Why Reptiles May Not Make Good Pets
| There are approximately 200 thousand pet reptiles in Ausralian homes (1 in every 25 households). There is no doubt that reptiles are becoming very popular as pets. However, having a pet reptile in a household can be dangerous to the occupants as well as very harmful to the reptile itself.
First, although there are reptile breeders who provide captive-bred reptiles to the pet stores, the majority of reptiles comes directly from the wild or is born from wild-born parents. The reptile trade decimates wild populations and the captured animals suffer great harm or mostly death during the capturing and handling processes. Those that didn't die are often sick or injured upon arrival at the pet stores. In fact, 90% of captured reptiles die within the first year of captivity due to the large amount of stress that the animals suffer during the capturing process; or because the owners were uneducated and unprepared about the complex and specific dietary and habitat need required by the reptiles. Another dangerous component about reptile ownership is that the captives are highly susceptible to infection and disease. Inexperienced owners may not be diligent in keeping their pet reptile's housing cleaned on a regular basis. In return, the captive reptile will catch diseases by their own wastes and uneaten food lying around. Wild reptiles don't have to worry about this because they have the freedom to move on. Humans can also catch diseases from reptiles such as Salmonella bacteria. Reptiles carry Salmonella bacteria and are immune to its effects; however, Salmonella can be life-threatening to people. Reptiles are dangerous and need to be kept away from small children, elderly and other susceptible people. |