If this were implemented, a lot of people who can currently afford to properly care for animals suddenly might not be able to. Which leads to animals being put in shelters. Which isn't a good thing.<br /> <br /> A written test? Sure! This would weed out a lot of crazies. But a lot of people care for multiple animals, and slapping a fee on that <i>would</i> end up hurting animals instead of helping them.<br /> <br /> And classism isn't cool. I grew up in the lower class category, so this topic left me raising an eyebrow.<br /> <br /> We always took care of our animals when I was young. And other people's animals. In ways that benefited the animals but left us at a definite loss. Vet bills before supper and school supplies that I needed.

$100 a year, even for a handful of goldfish? on top of tank supplies, food, filters, and everything else? If this happened, goldfish would become a pet exclusively for the absurdly rich.

It'd have to be, say, $100 a year or something for small animals, such as rabbits, mice, gerbils, hamsters, fish, etc, and would allow you to own as many of that animal as you'd like.<br /> <br /> Maybe I'm just sick and tired of watching people collect twenty animals and not know how to properly care for a single one?

I agree with everything Inno just said, I actually have my very own small rabbitry and I'm only 13, how would the papers work then? If I care for them constantly would my parents have to do it? And I, as a young teen, wouldn't be able to pay for that period, it's already hard to pay for food etc.

I don't see why you'd want to even consider this.<br /> <br /> I can understand that all animals have rights, humans are animals, and the animals we own have the right to be well cared for, to not be afraid or abused, and such. There's similar rights for children and places such as job settings for humans.<br /> <br /> I own a rabbitry, it might be small compared to most in my state and everything, but if I had to pay anymore money for the rabbits I owned I wouldn't be able to feed them. Usually the rabbits I buy are high quality show or brood rabbits, these animals often cost between $35 USD to $300 USD. Currently the going price for a 3-4 month old rabbit in my breed(Netherland Dwarf) is about $40 - $60 USD, and these rabbits aren't even fully matured and may not grow up into being show quality rabbits.<br /> <br /> If I had to take a test and pay a fee on owning these rabbits, I'd be wasting tons of money because I don't breed like a rabbit mill and I never will do that either.<br /> <br /> I'm also pretty sure I'd never find buyers for the rabbits I produce, which is pretty hard already because not many people want the smaller breeds because they don't make good meat rabbits. So I'd have too many unwanted rabbits(in my sense) in my barn, most rabbit breeders kill the rabbits they can't hold onto or can't find homes for... I really don't see myself doing that partly because I know I could never kill a rabbit.<br /> <br /> Just because there are uneducated owners out there doesn't mean they can't learn how to take care of the animals. When I got my first rabbit, who lived for a long ten years with me, I didn't know much of anything about the species. I eventually got a good idea, got educated by local breeders, and started becoming more and more interested in rabbits and I learned more and more.<br /> <br /> It's just like a first time mom, heck yes people can tell you that your baby is going to cry its little head off 24/7 or that you're going to be so exhausted you won't be able to take care of it or whatever. I really don't know, you know why? Because I've never had a kid. <br /> <br /> Humans have a huge hidden instinct to nurture everything they see, there can be cruel or uncaring individuals, but these people usually had something happen in their past that wasn't really good for them mentally. Just because someone or something screwed them up doesn't mean everyone should have to pay for it, I most certainly wouldn't pay the fee and take a test to own rabbits. I know what's best for my individual rabbits and no one else knows because they have no business in my animals anyway.

If you do not pass a written test and do not pay a fee, you do not get to own an animal. No cats, no dogs, no hamsters, lizards, snakes, birds, fish. I was wondering other people's opinions of this.

I don't get it