Just about every animal seems to be covered in some way in the new law!
In some areas it is quite specific, so you need to look up the information for the exact species you have.

If your snake is healthy, then I wouldn't worry. I have no idea how they intend to monitor whether owners are adhering to these new laws.

As an owner of a parrot, I know there are some parrots affected by the new laws, specifically with regards to enclosure size. All this is going to do is force owners into a position where they must give up their parrots as they cannot provide larger enclosures.

Perhaps for your snake this might also be an issue, but you would only know this by checking the chart. If you did not need to obtain a permit to keep him, then theoretically who knows that you have a snake?

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the horse thing is right , but never heard about fish etc.....

As if pet owners haven't got enough to worry about, there was an article in the Sunday edition of the Aargauer Zeitung.

Below is a pdf with the full text of the article. (sorry, German only).

Basically the article is about the fact that neighbours are calling the Tierschutz to report on their neighbours who are not keeping pets in pairs. (for example, birds, guinea pigs, rabbits). However, the motivation for reporting this is sometimes questionable and stems from disputes between neighbours.

Since September 2008 the law came into effect that social animals must be kept in pairs. There are no checks for compliance so the Tierschutz relies on these anonymous tips.

Attached Files

pdf AZ pets in pairs.pdf (511.3 KB, 829 views)

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We had two guinea pigs and one died, we did not "need" to buy another one and to tell you the truth my guinea pig (Lito) is doing better now alone, we have two cats and they like eachother...

We had two female rats. One gobbled up the other one only leaving a foot and a bit of tail. I'm sure there's a moral to that story but blowed if I know what it is.

I have a friend in a similar situation, one rabbit died, so she is left with one and it is fine. Findind a compatible partner is not simple. We already tried once, it was a disaster. The bird was vicious. But we are still looking to rehome a bird. I only want a rescue, I will not buy.

No change there, then.

Yeah. I bet they like the guinea pig too... Remind me, how did the first one die?

Gee we had a nice pair of little parakeets. The male died and we bought another. the female died and we bought another. The new female died and we........ it's a never-ending story. So a friend gave us three small cockatoos to keep him company. And he's the one who so far has lived the longest.

Not the friend. The bird.

We imported 2 bunnies into Switzerland, we had to prove we had 2 by a "health cert " to customs..
After checking the certs and see the 2 with their own eyes, we were allowed to import.

They would not allow you in with just one bunny.

Export was no problem, no one at the border

I could b!tch slap you but I actually think that Lito killed his brother, see both males...Lito is not afraid of gatos, actually gatos are a tiny bit afraid of him, he is vicious

Is it still legal to keep one single tortoise?

This is obviously not always the case.
We came from Belgium in November 2010 with just one bunny. We just had to show them her health certificate and that was it. Nobody questioned the fact that there was only one.

Mind you she was almost 9 which is very old for a bunny so I think finding her a companion might have been more stressful for her than being alone. She had been an only bunny all her life (except for the 2 weeks we looked after a 'castrated' male bunny for a friend- result 4 babies)

LOL don't you just love surprises.

We've just acquired a second rabbit (after 4 years with one) from a co-worker of my daughter, and may add a 3rd one.

They are very good at converting weeds into fertilizer pellets.

Tom

For import purposes, you can bring one, I have clients who do, but you are supposed to look for a companion.

So if anyone does know of a tame bird who needs rehoming, please let me know. The last bird we rehomed, with the approval of the Kantonal Veterinary Authority, almost removed our fingers.

My understanding - which is based on nothing other than conversations with various trainers, and I have no authority to cite - is that whenever possible the animals that fall under social species should be kept in groups or at least pairs.

However, the intent of the law is the good of the animal. We all know that there are animals who are exceptions to the general rule, who prefer to live without the company of their own species. No one wants to force a critter to live with a conspecific if he/she is unhappy doing so.

My understanding - again with the caveat above - is that if questioned, if one can show that one's animal prefers not to live with his conspecifics, this would be acceptable.

Similar to the point about dogs needing regular contact with other dogs. Some dogs simply do not like other dogs - the law does not intend to force a DA dog to play with others in the park if that would be detrimental to all concerned. Rather, the stipulation is 'whenever possible' - meaning that the law acknowledges that there are cases when it is not possible. An owner should attempt provide the social contact that the animal enjoys and benefits from - but an owner's judgement is accepted when it is thought that such contact would cause more harm than good.

An owner should provide alternative stimulation, however. (I would think Angela would have a good argument that Lito is getting the necessary company from the cats...)

But again - I can't cite authority, this is only interpretation from a few folks who know more than I do but who are themselves not final arbiters.

I was pretty surprised when my husband came home this past November with two kittens (we had talked about getting a cat). I don't work, so I'm home all day and didn't think it would be a problem to entertain a kitty, but I'm really glad we got two (they're brothers). They are hilarious to watch together. They are very different in their personalities and it's been interesting to watch them grow up. One is very cuddly and loves everyone. The other one does not like to be petted at all unless he is hungry, in which case he is your best friend and rather annoying then

Great! Then I'm gonna get right up the Stadtgartnerei for having only one poor, lonely, single, solitary Magpie, who sits sadly by the windows the whole day.

I always keep two girlfriends...but they usually don't get along


But seriously, I grew up with a solidary cat, but paired up my second cat in my 20s---they got along great, playing, etc. Then brought Bulldog into the mix and they got along even better.

Would like to do the same here, but unfortuately, my apartment isn't even big enough for one pet

Apparently one is allowed to own a Polar Bear!!!

I want one!!!
Also there's skunk on the list... might be better not to offend it...