Pet's you wish weren't sold at pet stores

mrbonzai211

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
534
Any of these pets can be sold and cared for by someone who knows what they are doing, however, most people who buy these from store end up killing them out of ignorance. What pets would you remove from the hobby any why?

Hermit crabs- Experienced and knowledgeable crab owners typically get 4-7 years out of a crab given perfect conditions. In the wild they can live 25-40 years. They cannot be bed in captivity because they grow up on coral reefs before coming back to land. A typical owner kills theirs within a few months. I'm a 5 year veteran in HCs and I know that just acclimating a crab from horrible store conditions to proper conditions will kill roughly 25% of crabs if you do it slowly, 50% or higher of you don't acclimate them slowly.

Iguanas- I'm sure we all know why. Most people buy them when they are cute and young, then abandon/kill them when they are 6 feet of evil.

Any snake that eclipses 15 feet- the larger they get, the more likely they are to get killed or abandoned by Joe Know-nothing who buys them as babies and dont realize what they are getting into. I hear all the time, "they only grow to the size of their enclosure.".... yeah, right.....

Brackish water fish- most stores sell them in fresh water and do not provide information that require salt or their proper salinty.... Case in point, "freshwater" stone fish... cannot live in captivity... at all, even under proper conditions.... dont even try.

Pet rocks- they are stupid.
 

super-pede

Arachnobaron
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
543
pac man frogs-people think they uber tight till all they see is a beautiful rock sitting in the corner doing nothing.
goldfish-I just don't like goldfish
turtles- not enough people know how to care for aquatic turtles properly.
most inverts-people don't care for them properly
hedgehogs- people buy them as a spur of the moment choice, and hedgehogs in pet stores are usually milled.
exotic birds-not properly cared for.
cats and dogs-don't buy from pet stores or from breeders, people need to adopt pets that already don't have homes.-make breeding cat's and dogs illegal.

I'm OK with the above animals being sold at specialized stores with knowledgeable employees and such. Except for gold fish. and cat's and dogs.
 

mrbonzai211

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
534
I'm OK with the above animals being sold at specialized stores with knowledgeable employees and such. Except for gold fish. and cat's and dogs.
I'm not against them being sold, just sold at pet stores. In my ideal world, people would have to seek them out from private breeders (captive bred ONLY) because the people who take the time to do this, typically know how to care for what they are buying. People who buy off of spur of the moment are the cruelest owners.... I hate pet stores :mad:
 

super-pede

Arachnobaron
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
543
my philosophy(which may sound cruel/irrational but here it is) dogs should be illegal to breed.Period.
cats in shelters should be euthanized after 2 weeks.any animal that goes through the shelter and into a new home must be spayed or neutered. only licensed breeders(that pay a 5000$ annual fee to breed them) will be allowed to breed cats.all cat's would be fixed prior to being sold.

I believe that most exotic animals should be sold by the proper people. they can be sold and owned in good condition if owned by the right people.(provide proof of your owning capabilities in some way-test perhaps?)
 

pitbulllady

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
2,290
Any of these pets can be sold and cared for by someone who knows what they are doing, however, most people who buy these from store end up killing them out of ignorance. What pets would you remove from the hobby any why?

Hermit crabs- Experienced and knowledgeable crab owners typically get 4-7 years out of a crab given perfect conditions. In the wild they can live 25-40 years. They cannot be bed in captivity because they grow up on coral reefs before coming back to land. A typical owner kills theirs within a few months. I'm a 5 year veteran in HCs and I know that just acclimating a crab from horrible store conditions to proper conditions will kill roughly 25% of crabs if you do it slowly, 50% or higher of you don't acclimate them slowly.

Iguanas- I'm sure we all know why. Most people buy them when they are cute and young, then abandon/kill them when they are 6 feet of evil.

Any snake that eclipses 15 feet- the larger they get, the more likely they are to get killed or abandoned by Joe Know-nothing who buys them as babies and dont realize what they are getting into. I hear all the time, "they only grow to the size of their enclosure.".... yeah, right.....

Brackish water fish- most stores sell them in fresh water and do not provide information that require salt or their proper salinty.... Case in point, "freshwater" stone fish... cannot live in captivity... at all, even under proper conditions.... dont even try.

