Where do you draw the line on exotic "pets"? Why?

[crzycoookies]

There are exotic pets ranging from the "simple" chinchilla, to the tiger, whos probably only been in captivity for a few gens. Where do you draw the line on exotic pets, either by size or by amount of time in capitivity, or do you think we should just stick with cats and dogs, and why?
If you're against exotic pets because they are meant to be wild, then you are against any pet.. How were dogs and cats domesticated? From wild animals by our ancestors.

[So Jersey]

Exotic, or wild animals, do not make good pets. They are not domesticated like our standard pets. I think it is really cruel to try and make a wild animal a pet.

[nissafairy109]

exoctic pets should be limited because once some wild animals grow, their owners can't take care of them. For example, some people love baby chimps, because they are cute and cuddly. But once hey become more agressive adults, people can't handle them anymore, so they shoot them or give them to a humane society. Big cats should also not be allowed. Chinchillas are pushing it, b ut they are managable, so they could be allowed. But some wild animals are just not meant to me pets. Birds larger than a small hakk shouldn't be allowed unless they have been raised their whole lives in captivity.
that there is the key to keeping animals. if the animals can be taught from birth how to behave, then they can become managable and can be kept. But this is not ok for things like big cats and alligators.

[tigger_odie]

An exotic pet is a a pet other than your average everyday pet. (snakes, lizards, and ferrets are considered exotic for example) I do not think there should be any 'line' as to if you can have it. We do need more regulations though to detour bad owners from getting an animal just because "It's cool" or "My friends will be jelous because I got an alligator".

[Tabby Cat]

I love pets. I have a lot more than just dogs and cats. I love my dog and cats but I love a lot of other pets too. I would love to have so many more pets but it's a matter of having time for them, space for them, and the money needed to take care of all of them. Actually, I would love a Chinchilla but I know that they require a lot of care and I just don't have the time or money but I think they are so cute. I have 3 rabbits, 3 guinea pigs--I could have 100 guinea pigs. I love mine so much. I have 3 fancy mice, 4 gerbils, 2 hamsters, 2 diamond doves, and an aquatic fish. It's up to each person what they want to keep as pets but I love have so many different kinds of pets.

[Jenni R]

As an environmental consultant my view is we have messed up the planet so much that if we don't own exotic pets then then some of them are likely to go extinct.

As long as we can care for the pet in the fashion is deserves (I'm talking properly not just putting a tiger in a small zoo cage, but really caring for it so it can hunt and breed and live in some kind of simulated wild environment) then it might be the only way we can keep some species alive.

Depressing I know - but true.

x x

[Steph.x]

I hate people who keep Macaws in cages and all wild animals as pets, because they should be free [lol].
I think we should just stick with cats, dogs, budgies, rabbits etc because they're like not endangered and stuff...
=]

[Invisigoth]

I draw the line on exotic pets when they are:

1. dangerous--to you personally or to the public or the environment/ecosystem if they got out

2. endangered in the wild--captive breeding programs should be run by people trained to run them

3. can't be/aren't bred in captivity--I think it is cruel to harvest wild animals exclusively for the pet trade. This means as a fish keeper, I don't have certain types of fish--even though they may be commonly available in the pet stores. If they are able to be bred in captivity in such numbers that it is possible to have them as pets, then that is fine with me. Otherwise, I think that it can be dangerous to remove a link in the ecosystem and upset the balance of nature if you are taking the animals from the wild but not attempting to breed them in captivity. In a situation like this, it could be possible to depelete the animal in the wild and do damage to the ecosystem with the animal's absence.

4. you are not able to keep them in a habitat similar to what they would have in the wild. It's cruel to the animal to keep them in inappropriate housing. If you can't house them properly, then you have no business having them.

Even captive bred animals enjoy a habitat similar to what they would have in the wild. I refused to go to zoos when I was a teenager because they still kept the animals in cages. When I was in college, I supported local zoo efforts to update the zoo and make the animal enclosures more natural. Animals that are kept in surroundings that they enjoy and are happy in will breed readily and easily.

[brothersaid .]

Dont buy animals that can eat you.