animal . . . exotic to buy anawc.upei.ca/files/2016/04/exotics.pdf · exotic animals. they should...
TRANSCRIPT
So you want
to buy anexoticanim
al . . .
Animal W
elfare Series: Brochure # 3
Should I buy an exotic animal over the internet?
There are serious problems w
ith acquiring ananim
al over the internet. You will not be able to
assess the animal’s health and environm
entproperly. The anim
al may have been w
ild-caught.It can be too easy to purchase on im
pulse usingthe internet, w
ithout considering the long-termcom
mitm
ent.
Trade in larger exotic animals such as alligators
and tigers also occurs over the internet. This isgenerally illegal. The anim
als are often wild-caught
and then smuggled. Transportation is very
stressful for them, and m
any become ill or die
during transport. It is dangerous to keep largeexotic anim
als. They should never be consideredas pets.
So, what is the bottom
line?W
e keep pets in order to give them a good life
while w
e enjoy their company. This can be very
difficult to achieve with exotic anim
als. In theexperience of m
any veterinarians and humane
organizations, most exotic anim
als do not do well
as pets. Even if you are very knowledgeable and
comm
itted, you should still think twice before
getting an exotic animal.
The Sir James D
unn Anim
al Welfare C
entreexists to provide tangible benefits
to animals, through research, service
and education. For further information,
please visit our website at:
ww
w.upei.ca/aw
c
What are exotic anim
als?Exotic anim
als are species that are not native toour country. Som
e exotic animals that people
keep as pets are: tropical fish, snakes, iguanas,parakeets, parrots, hedgehogs, chinchillas, andsugar-gliders.
What concerns are there about keeping exotic
animals?
The first concern is that exotic animals have very
specialized dietary, housing and medical needs. It
is often difficult, time-consum
ing, and costly tom
eet these needs, and information about them
isnot easy to find. A
s a result many exotic pets
become sick and die, despite their ow
ners’ bestintentions. For exam
ple, iguanas are one of them
ost frequently purchased exotic pets, and it isthought that m
ost die within the first year of
ownership.
Where exotic pets com
e from is another concern.
Some are bred in captivity, but
many are captured in the w
ild.Som
e wild-caught anim
als arecaught illegally, and m
any diethrough inhum
ane capture andtransportation. For exam
ple, some tropical
fish are caught by using cyanide to force themto sw
im to the top of the w
ater. This kills largenum
bers of fish and coral every year. Many anim
alscaught in the w
ild will never adapt to captivity.
Also, m
any carry parasites or infections that aredifficult to detect and can be transm
itted to people,native w
ildlife, livestock and domestic pets.
Most kinds of exotic pets are not dom
esticated, sothey cannot provide the com
panionship that we
expect from m
ore traditional pets. Consequently,
owners m
ay give up their exotic animal to a
shelter or abandon it. The Canadian Veterinary
Medical A
ssociation is opposed to the capture ofw
ild animals to be kept or sold as pets.
What steps should I take if I w
ould like to get anexotic anim
al?1. A
sk lots of questions.C
onsult with your provincial departm
ent offisheries and w
ildlife to find out if it is legal toow
n the animal. R
esearch the animal’s needs for
shelter, food, companionship, and environm
entaltem
perature and humidity. C
onsider the costs ofm
eeting these needs. For example, m
any peopledo not know
that young iguanas will grow
to anadult length of 1.5 to 2 m
eters.
Other things to consider: how
noisy is the animal?
Is it social or solitary? How
long can it live in captivity? For exam
ple, some birds can live to
be 50 or 60 years old, bond with only one
person and require a structured andstim
ulating environment.
Is there a veterinarian in your area with
expertise in exotic animals? A
re there any dangers to people from
owning
the animal? For exam
ple, turtles, snakes, and iguanas com
monly carry a
disease called Salmonella.
As you do the research, ask yourself
questions. Can I provide for all the needs
of the animal during its life? Is everyone
in my hom
e comfortable w
ith this animal?
Who w
ill provide care when I am
away?
2. Investigate suppliers. O
nce you decide on an animal, search
for a reputable supplier. Ask lots of
questions. How
long has the supplier been w
orking with this species? H
ave the animals
been bred in captivity? Does the supplier have
the required permits or licenses? D
oes thesupplier offer inform
ation on care of the animal?
If you buy an exotic animal, m
ake sure it has beenbred in captivity. If you are buying from
a petstore, check that it provides proper conditions forits anim
als and current information for ow
ners.Buying “sick” or “sad-looking” anim
als onlym
akes room for new
animals to fill that space. If
you have concerns about an animal, the local
humane society has the authority to investigate
complaints.
Another option is to adopt an anim
al from a
shelter or sanctuary.