# RSPCA Reptile Report



## arkreptiles (Sep 26, 2007)

Thought I'd post this report which really demonstrated the RSPCA's opinion towards the keeping of reptiles!!
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Sat...PCABlob&blobwhere=1014390189890&ssbinary=true


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## Esarosa (Jul 13, 2007)

Royal pythons only suitable for advanced 'qualified'keepers...are they having a laugh!?
The whole report is bloody ridiculous to be honest. I'm sorry but if theres one group of animal keepers that i've seen that go more out of their way than any other it's reptile keepers. They're constantly fighting the crap that's thrown at them via the RSPCA. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but where pray tell, do they get their statistics from. 15% are malnourished....have any keepers on here been approached by the RSPCA to use them for there statistics? I highly doubt it. And considering what a large chunk of the reptile community this forum has that should speak volumes.

I'm sick of organisations like this making up complete and utter crap about reptile keepers and exotics keepers with nothing to back it up or very very few cases to base it on. All because they're in the public eye and on the whole the population doesn't see what they are really like!

[edit to add] apparently low humidity will cause MBD. Do these idiots not realise that differen't species require different conditions? Which the majority of reptile keepers provide?! Apparently herbivorous reptiles are given cat and dog food...yes by idiots like the people who wrote this report who obviously didn't do two minutes research. Gah that reports really friggin irritated me.


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## Fly (May 27, 2008)

Bear in mind the RSPCA only tend to see tha bad side of the Reptile keeping community. It's relatively rare that they visit keepers with healthy animals, it only tends to be cruely cases. This can lead to a slightly biased view of the community as a whole.


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## Esarosa (Jul 13, 2007)

Fly said:


> Bear in mind the RSPCA only tend to see tha bad side of the Reptile keeping community. It's relatively rare that they visit keepers with healthy animals, it only tends to be cruely cases. This can lead to a slightly biased view of the community as a whole.


That is exactley the point though. If that is the side they see how can they come up with 15% of reptiles being malnourished..or are we to believe thats 15% of the reptiles that they physically see come through their shelters? Which overall would mean the real number would be significantly lower. It's complete and utter rubbish.


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## llama_girl (Jul 6, 2008)

if anything...it shows that the people they come across need to be educated more. just because they only see the bad ones (which doesn't supprise me, they are meant to investigate animal cruelty) doesn't mean everyone is incapable of caring for their reps.
there are pleanty of dogs whos care requirements aren't met...does that mean they should be 'specialist' pets. No, it means either its owners need to read up (a lot) or they just dont care and shouldn't be keeping animals.


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## cooljules (May 20, 2008)

llama_girl said:


> if anything...it shows that the people they come across need to be educated more. just because they only see the bad ones (which doesn't supprise me, they are meant to investigate animal cruelty) doesn't mean everyone is incapable of caring for their reps.
> there are pleanty of dogs whos care requirements aren't met...does that mean they should be 'specialist' pets. No, it means either its owners need to read up (a lot) or they just dont care and shouldn't be keeping animals.


to me the rspca need to be educated more...totaly useless.


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## longhaircavies (Jun 21, 2008)

I cant believe they say royals should be kept by qualified keepers, its experiance more than any crapy qualification that is best, any one can go out and get a qualification and it still doesnt they no what their doing and i think the RSPCA show that, just cause theyve done some sort of corse they think they no best, i bet hardly any of them have any experiance.
My first rep was a green iggy and he was fab. I think i did a fab job with him, only homing for a breedin program and my first snake was a royal which i think are great snakes for first timers.
The only thing which i agree with is that too many animals are being wild caught when there is no need as there are so many breed well in captivaty.


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## MrMike (Jun 28, 2008)

I can't believe that report. Even though I am a new reptile keeper, I know I know more than they do, thats just from reading these forums for a couple months. And to think I used to donate to these guys, I'm sure they are good with fur n feathers, but with reptiles they need some serious help


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## gopher (Jun 15, 2008)

That report is a load of bull'. Obviously all the problems they've mentioned are true *for a small monority*. But most rep. owners understand that their animals have specialised needs and they do everything they can and spend hundreds of pounds in order for there rep to be cared for properly and have a healthy life. Of course they can suffer from health problems as they mentioned. But how many dogs are obese? How many cats have fleas? Loads. So why then are they not campagning for these to be specialised animals.

As usual they are only focussing on the bad points to give herp keepers a bad press. W:censor:kers.


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## Sid.lola (Jan 10, 2008)

That it a disgustingly ill-informed report. It saddens me that most will believe every word of it and not question figures because the RSPCA is so well respected! pah!


