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.