no exotics under 5... your thoughts?
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I've only got few exotics over 5. LOL Seriuosly, I just read that article and agree there is a risk. My feeling is contact between a young child and any pet should be under adult supervision. Even in the case of a dog or cat it takes a very steady animal to deal with the actions of small children. The health risk is very real and the hygenic habits of the vast majority of children is almost nonexistent.
I totally agree with Larry.
Its up to the parents or guardians to monitor the children, not up to the government.
Yvonne
Yvonne
I feel that our government has far better things to monitor (Police) than whether a household has pets, any pet with children, either over or under 5 years old. It should be up to the guardians &/or parents to safeguard both the child and the pet from each other.
Depends on the kids. Most are too young for such things safely.. for kids and animals. The parents should be wise enough.. commons sense to keep both safe.. HOWEVER... common sense seems to be lacking BIG TIME these days.
I agree.. keep the Government out of it. but if the parents arent smart enough...
many states have banned all sorts of Exotics. Safety issues. Past problems.. So sometimes you do have to have rules/laws to protect people from thier selves! so I guess Im a bit on the fence.. sometimes...
I agree.. keep the Government out of it. but if the parents arent smart enough...
many states have banned all sorts of Exotics. Safety issues. Past problems.. So sometimes you do have to have rules/laws to protect people from thier selves! so I guess Im a bit on the fence.. sometimes...
I understand your feelings. Sometimes people do not make the best decisions.
Ever wonder why “common sense†is so lacking these days? Why parents aren’t teaching there kids, aren’t even around to teach their kids? I do. But these are not all parents.
Still, I think that our government seems to have its fingers in the pie far too often. And although there are some people that need those rules/laws, I think by far people are much smarter than that. I think our government should govern, not parent.
Forgive my rant, but it just seems to me that, especially lately, our government seems to be dictating-yes dictating more and more what we can and can’t do. Things we as adults and parents should be choosing. Guns are dangerous in the wrong hands yet government has not been able to ban them, Why? $$$$ and big $$$$ is behind shooting down (excuse the pun) legislature that would stop the sale and ownership of guns. If they can pass a law stating no exotic pet for households with children under five, who is there to stop them? What $$$ is behind stoping that legislature from happening. What happens to those families with exotic pets that have children over five but get pregnant. Are they to give up their beloved pet? And if it is indeed for the safety of the child, what is to stop them from saying you can’t have more than 1 child under the age of five, as it will impair your ability to care properly for them. Or you can't have more than X number if your income is not between $$$ and $$$.
There are many, many, things that we do daily that put us in danger, heck feeding a child french-fries can cause a choking hazard.
I am an adult and a parent and grandparent and I think a responsible one. I taught my child how to be safe, how to care for animals, how to care for others and many other things.. I don’t want our law makers to start parenting. That is my job. If there are people out there that can’t or don’t parent, deal with them and not the entire population.
Well I guess we all know I am not sitting on any fence here.
Ever wonder why “common sense†is so lacking these days? Why parents aren’t teaching there kids, aren’t even around to teach their kids? I do. But these are not all parents.
Still, I think that our government seems to have its fingers in the pie far too often. And although there are some people that need those rules/laws, I think by far people are much smarter than that. I think our government should govern, not parent.
Forgive my rant, but it just seems to me that, especially lately, our government seems to be dictating-yes dictating more and more what we can and can’t do. Things we as adults and parents should be choosing. Guns are dangerous in the wrong hands yet government has not been able to ban them, Why? $$$$ and big $$$$ is behind shooting down (excuse the pun) legislature that would stop the sale and ownership of guns. If they can pass a law stating no exotic pet for households with children under five, who is there to stop them? What $$$ is behind stoping that legislature from happening. What happens to those families with exotic pets that have children over five but get pregnant. Are they to give up their beloved pet? And if it is indeed for the safety of the child, what is to stop them from saying you can’t have more than 1 child under the age of five, as it will impair your ability to care properly for them. Or you can't have more than X number if your income is not between $$$ and $$$.
There are many, many, things that we do daily that put us in danger, heck feeding a child french-fries can cause a choking hazard.
I am an adult and a parent and grandparent and I think a responsible one. I taught my child how to be safe, how to care for animals, how to care for others and many other things.. I don’t want our law makers to start parenting. That is my job. If there are people out there that can’t or don’t parent, deal with them and not the entire population.
Well I guess we all know I am not sitting on any fence here.
james said:
I was worried about this and talked to my vet about it because i CANT go 5 years without reptiles. He said its mostly for water turtles and all my herps are captive bred so not to worry although there is of course chance for infection etc. I could not understand waht the article said about pre-existing herps- they said the have to be removed or possibly:?
zach
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stells
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sounds abit daft to me, but then it would i have an under 5 until next month, which brings my point, i am not going to see a dramatic change in my 4 year on his 5th birthday, children mature at different rates i also have a very mature 6 year old daughter and a immature 12 year old son (its a boy thing lol). But around the animals they are all the same, they have been taught by myself how to behave around the animals.
