Sorry kids, you can have a pet bunny but not an iguana

(GETTY IMAGES)

Whatever happened to the cute attraction of a cuddly hamster or the irresistible eyes of a tiny kitten? Nowadays kids are banging on about exotics when it comes to their choice of pet. A python or an iguana has replaced the fluff ball to become a child’s requisite scaly friend.

I’m not one of those to ‘goo’ and ‘aww’ over Geri’s mollycoddled shitzu. You won’t find me swooning over pet carriers that cost a month’s salary, doe-eyed at nauseating accessories covered in hearts and sparkly diamantes, and personalised collars that light up in your pet’s cringeworthy name. No, to me pet pampering and big fluffy fur is all pointless and naff commercialisation that I’m just not into.

But exotic pets – reptiles, snakes, birds of paradise and even monkeys – are definitely a no-no. They are not domestic animals, like cats, rabbits and dogs, and should not be kept as such. These are wild creatures that come from very specialised habitats that are virtually impossible to replicate in artificial housing in city dwellings. They are unpredictable and incapable of being fully tamed. It’s a total exploitation of the animal and utterly inappropriate for the child.

Oh well, you might think, bringing up your children with any animal is bound to provide a great opportunity to foster positive, caring and responsible attitudes. As long as you do your research beforehand, acquire them from a reputable place and learn a bit about their diet and habits, the chance to raise and enjoy such a rare species must be an educating and fascinating opportunity for any child.

Besides, more and more exotic and wild animals are making their way into people’s homes as pets these days, so what’s the big deal? No, absolutely no. No amount of commitment or compassion can justify the capture and captivity of these animals for human amusement and commercial profit. Any animal lover would not even consider trying to make one fit their modern lifestyle of convenience. An exotic animal can never truly become a human companion.

Potential pet owners must understand that the trade in exotics for pets is cruel and destructive. Many of these animals are torn from the wild, a high number die in the process and many more suffer enormously in transport only to spend a life languishing in conditions far removed from their natural environments and that fail to meet their highly specific physical, behavioural and psychological needs.

Not only is it cruel to the animals but they pose serious dangers to human health and safety too. They are often carriers of diseases which can transfer to humans and can be fatal. Exotic creatures are dangerous, even those that appear to be friendly and well habituated can easily turn and attack with the potential to cause serious, even fatal injury, with children all too often the victims.

It’s not as if there is any shortage in domestic pets – rescue centres across the country are overflowing with abandoned dogs, mistreated cats and neglected rabbits crying out for a loving home. For these animals, even a cursory gesture of attention sends them positively bonkers with delight and that’s what breaks my heart. While all these desperately forlorn but so eager pets go unloved and too many end up being destroyed, people insist on forcing wild species to live pitiable lives in deplorable conditions for a novelty.

It fills me with despair to hear about exotic pet collectors who keep these wild-at-heart creatures cramped in cages and tanks stacked up in their lounges and bedrooms. For every exotic that has made it into the pet trade, remember the same number have died in the process. They give up the spirit for living and die after a short distressed life of immense anguish and repression. The antithesis of an animal lover, surely.

If you’re thinking about getting a pet for your child, remember that it is the fluffy cute ones that will enjoy being stroked and cuddled. They will flourish in the love and nurture that you want to encourage in your child. Unless you are planning to get a domesticated animal that can make an appropriate pet, you shouldn’t be getting one at all.

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• Andy Moore

  All of what you have quoted here is straight from the APA’s website. The study you have gotten your information from was initiated by the APA and carried out by people with no creditable qualifications on the subject. I would suggest you fully read the study and you will see that many of the claims are started with the words “It is thought” and “may be”. Hardly scientific?

• Andy Moore

  @DrVictoriaMartingdale – you say ”
  Exotic creatures are dangerous, even those that appear to be friendly and well habituated can easily turn and attack with the potential to cause serious, even fatal injury, with children all too often the victims”.

  This may be true if we were talking about crocodiles and lions, but we are talking about pets. Your regular Bearded dragon, Crested gecko or Corn snake is hardly going to turn and kill someone is it.
  So where are all the statistics revealing all these attacks? How many fatal injuries have been inflicted on children? This is nothing short of scaremongering. If you are that concerned about childrens safety, why not support a ban on dogs? After all, they have killed children and they were once wild animals.

  Can I also ask where you stand on the horrid mutation of dogs by the “top” breeders and their regulatory body? Also, puppy farms and indiscriminate breeders how spew out litter after litter of dogs whilst thousands are left to rot in rescue centres or put down by the charities that say they care so much?

• Keri Tregenza

  For someone regarded as such an eco warrior I’m afraid
  i found your blog laughable. What i hoped would be
  a useful and informative article that would emphasise
  why choosing a reptile as a childs pet needed to be a
  uniformed decision made by a fully supporting parent
  who must be aware of the full care requirements was
  merely an unjust opinion with no factual content to
  support a dated catalogue of ignorant beliefs and
  narrow minded judgement.

