keeping Exotic animals in Australia

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Kit_fox

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Hi guys, one thing that has always really anoyed and confused me is to why we're allowed to keep all sorts of exotic birds and sea creatures, but not one exotic reptile or amphibian (other than axolotls). I mean, it makes perfect sense when people say that exotic imported reptiles and amphibians could become invasive and what nort, but why then doesn't this aply to fish and birds? finally, what makes axolotls except from this exotic amphibians and reptiles ban (not criticising axolotls, I love them)
sorry if someone else has already asked this somewhere, I couldn't find anything on it
 
i think its because axolotls are critically endangered....and I'm an american who moved here only five years ago and i'm upset with the species allowances, seriously :T while the USA exotic species trade has gotten way out of hand i still think Australia needs to be relaxed with most banned species. Mostly because I had to leave my very beloved Ball Python behind and she died while i was overseas, really wish i had been with her during her final days.

I also find individual state reptile laws pretty funny....you can go to Victoria and just pick up a Shingleback from the wild, you do that in the ACT where I live and you'll get in ALOT of trouble....and you cant advertise selling snakes in the ACT but if you're not advertising its okay, fffttt. what?
 
No you cannot just go out and pick up a Shingleback - Trachydosaurus Rugosa Asper from the wild here in Victoria, you must have a basic or advance wildlife licence to keep these in Victoria.

You must be thinking of the Blotched or Eastern Blue-Tongues that you don't need a wildlife licence to keep in Victoria, this does not mean you can just go out and take them from the wild it is illegal to do without a valid take from the wild permit.
 
ahh sorry i might have been confused thanks for clarifying. The local reptile keeper said it like that but i realize he meant that Best Friends Pet Store just goes out and picks them up.....at the same time i'd be pretty easy to have a basic wildlife license if they're anything like the ACT licenses, so it bothers me either way.
 
i think its because axolotls are critically endangered....and I'm an american who moved here only five years ago and i'm upset with the species allowances, seriously :T while the USA exotic species trade has gotten way out of hand i still think Australia needs to be relaxed with most banned species. Mostly because I had to leave my very beloved Ball Python behind and she died while i was overseas, really wish i had been with her during her final days.

I also find individual state reptile laws pretty funny....you can go to Victoria and just pick up a Shingleback from the wild, you do that in the ACT where I live and you'll get in ALOT of trouble....and you cant advertise selling snakes in the ACT but if you're not advertising its okay, fffttt. what?
This is what I'm talking about when I say I hate people attempting to impose their own laws into another country. I come from France, and the rules there are much like in America regarding reptiles. But when we came here, I had to adapt to the laws, just like other foreigners. This may sound harsh, but don't come to a country if you are unhappy with it's laws. The rules are in place to protect our native fauna from irresponsible owners.
 
ahh sorry i might have been confused thanks for clarifying. The local reptile keeper said it like that but i realize he meant that Best Friends Pet Store just goes out and picks them up.....at the same time i'd be pretty easy to have a basic wildlife license if they're anything like the ACT licenses, so it bothers me either way.

NO pet store in the eastern states are allowed to take native wildlife to sell in their premises ! This is classed as poaching.
 
Just because we have other exotic and invasive species already doesn't mean we should throw in the towel and make it a free for all.
How silly.

We should be doing more to protect our natives and their ecosystems, not less!
 
For me, I'm mostly content fine with the reptiles we have here (though the regulations are really harsh). I'm just confused to why birds and fish can be imported but not reptiles or aphimphans (and at the very least why we aren't allowed to import/export the native reptiles/aphimphans that we do have, like you can do with dogs, cats and the like)
 
I think you will find that most, if not all, exotic species of birds and fish are banned now. That doesn't mean that they can't be bred and kept.
 
Want to know why ?

- cats (feral and pet)
- rats
- mice
- dogs
- foxes
- buffalo
- pigs
- rabbits
- feral goats
- indian minor birds
- cane toads
- carp
- gold fish
- trout
- fire ants
- argentine ants
- European wasps
- camels
- horses
- cattle and sheep (over grazing and destruction of native habitat for their ease of farming)
I'm sure there are lots of other exotic animals brought in as pets, to hunt, to farm, accidentially, that can be brought up.

We don't need more exotic animals introduced (just to line the pockets of some breeders).
 
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Just thinking out loud, has there ever been one introduced animal (both accidentally and on purpose) that has had a positive impact on the local environment?
 
The import/Export of birds in Australia has been severed for many years now, not to mention the damage that most exotic birds could do to our wildlife is nothing compared to what an invasion of exotic reptiles and amphibians could do. Australia already has the worst extinction rate of mammalian species in the world- Image what an infestation of yet another foreign species could do?
There are so many good reasons in why bringing exotic reptiles and amphibians to Australia is a bad idea, don't get me wrong I reckon some of the exotics you can find in the US are absolutely stunning animals and I would love to get my hands on some- But they don't belong here, where our local wildlife is already under threat.
 
Australia has almost all climate and habitat types wrapped up in one country, so there are niches for just about all introduced species to become established. Many of the European countries and the more northern parts of the USA have relatively cool to very cold climates which preclude the establishment of almost all exotic pest species - they might live a few months in the warmer part of the year, but winters invariably knock them off. They can survive only as pets in a managed environment.

Jamie
 
That's all we need.
Especially since there is a large percentage of people that can't even keep natives ethically or correctly.
 
The mentality of "possession of reptiles" is a dangerous phenomenon and it usually comes from people who least understand ecology. The argument "they're already here" (exotics) is as good as those dozens if not hundreds of released or escaped Corn snakes.
 
Well mate, it's fairly easy to get illegals...
Once you get past the scamming, avoid the authorities and find an actual seller, if you have about 1 zillion dollars for a corn snake (though they are like 20 bucks in america lol) then sure! lol

Get a zoo, great way to educate people too (as long as it doesn't have the word reptile to scare shovel-weilders and wusses off... actually call it a reptile zoo and rednecks will be evicted from society lol)

And as many have said, Australia is a big place with about every habitat on Earth, so no matter whether it's a corn snake, iguana or horned viper, they WILL survive!

Bredli
 
Well mate, it's fairly easy to get illegals...
Once you get past the scamming, avoid the authorities and find an actual seller, if you have about 1 zillion dollars for a corn snake (though they are like 20 bucks in america lol) then sure! lol

They are worth about $50-$200 here..................
 
It's very understandable why we can't import exotic species, but why can't we import/export our native animals. Like if I was to leave Australia for say America, then I'd have to leave all my reptiles and aphimphans here, but I'd be allowed to take my dogs, cats etc along with me, What's with that?
 
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