Reptile Ethics

[pogvitt]

Hi!

I was just curious about the stances people had on ethics of keeping wild-caught reptiles, and I would like to hear a few perspectives.

 

[Rukii]

In my own mind, I have a love/hate relationship with keeping wild-caught animals. On one side of my mind, you're doing them a favor; feeding them, keeping them warm, keeping them in a predator-free environment, and in some cases, living in captivity means a longer life. But on the other hand, you've taken them out of freedom, out of their natural habitat they grew up in, possibly away from a mate or clutch, and just altogether plucked them out of the world and into a little box, no matter how big or luxurious it is. So I can't exactly choose whether I think its strictly good or bad, but those are my views.

 

[pogvitt]

For me, I think the biggest issue with wild caught reptiles is the transition process to captivity. I have heard horror stories about the nightmarish conditions reptiles are forced to endure during transit (I remember reading about one instance where several dozen turtles were crammed in a crate, which resulted in the bottom turtles being crushed to death) only to all to often be sold to somebody who is unable to provide the level of care they require.

Another serious problem is the impact to wild populations - overexploitation of populations not only impacts numbers but also removes valuable genetic diversity.

 

[Rukii]

The transporting issue is huge. I totally forgot about the whole 'ripping them out of their home into much worse conditions' thing. And a lot of pet stores cram like 8 juvenile reptiles into the tiniest little box with minimum care. I've seen like 6 beardies in a tiny itty bitty 'enclosure' with sand, mealworms, a humidity box, and feces everywhere. At least if you're going to pluck them out of their home, give them a little paradise to live in. That's like an alien taking us out of our house and shoving us into a glass box with bread and water and no sunlight. That's why when I take an animal, I be sure to give plenty of food, room, warmth and safety, toys, and of course cuddles and playtime. Even my local reptile shop houses multiple critters in a 20 long with UV strips way up above the tanks and housing them on bark and with filthy water. I just want to go into every pet shop and hand them an in-depth care sheet on how to do things properly. I understand it's pricy doing things right, but how can you settle for any less for another living creature?

 

[pogvitt]

I agree that there is a big problem with many pet shops. There is no process to ensure that people purchasing an exotic pet have any idea what it requires. I think anoles suffer disproportionately because of this, since their price ($6-$12) puts them in the 'disposable pet' range.

 

[Rukii]

Definitely. The anoles at my local shop are 3 for $12. They mainly call them 'feeder lizards' since they use that to feed their monitors and all. Animals should be priced up pretty high. If you're not serious about taking care of it, then you won't want to pay the serious price for it, and vice versa.

 

[pogvitt]

Really?? The anoles I see around are almost invariably emaciated and most likely parasite-ridden - basically, they would make terrible feeders! Any that I have seen for sale would need at least a month of rehabilitation before they could be considered good feed (but I guess if you are going to nurse something back to health for a month, you are probably not going to feed it to something else).

 

[Livey]

I don't agree on taking in wild animals, Not matter what, Although yes it would be a better life for them,
But it would be difficult for them adapt, and for human contact...