Show Me Your Teeth

taylorphantom:

t-h-a-t-s-s-o-r-a-d:

addelburgh:

pass me a towel bro

Aziraphale: Not your housekeeper my dear!

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My geriatric rat snake going for a climb. I love him so much.

Source: headlikeanorange

otterisms:

Veiled Chameleon (by Michael Molthagen)

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turtleseatingstuff:

Cat and turtle :)

thegypsyjester:

scowlywag:

Illinois Residents, Time to Write Your Senators: Dangerous Animals Act of 2012

This act would prohibit the ownership of all pythons and boas unless you get a $250 permit and $100,000 of liability coverage per animal.  This bill does not have exemptions for specific species, and all current owners would be required to comply alongside new owners.  That means that anyone who owns a ball python or other small, harmless python or boa species would have to pay $250 a year and get $100,000 of liability insurance in order to keep it.  Other animals listed in this bill include several arachnids, some toads, and prairie dogs, among many others.

This bill is totally unnecessary and excessive.  Most of the actually dangerous animals listed in this bill (large predatory cats, wild canines, primates, etc.) already require permits to own, and the previous Dangerous Animals Act put a size restriction (6 feet) in place for large snakes.  There is no reason to reverse this decision and instead prohibit the ownership of all boids, many of which, like the ball python, do not grow over the state size limits and pose virtually no threat to humans.

If you or someone you know owns or wants to become the owner of one of the harmless species that are listed in this bill, please pick up the phone (or a pen and paper) and call (or write) the people responsible for this bill:

Senator Heather A. Steans (D) (Sponsor)
District Office:
5533 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 769-1717 
(773) 769-6901 FAX
House Assignments Committee:

Senator Don Harmon (D)
District Office:
6933 W. North Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 848-2002 
(708) 848-2022 FAX

Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr. (D)
District Office:
Kenneth Hall Regional Office Building
10 Collinsville Avenue, Suite 201-A
East St. Louis, IL 62201
(618) 875-1212 
(618) 274-3010 FAX

Senator Kimberly A. Lightford (D)
District Office:
10001 West Roosevelt Road
Suite 202
Westchester, IL 60154
(708) 343-7444 
(708) 343-7400 FAX

Senator Kirk W. Dillard (R)
District Office:
One South Cass Avenue
Suite 201
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 969-0990 
(630) 969-1007 FAX

Senator Dale A. Righter (R)
District Office:
88 Broadway Avenue
Suite 1
Mattoon, IL 61938
(217) 235-6033 
(217) 235-6052 FAX

Let them know that prohibiting the ownership of all boids without a license unnecessarily punishes people who own perfectly harmless snakes and would force those people to part with pets they’ve owned and bonded with for years without incident.  Tell them that the size restrictions were enough and that your tax dollars will not go to support a bill that demonizes and criminalizes owners of harmless snakes.

(As a side note:  the bill also requires that any species listed cannot be sold for less than $250.  If anyone in Illinois would like to get a ball python or other small python or boa species, now would be the time.)

I have so many feelings about boid and python (and everything) bans. I rather like the idea of large snake species being tracked as they do tend to be the ones that are released into the wild. The reason behind this is not (obviously) because I’m a paranoid parent or snake hater, but because it is in the best interest of the animals involved. I advocate - thought the chances of it happening are slim to none - a responsible approach to a serious situation. 

Owning a large snake or any large reptile is a huge responsibility. You do have a potentially dangerous animal in the house (don’t get me wrong I love my retics and burms as much as anyone, but realistically snakes are not domestic animals and we need to account for their mood swings) that needs proper care.  I think it would be a fantastic idea to have to take a test to gain a license to own one and pay for that license. I would also be completely alright with certain specifications for their enclosures and care, along with pic tags. I think you should have to renew the license every two - five years and the money you pay should go to an enforcement officer to do checks on these animals - to ensure they are being cared for properly and not turned out when their owner realizes that their snake is no longer a foot long and is terrified. 

I also believe that, in the interest of keeping our Herp hobby seen respectable, vendors of these large snakes should start taking into account the age of the people they are selling to. Honestly, no sixteen your old should have a large reptile without the express permission of their parents - who need to understand the decision they are making.  

I know some people may say that this is just as bad as any of the other laws, but I think that it would keep our hobby safe and, hopefully, encourage better husbandry. As someone who maintains, over twenty species of snakes and runs a reptile rescue, I think I am well qualified to voice my opinion.

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daisycakez:

i like turtles

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