Kids Right's, Fish Rights...

[Gankutsuou]

I have something simple to say.

Age is not a boundry.
Maturity, research, and such Is what matters.

You should have to take a test on a fish you have to buy, and also have proof that you have adequet housing.

That is my opinion. a 35 year old man is just as likely to abuse an oscar as a 10 year old kid.
A 25 year old mom is just as likely to put 3 goldfish in a 10 gallon as a 15 year old teen.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I have something simple to say.

Age is not a boundry.
Maturity, research, and such Is what matters.

You should have to take a test on a fish you have to buy, and also have proof that you have adequet housing.

That is my opinion. a 35 year old man is just as likely to abuse an oscar as a 10 year old kid.
A 25 year old mom is just as likely to put 3 goldfish in a 10 gallon as a 15 year old teen.

True, but Situation and Circumstances do matter- you may do all the research in the world and treat your fish as best you can, but there's no point in taking up the hobby if you have to abandon it somewhere soon down the like due to change in situation or circumstances i.e. like having to go to Uni/college/boarding school, moving out of home, lack of money to pay for hobby etc.

Before 16 years of age, you are unlikely to have a job or any serious say in such matters as what course of life you take- you have breakfast, go to school, come back and eat, do as your parents say, tidy up, go to bed, repeat similar process next day sort of thing etc.
But at age 16 you are old enough to start taking on adult responsabilities- you can start learning to drive, move out of home, get a job, legally have sex etc. You may not have the maturity of an adult, but you will have a lot more control and responsabilities over what happens in your life- and which such changes, comes the responsability of true ownership over an animal.

I think its generally advisable not to take on the responsabilities of an animal if you don't know what you want to do in life or don't have very stable circumstances/situation to bring a pet up in.
For example, if i had got my first hamster before i moved out of home, i would not have been able to rent out the place i did when i did- the hamster would have had to stay at home (which would have been bad as i know my mother would be incapable of looking after an animal like a hamster since she hates rodents) as it was against the landlords rules to bring in any furry animals.
If i had bought a 55gal tank before i moved when i upgraded to a larger flat to rent, i would not have had the time to look after such a large tank properly etc.

So yeah...Basically, you can be a great fish keeper, but if you don't plan ahead enough and consider wisely you current and future situation, you could end up in a situation where you can't even be a good fish keeper anymore because you can no longer continue the hobby due to various circumstances etc.
Sometimes its better to wait for good things than to rush into them at a young age . I myself am certainly glad i took up my hobby when i was 16 rather than before as i know how much more difficult it would have been with my mother (and for others its vice versa).

 

[Gankutsuou]

and my reply is....

jay Jay is 14, and obviously knows a crapload about fish compared to me.
And he obviously knows more, has more, and does more than fish. He's the perfect example of why
kids should be allowed to have fish, but with a knowledge test.

 

[jayjay]

Yes but I agree with the law still. I think there are too many kids that shouldn't be keeping fish.

 

[chibi]

I'm 15 and am able to buy my own fish, but I needed my parents when I bought my guinea pig.

Personally, I think anyone under 16 should NOT be able to buy any pet of any kind without a parent's consent. Yes, I said it, and I'm underage. Far too many times, a child will buy something like a hamster and not take care of it. I worked at a pet store, and kids 8 and 9 years old would come in without parents and ask to buy a guinea pig. I always say they need a parent. They whine and complain immaturely, and I tell them that I'm sorry, but you need a parent. You can't just sell a pet to a child. Who knows? The parent might not even know they bought one.

Kids are immature. I'm not saying they all are, but most of them are. I've seen kids buy chilids and guppies together. I can't turn them down because there's no law against children buying fish. But I mean, come on! The children who come in probably have a fish bowl or a 5 gallon or something. They don't know any better. They see a small oscar and think "Aww, it's cute!" They'll buy it, stick it in a fish bowl, and it will die. And I don't think that's fair.

To the younger kids here who are for the purchase of fish without a parent: do you think thousands of fish's lives are worth less than an effort to have your parent there while you buy a fish? I don't think so. Just because you don't like your parents being there when you buy a fish is no excuse for others to abuse their fish or pets. Period. I don't care how embarrasing it is; live with it.

 

[Ethos]

Okay, my point is: I DON'T agree with this law, but I totally understand WHY people want to have it. LFS should make sure their workers know what they're doing so they can spot kids who have no idea what they're doing, and can help them. And if they're SO worried about it, why not ask the parents if they have fish at home, or ever had.

I agree - however, I can sometimes come off sillier than I am. When I was buying my LR(which is different from fish, obviously, but work with me here) I was tired and I was trying to just make a quick stop. I've had LR and SW before, I know how everything works, ect, but this sales person would just not let me go! I had bought my tank at their store, my LS, I've bought other fish and oscars, but this salesperson was repeating things I've heard over and over again. I think they should ask questions first, then share personal knowledge.

No matter what age, a beginner will make always mistakes.

Fantatsic!

