(08-28-2012, 06:20 AM)writer811 Wrote: I don't understand why hedgehogs are an issue in Pennsylvania at all. Hedgehogs are native to the state, so... Are they worried about overpopulation? Too many hedgehogs coming in makes for big leaps in the population or something?
Also, I can attest to Pennsylvania's loose reptile laws. A friend of the family raised 3 full grown American Alligators and one of my adult cousins raised a Caiman before moving to Florida.
There are 16 or 17 species of hedgehogs I think, and none native to the Americas. They are native to europe, africa, and parts of mainland asia I believe. The ones most commonly sold as pets are the african pygmy hedgehogs, or hybridized animals crossed with pygmies.
And the alligators are a great example of the "ban" debate. While I'm not for banning any animal, there are certainly things that would have to be considered before ever trying to own an alligator. There should be some kind of licensing/permitting system for animals of that type. But that requires legislation, inspections, etc... And that is time consuming and costly. So, it's easier to just ban them. The question then evolves to, where is the line on what gets banned?
