MUNICH/BONN (dpa) – The female chameleon sits languidly on a branch, her tail – green at this moment – curled up.
While one eye stares blankly ahead, the other swivels downward to peer critically at the cat which has settled down in front of the terrarium.
As the owner of this extremely fussy pet, a librarian in Munich, explained, the lizard’s bulging, independently movable eyes are characteristic of the species.
Whether Chameleons, snakes, turtles or spiders – the fashion for keeping exotic pets has gained a lot of ground in the last few years.
“A favourite at the moment is the green iguana,” said Dietrich Jelden at the Federal Bureau for Nature Preservation (BFN) in Bonn. This member of the lizard family, which is almost exclusively reared on special farms in the countries of origin, sells between 16,000 to 18,000 annually – 40 to 50 per cent of all German reptile imports.
Jelden recommended the green iguana as a “beginner’s pet”. This lizard can grow to be two metres long and is straightforward to care for. It is vegetarian and even becomes tame, said the expert on endangered species. Habits and special needs should be thoroughly looked into before buying any exotic animal.
Many reptiles, insects and spiders are so demanding to look after that they are completely unsuitable for first-time buyers. Yvonne Baeumchen’s bird-spiders in Dusseldorf, for example, will never become tame. Depending on the species, they may even become more aggressive in time.
The Brazilian Black Tarantula (Grammostola pulchra), with its beautiful shimmering coat, is the most suitable for beginners in this class of bird-eating spiders. The Indian Ornate Rainforest Tarantula, on the other hand, is not only the most venomous but the most aggressive too.
“If you want something to stroke, this is definitely not the pet for you,” said Yvonne Baeumchen. Bird-spiders are also difficult to care for and unsuitable for beginners. First of all, tree-spiders, mostly found in the tropics, and those that live on the ground, occurring mainly in desert regions, have to be carefully distinguished.
Some of them prefer temperatures of up to 28 degrees Celsius, while arachnids used to living at high altitude get along fine at room temperatures. Depending on the species and place of origin, the terrarium must be properly, not only for spiders but for all other exotic animals.
Before purchasing a pet, food requirements should also be examined, in other words, well before any problems arise. Chameleon- owners, for example, keep a range of insects on hand, while other breeds prefer vegetarian nourishment. Others favour a particular insect dish or their own kind.
This applies to the praying mantis, for instance, which also snaps up crickets, grasshoppers and cockroaches, like the chameleon. When they’re smaller, they can be fed on fruit flies or springtails. Owners who don’t want to go to the trouble of hunting their own food, can buy insect meals at pet shops. Other animals, however, prefer greens. Stick insects, such as the thorny, and leaf insects, which spread themselves peacefully and perfectly camouflaged in many a terrarium, eat blackberry leaves or rose-of-Sharon.
“Generally, I have to get supplies once or twice a week,” said the librarian from Munich, “and make a trip to the woods, too.” If conditions aren’t right, the procedure will soon become stressful for both owner and animal. An example of finding information on an exotic animal before actually buying it are American turtles, for example the red-eared slider. First of all, there’s the question of size. “The sliders are about the size of as a large coin when they’re young,” said Birgit Roedder from the German Society for Herpetology and Terraria (tdght) in Rheinbach, while their adult counterparts can reach lengths of up to 30 centimetres.
A large animal also needs more space, and in the case of turtles, an aquaterrarium may be necessary. As the animals discharge in the water, it can quickly get smelly, something that can only be avoided by installing a suitable filter. “Also, it’s important to remember that turtles can live for 20 to 50 years,” said Birgit Roedder.
As exotic animals are bought through specialist dealers, classified ads or private breeders, buyers should ensure right from the start that their pet has been reared specially for export, for several reasons.
“Wild animals are generally not very healthy, and usually carry parasites and germs,” said Dietrich Jelden at the BNA. Added to that, wild animals find it difficult to adapt to life in captivity. These two factors, and the long transportation routes beforehand, frequently result in death for the animal, sometimes during transport and often soon after. In any event, any animal covered by Appendix A of the Washington Convention on International Trade requires a special certificate of origin.
