a gangi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>
>(Coincidently, like peopel on this list, I USED to place all my animals for
>free or a small $2 or $3. (I got really sick really fast of all the snake
>peopel calling for free food!)) But when peopel did call for pets, and I'd
>say this animal's' $3- over HALF the time, peopel gave me MORE. Id refuse
>and theyd insist on payign $5 or $10 for an animal I said was $3. Why?
>
>
We find this also.
>
>I dont think thats accurate for several reasons:
>
>1. there are very few vets who will treat small animals here. Most treat
>only cats/dogs. There are many peopel in the rat/mouse circles who have no
>rodent-treating vets in a drivable distance. The option to treat is not
>there for them
So would they pay a lot of money to travel large distances to have them
treated by someone competent to do so? If so, the rarity of vets should
increase their value.
>
>2. when there are rodent treating vets in an area, it is not uncommon for
>them to label themselves an "exotics" vet, and thus charge MORE than youd
>pay any vet for a cat/dog treatment.
See my last point.
> It costs me $25 to have my cat see a
>vet. if I was "poor" I could get a charity vet via the shelter for even
>less than that. To take 1 rat/gerbil/mouse/hamster/etc in to the vet? $40.
> Just for walkign inthe door. We had one rat with an injury once and we
>were quoted a treatment fee in estimate of $850 - 1100 AND he was given only
> 25% chance at surviving the operation. Now I usually dont hesitate to do
>whatever necissary to help an animal, but even my credit card can't carry a
>balance THAT high! Am I "uncaring" towards rodents because I dont have a
>thousand dollars laying around? I dont think so, nor would I judge soemoen
>else as "uncaring" if somethign liek that happened to their
>rat/dog/bird/hamster whatever.
But you said that it was important that people pay more for an animal so
that the law recognises its value. So poor people who are likely to
spend less on a pet have less legal protection for their property? Isn't
there something wrong with that?
>
>3. How can you say what you would pay to save an animal- if that animal has
>a healthy, trouble free life?
You seem to be confusing cost with value. The value of something is not
necessarily what someone has paid for something, but what it costs to
replace or protect.
>if My rat or gerbil or whatever NEVER gets
>sick and needs to see a vet, does that mean I DONT love it as much as one
>that I take in for a $300 operation?
I referred to what someone would pay, not what they have paid. The
courts in the US may be unable to understand that something has more
value than what was paid for it, but everyone in the real world know
that value has nothing to do with this. Of course laws often deal with
replacement costs but we are not talking about this here. We are talking
about animal welfare. I understand that you are saying that US courts
only value an animal if it has a high replacement cost, but I would be
interested in seeing what the relevant law actually says.
>(If this was how you told america to
>measure an animals worth- Beleive me, youd have lawers argueing that because
>an animal never needed to see a vet (or becuase it was killed
>instantaniously (eg hit by a car))- then the animal has no "worth" becuase
>there is no vet bill to proove it- so the abuser/killer/etc shoudl go off
>scott free.)
There are similar issues in the UK, but they does not depend on a value
at all, but there have been cases that found that an animal did not
suffer because death was instantaneous. Note, the suffering of the
animal is the measure, not the type, cost or value of the animal.
> CHANGE IS
>*SLOW*.
Yes, but I still don't see how charging $50 for gerbil instead of $5
will change anything other than the type of people who will start
breeding gerbils because they see money in it.
>
>
>>Would a court say a child's life has no value because
>>it can easily be replaced by a fertile couple? Of course not. This is
>>all about attitudes and not money.<
>
>Tell that to our courts, culture, society.
That is what I am suggesting you do!
--
Julian
************************************************************************
* Jackie and Julian *
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* National Gerbil Society *
* http://www.gerbils.co.uk/ *
************************************************************************
