Introduction
The most popular and traditional pet in a human household is a dog. According to Statista leading pets ranking in the UK, 45% of UK population owns a pet of which 26% are dogs, 18% are cats, and the significantly lower percentage is exotic animals such as lizards – 0.5% and snakes only 0.4%. These percentages of listed exotic pets can be low due to many reasons. Some people think that all exotic animals raise risk for human health and safety, they are captured from the wild and therefore the majority of exotic animals are not able to easily adjust to the typical home environment. People think that exotic animals do not like to be handled or the appearance of such animals is intimidating, there are also misunderstanding about the care that such animals require. Many people state that the best pets are domestic animals such as dogs or cats and sometimes, they have an opinion that exotic animals such as snakes and spiders are dangerous, fearful, repellent and have never considered to have it as a pet. This documentary introduces that exotic animals can be as good pets as any other animal. Having an exotic animal you can experience the same things as you would having a dog as they can be playful, affectionate and can learn different tricks. Exotic animals are unique and therefore it is fascinating to have them as a pet at home.
Image Gallery
Dr. Laurie Hess explains that many people think that iguanas cannot recognize their owners. However, iguanas absolutely recognize their owners by sight and sound. They have very keen vision and clearly see their owners. Iguanas also hear well and recognize the owner’s voice.
Pet health specialist Laurie Hess says that exotic pets are so different from cats and dogs that owning one can be an incredible learning experience. Many exotic animals can make a good pet because. certain species can live for 20-40 years or more in captivity.
Some people have negative opinion about keeping snakes or other reptiles as pets, they believe in stereotypes that every exotic animal is dangerous and for most people their look is fearful, there is even phobia called herpetophobia, according to Lisa Fritscher “it is a fear of reptiles, specifically snakes and lizards”.
One click reported that there are around 2900 or more licensed pet shops in England, Scotland and Wales. Of these pet shops, 57% are selling one or more exotic species of which 42% sold reptiles, 22% sold amphibians, 17% sold mammals and 25% sold birds.
Exotic animals are not everyone’s first choice of pet, but, according to the article “Exotic pets you are allowed to own in the UK” the demand for them appears to be growing, so at the end of 2014 it was reported that reptiles, in particular, were becoming popular.
Josh's frog article "Do Frogs make Good Pets? " explains that something that may surprise most people is how long a pet frog can live if properly cared for. He states that some species can easily surpass 15-25 years in age.