# Hands Off Our Hobby Petition



## Natrix

*Sign our petition and help us to say *
*Hands off our hobby!*


Please join us as we ask politicians across the UK to safeguard the future of the exotic pet keeping hobby. 


Sign our petition on http://www.change.org/p/secretary-o...-hobby-let-s-tell-uk-political-parties-exotic asking UK law makers to recognise that keeping exotic pets whether captive bred or legally and sustainably wild caught is not a bad thing and is just as acceptable and in many cases more easily achievable than having a dog or cat as a pet.
We want UK politicians to protect the hobbyists ability to enjoy their hobby in the foreseeable future by promising to oppose any future attempt to ban exotic pet ownership or attempts to put in place draconian unscientific legislation controlling the import. export, breeding and selling of exotic species.


Can you help us further? Please ask family, friends, neighbours, even the person next to you in the bus queue to sign our Hands Off Our Hobby Petition. We need our politicians to realise just how popular exotic pet keeping is and how many voters they could upset.


Thank you for your support.

For more information about this petition go to our web site at https://handsoffourhobby.wordpress.com/
Or join us on our face book page at https://www.facebook.com/HandsOffOurHobby

Gordon Glasson
FBH Vice Chairman



A.DMIN NOTE This is being posted in the help sections in order that people can see this.It will be moved around from help section to help section.


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## colinm

What's the definition of an exotic pet Gordon?


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## Natrix

Thank you to everyone that has signed and shared the petition so far.

The petition has been signed at the rate of approximately two signatures every minute since it went live at 1 pm. 

As I write this it has just hit 1,078 signatures which is about where I was hoping to be by the end of the week, not the end of the day.

I am amazed and stunned.

Thank you all again and keep asking all your friends to sign.

Gordon


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## Natrix

colinm said:


> What's the definition of an exotic pet Gordon?


 Every organisation seems to have it's own definition of what makes an animal exotic. The one below is from the BVZS and manages to cover almost everything under the exotic pet banner.


* Definition of exotic animals​* Exotic pets are strictly defined as being one of the non domestic animals, i.e. not cat, dog,​ cow, horse, sheep, pig or commercial chicken. All others are therefore, strictly speaking,​ exotic. However in practice no-one would still consider the rabbit or guinea pig kept as a pet​ as an exotic pet. Thus the true definition needs to be redefined.​ For practical purposes we consider exotic pets to include all the non domestic and small furry​ animals, i.e. rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, plus reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates etc.​ This still encompasses an enormous range of animals.


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## Iulia

Signed and shared.

I noticed it was about 750 when I signed last night, and up over 1100 now : victory:


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## colinm

Please have a look at the definition of exotics above, it includes most of the animals that we keep.


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## Far2lively

Signed


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## Natrix

Just a quick update.

The petition went over the 2,000 mark earlier this evening and could well reach 2,500 by midnight tonight.

Many thanks to all that have signed and to all that have helped spread the word.

Thank you

Gordon
: victory::notworthy:: victory::notworthy:


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## Iulia

awesome!


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## colinm

Just to reiterate this is not just reptiles and amphibians , it includes other vertebrates and invertebrates.


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## CloudForest

Natrix said:


> Every organisation seems to have it's own definition of what makes an animal exotic. The one below is from the BVZS and manages to cover almost everything under the exotic pet banner.
> 
> 
> * Definition of exotic animals​* Exotic pets are strictly defined as being one of the non domestic animals, i.e. not cat, dog,​ cow, horse, sheep, pig or commercial chicken. All others are therefore, strictly speaking,​ exotic. However in practice no-one would still consider the rabbit or guinea pig kept as a pet​ as an exotic pet. Thus the true definition needs to be redefined.​ For practical purposes we consider exotic pets to include all the non domestic and small furry​ animals, i.e. rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, plus reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates etc.​ This still encompasses an enormous range of animals.



there are some definitions of Domesticated which include, at least some, reptiles :whistling2: ....but hey...lets not go there again :2thumb:


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## Natrix

CloudForest said:


> there are some definitions of Domesticated which include, at least some, reptiles :whistling2: ....but hey...lets not go there again :2thumb:


some of you might like to have a read of this article Exotic pets may be restricted after government review - Rob Edwards

And more from the One Kind (used to be Advocates for Animals) group pushing the SNP for the review here The joy of pets | OneKind
And here OneKind Pet Origins | OneKind

Gordon


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## CloudForest

Natrix said:


> some of you might like to have a read of this article Exotic pets may be restricted after government review - Rob Edwards
> 
> And more from the One Kind (used to be Advocates for Animals) group pushing the SNP for the review here The joy of pets |*OneKind
> And here OneKind Pet Origins |*OneKind
> 
> Gordon


I'm all for regulation, personally...as long as it is reasonable and sensible, an optimistic expectation I realize, but still...regulation is needed for the quality of life of many animals currently in captivity, and those in the wild being imported.

