# Reptiles as Pets



## strudel (Nov 19, 2010)

Hi,
I have been trying to do a project for college considering whether reptiles should be kept as pets from and ethical point of view. I started it with very little knowledge of reptiles and therefore no bias, but have found a huge amount of negative press surrounding reptiles. Also lots of arguments against reptile keeping from the animal protection agency (APA) and such places.

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you on here would like to tell me why people should keep pet reptiles. Or maybe if you have experience of behavioural problems like "interaction with transparent boundaries" that the APA claims all reptiles suffer from?

thank you


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## swizzer (Nov 6, 2010)

Oooooh I think this is going to open a huge can of worms.... better get myself comfy..... :whistling2:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

if the apa said it wrong just write the opposit to what they say and that will be the truth :lol2:

there some wannabe environmentalists who are trying to make a name for themselves visit or talk to a herptologist at the zoo or on here and they will tell you what amazing pets exotics make


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Your interaction with transparent boundaries, not sure if this is what they mean. But Reptiles do not see glass/clear plastic as a boundary.
However this is not generally a problem as long as they 1. Cant see their reflection in it (as they can attack it, hurting themselves) and 2. are kept in an adequite sized enclosure.

Most of my animals are very social, the tortoises certainly and the beardies and leos. Some of the other species i keep/have handled aren't so sociable towards people, but good reptile keepers acknowledge this and accomodate them in a way thats best for the individual animal.

You find its the bad reptile keepers who go in guns blazing... totally :censor: up an animal then pass it onto a new owner when they get bored, with behavioural problems.


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## kingball (Jun 21, 2009)

the apa can screw themselfs


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## My_SnAkE_rUlEs (Aug 30, 2008)

swizzer said:


> Oooooh I think this is going to open a huge can of worms.... better get myself comfy..... :whistling2:


+1

and also, 90% of the bad things you hear are way over done, as soon as the media get wiff of a reptile story, they go mental a make its seem like we are going to be overrun by reptiles :S
like for instance if a baby royal python is spotted on a street (unlikly as most of us are responsible keepers, and keep reptile's the right way) but if that was to happen the media go "KILLER PYTHON ON THE LOOSE!" when it a baby royal python which is maybe 2 foot max... and probley wouldnt attack anyone as it would be a pet and msot probley used to being handled...

quite afew of reptile keepers, are normally scared of snakes, until they meet somebody with them and hold them, then they want one, ive seen tonnes of posts on this fourm made by first tiem snake keepers, saying that they didnt really like snakes, but after holding one they fell in love...

i mean i dont really like dogs, but i don't want to get dogs banned as pets :S i know many dogs who are well cared for and well behaved, and most dogs that are not well behaved are mainly faults of bad owners...
statisticly dogs injure/kill more people every year then reptiles...
obviously not all reptiles are nice and freindly, but it not what you keep, its how you keep it. same as dogs and any other animal...


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