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Dougal's Pet Corner
The place for your pet stories and pictures, let me have them |
| REPTILES |
Reptiles like snakes and
iguanas may be interesting and unusual, but they are very difficult and expensive to look
after correctly, and are really not at all suitable as domestic pets. Before getting any
pet, you should think very hard about whether you can provide everything it needs.
What do reptiles need? A great deal of space. A baby iguana, for example, may seem small,
but can grow to nearly one and a half metres long. A rock python can reach five metres in
length. As reptiles grow, they need more and more space. To be fed with exactly the right
kind of food. You may have to obtain this from a specialist supplier, and the reptile's
diet could include insects or rodents. A specially built home, in which you need to
recreate the reptile's natural environment as closely as possible. This includes
controlling the levels and quality of light, temperature and humidity in accordance with
the animal's needs. Some snakes need to spend time in water and many require ultra-violet
light, which can be very expensive to provide. A secure enclosure. Some reptiles are
dangerous, particularly to other pets and small children. A huge commitment of time and
money throughout their long lives. To have help from a veterinary surgeon or an expert if
they are ill or injured. You may have to travel some distance to find a specialist vet. To
be looked after when you are away on holiday. Iguanas can live for 20 years and some
snakes for 50 years. |
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Most reptiles keept as pets originally come
from tropical or sub-tropical climates and do not do well in captivity. They are entirely
dependent upon their owners to provide suitable conditions for them and will suffer a
great deal if their complex needs are not met. Reptiles are unlikely to provide the sort
of companionship and interaction that some owners may want from a pet. All reptiles need
careful and expert handling.
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| It is important to learn the correct way to pick up a
snake or lizard, to avoid injuring the animal or putting yourself at risk. Reptiles should
not be handled by young children and large snakes are a particular danger. Many reptiles
need ultra-violet light from the sun to help make vitamin D and absorb calcium. In
captivity this needs to be provided artificially, otherwise they will start to absorb
calcium from their own bones, leaving them too weak to move. Some snakes, like the
Californian kingsnake or the garter snake, need artificial heat. However, they can be
seriously burned if this is not provided correctly. If a Burmese python does not have
access to water for bathing, it may have difficulty shedding its skin. Many snakes, the
South American anaconda being another example, need to spend time in water to stay
healthy. Every year, millions of exotic animals, including reptiles, are trapped from the
wild and sold into the international pet trade. Many die during capture or transport, and
those that reach pet shops may be sick or weak from their ordeal. A variety of illnesses,
injuries and infections can be caused by keeping reptiles in unsuitable conditions. It is
vital to find out as much as possible about a reptile's natural environment and its diet
in order to prevent suffering. |
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| GLOBAL
WARMING'S SILVER LINING |
That global warming is happening is now widely accepted,
even if its causes are still being argued about. As it intensifies there will be major
consequences, some foreseen, others not. Many of these consequences are likely to be
unwelcome, but for birdwatchers there could be interesting changes. Anybody walking along
the coast, particularly in the Holkham or Wells area, can hardly have failed to notice
small, pure white herons. These birds are Little Egrets, a species that most people will
associate with trips to warmer climes in the Mediterranean. Now, for whatever reason, and
'global warming' must be a candidate, they have spread north and are firmly established as
a British breeding bird, and this in a very short space of time.
The first Little Egret for Norfolk was seen in 1952, and only ten years ago, the Norfolk
Bird Report described the species as a 'vagrant now almost annual in appearance'. Now
however, this attractive miniature heron is a regular visitor to all Norfolk's coastal
marshes, being seen regularly in small flocks. In 2003, a roost at Holkham held over 140
individuals! In 1891, the killing of these birds to obtain the wispy feathers of their
breeding plumage for hat decoration, inspired the formation of the Society for the
Protection of Birds, which later went on to become possibly the world's most influential
voluntary conservation body: the RSPB.
In our more enlightened times it is to be hoped that the pairs that have started breeding
in the UK will be left in peace and that we can look forward to a time when the graceful
Little Egret can be described as a common and widespread species. If the rate of increase
taking place in North Norfolk is anything to go by, this time is only just around the
corner! Cley-Spy |
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In
the 1500s the floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence the saying "dirt poor." |
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