Hello, i am doing an assignment on exotics pets and thought what better place to go for information than a reptile forum
I just want your opinions really if its ok
Why do you keep exotic pets and waht attracted you to them?
What do you think about them as a hobby, conservation and commercial, the good and bad side,
Thanks

for starters they are much more interesting than regular pets! they are good and sometimes profitable hobby, i dont believe in constantly breeding something for money but if you do happen to have a boa that has 60 babys a go and you can sell them for 50 quid a baby its not bad is it? bad side to the hobby has got to be that it is addictive i have bought 5 snakes in a week!


i have

1.1.0 mexican black king snake - draven
1.1.0 common boas - female 8 foot kaa, male 6.5 foot sabien
0.1.0 royal python - nevada
0.1.0 albino prairie king snake - satine
0.1.0 bearded dragon - clio
1.1.0 dogs - taz and brody
2.0.0 cats - jynx and flynn
2.0.0 ferrets - shayne and dimebag
a tank of cold water fish

I have always loved animals of all kinds since I was a tiny child, and as I got older I loved snakes, liked to read about them and look at pictures of them, and as soon as I had the opportunity to own one I didnt look back.

The hobby and the state of the hobby is a trickier question, it seems to be growing all the time, their are vast numbers of exotic specific pet shops around now, from a conservation point of veiw advancements in how people are successfully breeding their animals and how WC animals are getting more frowned upon means that less are being taken especially the common species, although daily habitat destruction has a far bigger effect on wildlife than collecting for the pet trade.

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Thanks this is really going to help
5 snakes in 1 week, you must love them

yeah, they are amazing animals to just sit there and watch! the way they move and everything its fascinsting!!! have you got reptiles?

I do love reptiles, we have them at college, i dont have any myself as i cant feed them bugs i feel so sorry for them
My brother is hoping to get a blue tongue skink though he has been doing his reasearch, there is one at college and its so lovely.

Ive always been interested in animals since i was very young. this interest focus mainly on birds in my younger years then reptiles and amphibians in later year. while i was at high school and college i kept my interest under wraps, mainly because knowing to much about science made me a geek but sharing openly talking about an educational based passion that was art music or P.E. meant u got a good kicking. a year after college i decided to get a pet and newts seemed easy interesting and suited my needs and from there my interest that had been put on the back burner jumped forward.

now i have several species (and lucky ive found a very understanding landlord) and find there behaviour and keeping interesting and there nice to look at

as for the state of the hobby i personally think there is enough breeding of some species (e.g. leopard geckos) that WC could be removed entirely but some species (e.g. tiger salamanders) which adapt readily to captive life but breeding is difficult WC seems the only logical answer. my main issue with the hobby is pet store selling exotics to kids and those who clearly dont know the first thing about what they are buying. caresheets handed out with pets would be a good idea. as with all hobbies that involve anything living there will be bad cases and controversy but i think things are improving.

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1.3.5 Chinese FBN's, 1.3.5 Green Anole, 1.0 Cantabrian Fire Salamander, 1.1 Eastern Tiger Salamanders, 0.0.2 Long Tailed Salamanders, 1.0 Crestie

Hi
I am allergic to things with fur!!! and so snakes are an idea pet for me. We do have 3 cats that we bought before my allergies became bad and I have to keep them confined to the back of the house so that I can keep away from them as much as possible as I have sever reactions to cat hair. I would have given them away if the children hadnt grown so attached to them. But no more furry friends for me!
I love snakes!!

They are graceful and intricate - body and mind (because they are so basic but compex lol)

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that was what attracted me, the initial cost of setting up a viv may be quite expensive but once you have done it, it costs all, you chuck in a mouse once a week and electricity isnt too bad, you dont have to clean them out as much as hamsters etc, even if they have bark, it doesnt get everywhere, coz they are in a locked viv, no hair to hoover up! they dont smell! they dont mind if you dont give them any attention for a few hours! they dont make noise, and they can make your living room or bedroom look really nice if you choose to have a decorative viv!

PERFECT OR WHAT?