I hope that I do not offend anyone with my opinion on this subject, but I think that it would be completely rediculous to ban children from buying pets. Think back to your childhood and I am willing to bet that more than half of us have had a childhood pet, whether it be a cat, dog, or anything. Not to mention, this would be un-American in a lot of ways, but I know we are not all Americans.
Anyways, my main point here is that if you are 16, you should not be living alone and a parent should be wise enough to help their kids out with a pet or two. Especially on the fish subject because it is more than just a child's pet, it is an investment for parents as well since they are most likely going to be paying for it, and if not, they are the ones paying for the electric bills, water bills, and would have to fix anything should something terrible happen like a tank breaking.
I am obviously a lot older than 16, and I have a 9 year old son, a 6 year old step-daughter, and a 7 year old son who is autistic. I use my tanks as a bonding experience for me and my kids and I take them to the LFS with me EVERY time that I go; even just to buy food. I then have the chance to explain what I know about the 'nemo's' and 'dori' fish and how hard they are to keep. I also tell them the other facts about the hobby and they are just like little sponges for knowledge.
I think that the true problem here is that SOME, not all, fish stores are more worried about the all mighty dollar (or euro, or whatever type of money you may use) and this can be understandable if you are trying to make a living my selling fish at a couple dollars a peice. Still, if the stores did ask the all important questions, then the hobby would be safer for the fish and for us as well since we can get discouraged fast by fish dying because we are uneducated.
So, my opinion is that a law banning the sale of a pet to a 16 year old is just a little bit overblown, however IF there was a way to ensure that every LFS remained responsible as they should be, then the hobby would benifit greatly. But to deny a child a learning experience, and possibly even a parent a chance to learn as well as learn with their child would be a greater injustice than any law could prevent. I do agree that there is a problem within the hobby as well as with other types of pets, so please do not take me wrong, I just feel that you cannot punish everyone for a couple of bad decisions made by children; especially since very few of us can say that we have not lost a fish due to a bad decision.

I agree.
Basically this law, all in all, is to stop fish from dieing needlessly! That's obvious. But the thing is, its not going to stop it. It might not even reduce it by much! If an 8 year old goes into a LFS, who do you think is going to be paying most of the time? I think instead of spending time and money on making laws to stop people, perhaps they should be spent resourses on educating people? I know that not only would I, but my parents also would be frustraited. Since I can't drive my parents will usually just let me wonder into the fish store while they look into Barnes and Nobles or something - and thats convinient for both of us. Yes, convienence isn't always best, but it sure is nice.

........ I had so much more to say but I got distracted and now I'm having trouble remebering where I was going.
That is frustraiting.

Someone said earlier that maybe you should have a permit to buy animals, and I think thats a great idea!

I think there are too many kids that shouldn't be keeping fish.

You guys should know that it isn't going to stop bad kids from buying fish. Parents are usually around when a child buys a fish, and most of them won't have a problem being at the counter as long as the kid is paying.

 

[afireinside]

Ethos raises many good points, all that I agree with. This will stop nothing. My parents are always around, they're atleast in the mall. I could call them if the person asked. Hey, most of the time, if you want to buy sharpies, the person asks if you have a note from your parents. Couldn't you just forge one?

 

[SPLiSH]

Chibi: I think you're right.

Young kids tire of pets so quickly, they only want the benefits (eg. playing with the pets) but they don't want to clean their environment etc.

Parents have a right to monitor what animals are living in their house. Only last night I asked my Mum casually if she minded me getting another betta and she went nuts. Then Dad said I should be able to have another, then Mum went nuts at Dad.

That's the kind of chaos that ensues if I DO ask - imagine what would happen if I just brought the fish home!

 

[jasonskillz]

They dont have that law here in the US. im under 16 and i see nothing wrong with selling fish to a kid. there should be a law that stops people who are not responsible enough to take care of a fish. raising a fish takes a lot of responsibility and the unresponsible fish raiser often have bad water or let diseases in their tanks which cause a fish to be dead. no matter how old a person is, they should be able to prove that they can take care of a fish before they can actually buy one

 

[jayjay]

How would you judge how capable someone is for caring for a fish?

 

[Gankutsuou]

A: have an extensive test on each fish when buying.

B: Have proof that you have adequat housing that will take care of the fish for at least two years.

C: Have a fish buying liscense, just like a fishing liscense?

 

[jayjay]

The test wouldn't happen, what would the questions be? Who would come up with the questions? People won't want to take it.

So you want people to walk around with pictures of their tanks or something?

Any that wouldn't happen, who would hand them out? Who would decide who gets them and who doesn't?

 

[Ethos]

How would you judge how capable someone is for caring for a fish?

Certianly not by how old they are.

 

[Gankutsuou]

Jay Jay, that's actually pretty simple.

There are food associations and laws and decrees.
We could just as easily make them for fish... if anyone CARED.

It would be easy to make a standared fish keeping test for the liscense. Know about amonia, nitrates, Different subtrates and what benifits they have, and so on.

And then there would be subtests for specific fish you wanted to keep. Water standards, Tank size, subtrate, what a suitable tank would be, ect.

And as for the tank thing.... when you get your liscense, you would have to register tanks and so forth I suppose. you could easily fraud it, but at least you'd get caught in your own lies eventually on stocking ect if you wanted this cool fish that would conflict.

 

[jayjay]

Meh, it just won't happen. Tis too much effort, it would be easier to have an age limit.