Pet rocks- they are stupid.
I would totally remove all Animal Rights activists from the hobby, that's what. I make absolutely no bones about that. As for animals, if you can provide for it, then you should be able to keep it. I've had animals like tigers, wolves, leopards, bobcats, large constrictors, venomous snakes, tarantulas, American Pit Bull Terriers, Akitas, and many others that this or that group says cannot be kept in captivity or maintained without either being horribly cruel to the animal or putting the lives of everyone around me in grave danger. Some of those animals I would not be able to keep again, due to my own lifestyle changes and age, others I would and still in fact do, in spite of the AR's screaming that it's cruel of me to do so. A lot of what you posted are just verbatim repeats of what anti-animal groups like PETA and HSUS spew forth to pursuade politicians to pass laws regulating ALL animal ownership right out of existance, and to convince the gullible John Q. Public that people who keep this or that animal are horrible, vile, evil scum-of-the-planet who should be treated like child molestors, if not worse. Name an animal, and I can tell you someone who believes that you should not keep it, own it, sell it or breed it because it's cruel to do, no one can possibly care for that animal properly, the animal is too dangerous, yada yada yada. There are many, many people who want to see tarantulas out of the hobby. There are people here who hate cats and would love to see cats erradicated. There are people who oppose keeping parrots or other birds. Do you think that there are people who abandon or mistreat dogs because the dog becomes too much trouble, or the owners can no longer handle the dog, or it gets too big, or any countless reasons? If you don't, check with your local animal shelter. Does that mean that because of the hundreds of thousands of dogs that wind up in animal shelters, that no one should be allowed to own, breed or sell dogs, that dogs should "be removed from the hobby"? The AR's sure think so. If all of us actually had the opportunity to remove from the hobby, as you say, whatever animals we don't like or would not want to keep or all the animals that the AR's tell us can't be properly kept without being cruel or shortening their lives or putting people's lives in dangers, what would be left, seriously? And THAT is exactly what they want-no animals being kept, owned, sold, bought or used by humans in any way, shape or form. I'm not especially fond of horses, personally. I wouldn't want to own one. I'm a bit scared of horses. Horses injure and kill thousands of people each year in the US alone, and many horses are abused and neglected and abandoned each year. With a few exceptions, we no longer need them for transportation. Does this mean I want to see horses banned, or "removed from the hobby"? Does this mean that I don't want anyone to be able to buy or own a horse? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What the AR's DON'T tell you, of course, is that for every mistreated or abandoned(fill in animal species of your choice) there are many, many more which are much-loved pets or valued breeding stock which are well and properly cared for. THAT does not suit their agenda, but all the sordid tales of abandoned pythons that got too big or wolfdogs turning on their owners or parrots pulling out their feathers tugs at people's emotions, and emotions, rather than logic, is what drives their success. You are simply repeating the PETA/HSUS mantra, you and Superpede both, and supporting their ultimate goal of an animal-free society. "I don't like it so no one should be able to have it"-I mean, egomaniacal control freak MUCH?

pitbulllady
 

SandDeku

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 15, 2008
Messages
594
pac man frogs-people think they uber tight till all they see is a beautiful rock sitting in the corner doing nothing.
goldfish-I just don't like goldfish
turtles- not enough people know how to care for aquatic turtles properly.
most inverts-people don't care for them properly
hedgehogs- people buy them as a spur of the moment choice, and hedgehogs in pet stores are usually milled.
exotic birds-not properly cared for.
cats and dogs-don't buy from pet stores or from breeders, people need to adopt pets that already don't have homes.-make breeding cat's and dogs illegal.

I'm OK with the above animals being sold at specialized stores with knowledgeable employees and such. Except for gold fish. and cat's and dogs.
I have goldfish and I like them. Turtles are not bad pets. I keep them myself. In fact they are the most active reptile you can pretty much own. In my opinion nothing is really as active as one.
 

SandDeku

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 15, 2008
Messages
594
I'm not against them being sold, just sold at pet stores. In my ideal world, people would have to seek them out from private breeders (captive bred ONLY) because the people who take the time to do this, typically know how to care for what they are buying. People who buy off of spur of the moment are the cruelest owners.... I hate pet stores :mad:
Ehh. I worked at a petstore. Wasn't really that bad of a place. Business is business bro. You have to remember that. Why don't you give your money to the people that need it then? You have to realize these people are hard working. They work to live. Most people think that they do it to spend money and make a fortune. Well buddy boy. What's your job? What do you do for a living? Would you like to trade places with a head CEO of a company like petsmart? Asking that if you make above average(90k and up).