  Have you really forgotten that your so called
  ‘domestic’ animals, like hamsters, kittens, dogs
  and so on were all once wild animals caught by humans
  and made to adapt to fit into our lives. And of all those
  now considered commonly kept pets, how many species
  were actually native to this country?
  The only thing that is happening different ‘nowadays’
  is that more people care about animal welfare. And trust
  me, you will not find a more caring heart than that of the
  serious reptile hobbyist.
  Why else would a person go to the trouble of using an array
  of expensive tools such as thermostats, hydrometers,
  timers and misting machines?
  Of course i wouldnt expect someone like yourself to
  understand, given that you left your tenants without any
  heating for eighteen months…

  Reptile owners must show a huge amount of attention to
  detail when it comes to the care and responsibility of
  these specialized living creatures. There is little room for
  error or irresponsibility.
  If reptile owners didnt regularly check that equipment
  was in good working order, then animals would die.
  Just like your unfortunate tenant, Stephen Newton, died
  from carbon monoxide poisoning because you failed to
  maintain the gas boiler and conform to the simple
  regulation of arranging annual safety checks.

  My point, Dr Victoria Martindale, is that just because you
  couldnt look after such an animal, doesnt mean someone
  else cant.

  Your comments about habitats being impossible to replicate
  and conditions not meeting physical, behavioural or
  psychological needs only highlight how poorly researched
  this piece was and thats without me factoring in your
  thoughts on reptile and human connections or how you
  disregard any positive elements to be had from such a
  relationship.

  I also think you will find that the majority of reptile owners
  will agree that the rescue centre crisis is awful and that
  the thought of all those unwanted and neglected animals
  is soul destroying, but how dare you put any of that burden
  upon an innocent group of people who simple find enjoyment
  in a different area!
  Tell me Dr Victoria Martindale, if you were told that you
  should stop campaigning for causes and instead focus your
  resources on something else that didnt appeal to you,
  would you? Of course not. And why should you? Why should
  anyone forgo their passions?

  Before you slander someone who collects exotic animals, go
  and visit them. Look at their animals, listen to them talk about
  their collection. You will more than likely find that your
  assumptions are very misguided.
  And perhaps before you advise people against keeping these
  animals as pets you would be wise to get some hands on experience.

• Keri Tregenza

  For someone regarded as such an eco warrior I’m afraid
  i found your blog laughable. What i hoped would be
  a useful and informative article that would emphasise
  why choosing a reptile as a childs pet needed to be a
  uniformed decision made by a fully supporting parent
  who must be aware of the full care requirements was
  merely an unjust opinion with no factual content to
  support a dated catalogue of ignorant beliefs and
  narrow minded judgement.

  Have you really forgotten that your so called
  ‘domestic’ animals, like hamsters, kittens, dogs
  and so on were all once wild animals caught by humans
  and made to adapt to fit into our lives. And of all those
  now considered commonly kept pets, how many species
  were actually native to this country?
  The only thing that is happening different ‘nowadays’
  is that more people care about animal welfare. And trust
  me, you will not find a more caring heart than that of the
  serious reptile hobbyist.
  Why else would a person go to the trouble of using an array
  of expensive tools such as thermostats, hydrometers,
  timers and misting machines?
  Of course i wouldnt expect someone like yourself to
  understand, given that you left your tenants without any
  heating for eighteen months…

  Reptile owners must show a huge amount of attention to
  detail when it comes to the care and responsibility of
  these specialized living creatures. There is little room for
  error or irresponsibility.
  If reptile owners didnt regularly check that equipment
  was in good working order, then animals would die.
  Just like your unfortunate tenant, Stephen Newton, died
  from carbon monoxide poisoning because you failed to
  maintain the gas boiler and conform to the simple
  regulation of arranging annual safety checks.

  My point, Dr Victoria Martindale, is that just because you
  couldnt look after such an animal, doesnt mean someone
  else cant.

  Your comments about habitats being impossible to replicate
  and conditions not meeting physical, behavioural or
  psychological needs only highlight how poorly researched
  this piece was and thats without me factoring in your
  thoughts on reptile and human connections or how you
  disregard any positive elements to be had from such a
  relationship.

  I also think you will find that the majority of reptile owners
  will agree that the rescue centre crisis is awful and that
  the thought of all those unwanted and neglected animals
  is soul destroying, but how dare you put any of that burden
  upon an innocent group of people who simple find enjoyment
  in a different area!
  Tell me Dr Victoria Martindale, if you were told that you
  should stop campaigning for causes and instead focus your
  resources on something else that didnt appeal to you,
  would you? Of course not. And why should you? Why should
  anyone forgo their passions?

  Before you slander someone who collects exotic animals, go
  and visit them. Look at their animals, listen to them talk about
  their collection. You will more than likely find that your
  assumptions are very misguided.
  And perhaps before you advise people against keeping these
  animals as pets you would be wise to get some hands on experience.

• Ross

  @Katherine Winterton, you most certainly do not hold a PhD, as anybody who possesses critical reasoning skills as poor as yours would be entirely incapable of attaining that level of education without being told politely that they were well above their weight grade.
  You clearly have no understanding of the subject in question, and are trying to peddle an ill-informed and frankly ludicrous opinion to a public with no better grasp of the subject than yourself, hoping that the false claim of education and the use of a national newspaper comment section as a vehicle will lend a legitimacy that you are unable to achieve by weight of evidence, any evidence.
  I’d be interested in hearing more about the business dealings of the article writer, as I’m sure it’ll be very illuminating, in fact I’d go so far as to say that I think it’ll be a “gas” if you catch my drift.