I have to be careful how I word this, as the anti-exotic/anti-pet crowd tends to use these views as justification for their continual push of legislation that punishes the majority of responsible pet owners for the sins of the few idiots that shouldn't even be let to live, much less own an animal.
That said, I firmly believe there should be a required license to own any and all pets. I don't care if its a hermit crab, you need to take a test and sign a form saying you understand about its care etc. Add a small fee to pay to the test materials, I don't care.
Warehouse style pet stores like Petco and Petsmart are part of the problem. People buy a pet because its cute or cool to own, but in the end they are totally clueless about its care.
As the owner of a couple reptiles, I see this kind of thing everyday. Nobody seems to care though, because of the animals lack of fur. I know people who replace their pet reptile a couple times a year because they keep killing them from lack of care. Their logic is, why spend money to care for a pet that only costs $40 at petco?
Makes me sick...and part of me wishes they were outlawed, as at least the animals wouldn't constantly be abused like this. That said, I love my lizards to death, and they make great pets when cared for properly.
But anyways, animal cruelty of any kind should be severely punished, not necessarily because its an animal, but because its a living creature that is completely at our mercy. You lock a human child into a cage with no food and you'll be lucky to see the light of day again. Do the same thing with a pet, and nobody seems to care. A human child and a pet are both helpless and at the mercy of the adult responsible for them. In my eyes, this is the same offense...