(06-10-2012, 10:49 AM)beyre Wrote: While it would be a pain in the butt for us responsible and caring pet owners to go through the hassle of getting a pet license, I think it should be instituted. I voted for just one license that would be a catch-all. I don't think you would need one for one beta fish or a hermit crab,
Betta fish is actually one of the most abused fish. They die in millions because of the misconception of they can live in a tiny fish bowl with no filtration nor heater. If you look at the betta bowls at any pet store, guaranteed there is at least one or two dead betta right there.
I am not saying people need a betta license, but a fish keeper license. As betta is no different from other freshwater tropical fish, the knowledge required to keep them are the same. Just a Freshwater Tropical fish license should be sufficient to cover all the freshwater tropical fish species.
For hermit crab, it can be trickier. An invert license should cover it, but not without taking a small test on basic knowledge on how to take care of it.
The pet license center should provide all the necessary information for people to learn about any species before taking the test. It's really not that troublesome at all. It's not rocket science. A couple of hours reading should sufficiently cover most of the basic knowledge of any one type of pet species.