Rejected Reptiles

Reports confirmed a growing number of abandoned reptile pets in the country.

10:29 19 May 2015

A recent study conducted by RSPCA confirmed that the number of abandoned reptile pets in the country has risen by a third in three years. Cases seen by the charity includes a pair of bearded dragons dumped in a concrete stairwell and a desert iguana left in a box at a charity shop.

 

Keith Simpson-Wells from the RSPCA Reptile Rehoming Centre said that pet owners should be educated as to what keeping animals entails.  

 

"People don't do their research completely on the animal before they get it and I think sometimes they can become scared of the animal," he said.

 

"They get too big... bigger than expected and some people get bored and want to move on to something else."

 

Getting a reptile pet is extremely easy nowadays as people can easily buy one online. People can also buy from “bedroom breeders” who are currently unregulated. 

 

At Cambridge Reptiles, manager Gary Miller makes sure his customers know exactly what is required to care for the animals.

 

"We vet people extensively. They can't just come in and buy an animal," he said.

 

"They have to have the correct enclosure, the correct heating, the correct lighting because these guys are ectotherms.