It's a cycle. Don't blame the store. Blame the pet owners. For the most part a lot of pet owners try to look information and rarely get decent one. In fact when I first started in the fish and reptile hobby I bought myself a turtle. which I still own. Guess what? NOBODY gave me correct advice. Went online. Alot of stuff was controversial. Went to a forum--- people were stuck up, snobbish and rude. I had to pretty much suck up to people just to get the information that I should have had in the first place.


Most of the stuff said is pretty biased(this also goes for what Iam saying as well as your opinion). Because my first experience was being treated like crud forum after forum till I found appropriate ones.


You know how nerve wrecking it is for a 13year old teenager to hear he's a horrible person because he bought a turtle? When he didn't know anything? THATS THE POINT! The point is-- because nobody takes the time to actually do something and teach people these things happen. Heck I don't see any of you going pro- about it and heading over to petstores trying to teach employees or going to expos trying to teach people.

Most of the stuff that happens is:

1)Regular people(talking about people with starting interest in reptiles or whatever--- but not to that deep obsession a lot of keepers do have-- don't deny it. If you know more information than a regular keeper you're basically obsessed. that's to my opinion. But no its not a bad thing.)
Because they are "regular" people with just "Starting" interest it'd be asking TOO much of them to know everything off the bat. I see people who learn things within a year and go around to forums and act like a snobbish jerk. Which bugs the crud out of me. Because it puts off potential keepers away. And guess what happens then? Lets go to step 2.

2) Those new "keepers" now in turn go to a petstore for advice which is a mistake because they just "work" there. You can't expect a petstore to teach every employee everything about everything about animals bro. It's extremely impossible. You know how many people get fired? If that was to happen they'd be wasting money. You have to understand you're human too. Just like everyone else-- and greed is over rated. It's just the way we need to survive. In the natural world clinging onto those thoughts about greed will get you eaten by another animal. The animal who isn't assertive enough to eat the food first ends up weaker and in return gets eaten by another predator.


And guess what happens to those keepers who turn to a petstore? They get bad adviced. Then they have a pet who either sits like a rock, or smells like crud because they don't know they're supposed to do weekly cleaning and daily spot cleaning and such. Then they have TOO MUCH WORK on their shoulders and what happens next?

3)Then the keeper is forced to give it up and with a saddened face it ends up being at a shelter or let loose in the woods or whatnot.

And guess what? It's not the new keeper's fault. It's the people who give information. Because I can point out so many places online where people are extremely rude and obnoxious towards "newbies" and "noobs".

You have to understand these people are just LIKE YOU. BUT at a younger age. You may have the luck to keep them because you have the money. But should they be deprived from all the fun just because someone thinks they're too poor to keep one? Most teenagers have to pay for their own stuff bro. I started out like that. But luckily my parents lightened up. But most don't end up lightening up.


Most of this stuff where people say the "keepers" are irresponsible and such and shouldn't be allowed to keep animals. Guess what? It's also the responsibility of the reptile community to teach the newbies the rope. It's like school. If no one teaches you--- who will? I say this because I myself used to have that problem online.


I occasionally still do(sometimes people think I don't know but in reality I do but I just ask for opinion-- lol confusing huh?). Most of these people are pre-teens, kids, teens, and young adults. You can't expect them to be tolerant to insults when they themselves have to go through that through school. Just out of they get from a place where they get bullied-- they go online to be bullied some more? Really? and you expect them not to turn away? Then people say "well urr hurrr they're uhh wimps". No its not that they're wimps. It's just they're human beings.


I say this in hope people reading this understand the severe issue of this. Because the younger people are the people of tomorrow; and when you need more votes to cancel a law that could be passing by--- like say BAN ON ALL EXOTICS(Basically anything BUT dogs, cats, and goldfish). Guess what? you will have only your small community of the same people.

I understand the age different. Most people around here and other parts of the exotic hobbies are "older". But that's the problem. Because they're older--- they don't understand the quite possibility that the newcomers into the hobbies are quite YOUNGER. With less tolerance and higher sensitivity than an adult would.