Not that it will effect me with living in the UK.. our government have enough to worry about without worrying about what pets people have...
Not that it will effect me with living in the UK.. our government have enough to worry about without worrying about what pets people have...
i think that 5 is a litle old maybe 3 years or younger, and the threat of salmonilla can be defeated if the parents teach them to wash their hands after handiling them.. when i was five i had hedgehogs boxturtles redear sliders and ducks, and i even used to kiss my turtles (when i was a litle kid), and i never got sick.
NO WAY!!! I do not agree that its any ones business but the parents and what they bring their children up around(at any age)...We are already a country that does not educate our youth on animal wildlife as it is....My adult children look at the world and all the animals in it as one..When you start the education process young enough it carries on over as part of everyday life..Living with the animals is the best way....Now if you want to hold parents responsible for making a clean healthy area then educate them...I hate more laws that teach nothing and draw more tax money from our pockets...
Now I feel very strongly on pet stores educating people..Their employees really have no clue about most animals...Maybe a law on how they sell animals...and keep them...I really get sick of walking into places with over crowding and wrong set-ups for critters..it sends the wrong message...
A warning label for children under 5 is OK
Now I feel very strongly on pet stores educating people..Their employees really have no clue about most animals...Maybe a law on how they sell animals...and keep them...I really get sick of walking into places with over crowding and wrong set-ups for critters..it sends the wrong message...
A warning label for children under 5 is OK
I agree with you Marla...a warning labael. Also any employee that is selling an animal should be educated on that animal before they are alowed to sell. And as Anja said, I am more worried about the animal than the child. The parent should worry about their child and educate them, not the Government.
Hmmm... who do I trust more raising kids in America? Parents, the government, the schools, businesses?
Parents? More and more I am convinced that the gulf between good and poor parents is growing. I see examples of parents doing more and more foolish things for more and more foolish reasons. We know that early diet is critical- and what do we see parents do? We know that interacting with a child is a major predictor of academic success, and what do too many parents do? Etc. etc. etc. I dunno, maybe my wife being a teacher and me seeing so many parenting examples at my job biases me.
Schools? They have their role, but educating our kids is very different from raising them.
Government? No matter how well intended, few government programs work as advertised.
Businesses and warning labels, staff training, etc.? In this economy? Business and their staff have one main purpose- make oodles of money no matter what junk they have to push on us. Staff training went away one of the first things when profits dropped. Heck, it is ALREADY against federal regs to sell turtles under 4" and I bet most of us could find one for sale within 20 miles of our houses.
I agree fully that young kids should not have most pets- exotic or not. How to do this is what baffles me. There are so many issues parents SHOULD know, and so many of them have no clue.
Parents? More and more I am convinced that the gulf between good and poor parents is growing. I see examples of parents doing more and more foolish things for more and more foolish reasons. We know that early diet is critical- and what do we see parents do? We know that interacting with a child is a major predictor of academic success, and what do too many parents do? Etc. etc. etc. I dunno, maybe my wife being a teacher and me seeing so many parenting examples at my job biases me.
Schools? They have their role, but educating our kids is very different from raising them.
Government? No matter how well intended, few government programs work as advertised.
Businesses and warning labels, staff training, etc.? In this economy? Business and their staff have one main purpose- make oodles of money no matter what junk they have to push on us. Staff training went away one of the first things when profits dropped. Heck, it is ALREADY against federal regs to sell turtles under 4" and I bet most of us could find one for sale within 20 miles of our houses.
I agree fully that young kids should not have most pets- exotic or not. How to do this is what baffles me. There are so many issues parents SHOULD know, and so many of them have no clue.
Madkins007 said:
Part of the problem is parents waiting for someone to tell them (government, labels, schools)...The free thinking brain belongs to our TV set....How to break the chain so each generation can learn to pass down important information to the next generation, is so hard...In the wild animals die if they don't survive the environment offered to them...I say leave it to the parents and if the government wants to get involved they need to charge the parents not punish all the other parents with laws because of the stupid few...Baffled is a good term and I too am baffled...
There are many pet shops here that have what ever you want in their "back room" (if you know someone). Box turtles are illegal to sell here, but you can get one very easily if you know someone. Also green iguana's are illegal, but we got a baby for $20. Baby green turtles....just take the ferry to China Town, and go to a grocery store or Koi store.....5 dollars. Baby Sulcata's......40 dollars...again ...back room. The list goes on and on. Then, of course there's the Internet. Whether it's illegal or not, you can get anything you want. Parents get these things for their kids for Christmas, or birthdays, and when they get a little too big, they dump them in the local pond. Our pond is filled with EPT....ducks are all over too ....Easter presents. For some reason, laws don't seem to matter to anyone because everything is so accessible. Sad. That is why it HAS to be up to the parent to teach their children to respect animals.
