Consider A Reptile For A Pet
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
When it comes to pets I have had more than my share: Pony, horse, chickens, bunny, guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, an iguana, fin
ches, parakeets, boa constrictor, bearded dragons, ferrets, a turtle, fish tank with various kinds of salt and freshwater fish, carnival gold fish, dogs, cats and… well, I think that is all! My family — my mother especially — loved pets and let us pretty much bring home whatever we wanted.
My father was involved in the pony and horse decisions because he had to build the stall and haul in the hay and straw. The other pets just always seemed to find their way into our home and hearts. I currently have (only) two dogs, three cats and a bearded dragon!
The day I won the iguana at the country fair was my first introduction into reptile ownership. Iggy (yes, I was lame at naming my pets back then) was tiny but grew to be close to five feet long. His habitat took up an entire corner of our living room and his personality filled almost every corner. Once he cross over the Rainbow Bridge, it was a few years before we decided to become reptile owners again and when we did, we opted for a bearded dragon and found one at PetSmart. We chose the one we took home because of the bright orange stripes on his back and because he seemed the least skittish of the bunch.
Charles (we didn’t really know if he was a boy, but that’s the name we chose) loved to be taken out of his aquarium and ride around on our shoulders. He would also run to the top of his log and eat from our fingers. Our second beardie, Alice, isn’t quite as fond of eating from our fingers but does like to sun herself on the warm kitchen linoleum under the skylight and will pace the aquarium when we come home from work. If anyone ever says that reptiles don’t have personalities and don’t bond with their humans has likely never owned one!
I was thrilled when I learned that BlogPaws was teaming up with PetSmart for its Mega Reptile Month and the opening of its Reptile Care Center. Our research uncovered stats from the APPA about reptiles in its 2014 APPA National Pet Owner’s survey and found:
- Turtles are the #1 reptile pet
- 66% of reptile owners look to the internet/online to educate themselves about their pet reptile
- The top three reasons for owning a reptile: quiet, fun to watch, and easy to maintain
BlogPaws is working with petMD and PetSmart to help bring awareness to its new reptile center. Follow the hashtag #ReptileCare throughout the summer for great reptile content.
Here are some other interesting reptile facts you may not have known:
- Turtles can hear and communicate
- Water turtles can live 30 to 40 years
- Tortoises can live between 50 and 100 years
- Snakes don’t eat often — maybe once a week
- Some bearded dragons will respond to their owner’s voice and welcome their touch
Have you ever considered owning a reptile? Do you own one now? We’d love to hear your comments about it!
Don’t forget to join our #BlogPawsChat that’s happening on Tuesday, June 23 from 8-10 pm. Before that happens, we’d love for you to join the linky party here.
(Photos: 1) The author’s Facebook friend, Bryan Brant, with a tiny snake he found during the cross country trek he is taking via horseback. 2) The author’s bearded dragon, Alice.)