Point is--- don't blame the stores, don't blame the new keepers so much. Because part of the blame is on the community that is reluctant to accept newcomers. It gets really hard to fit in sometimes.

Oh and p.s. I'm not trying to put anyone down nor am I angry. I just think its something that is seriously over looked.
 

mrbonzai211

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
534
Ummmm pitbull lady.... not talking about making them illegal.... just want them to be more difficult to be purchased by people who will kill them with ignorance. I respect the right to own and keep certain pets. I just hate going to pet stores and looking at every exotic and knowing in my head that it will be dead in a year because whoever buys it will neglect it and kill it our of ignorane.

I'm actually promoting private trade and the promotion of captive bred animals produced by knowledgeable breeders where people need to seek them out. The arachnid hobby is amazing because this is the model. You have to find a breeder to get what you want and most people who buy from breeders, and take the time to find these breeders, are people who also take the time to research what they are buying.

I appreciate what you said, i just don't see it relevant to my argument, which is, pet stores sell ignorance and death.... well that and, everybody wang-chung tonight
 

super-pede

Arachnobaron
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
543
ummmm pitbull lady.... Not talking about making them illegal.... Just want them to be more difficult to be purchased by people who will kill them with ignorance. I respect the right to own and keep certain pets. I just hate going to pet stores and looking at every exotic and knowing in my head that it will be dead in a year because whoever buys it will neglect it and kill it our of ignorane.

I'm actually promoting private trade and the promotion of captive bred animals produced by knowledgeable breeders where people need to seek them out. The arachnid hobby is amazing because this is the model. You have to find a breeder to get what you want and most people who buy from breeders, and take the time to find these breeders, are people who also take the time to research what they are buying.

I appreciate what you said, i just don't see it relevant to my argument, which is, pet stores sell ignorance and death.... Well that and, everybody wang-chung tonight
+1^^^^^^^^

---------- Post added at 12:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 AM ----------

You are simply repeating the PETA/HSUS mantra, you and Superpede both, and supporting their ultimate goal of an animal-free society.
please indicate where I said/repeated their"mantra".
and please utilize indentation. I was having trouble reading your rant.

our hobby has a positive effect on conservation of endangered species.Peta and other ARA groups fail to realize that if we weren't around, many species wouldn't be as well.

now this thread is pretty much an opinion thread. SO I am gonna try to stay on topic.
I believe that there should be restrictions on exotic animals. unfortunately most of the restrictions in place right now were made by people who may have never even been close, much less studied the animals that they were passing a law about.
for instance, the python ban in FLA right now. there was a python roundup recently that turned up 0 pythons. they assume that the florida winters and other ailments that they are not used to killed most of them off. yet there is still an effective ban on pythons to the best of my knowledge going on in florida.
there is just poor knowledge relating to reptiles and other exotics which then makes people not be able to keep their pets properly.

then there is also bubba who thinks he can handle a 300 pound python and so he buys it cause billybob and bart thinks it's cool to watch.

and theres the 14-18 year olds who can handle anything
 

SandDeku

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 15, 2008
Messages
594
Ummmm pitbull lady.... not talking about making them illegal.... just want them to be more difficult to be purchased by people who will kill them with ignorance. I respect the right to own and keep certain pets. I just hate going to pet stores and looking at every exotic and knowing in my head that it will be dead in a year because whoever buys it will neglect it and kill it our of ignorane.

I'm actually promoting private trade and the promotion of captive bred animals produced by knowledgeable breeders where people need to seek them out. The arachnid hobby is amazing because this is the model. You have to find a breeder to get what you want and most people who buy from breeders, and take the time to find these breeders, are people who also take the time to research what they are buying.