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## fatratsandcheesekk (May 18, 2008)

:cussing:RSPCA:bash::2wallbang:

this report would be so different if they saw responcible keepers which is probably why they do this
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/general-herp-chat/170595-rspca-allowed-inspect-your-house.html


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## arkreptiles (Sep 26, 2007)

I didn't see a date on the report so have no idea how long it has been in circulation or indeed who it was aimed at but if it has been used to advise policy makers then we really do have an uphill battle!!

As suggested above there really needs to be something to qualify their findings i.e what was the sample size?, were these just cases they investigated? etc

Perhaps we could persuade the FBH or IHS to make a reasoned response to it?


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## Grakky (Dec 4, 2007)

:shock:


If I didn't know better I'd actually think that was a joke, 

royal pythons for specialist keepers only, what a load of tripe.


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## Hana (Jun 18, 2008)

What gets me is that they are that concern about reptiles that they publish an artical about them and how they are kept, but we all know that if we know of a reptile in need it takes a good samaritan to do something about it as the the rspca dont give a flying ****!!!!

it niggles me that if they spent as much time training members of their team to specialise in reptiles as they do producing shoddy ariticals like this one then there would be no need for any reptile to be ill treated as we would know that if we knew of any ill-treated rep then we could rely on them to sort it out like they do with dogs and cats instead of trying to keep it hush hush, i have lost count of the amount of times i have seen people say 'don't inform the rspca, we all know what they think'.

They should spend more time getting to know these animals instead of spreading bad press about them. it really infurriates me..............sorry for the rant


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## DazedLewis (Aug 21, 2008)

Lol at royal pythons being for qualified keepers.

What is a qualified keeper anyway?


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## ch4ncy (Aug 5, 2008)

DazedLewis said:


> What is a qualified keeper anyway?


David seaman with a degree :2thumb:


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## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

arkreptiles said:


> I didn't see a date on the report so have no idea how long it has been in circulation or indeed who it was aimed at but if it has been used to advise policy makers then we really do have an uphill battle!!
> 
> As suggested above there really needs to be something to qualify their findings i.e what was the sample size?, were these just cases they investigated? etc
> 
> Perhaps we could persuade the FBH or IHS to make a reasoned response to it?


 
They did years ago, this report must be at least 5 years old or even more.


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

A lot of the report may be based on what inspectors view to be neglected animals, under fed animals etc. 
The fact is that the majority of inspectors are jack of all trades and masters of none. In the past I have helped inspectors collect reptiles, I have been asked to participate in identifying reptiles on raids on shops etc, I have looked after reptiles as well as many other animals. A lot of what they did I disagreed with and got dumped with many animals that I was so supposed to be loooking after short term, these included Rock Pythons, other large constrictors. So after a period of time I withdrew my help.

Shortly after I got a official visit from an inspector stating I had illegal Tortoises and Caimans. After asking the Inspector to wait until I had a friend as a witness, I proceeded to show the Inspector my reptile collection.

Every single species of reptile I told the inspector a false name, ie I called my Frilled Dragons Sailfin Dragons etc. I described my tortoise as all Hermans, Horfields or Spur thighed to the inspector. Yet in my collection I had Redfoots, Yellow Foots, Pancakes, Hingebacks. 
At no point did the Inspector query any identification given. 
The inspector actually queeried my paper work as I did not have enough for all the Hermans Tortoise even though some were actually Redfoots.

The Inspector and the RSPCA spent many weeks arguing and threatening about the paper work and also telling me how to keep specific species even though they were not that species, before I and the vet ( the friend who was the witness ) came clean and exposed them for being inept and useless.

Things have not changed much over the years. I do generally have sympathy for the good Inspectors who do have the best interests of the animals because no matter how good they are, they can never have enough knowledge of all the animals they will come across. This leads to bad reports and even poorer legislation.

By the way there was never any Caimans.

Best wishes


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## twinklu (Mar 12, 2008)

The RSPCA puts reports like this out because the majority of them have no idea about reptiles in the least and it would cost them to have their people trained up, and the more money they have to spend on training their staff means less to spend on their plush offices, i noticed on the report that the list at the end has the BSAVA listed, funny that because they don't mind making money off reptiles themselves otherwise why would they print this manual *BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pets, *why do the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) offer veterinary surgeons Exotic qualifications if it's so wrong to keep exotics as pets, why do pet plan offer us insurance on exotics, *because while they all preach how wrong it is their not adverse to making money off reptiles themselves*


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