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Tink's Campaign for Happy Pets

Tink's story:  Tink was a little albino leopard gecko that I saw one day for sale in a garden centre.  Tink was extremely thin and obviously unwell.  He was in a tank with very bright light and few places to hide, but leopard geckos are nocturnal, so should be asleep in the daytime.  He was sitting in his water bowl, probably because he was so hot and dehydrated.  The garden centre let me take Tink home for free, but despite intensive care at the vets, Tink died.  He had been allowed to get so thin and ill that we weren't able to save him.  The photo on the left is not Tink, but is a lovely, healthy leopard gecko - the photos of Tink are too upsetting to put on a website that is popular with children.

Sadly, Tink is not the only one.  Pet reptiles are now thought to outnumber dogs in the UK and I often hear stories of pet snakes, lizards and other animals that have died, been injured or escaped.  As Tink's story shows, sometimes even the places selling these animals do not know how to care for them correctly.  These days, there is no excuse for lack of knowledge.  You can get books from the library, read specialist magazines and find huge amounts of information on the internet.   Here are just a few questions that you should be able to answer if you are thinking of getting a reptile, amphibian or invertebrate (or any other animal) as a pet.  Let's give all our pets a better life than poor Tink.

Is this the right pet for me?

Before buying any animal, first find out the following information:

- How much space does this animal need?  What sort of housing?  Where would it live and how would it behave in the wild?  Does it need special temperatures, lighting, substrate/bedding, things to climb on or hide behind?

- What does the animal eat?  Reptiles often need to eat livefood, like locusts, crickets and mealworms, and snakes will need prey such as mice, which are bought frozen and thawed before feeding.  Some animals may need special supplements, like calcium, to keep them healthy. 

- How long will the animal live?  Many reptiles can outlive mammals - will you still want this pet in 20 years???

- Does the animal live on its own or in groups?  Most reptiles are best kept on their own, whereas other animals, such as rabbits, like to have friends. 

- What kind of diseases or illness might the animal suffer from?  Can you (or your parents) afford the vets fees if the animal were to be ill?

- Will you be able to handle the animal?  Was it captive bred (born as a pet)?  Avoid buying a wild-caught animals as they won't be as tame, can carry diseases and it's much better to support responsible breeding than taking animals from the wild.

Remember there may be lots of different opinions on the answers to some of these questions.  Don't just read one care sheet, do lots of research to get lots of ideas and facts.  I am always learning more about my animals and find out about new ways to make their lives healthier and happier.  Also be careful when using the internet as there is lots of information out there, but you never know who might have written it and how much experience they might have.

The more you know, the better you will be able to care for your pet....

                                                                                     and the happier its life will be!