Have your say on the NSW DECC Code of Practice NOW OR NEVER

[JasonL]

Keepers only have till the 18th of Dec to have their input into the code of practice. I urge all experienced keepers in NSW to put some thought into it and have your say of what you think of the DECC Code of Practice for the private Keeping of Reptiles, either fill out the questionaire or email directly your thoughts on the issue.
Do you agree with the cage sizing standards?
Do you agree with the husbandry standards?
Do you agree that they will become enforceable?

Have a say in the future of your hobby, now or never.

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/wildlifelicences/09675DraftReptiles.pdf

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/wildlifelicences/09676ReptileComment.pdf

 

[marcus09]

doesnt sound very fun at all

 

[ihaveherps]

it doesnt seem like too bad a document, not perfect by any means, though I would hate for it to become enforcable regulations, would go alright if it was just guide though.

 

[girdheinz]

Be clear when you read the document and distinguish between STANDARDS and GUIDELINES OR RECOMENDATIONS. The standards are to become enforceable and the guidelines which at this stage include cage size recomendations are a guide only. People seem to be confused between the two.

Gird

 

[krefft]

This is a sticky if ever I've seen one

 

[Renagade]

i cant see any problems with the enclosure sizes....

 

[GeckoJosh]

The only peeps that will be effected are the ones that rack breed in ridiculous sized tubs

 

[jinin]

Yea, the sizes in my opinion are'nt that bad at all, they are just what i think to be the usual size people would use for each of their herps anyway.

 

[Carpetpythonmorphs]

Thanks heaps Jason.
As you can see the cage size recommendations are a good guide for beginners.
DECCW want so desperately to change the guide to... "Minimum Standards Enforceable by law". Many have noticed what I have noticed and that is how "loaded and leading"
the questions are in the Questionnaire, so I just emailed DECCW the following:

I have had __ years of keeping experience,
I support the Code as-is.
I support the enclosure size recommendations as a guide only.
I do not support a document that makes cage size mandatory minimums other than that already stated in the document.

Please modify, cut and paste this or something like this and email to DECCW ASAP, pass this on to as many herpers as possible, as if DECCW have their way they could be able to prosecute keepers based on an inspection with a tape measure!

 

[krefft]

have had __ years of keeping experience,
I support the Code as-is.
I support the enclosure size recommendations as a guide only.
I do not support a document that makes cage size mandatory minimums other than that already stated in the document.

Good work. A guide is fine, as long as it's a guide only

 

[Chimera]

Sorry guys, this is not just a guide. As has been repeatedly pointed out there are components that are standards and components that are guides. I stand by all my previous statements that an enforcable standard offers additional protection against repeated pertitioning by animal rights organisations to ban reptile keeping.

As far as the questions go I did not find them leading. To effectively process the thousands of responses that will be received from this questionnaire questions need to be option based and specific. Sorry to point this out but if you email a statement like the one suggested you may as well be putting pins in voodoo dolls.

 

[Sean#1]

This is what I submitted:
Thankyou for the opportunity for input into the new Reptile Keeping Code of Practice.
I have had 9 years of keeping experience, and have bred a variety of lizards and pythons,
I feel the Code of Practice is fair as-is, with the mix of “Standards” and “Guidelines”, sensible.
I support the enclosure size recommendations as a guideline only, and I do not support a document that makes cage size mandatory minimums other than that already stated in the document.
I feel the questionnaire you supplied is leading and the reasons for some of the lines of questioning are puzzling, especially when I can see that the C.O.P. clearly comes from well informed input.
One of the questions you ask is about enclosure height.
I do not support a stipulated height parameter as in my experience arboreal species are content to get off the ground whatever height that may be.

 

[JasonL]

On another point;
Do you agree they are getting feedback from people with limited or no experience? as they have opened this questionaire up to anyone with a lic. asking questions about husbandry and cage sizing..

 

[Colin]

As far as the questions go I did not find them leading..

Question 1) Are you now keeping or have you recently kept reptiles? If yes, for approximately how many years? Which species have you mostly kept?

innocent enough.. except if you answered 20 years but several years without a licence because NSW NPWS wouldnt issue them through the early 1990's so I had a collection anyway of pythons, elapids, geckos, skinks and dragons :lol: and there are many older keepers who fit into this very situation..

Im sure that would go down well.. so the time frame would be best condensed to only include when first licensed.. and species kept only include what you were licenced to ever keep etc etc

thats why I think their leading and thats just the first question

 

[JasonL]

lol Colin, I wrote 20 years, who cares? not me...... in fact I wasn't even aware there was a licencing system in place for a few years after it had come in :lol:, kept to myself back then, though I didn't have much of a collection and never bred anything..

 

[dtulip10]

my only thing is good quarantine i put in i though a month minimum should be implied to stop the spread of most diseases within our collections.

 

[Colin]

Ive just emailed my questionaire back to the DECC

 

[JasonL]

my only thing is good quarantine i put in i though a month minimum should be implied to stop the spread of most diseases within our collections.

A month won't stop much, many diseases / viruses can lay low for many months esp in reptiles that hide illness very well. Some bacteria can vary in amounts and only bloom and show it's ugly head when the reptile becomes ill or over winter... Quarentine for reptiles is a tricky issue and requires honest keepers, not a one month restriction.

 

[dtulip10]

A month won't stop much, many diseases / viruses can lay low for many months esp in reptiles that hide illness very well. Some bacteria can vary in amounts and only bloom and show it's ugly head when the reptile becomes ill or over winter... Quarentine for reptiles is a tricky issue and requires honest keepers, not a one month restriction.

so how would you inforce it on the keepers to be honest?

 

[JasonL]

You can't, but you can't enforce the non sale of sick reptiles either.