Selling ‘Common’ Exotic Animals in Chain Pet Stores

My position on pet ownership is simple: I support responsible animal ownership. I don’t care about one’s reasoning for wanting a pet, or even what type of pet it is, as long as this animal is being cared for properly. An essential part of responsible animal ownership starts at where you purchase your pet. The controversy regarding the possession of ‘wild’ animals is noisy, but waters are calmer among the general public when it comes to typical pet stores. These stores, many of them popular chains, have conducted business for a long time. Therefore, no one really questions a common practice or a socially acceptable situation. A pet owner who opts to adopt a ‘wild’ animal will experience more backlash than those who impulse by ‘cheap’ animals from generic pet stores. How are these practices anymore ‘ethical’? Why are some ‘wild’ animals’ welfare subsequently ignored when they are a common species? A much bigger issue than people caring for high maintenance animals are those who give little thought to the needs of ‘low’ maintenance exotics and the stores that generate significant revenue based on their sales. These animals are prolific in captivity; the chance of these animals finding their way to a good caretaker’s possession is most likely low.

Non-species specific pet stores are usually staffed with unknowledgeable employees, especially with chain stores such as Petco and Petsmart. Naïve costumers look up to these employees as if they believe these individuals have had a level of training in caring for animals that exceeds their own. The idea of course is laughable. I’ve had my own experience when younger inquiring about the gender of a Chinese dwarf hamster. The female employee told us she was 99.9 percent sure the rodent was a male, and of course it turned out to be a pregnant female, delivering about a week after we purchased her. Common sense tells you not to ask pet store employees for advice unless you have some valid reason to trust them, such as if they are actual pet owners. Either way, misinformation runs rampant with many species, sometimes because people simply don’t care. Exotic animals on display among pet supplies and outdated care books are a breeding ground for misrepresentation. One key approach to animal care is to always do your own research and never put all your eggs into one basket with one person’s opinion. The internet is a great place to start.

When people aren’t proactive, or even hardly interested in how to properly care for their pets, it’s no wonder we accept early deaths of the said animals with so much ease. Instead of investigating what went wrong with the husbandry, we just replace the animal because they are cheap. Cheap animals are a severe danger to animal welfare, and these species are at the highest risk of ending up in a bad situation.

Animals are displayed in pet stores for the same reasons candy bars and useless knick knacks are placed at checkout counters; with the hopes that upon viewing them a customer will consider making a purchase. Should living animals be peddled in such a manner as groceries and supplies? The problem intensifies with ‘exotic’ animals such as reptiles, ferrets, fish, and birds. The unsuspecting public who are most prone to impulse buying animals are not aware of pet care standards and view the display as a statement on ease of care. Many companion bird species live at least 15 years and have a high need for attention. Fish, especially marine species, require a knowledgeable owner who understands water chemistry, while the poor betta fish still suffer from the misconceptions that they can live in a shot glass and eat vegetation growing on top of it. Then there are marine fish and invertebrates that are now further victimized after the success of the film Finding Nemo. I have seen anemones, such as condy anemones, Condylactis gigantean, sold along side withocellaris clownfish. Clownfish do not host these invertebrates that need high light, are semi-aggressive, and are sensitive to water chemistry. Along with all other species of anemone (outside of small pest anemones found on ‘live’ rock) they are not for novice owners. Anyone with a genuine interest in keeping marine life doesn’t patronize such generic stores for livestock.

Reptiles are misrepresented diet and size wise, with the biggest suffererbeing the green iguana. Imagine that iguanas were sold at their adult size of about 6 feet. The sales would significantly decrease when people can view just what they are getting. Iguanas are relatively high maintenance animals in a 6 inch package when sold in their neonate form. This is yet another recipe for animal welfare disaster, which contributes to the high numbers of these lizards needing to be re-homed. Other reptiles are displayed without the proper lighting while their food dishes are peppered with non-nutritious colored ‘food pellets’, ice berg lettuce, starved crickets and high fat meal worms. These concerns just barely scratch the surface, and individual stores carry out far worse husbandry (and promote it to the unknowing public).

In my opinion, if pet stores must sell live animals, only species that have very general care should be sold if the section they are in offers correct basic care sheets (some chains such as Petco provide care sheets). These animals consist of common easy care fresh water fish (no marine fish or invertebrates are suitable for the novice caretaker), small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, rats, and guinea pigs, and good beginner reptiles such as bearded dragons and corn snakes. Chain stores that have opted out of selling dogs and cats (and even offer a place for shelters to advertise their animals) are to be commended. It would be ideal if pet stores would also offer exotics for adoption instead of for sale (with an emphasis on the green iguana). Living animals should be sought to be purchased from private breeders or a trusted species specific pet store. Such a practice will lessen the incidences of animals dying extremely early due to bad husbandry.