Exotic animals such as chameleons, bearded dragons and the like have high demands Reptiles 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.
Why you should not buy reptiles
Reptiles are wild animals - it is usually almost impossible to keep them in a species-appropriate way in an apartment:
Life expectancy: Many people underestimate the high life expectancy of animals. Leopard geckos, for example, can live for well over 20 years, while Greek tortoises can even reach the age of 80.
High demands on their environment: The animals grow throughout their lives, a terrarium quickly becomes too small. An aquatic turtle, for example, often reaches the size of a soup plate, while a green iguana can grow up to two metres long. Reptiles also need different temperature ranges in their habitat, suitable lighting and humidity in the air and soil. The right climate can only be achieved at great expense, if at all - expensive technology and, depending on the species, a lot of electricity are required.
Veterinary care: Finding the right veterinary practice for reptiles is often not easy. There are not always vets who specialise in reptiles.
Problematic feeding: 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.
Health risk: Reptiles in private households also pose a health risk. For example, they can transmit salmonella to humans.
Wild-caught animals: As wild-caught animals are still allowed to be traded, keeping exotic animals promotes the extinction of species in the wild.
Trade in exotic animals without hurdles
Germany is the center of the wildlife trade in the European Union. There are hardly any regulations for private and commercial traders. They can simply sell their animals on internet platforms. The lack of regulations also strengthens the trade of mass breeders who have specialized in the German market. In addition, many animals, including endangered species, are still being torn from their natural habitat to meet the demand for exotic pets. The capture and transportation are associated with suffering and stress for the animals, and for some the odyssey ends in death. Interested costumers also do not need a certificate of competence to buy reptiles or other animal species such as amphibians, exotic mammals or arachnids.
Visitors can also buy wild animals at reptile fairs without having to provide proof of specialist knowledge.
Potentially dangerous animals such as this bush viper may also be kept in some federal states.
Problems for animal shelters
Many owners do not realise 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 specialised 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 rehomed to private households.
REPTILE STATION AT THE WEIDEFELD ANIMAL WELFARE CENTRE
To relieve the burden on animal shelters, we opened our own reptile station at our Weidefeld animal welfare centre in 2016. Here, the animals live in large terrariums, ponds with indoor and outdoor areas and an outdoor enclosure. In the period from 2017 to 2024, we took in a total of 410 exotic animals - including a particularly large number of ornate tortoises, royal pythons, corn snakes and Greek tortoises, as well as rarer species such as a basilisk with frontal lobes, a three-horned chameleon and a pelomedus tortoise. With a permanent population of around 180 animals on average, the facility is fully utilised. Here too, experience has shown that only a small proportion of the animals can be re-homed in expert hands.
If the owners are overwhelmed, the animals often end up in an animal shelter - like this iguana.
This bearded dragon was also handed in to the animal shelter.
The emperor boa Elisa was taken in by an animal shelter and then handed over to our Weidefeld Animal Welfare Centre.
Things to know about keeping
If you decide to keep reptiles, you should first visit an animal shelter or sanctuary and find out in advance how the animals can be kept in an animal-friendly manner. Responsible handling and precise knowledge of the husbandry and living conditions are essential for the well-being of an animal.
Dr. Henriette Mackensen is a veterinarian and deputy director of the Academy for Animal Welfare of the German Animal Welfare Federation. Her areas of expertise include small pets, reptiles and fur animals.
Sandy Syperek is an editor at the German Animal Welfare Federation. She studied German and sociology. Her writing raises awareness of the needs and suffering of animals and gives them a voice. She wants to raise people's awareness of the fact that all animals long for a peaceful life.