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I personally do not think most kids and pets (of any kind) are a good mix. I worked with dogs (and their owners) a few years, and my peers at animal shelters said this too often about surrendered animals: "They gave up the dog/cat/other pet because their child stopped taking care of it." The same child that begged and pleaded and promised to take care of that pet - a living, breathing, feeling creature. The only way "kids and pets" work together is if the parents are already "animal lovers" themselves, and understand fully the care the animal will require, and are willing to take this over permanently when the child loses interest. Most kids, unless they're an exception like Bindi Irwin, are going to lose interest in any pet. Of course, there are real-life exceptions, too - the kids who already know in their heart they will be veterinarians or some other animal professional. But, unfortunately, for most kids, the excitement of a new pet wears off, and in the case of the tortoise, ends up in a dirty glass aquarium filled with newspaper in the corner of the bedroom.
While on the surface, it seems absurd that government should consider regulating whether or not people of a certain age should be "allowed" to have pets, I think it is perhaps an attempt to reduce the myriad of problems stemming from parents making poor ("impulse") decisions regarding their children's ability to take, or even share, the responsibility of caring for a living creature. And, at the other end, I would suggest stronger legislation as it relates to punishment for animal cruelty and neglect ...
*Clunk*crash*boom* That is the sound of me tumbling off one of my soapboxes with my little fist in the air ...
Rhishja
While on the surface, it seems absurd that government should consider regulating whether or not people of a certain age should be "allowed" to have pets, I think it is perhaps an attempt to reduce the myriad of problems stemming from parents making poor ("impulse") decisions regarding their children's ability to take, or even share, the responsibility of caring for a living creature. And, at the other end, I would suggest stronger legislation as it relates to punishment for animal cruelty and neglect ...
*Clunk*crash*boom* That is the sound of me tumbling off one of my soapboxes with my little fist in the air ...
Rhishja
Oh yes, common sense is xtremely lacking these days, but for the government to get involved would be just more uneducated red tape; how do they know if homes with pets are intelligent enuf to teach kids how to handle animals {of ANY sort}?
I think it's outrageous to say that kids under 5 should not have exotic pets; h*ll, my daughter got sick from the $150.00 rescue cat at her DAD's house, and not once from the tort's, lizzies or snakes that I own!
In addition, I agree that education about handling, habitat and health issues is the key; we always use the germ gel to keep from any health issues at our home. Before my daughter was born, and thru-out her first 3 years, we had a wonderful 6' red tail boa.. and no, he never looked at her as tho she was a 'Scooby snack' & no, she never hit or mis-treated "The Lil' Prince".
Indeed, I would argue that because we have always had reptiles, my kids have a greater love for all of the creatures God has made, not just the 2 legged ones, or the furry 4 legged ones. My daughter at the age of 4 BEGGED me to get her a tarantula {EWWW}, with the reasoning that "They have feelings too, Mom!". Of course, today she would not be so happy to see an enormous spider, but that's just 'cuz now she is more of a "girl", so to speak, lol.
I feel that the article was totally biased. Perhaps I am totally biased, who knows? But the fact is that if parents would step up to the plate {on many issues, not just this one}, our future would be much brighter. To expect parents to give up their scaled family members because they have skinned family members under the age of 5 is ridiculous!
That's my story & I'm sticking to it!
A Purpod Mom who's had rep's all thru-out her life
I think it's outrageous to say that kids under 5 should not have exotic pets; h*ll, my daughter got sick from the $150.00 rescue cat at her DAD's house, and not once from the tort's, lizzies or snakes that I own!
In addition, I agree that education about handling, habitat and health issues is the key; we always use the germ gel to keep from any health issues at our home. Before my daughter was born, and thru-out her first 3 years, we had a wonderful 6' red tail boa.. and no, he never looked at her as tho she was a 'Scooby snack' & no, she never hit or mis-treated "The Lil' Prince".
Indeed, I would argue that because we have always had reptiles, my kids have a greater love for all of the creatures God has made, not just the 2 legged ones, or the furry 4 legged ones. My daughter at the age of 4 BEGGED me to get her a tarantula {EWWW}, with the reasoning that "They have feelings too, Mom!". Of course, today she would not be so happy to see an enormous spider, but that's just 'cuz now she is more of a "girl", so to speak, lol.
I feel that the article was totally biased. Perhaps I am totally biased, who knows? But the fact is that if parents would step up to the plate {on many issues, not just this one}, our future would be much brighter. To expect parents to give up their scaled family members because they have skinned family members under the age of 5 is ridiculous!
That's my story & I'm sticking to it!A Purpod Mom who's had rep's all thru-out her life
What does not kill you makes you stronger! Seriously eat a pound of dirt. There are more and more studies showing that many kids with allergies simply were not exposed to enough crap to develop a good immune system. Caution for sure, but honestly? I won't eat a hamburger if it is not medium rare to rare, and I'm not dead yet. Most of our pets if kept well are probably cleaner than most of the pre prepared food that we buy. Douglas
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