The dime-store turtle, snakes bred for color, and the pets that escaped into the Everglades.
In the 1950s and 1960s, tiny baby turtles were sold by the million in U.S. variety stores. Many children caught salmonella from them, so in 1975 the Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of turtles with shells under 4 inches long. The rule still stands.
Should a law protect the buyer, the animal, or both?
Ball pythons and corn snakes are now bred in captivity in large numbers. Breeders select for rare color and pattern forms called morphs, and a new morph once sold for thousands of dollars before supply caught up. Reptiles are the only pets in this wing that were never truly domesticated: a captive-bred snake is still a wild animal in its behavior.
Is an animal domesticated once people breed it, or only when it changes to live with us?
Burmese pythons were first found in Everglades National Park in 1979, most likely released or escaped pets. They now breed there by the tens of thousands (estimate) and have sharply cut the numbers of raccoons, opossums and rabbits. Since 2021 Florida has barred new pet ownership of Burmese pythons and green iguanas.
Who should pay for the damage when a pet becomes an invasive species?