Law change call as charity deals with rise in exotic pets

A LEADING animal charity has called for the sale of exotic pets to be more tightly controlled, as it emerged dozens of abandoned reptiles were being cared for in the Capital.

Two bearded dragons dumped outside a city pet shop in a cardboard box, a toad and a "stray" ratsnake are among an increasing number of reptiles being looked after by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) at its Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre at Balerno.

Mangers there said they were "busy" with similar animals at the moment.

Animal charity OneKind today said the increasing numbers of such pets being abandoned supported its call for tougher legislation.

Libby Anderson, policy director, said: "We would like to see stronger legislation against the illegal pet trade by making the registration of all exotic animals compulsory; by increasing the efficiency of customs controls and the introduction of stricter penalties for those illegally trading."

The SSPCA said it had seen a growing number of reptiles being abandoned in the last two years, as owners discovered they can grow from small, easy-to-care-for pets into large, expensive animals.

In recent months they have had reptiles dumped outside the centre or simply left in houses once the owners move.

Fortunately, Bobbie and Jazz, the two bearded dragons, were found in time.

Kenny Sharpe, assistant manager of the SSPCA centre, said: "We get quite a steady stream of reptiles in here, although in the last two years it has increased so much we had to extend the facilities to ensure we could look after them all.

"It can be expensive and difficult to look after them and so people just abandon them, which is terrible as they have no chance in the wild. Some people even abandon terrapins at the beach - even though salt water can be deadly to them."

Mr Sharpe said snakes, such as the ratsnake, were more commonly found "in the wild", although many have escaped from vivariums or simply been put out by uncaring owners, and he revealed they often turned up in unusual places.

"We get quite a few snake calls," he said. "I remember we had a woman ring up from a house in Edinburgh after she went to use her oven and discovered a small corn-snake under the grill. We've had them turn up in washing machines and even in a woman's bath."