I don't want "hands off our hobby", I want a consultation that introduces requirements on breeders, sellers and keepers, that ensure high quality of life for the animal, and protects endangered species - the issue regarding protecting native species in the UK is a non-issue in most cases however, few "temperate" species are really kept privately, and pose no threat to native fauna.


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## mrcriss

Every time I've signed one of these kind of e-petitions in the past, I've ended up with a slurry of bloody junk mail. So I won't be signing, sorry.


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## colinm

It's easy to request to stop further e petition requests, and it's better than the Russian bride and Viagra spam mail that I have.


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## Natrix

CloudForest said:


> I'm all for regulation, personally...as long as it is reasonable and sensible, an optimistic expectation I realize, but still...regulation is needed for the quality of life of many animals currently in captivity, and those in the wild being imported.
> 
> *I don't want "hands off our hobby", I want a consultation* *that introduces requirements on breeders, sellers and keepers, that ensure high quality of life for the animal, and protects endangered species -* the issue regarding protecting native species in the UK is a non-issue in most cases however, few "temperate" species are really kept privately, and pose no threat to native fauna.


 We have already had that consultation in the Animal Welfare Bill now Act, The requirements/standards for breeders, sellers and keepers comes under what's called secondary legislation and was supposed to be done after the bill became an act. Sadly the lot currently in power don't want to spend the money on preparing the secondary legislation meaning everything has ground to a halt. 
Protection for endangered species comes under the control of CITIES and is very carefully regulated in the western world, though it falls apart a bit in third world countries.
The Scottish situation at present is more about pandering to the extremist view of a few A.R groups like One Kind but hopefully this can be turned around by our side and it will become something more positive. We all just need to shout loudly to get the politicians attention.

Gordon


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## Natrix

mrcriss said:


> Every time I've signed one of these kind of e-petitions in the past, I've ended up with a slurry of bloody junk mail. So I won't be signing, sorry.


You think that's bad, try setting up a petition. I get notified every time some one signs it, every time it reaches 500, 1000, 1500 etc. and they constantly send out information e-mails on how to increase peoples awareness of the petition etc. 
I have had nearly 3,600 e-mails in the last three days. I've got a blister on my finger from keep hitting the delete button.:lol2:
I believe as a signee you can tick the no spam box as you join up.

Gordon


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## colinm

Any updates Gordon?


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## wagg

Lets beat these groups then. Its a joke. Dont see people trying to stop cats and dogs as pets. Or you dont hear about it lol its amazing were all comeimg together. 3600 in 3 days is awsome.


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## Iulia

I think its long past time we stopped being the silent majority


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## Natrix

colinm said:


> Any updates Gordon?


Oh Yes! 

The petition now has over 4,000 signatures.

That's roughly a rate of 1,000 per day

Brilliant stuff.

Thanks for all your help spreading the word so far 
Gordon


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## colinm

Just to reiterate this includes invertebrates.


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## Middleton Mouse

CloudForest said:


> I'm all for regulation, personally...as long as it is reasonable and sensible, an optimistic expectation I realize, but still...regulation is needed for the quality of life of many animals currently in captivity, and those in the wild being imported.
> 
> I don't want "hands off our hobby", I want a consultation that introduces requirements on breeders, sellers and keepers, that ensure high quality of life for the animal, and protects endangered species - the issue regarding protecting native species in the UK is a non-issue in most cases however, few "temperate" species are really kept privately, and pose no threat to native fauna.


I wouldn't mind seeing this too, what's being proposed however is simply a blanket ban on many of the species currently kept. It might be that the proposed "positive list" is fairly sensible or it might be like the one proposed in Belgium that only includes 7 species of snake (which didn't include corns or royals). Luckily for Belgian keepers the list was scrapped and a new one has yet to be put forward.


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## colinm

There have been other threads on here about this subject but it's worth taking a look here.


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## lozmick

Signed and also passed it around as much as I can


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## Salazare Slytherin

All stand together., hands off my hobby. | embedded slideshow


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## Natrix

A quick update on the petition.

As expected, the signing rate has slowed down a bit over the last couple of days but tonight, just six days after starting it, it has reached the 5,000 signature mark.

This is way above were we expected to be at this point when we started.

Thank you everyone that has signed it and a big thank you to everyone that has taken the time to promote the petition on other sites. Please keep up the good work.

Gordon

FBH VC


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## colinm

Moved to snakes.


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## supatips

Only just got round to doing it but better late than never eh?

Keep us in the loop please Gordon.


