1st post! I'm jumping right in on a 'hot' thread, yay!
I'm going to cover a few different things, here...
Sorry to be off topic but its important to me!!!!
so help me here.....is it against law in come states/
cities to own boa and python snakes in their homes
as pets? there are some children in the home!!
First, there are many different species of boas and pythons, and I know many herpers that keep them. Typically, when you hear of someone being injured, it's due to burmese pythons, which get very large and powerful. One person should never attempt to handle a full-grown burmese python alone.
As for allowing the child to handle the snakes, it's really not a big deal. I've handled many snakes, from childhood, and many wildlife education programs have snakes that children can touch, hold etc.
Next topic, pit bulls. Yes, pit bulls have been bred to fight. With other dogs. However, they were also bred NOT to bite humans. When in the fighting pit, if one dog 'locked' (I know this is not literal, but I mean when one has a grip and won't let go) the handlers had to be able to go in and separate the dogs. They did not want the dogs attacking them. Now, I work in a veterinary hospital, I am a dog obedience trainer and I have volunteered with shelters and rescues so I have a lot of experience with dogs of all types.
In general, pit bulls are extraordinarily sweet tempered dogs with their people when they have been properly raised and socialized. The problem, though, comes with all of the overbreeding by people that just throw a couple pits together to breed, unsocialized dogs chained up all the time outside. This is a huge problem especially with pit bulls. That and the image that is perpetuated often in poorer parts of inner cities where pit bulls and drug circles go hand in hand.
Finally, exotic pets. I have also worked with wildlife. In college I did internships at a large public aquarium, where I did marine animal rehabilitation and also cared for the patients in the medical center. I strongly disagree with keeping wild species as pets. They are never domesticated, but some do become tame. But they should never be trusted and you must always be vigilant. I did much of my work with wild seals that were being treated for eventual release, but even when I dealt with the resident sea lions, which interacted with their trainers and the public daily, I never let my guard down completely. Even though these sea lions would give kisses to children after perfomances, there were days where the trainers would pull one of the animals off the performance schedule because they were cranky, or not acting quite 'right'.
That's my take, anyway. Oh, and hello everyone!
