Exotic animals such as chameleons, bearded dragons and the like have high demandsReptiles are not pets

Whether turtles, bearded dragons or chameleons: there are hundreds of thousands of reptiles in German households. However, it is often underestimated that these animals cannot be kept appropriately in private households. If owners cannot cope with the high demands, they want to get rid of the reptiles. This poses major problems for animal shelters and rescue centers.

Many people are fascinated by reptiles and often rashly buy one of the exotic animals that can be found on the internet, at pet fairs or in pet shops. From leopard geckos and Greek tortoises to snakes, everything is included. The animals are the ones who suffer - and the ignorance of many keepers adds to the suffering.

Reptiles are wild animals - it is usually almost impossible to keep them in a species-appropriate way in an apartment. The animals grow throughout their lives and a terrarium quickly becomes too small. An aquatic turtle, for example, often grows to the size of a soup plate and a green iguana up to two meters long. In addition to their size, many people underestimate the long life expectancy of these animals. Not to mention the demands they place on their environment: Reptiles need different temperature ranges in their habitat, suitable lighting and humidity in the air and soil. The right climate can only be achieved, if at all, with greater technical and financial effort. This is because it requires expensive technology and, depending on the species, a lot of electricity. In addition, there are not always vets who specialize in reptiles. Feeding is also problematic.

Some reptiles need complete or even live animals such as mice, rats and other small rodents as food. This means stress and a cruel death for the animals to be fed. The situation cannot be compared with that in the wild, as the prey animals in the terrarium have no way of escaping. In addition, the food animals are often not kept in a species-appropriate manner. Reptiles in private households also pose a health risk. For example, they can transmit salmonella to humans. Furthermore, keeping exotic animals promotes the extinction of species in the wild, as wild-caught animals are still allowed to be traded.

Many owners are not aware of how much knowledge, time and money it takes to keep reptiles before they buy them. They hand their reptiles over to animal shelters or abandon them. Animal shelters take in over 6,000 reptiles every year. Very few of them have suitable premises, terrariums or specialized staff and are therefore unable to house snakes, lizards and the like appropriately. As a rule, there is a lack of money. Many are already fully occupied with dogs, cats, rabbits and the like. That's why they don't have the time to acquire the specialist knowledge about these demanding exotic animals. Added to this is the considerable effort involved in caring for reptiles. As a rule, reptiles remain in animal shelters for a long time, as only a few can be successfully placed with private households. To relieve the burden on animal shelters, the German Animal Welfare Federation supports them financially and opened its own reptile station at the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center in 2016.

Positive list would help

There are currently no mandatory requirements or regulations for keeping reptiles in Germany. Only nine federal states in Germany prohibit the keeping of certain dangerous animal species. For years, the German Animal Welfare Federation has been calling for a nationwide positive list that only lists animal species that are actually allowed to be kept.¹ This approach would be clearer than a negative list. Animal species that have not yet been traded would not simply be allowed to enter the German market until the authorities approve this and include them on the positive list. Customs, police or veterinary authorities would be able to intervene more quickly and it would be easier to follow the regulations. Until the way is politically clear for a positive list, a uniform nationwide ban on keeping wild animals that could be dangerous to humans or exceed a certain size should first be created.