was once thriving forest and wetlands are getting bought up and turned into luxury apartments or really ugly cookie cutter townhouses. The area we live in has changed so much in the past 5 years, farms are getting pushed out. And now they are passing laws banning certain types of native reptiles/amphibians as pets It doesn't even matter if they are captive bred or not. The box turtles are disappearing because you're destroying their homes. We have a couple acres, and I've been seeing more and more turtles and other wildlife end up on our property now. Not to mention all the roadkill :/


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## S2G (Jul 23, 2021)

Too little too late I was seeing exotics in florida in the 90s. We were catching & eating those big oscar fish you see for sale.

The stupidity is on another level. They brought alligators up here for random crazy get rid of the beaver theories & now you have to watch where you're at. They can survive our semi cold winters.

Plants are another issue. Banning random pond plants


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## Cathie G (Jul 23, 2021)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Yep.
> Until very recently, developers could pay a fee and build a structure right on top of a Gopher tortoise or Borrowing owls home.


Yes but if you try to help a sick gopher you can be jailed because they're so " threatened and supposedly protected"?


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## Cathie G (Jul 23, 2021)

S2G said:


> Too little too late I was seeing exotics in florida in the 90s. We were catching & eating those big oscar fish you see for sale.
> 
> The stupidity is on another level. They brought alligators up here for random crazy get rid of the beaver theories & now you have to watch where you're at. They can survive our semi cold winters.
> 
> Plants are another issue. Banning random pond plants


I saw baby alligators in an aquarium in a pet shop here in Ohio in 2005 for sale. They were so cute but I was thinking the only person that could raise an animal like that would need an indoor pond. Later one was captured walking down the street in broad daylight. So in some ways I can see why we need some laws. That pet shop was very irresponsible. Alligators can't survive in Ohio. I guess that one got so big he wouldn't fit in a bathtub anymore. So when he decided to leave nobody had the guts to just say no.? But to just take people's animals that are being cared for correctly is a whole other story. People that actually know what they are doing won't sell to just anybody or turn them loose if and when they become an adult.


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 23, 2021)

Cathie G said:


> I saw baby alligators in an aquarium in a pet shop here in Ohio in 2005 for sale. They were so cute but I was thinking the only person that could raise an animal like that would need an indoor pond. Later one was captured walking down the street in broad daylight. So in some ways I can see why we need some laws. That pet shop was very irresponsible. Alligators can't survive in Ohio. I guess that one got so big he wouldn't fit in a bathtub anymore. So when he decided to leave nobody had the guts to just say no.? But to just take people's animals that are being cared for correctly is a whole other story. People that actually know what they are doing won't sell to just anybody or turn them loose if and when they become an adult.


Very easy to purchase a baby gator online its crazy. But i cant get a box turtle shipped to me... looks like im getting a gator lol


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## S2G (Jul 23, 2021)

So what's more ethical if you cant find a home. Euthanize or release into the wild to wreck the ecosystem? That's literally the crossroads we're at.


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 23, 2021)

S2G said:


> So what's more ethical if you cant find a home. Euthanize or release into the wild to wreck the ecosystem? That's literally the crossroads we're at.


If u know anyone u want to disappear lemme kno wink wink lol


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## Maggie3fan (Jul 23, 2021)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Yep.
> Until very recently, developers could pay a fee and build a structure right on top of a Gopher tortoise or Borrowing owls home.


Burrowing Owls are protected here, and loggers lost their livelihood because of them...


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