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## Poxicator

signed

Out of interest why isn't there mention of this on the FBH site, and why isn't that kept up to date?
Federation of British Herpetologists - Latest News and Events

Also, when convenient could you please pm me


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## Iulia

am having quite an interesting discussion on another forum about this -

as I understand this is targeting pets only not farm animals or livestock, but for example, many people keep alpacas but do they actually use the wool? In that instance are they pets or livestock?

what about peacocks? if their purpose is only ornamental and they rely on being fed are they not technically pets?


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## colinm

Have a look here. This is a Norwegian guy who moved to Sweden when Norway banned the keeping of reptiles.


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## tiptonboa

Signed


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## Natrix

Iulia said:


> am having quite an interesting discussion on another forum about this -
> 
> as I understand this is targeting pets only not farm animals or livestock, but for example, many people keep alpacas but do they actually use the wool? In that instance are they pets or livestock?
> 
> what about peacocks? if their purpose is only ornamental and they rely on being fed are they not technically pets?


 Goats are another grey area. I had two for about fifteen years. They never produced anything and cost me a fortune to look after. They surely were pets.

I believe peacocks are specifically designed to sit on my roof and damage it. I also believe that my neighbours peacock my find itself in a cider and herb bath, whilst wearing a pastry over coat the next time it decides to rearrange my roof tiles.:whistling2:
And then there's the ruddy awful noise that they make:bash:

Gordon


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## Iulia

your neighbours have peacocks?? :gasp:


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## Natrix

Iulia said:


> your neighbours have peacocks?? :gasp:


I own a large plot (just over an acre) of land in the countryside surrounded by farmland. My nearest neighbour has five peacocks and the guy further up the road has about twenty, all free ranging. We are also surrounded by drainage canals including around the parameter of my land. We have resident ducks and moorhens and do get the occasional visit from wild geese and the odd cattle egret. The group of pheasants that hang around will come when called for a hand full of corn. 
My particular plot is an old apple orchard with lots of old trees and we have a breeding pair of Greater spotted woodpeckers and a pair of tawny owls that hang around the garden. We also get visited every night by barn owls.
The grounds are visited by badgers, roe and munt jack deer as well as foxes and my roof is a registered bat roost.
I'm also currently enjoying a small flock of bull finches that have been hanging around all winter and mixing in with the resident chaffinches, greenfinches and gold finches.
We have also recently gained a buzzard who seems to like my neighbours stand of pine trees about half a mile up the road.

Oh and just for something a bit different we get visited by a small flock of ring neck parakeets that belong to the local parrot rescue centre.

In case anyone has figured it out there is a very good reason that I brought this place 18 years ago and I'm not moving.

Gordon


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## Iulia

Natrix said:


> I own a large plot (just over an acre) of land in the countryside surrounded by farmland. My nearest neighbour has five peacocks and the guy further up the road has about twenty, all free ranging. We are also surrounded by drainage canals including around the parameter of my land. We have resident ducks and moorhens and do get the occasional visit from wild geese and the odd cattle egret. The group of pheasants that hang around will come when called for a hand full of corn.
> My particular plot is an old apple orchard with lots of old trees and we have a breeding pair of Greater spotted woodpeckers and a pair of tawny owls that hang around the garden. We also get visited every night by barn owls.
> The grounds are visited by badgers, roe and munt jack deer as well as foxes and my roof is a registered bat roost.
> I'm also currently enjoying a small flock of bull finches that have been hanging around all winter and mixing in with the resident chaffinches, greenfinches and gold finches.
> We have also recently gained a buzzard who seems to like my neighbours stand of pine trees about half a mile up the road.
> 
> Oh and just for something a bit different we get visited by a small flock of ring neck parakeets that belong to the local parrot rescue centre.
> 
> In case anyone has figured it out there is a very good reason that I brought this place 18 years ago and I'm not moving.
> 
> Gordon



Wow that sounds amazing :flrt:

..........

suppose your're happily married?? 

(kidding):lol2:


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## Natrix

Iulia said:


> Wow that sounds amazing :flrt:
> 
> ..........
> 
> suppose your're happily married??
> 
> (kidding):lol2:


 My wife assures that I am happily married :whip:


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## Iulia

:lol2:

oh well worth a try :whistling2:


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## Natrix

Great news! 
The “Hands Off Our Hobby” petition went over the 7,000 signature point over the Easter holiday period.

The petition has recently been helped along by writer David Alderton, who highlighted it in both Cage and Aviary Birds magazine and Practical Reptile Keeping magazine, so a big thank you to David and both publications for their help.

Getting the word out really does make a huge difference to the rate at which the petition receives signatures, so please remember to keep spreading the word among all your friends

Gordon


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