Snakes_Incorporated
Not so new Member
Reptiles replacing dogs as man's best friend
Jun 14 2007
FIRST it was a boa constrictor found in roses in a Newport garden. Now an iguana has been found sunning itself on a yew tree in Mumbles.
And the RSPCA in Wales believes the missing exotic pet finds have nothing to do with the current hot and humid weather.
Spokesman Gethin Russell-Jones said more and more exotic pets are going to go missing because more and more of us are keeping snakes, salamanders, tarantulas and even the odd vulture or two.
The number of reptiles kept as pets in the UK for instance has risen to five million, compared with 1.5 million five years ago, the Federation of British Herpetologists said. It predicted that reptiles would overtake the UK’s six million dogs within two years.
Federation chairman Chris Newman said the UK’s reptile-owning population had been rising steadily since the mid-1980s.
“People like to have an exotic pet, and they are easier to keep than tropical fish,” he said. “They are very convenient pets for people who have busy lifestyles.”
Mr Newman, who is also editor of Reptilian Magazine, said reptiles were much more accessible now, with 1,000 of the country’s 5,000 pet shops selling them.
He said, “They are interactive, and unlike dogs, you haven’t got to take them out for a walk, and they don’t need a lot of space.”
At the weekend, Pamela Garn, 57, of Cwmbran, near Newport, found a two-and-a-half-foot boa constrictor while tending the roses.
She said, “I thought, ‘Who’s chucked some piping on my lawn?’ But as I got closer it moved and I just ran.
“I went back inside and phoned my husband. We thought it was just a grass snake or something like that. I watched it from the window, and when some firemen happened to walk past I rushed out to ask them to take it away.”
Steve Saunders, of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said, “We put it in a box and took it to a local pet shop. It seemed sleepy, but when the gentleman from the pet shop picked it up it did go for him.”
Gethin Rowlands, of Cwmbran Pet Stores, said, “It did strike, but only because it was hungry. I’ve fed it some dead mice, so it’s fine now.”
The snake, black with yellow stripes, will be examined by a vet before being taken to an animal centre.
On Monday this week, retired land registry official Bryan Harris, 64, of Castle Street, Mumbles, Swansea, found an iguana in the yew tree he was clipping back in his garden.
His wife Janet, 65, said, “It was a wonderful specimen and was very lucky because Bryan was close to chopping off its tail before he spotted it. We thought it was a rubber toy at first because the colours were so bright, then we saw its eye blinking.”
The iguana, more used to the rainforests of Central America than Swansea Bay, was being cared for yesterday in a specialist centre in Neath.
In 2003, a pair of vultures went missing in Mid Wales and were seen throughout the region for a number of months before disappearing.
And in 2004, an expert was called in to flush a “water python” from the River Tawe in the Swansea Valley but it was found to be an inner tube.
Gethin Russell-Jones said many owners were not aware of the required diet, habitat and even the dangers posed by exotic pets.
Last year, a man was squeezed to death by his pet boa constrictor at his home in the US city of Cincinnati.
The 13ft snake was still strangling Ted Dres’ body when it was discovered by an acquaintance.
Could you sacrifice those pleading eyes just for a change?
Experts believe ownership of exotic pets like lizards could one day overtake conventional dog and cat ownership.
So what are the pros and cons of Spot versus Idris as pets?
Spot the Dog
Disadvantages: If they are like my dog, instead of bringing newspapers and mail to their master from the doorstep, they run over them like the New Zealand pack, often rendering them unreadable. Also, in winter they have to be taken for walks three times a day in wind, rain, snow, frost, hail, freezing fog or combinations of these.
Advantages: Pleading eyes and affectionate nature make them man and woman’s best friend. This forces humans to forgive the above. Also, walking is good for you and there are some types of mail you really want shredded.
Idris the Iguana
Disadvantages: Stroking an iguana could be painful, as its back is lined with spines and they can be vicious, a bite being able to sever tendons. Iguanas need to have temperature-controlled enclosures, so do not let them near floorboards or air conditioning units because one of their favourite things to do is hide in enclosed spaces.
Advantages: You don’t need to take them for a walk whatever the weather (though some people do). Surprisingly, they can be toilet trained and after a few years they will bond with their owners – but watch those tendons.
