I'd like to start by saying I don't want to start a debate about the rights and wrongs of keeping or breeding reptiles.

I am have received some unsolicited mail from a girl who has launched a website warning that new laws will being about the end of reptile keeping. As it happens the website isn't up and running yet, but I have noticed this paranoia on a number of known forums recently.

Is this something to be worried about? Call me naive but I thought the new laws were instated to ensure the proper care of animals including reps?

Id quite like to start keeping reptiles at some point in the future, and its obvious that you have to keep them safe, clean and happy, but would these laws only extend to poisonous ones? I asume that poisonous snakes etc have to have certain laws connected to keeping them, but what about non poisonous ones.

I`ll be looking out for this and other sites like it eagerly.

There are laws around keeping certain dangerous animals. You would need a Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) licence but to be honest thats not something you'd need for your first reptiles (or ever for most people).

If you started with tarantulas (such as a chili) like me then there's a tiny venom risk, but again nothing to warrant any special measures.

The new laws in question regard the general welfare of animals not their danger to others

I remember there was an uproar about the Animal Welfare Bill on reptiles forums but legal words not being my thing I didn't know why it was a bad thing for us. I know that the extreme animal organisations (even RSPCA) would rather us not to keep reptiles at all

How did this girl find you?

The rspca do not like people to keep reptile as they find them veryhard to rehome or keep themselves as each eptile really should have a certain type of set up and they cant really offer this so they try and not take reptiles.
I had a home visit two weeks ago as an annual visit I actually do foster for the rspca when they get something in the area several times I have been asked to go out with a warden to help collect or advise on how best to retrieveand look after an certain reptile. The laws change all the time but effectivelywhat do they think would happen can you see them actually asking people hand their reptiles over I bet if you count how many people keep reptiles Which is getting a hell of a lot more popular and then times that by four because its an addiction and I would say 4 is an average amount then thats a lot of reptiles what would they do with them. I think its a play on laws that already exist and it only accounts to dangerous animals.

How did this girl find you?

From a web forum - can't remember which one but it was a national one. Not sure how she got my email address unless she went through and got every members one by one (there were about 100 people on the list)

effectivelywhat do they think would happen can you see them actually asking people hand their reptiles over I bet if you count how many people keep reptiles Which is getting a hell of a lot more popular and then times that by four because its an addiction and I would say 4 is an average amount then thats a lot of reptiles what would they do with them


I agree, but of course the answer you tend to get back is that they'll all be put to sleep. I can't see that myself. Besides - how much would it cost to get all the warrants necessary for that?

I agree, but of course the answer you tend to get back is that they'll all be put to sleep. I can't see that myself. Besides - how much would it cost to get all the warrants necessary for that?


They would not take mine I guarantee that they would not get passed my front door.