I appreciate what you said, i just don't see it relevant to my argument, which is, pet stores sell ignorance and death.... well that and, everybody wang-chung tonight
This is a two way street. But because most stores don't sell Tarantulas they're even more so feared. Because people could buy one and learn about em. Not every reptile that is bought by a novice won't just die. And those who die won't die a non-meaningfull death. Those deaths mean that we get to keep the hobby. If its not in the stores people that make those laws and those who vote will have no way of knowing wether it should be allowed to keep or not. and eventually being illegal altogether. Remember not everything is a complete waste. I love animals as much as the next guy. But sometimes somethings can't be prevent. And most ways to get alot of reptiles are almost impossible to begin with. Atleast the really exotic ones.
 

super-pede

Arachnobaron
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
543
This is a two way street. But because most stores don't sell Tarantulas they're even more so feared. Because people could buy one and learn about em. Not every reptile that is bought by a novice won't just die. And those who die won't die a non-meaningfull death. Those deaths mean that we get to keep the hobby. If its not in the stores people that make those laws and those who vote will have no way of knowing wether it should be allowed to keep or not. and eventually being illegal altogether. Remember not everything is a complete waste. I love animals as much as the next guy. But sometimes somethings can't be prevent. And most ways to get alot of reptiles are almost impossible to begin with. Atleast the really exotic ones.
true dat.

every one was once a complete novice at some point
 

OphidianDelight

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 19, 2011
Messages
190
It seems to me that maybe this thread doesn't really suit the spirit of these boards; it would be like logging on one day and seeing that nobody could ask questions about their rose-hairs anymore due to consensus. I think a lot of people come here to participate in discussions about the animals they keep. What I took from this was "I hate petstores" and blaming folks for making poor choices. Your position went from removing animals from the hobby (post 1) to not being against their sale as long as it is through private channels (post 3).

I empathize with your frustration with the pet industry, I truly do. Not every petstore is evil; when I worked one, we had the luxury of being an independent retailer and developing our own sales policies. The salesperson had the right to refuse sale at any point for the better good of the animal. We would direct them to books, websites and magazines to expand their knowledge.

If exotic pets could only be sold through private breeders then how many stores do you think would exist to sell exotic pet supplies? Profit margins for selling food (even dog food) are a lot lower than most people think; aquariums and other glassware have slim margins as well. There would be considerable mark-up to ensure the store could remain open in this faux-scenario. I just don't see a lot of people privately stocking tons of bags of food, hordes of breeding rats, tubs of bugs and freezers of feeders--and yes, there are a rare few who do, but not enough for us to do away with all the evil pet stores.

If you are to direct your frustration anywhere, it should be with the public, but experience tells me that venting frustration at strangers won't change anything either. The best I believe we, as responsible keepers, can do is offer help as best as we can to whomever we can. Reach out to your community. Participate and get the truth out. Spread your specialty and connect with others to cover gaps of knowledge. You can catch more bugs with sweet than sour.
 

odiakkoh

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 8, 2010
Messages
57
I would totally remove all Animal Rights activists from the hobby, that's what. I make absolutely no bones about that. As for animals, if you can provide for it, then you should be able to keep it. I've had animals like tigers, wolves, leopards, bobcats, large constrictors, venomous snakes, tarantulas, American Pit Bull Terriers, Akitas, and many others that this or that group says cannot be kept in captivity or maintained without either being horribly cruel to the animal or putting the lives of everyone around me in grave danger. Some of those animals I would not be able to keep again, due to my own lifestyle changes and age, others I would and still in fact do, in spite of the AR's screaming that it's cruel of me to do so. A lot of what you posted are just verbatim repeats of what anti-animal groups like PETA and HSUS spew forth to pursuade politicians to pass laws regulating ALL animal ownership right out of existance, and to convince the gullible John Q. Public that people who keep this or that animal are horrible, vile, evil scum-of-the-planet who should be treated like child molestors, if not worse. Name an animal, and I can tell you someone who believes that you should not keep it, own it, sell it or breed it because it's cruel to do, no one can possibly care for that animal properly, the animal is too dangerous, yada yada yada. There are many, many people who want to see tarantulas out of the hobby. There are people here who hate cats and would love to see cats erradicated. There are people who oppose keeping parrots or other birds. Do you think that there are people who abandon or mistreat dogs because the dog becomes too much trouble, or the owners can no longer handle the dog, or it gets too big, or any countless reasons? If you don't, check with your local animal shelter. Does that mean that because of the hundreds of thousands of dogs that wind up in animal shelters, that no one should be allowed to own, breed or sell dogs, that dogs should "be removed from the hobby"? The AR's sure think so. If all of us actually had the opportunity to remove from the hobby, as you say, whatever animals we don't like or would not want to keep or all the animals that the AR's tell us can't be properly kept without being cruel or shortening their lives or putting people's lives in dangers, what would be left, seriously? And THAT is exactly what they want-no animals being kept, owned, sold, bought or used by humans in any way, shape or form. I'm not especially fond of horses, personally. I wouldn't want to own one. I'm a bit scared of horses. Horses injure and kill thousands of people each year in the US alone, and many horses are abused and neglected and abandoned each year. With a few exceptions, we no longer need them for transportation. Does this mean I want to see horses banned, or "removed from the hobby"? Does this mean that I don't want anyone to be able to buy or own a horse? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What the AR's DON'T tell you, of course, is that for every mistreated or abandoned(fill in animal species of your choice) there are many, many more which are much-loved pets or valued breeding stock which are well and properly cared for. THAT does not suit their agenda, but all the sordid tales of abandoned pythons that got too big or wolfdogs turning on their owners or parrots pulling out their feathers tugs at people's emotions, and emotions, rather than logic, is what drives their success. You are simply repeating the PETA/HSUS mantra, you and Superpede both, and supporting their ultimate goal of an animal-free society. "I don't like it so no one should be able to have it"-I mean, egomaniacal control freak MUCH?