Jun 14 2007
FIRST it was a boa constrictor found in roses in a Newport garden. Now an iguana has been found sunning itself on a yew tree in Mumbles.
And the RSPCA in Wales believes the missing exotic pet finds have nothing to do with the current hot and humid weather.
Spokesman Gethin Russell-Jones said more and more exotic pets are going to go missing because more and more of us are keeping snakes, salamanders, tarantulas and even the odd vulture or two.
The number of reptiles kept as pets in the UK for instance has risen to five million, compared with 1.5 million five years ago, the Federation of British Herpetologists said. It predicted that reptiles would overtake the UK’s six million dogs within two years.
Federation chairman Chris Newman said the UK’s reptile-owning population had been rising steadily since the mid-1980s.
“People like to have an exotic pet, and they are easier to keep than tropical fish,” he said. “They are very convenient pets for people who have busy lifestyles.”
Mr Newman, who is also editor of Reptilian Magazine, said reptiles were much more accessible now, with 1,000 of the country’s 5,000 pet shops selling them.
He said, “They are interactive, and unlike dogs, you haven’t got to take them out for a walk, and they don’t need a lot of space.”
At the weekend, Pamela Garn, 57, of Cwmbran, near Newport, found a two-and-a-half-foot boa constrictor while tending the roses.
She said, “I thought, ‘Who’s chucked some piping on my lawn?’ But as I got closer it moved and I just ran.
“I went back inside and phoned my husband. We thought it was just a grass snake or something like that. I watched it from the window, and when some firemen happened to walk past I rushed out to ask them to take it away.”
Steve Saunders, of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said, “We put it in a box and took it to a local pet shop. It seemed sleepy, but when the gentleman from the pet shop picked it up it did go for him.”
Gethin Rowlands, of Cwmbran Pet Stores, said, “It did strike, but only because it was hungry. I’ve fed it some dead mice, so it’s fine now.”
The snake, black with yellow stripes, will be examined by a vet before being taken to an animal centre.
On Monday this week, retired land registry official Bryan Harris, 64, of Castle Street, Mumbles, Swansea, found an iguana in the yew tree he was clipping back in his garden.
His wife Janet, 65, said, “It was a wonderful specimen and was very lucky because Bryan was close to chopping off its tail before he spotted it. We thought it was a rubber toy at first because the colours were so bright, then we saw its eye blinking.”
The iguana, more used to the rainforests of Central America than Swansea Bay, was being cared for yesterday in a specialist centre in Neath.
In 2003, a pair of vultures went missing in Mid Wales and were seen throughout the region for a number of months before disappearing.
And in 2004, an expert was called in to flush a “water python” from the River Tawe in the Swansea Valley but it was found to be an inner tube.
Gethin Russell-Jones said many owners were not aware of the required diet, habitat and even the dangers posed by exotic pets.
Last year, a man was squeezed to death by his pet boa constrictor at his home in the US city of Cincinnati.
The 13ft snake was still strangling Ted Dres’ body when it was discovered by an acquaintance.
Could you sacrifice those pleading eyes just for a change?
Experts believe ownership of exotic pets like lizards could one day overtake conventional dog and cat ownership.
So what are the pros and cons of Spot versus Idris as pets?
Spot the Dog
Disadvantages: If they are like my dog, instead of bringing newspapers and mail to their master from the doorstep, they run over them like the New Zealand pack, often rendering them unreadable. Also, in winter they have to be taken for walks three times a day in wind, rain, snow, frost, hail, freezing fog or combinations of these.
Advantages: Pleading eyes and affectionate nature make them man and woman’s best friend. This forces humans to forgive the above. Also, walking is good for you and there are some types of mail you really want shredded.
Idris the Iguana
Disadvantages: Stroking an iguana could be painful, as its back is lined with spines and they can be vicious, a bite being able to sever tendons. Iguanas need to have temperature-controlled enclosures, so do not let them near floorboards or air conditioning units because one of their favourite things to do is hide in enclosed spaces.
Advantages: You don’t need to take them for a walk whatever the weather (though some people do). Surprisingly, they can be toilet trained and after a few years they will bond with their owners – but watch those tendons.
