Grow your own handbag?

December 6, 2004 11:25 AM

An online aquaintance has gotten a new pet. What's your take on exotic animals?
posted by PossumCowboy (19 comments total)

.


you are not allowed in my clubhouse.
posted by cmyr at 11:30 AM on December 6, 2004

I am all for exotic animals that are manageable. What do you do with a 20' alligator? Put in in the sewer?
posted by Cool Alex at 11:31 AM on December 6, 2004

Um yeah, this goes in the same category of people who get scorpions and other poisonous pets, don't come crying to me when your "pet" stings/bites/shreds you. You're the dumbass who thought it was cool to get a violent and dangerous pet.

A soon to be 20 foot alligator as a pet is about as smart is juggling circular saw blades.
posted by fenriq at 11:34 AM on December 6, 2004

Rarely a good idea... yeah, they sure are cute when young and boy, do they have a way of starting a conversation. But some animals simply do not domesticate well and as they grow the owners discover that a missing digit or two can also jumpstart a conversation or get a girls attention. Even worse, they have a way of being 'set free', usually in environments they cannot survive. It really isn't fair to the critter.

BTW, this would probably be better in the green.
posted by cedar at 11:35 AM on December 6, 2004

At 20ft long, I think the question would then become, what would the beast do with you?
posted by maulik at 11:38 AM on December 6, 2004

As Mr. Horse would say: 'No sir, I don't like it.'


Not much I can add to what's already been said, but what the hey: some exotics make good pets, ie: spiders, iguanas, small lizards-but what is the purpose of this? Why get an alligator? Can this person adequately care for it? Do they have the room? Do the laws of their city, town, province, etc. allow keeping the alligator? And is this the best life for the animal?

Sometimes the reasoning of people is beyond me, literally. It's like they're speaking Greek: I just do not understand.
posted by Sharktattoo at 11:44 AM on December 6, 2004

You know, it's okay to wear a trenchcoat, and it's okay to wear long underwear with shorts over the top, and there's nothing wrong with a bit of Dungeons and Dragons...but this type of dorkiness is just plain dangerous.
posted by chinese_fashion at 11:47 AM on December 6, 2004

weird coincidence is that MF and AW are the only forums I check out on a regual basis.
posted by dawdle at 11:48 AM on December 6, 2004

This is moronic. What happens to the gator after everyone's had "the gator conversation?" What are the chances it drops dead from negligence before it reaches the size at which it becomes too dangerous to keep? And couldn't he have posted pics not completely strewn with guts?

Yeesh. Some people. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go change the mandrill's diaper.
posted by Sticherbeast at 11:52 AM on December 6, 2004

BAD SULU!

Somebody should tell this guy about the Book Of Jeepers Creepers.
posted by AaronRaphael at 11:55 AM on December 6, 2004

aaaw sucha cutey widdle gator...

I like 'em but god no I would never get one.
posted by dabitch at 11:55 AM on December 6, 2004

It was once a fad among New Yorkers returning home from Florida vacations to bring back tiny baby alligators for their children to raise as pets.
Unfortunately, the babies were destined to grow and outlive their cuteness, at which point their owners resorted to flushing the poor things down the toilet in order to get rid of them.
It seems a few of these hastily disposed-of creatures actually survived in the damp darkness of the New York sewer system and began to breed, with the result that there are now scattered colonies of full-grown alligators living under the streets of New York City. Some say the animals are blind and albino, having lost their eyesight and the pigment in their hides due to the constant darkness in which they dwell.
posted by matteo at 11:57 AM on December 6, 2004

remember the story the old man told in natural born killers?

...look bitch, you knew I was a snake.
posted by poipill at 11:59 AM on December 6, 2004

I just wanna know what it's eating in that first picture. Other than that, yeah, bad idea.

Worked with a guy who claimed to have domesticated an armadillo and kept it as a pet. I never got to verify but...sounds like a pretty boring pet.
posted by m0nm0n at 11:59 AM on December 6, 2004

According to the caption, it's a crawfish.

I just have to ditto the "he's an idiot" line. The BEST case we can hope for is that the gator will have a miserable life and be killed young. Second-best is the owner gets eaten. At worst, it gets loose and eats a few kids.
posted by InnocentBystander at 12:05 PM on December 6, 2004

I see that contenders are already lining up for the 2005 Darwin Awards...
posted by mkultra at 12:05 PM on December 6, 2004

MeTa, btw.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:22 PM on December 6, 2004

I kept a tarantula all through college (both undergrad and grad) and for several years later. Initial it was the "hairy land fish", kept because it was weird and a conversation piece. Made a lousy pet, though. No worse than a tank of fish, but not exactly something you could consider friendly.

To the larger topic, no, I don't think it's a good idea. But if you really want a bad pet, try bears.
posted by cptnrandy at 12:30 PM on December 6, 2004

I like alligators. Do you like alligators? What's your favourite kind of alligator? What kind of implications will alligators have for society as we know it?
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:32 PM on December 6, 2004