pitbulllady
I love you. You managed to say everything I wanted to with tact (which I lack). I would probably be banned if I worded it my way lol.
 

malevolentrobot

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
310
I empathize with your frustration with the pet industry, I truly do. Not every petstore is evil; when I worked one, we had the luxury of being an independent retailer and developing our own sales policies. The salesperson had the right to refuse sale at any point for the better good of the animal. We would direct them to books, websites and magazines to expand their knowledge.
i really wish this was the way things could be, but when i worked at an independent retailer myself and a few of my fellow coworkers tried this, and we nearly got fired. i learned my stuff, ways to sell the right things instead of the superfluous, learned ways to effectively steer customers in the right direction (education first, mostly) with just the right amount of pursuasion, got applauded on my honesty, made repeat customers that stayed with the store for years until i left, but even i didn't do enough good in my dealings to not undergo scrutiny for damaging the bottom line at the store, even as their lead and top seller.

and even when retail isn't being a terribly dishonest practice, sometimes not giving the customer what they want can end up being an even worse hassle than doing it to keep your concience clean.

i understand where both sides are coming from. do i want a ban on certain pets period? absolutely not. but like the OP posed, do i wish certain things were way harder to find than an impulse buy at a petstore with a clueless employee helping you? absolutely.

i guess if somebody really wants something, they'll find a way to get it, not much we can do. maybe they will learn a little bit about it in their quest. but there's probably an 80% of the rest who will give up in the meantime and find something else shiny and easier to find. maybe buy a wii. or even adopt a rescue kitty instead :)

and that 80%... my god, after rehabbing multiple mistreated and abandoned pets that were bought as a frivolous fancy, after hearing stories my closest coworker who used to be a vet-tech would tell me, and seeing senseless death and cruelty to animals who would have been better off not born, yes 80% does matter.
 
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mrbonzai211

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
534
I would totally remove all PEOPLE WHO WEAR SOCKS WITH SANDALS from the hobby, that's what. I make absolutely no CANADIAN PEOPLE about that. As for animals, if you can provide for it, then you should be able to USE IT AS FINE FURNITURE. I've had animals like DINOSAURS, NINJAS, THE COMMON COLD, THE MOVIE VAN WILDER, large AMOUNTS OF CHEESE, venomous REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY, A TWIST TIE I FOUND ON THE BUS, WILMER VALDERAMA FROM THAT 70's SHOW, CHARZAR, and many others that this or that group says cannot be kept in BIRTHDAY CAKE or maintained without either being horribly JOHN HUGHES ANGST RIDDEN to the animal or putting the lives of everyone around me in grave TYLENOL PM.
pitbulllady
fun with ad-libs troll ;P;P;P;P;P
 

