6 garters for 10 dollars in paper

[Millinex]

Without a second's hesitation. The court would decide to what degree and how culpable the people in question are.

I had no internet, with very little means in a single parent family and, starting at the age of 14, I still managed to find information and read extensively about garter snakes for close to 2 years before I got my first one.

The grandmother and the parents are the ones that are really to blame in this situation though. All are adults that really should have known better and there's absolutely no excuse for it in this day and age.

P.S. - yes educating them would be a good thing for the future but ... zero tolerance is the only thing that would make a difference. I'll happily compare this to my battles with British reptile shops and my on-going attempts to get the right info to them ... my insistance on other British forums to dispell and rubbish all of the nonsensical husbandry quips that pop up through word of mouth.
It all falls on deaf ears and until people are willing to make examples of others ... snakes will suffer and die ... simples.

He's a kid for gods sake, and you want to charge him with crimes? You're willing to have fines, time in juvie off of this kids life over a couple snakes? Ok if he was taking them and burning them sure, however, failing to keep an animal properly doesn't deserve an animal cruelty charge under any circumstance. I would never take away someones childhood over a snake, or any animal for that matter, unless he was doing something actually malicious, not just failing at husbandry, when he probably wasn't a huge snake keeping kid, and just got given presents.

[gregmonsta]

He's a kid for gods sake, and you want to charge him with crimes? You're willing to have fines, time in juvie off of this kids life over a couple snakes? Ok if he was taking them and burning them sure, however, failing to keep an animal properly doesn't deserve an animal cruelty charge under any circumstance. I would never take away someones childhood over a snake, or any animal for that matter, unless he was doing something actually malicious, not just failing at husbandry, when he probably wasn't a huge snake keeping kid, and just got given presents.

.... no idea what the system is in your country ... but at his age/for this crime he wouldn't face anything here ... his parents would be facing a fine and I already stated that they, along with grandma, are the ones truly at fault in this situation.

I beg to differ on your 'failling to keep an animal properly' statement.

Again ... the word 'husbandry' ... these animals are 'family' which you are duty bound to take care of, more or less as children ... neglect your children and see what happens - do people get away with saying "Oh, I didn't know I needed to change the nappy"/etc?