CFleming

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
31
I would totally remove all Animal Rights activists from the hobby, that's what. I make absolutely no bones about that. As for animals, if you can provide for it, then you should be able to keep it. I've had animals like tigers, wolves, leopards, bobcats, large constrictors, venomous snakes, tarantulas, American Pit Bull Terriers, Akitas, and many others that this or that group says cannot be kept in captivity or maintained without either being horribly cruel to the animal or putting the lives of everyone around me in grave danger. Some of those animals I would not be able to keep again, due to my own lifestyle changes and age, others I would and still in fact do, in spite of the AR's screaming that it's cruel of me to do so. A lot of what you posted are just verbatim repeats of what anti-animal groups like PETA and HSUS spew forth to pursuade politicians to pass laws regulating ALL animal ownership right out of existance, and to convince the gullible John Q. Public that people who keep this or that animal are horrible, vile, evil scum-of-the-planet who should be treated like child molestors, if not worse. Name an animal, and I can tell you someone who believes that you should not keep it, own it, sell it or breed it because it's cruel to do, no one can possibly care for that animal properly, the animal is too dangerous, yada yada yada. There are many, many people who want to see tarantulas out of the hobby. There are people here who hate cats and would love to see cats erradicated. There are people who oppose keeping parrots or other birds. Do you think that there are people who abandon or mistreat dogs because the dog becomes too much trouble, or the owners can no longer handle the dog, or it gets too big, or any countless reasons? If you don't, check with your local animal shelter. Does that mean that because of the hundreds of thousands of dogs that wind up in animal shelters, that no one should be allowed to own, breed or sell dogs, that dogs should "be removed from the hobby"? The AR's sure think so. If all of us actually had the opportunity to remove from the hobby, as you say, whatever animals we don't like or would not want to keep or all the animals that the AR's tell us can't be properly kept without being cruel or shortening their lives or putting people's lives in dangers, what would be left, seriously? And THAT is exactly what they want-no animals being kept, owned, sold, bought or used by humans in any way, shape or form. I'm not especially fond of horses, personally. I wouldn't want to own one. I'm a bit scared of horses. Horses injure and kill thousands of people each year in the US alone, and many horses are abused and neglected and abandoned each year. With a few exceptions, we no longer need them for transportation. Does this mean I want to see horses banned, or "removed from the hobby"? Does this mean that I don't want anyone to be able to buy or own a horse? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What the AR's DON'T tell you, of course, is that for every mistreated or abandoned(fill in animal species of your choice) there are many, many more which are much-loved pets or valued breeding stock which are well and properly cared for. THAT does not suit their agenda, but all the sordid tales of abandoned pythons that got too big or wolfdogs turning on their owners or parrots pulling out their feathers tugs at people's emotions, and emotions, rather than logic, is what drives their success. You are simply repeating the PETA/HSUS mantra, you and Superpede both, and supporting their ultimate goal of an animal-free society. "I don't like it so no one should be able to have it"-I mean, egomaniacal control freak MUCH?

pitbulllady
I agree 100%.
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
2,336
Pets I wish weren't sold at pet stores: anything above and beyond properly kept, captive bred animals intended as feeders - i.e. mealworms, superworms, crickets, roaches, feeder fish, rodents, etc. And I confess that to being a partially selfish sentiment. I do raise my own roaches and keep a mealworm culture, but crickets just plain stink. Weeks that I want to feed crickets, I would rather just buy and feed rather than fool with raising them. But, if they weren't available at the LPS, then I would suck it up and raise them.

Many years ago I, too, worked at an independent distributor where:
The salesperson had the right to refuse sale at any point for the better good of the animal. We would direct them to books, websites and magazines to expand their knowledge.
We were primarily a pet supply store that kept a limited supply of live animals for educational purposes and occasional sale to appropriate homes.

It's hard not to generalize, but most live sales at pet stores are spur of the moment and/or sympathy sales with the buyer seeing something novel that he/she suddenly can't live without, or that he/she feels sorry for because it appears so pitiful. There is no pre-consideration as to the long term health and well-being of the individual animal. Some buyers do seek to educate themselves on their new pet. Most do not and the animal:
dies a slow, agonal death in inappropriate conditions,
is stressfully re-homed multiple times,
is released inappropriately into an inappropriate environment,
bites/hurts someone and is remanded to animal control...etc...

my philosophy(which may sound cruel/irrational but here it is) dogs should be illegal to breed.Period. cats in shelters should be euthanized after 2 weeks.
Ah, a PETA member.... :barf:
It should be illegal for most humans to breed, but that is another thread...
 

pouchedrat

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
614
as a lover of exotic animals, I'm staying out of this thread, lol...
 
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