Should you really get more animals?

When it comes to animals that you are considering buying, there are several things you need to remember before you even think about bringing another living being into a home.

This refers to ALL animals, but since this is a reptile related site, we will continue along these lines.

1) CAN I AFFORD IT?

-This does not refer to the animal that you are buying, cause you can buy a $10 cornsnake at the store. Sure, you can afford the initial cost to make your day by taking it home, but can you REALLY afford it?

You need to consider the life span of the animal, the amount of food that you need to provide for it in that period of time, the caging, including grow up cages, tanks, water bowls and bedding for an animal that will grow larger and need more space...

ALSO, you can't forget the care that it will require. Veterinary visits are the first large cost that one tends to think about, as it can and will cost you upwards of several hundred dollars on one animal IF it is sick, and even if it is not, for general checkups over the lifetime of the animal.

But... Can you afford to give your time in taking care of it? Everyones time is worth something, and you need to remember that the time it takes to clean out the tank, pour in some water, change out the bedding.

How much do you make per hour at your job (if you have one)? Well... you can use that as an example of cost of your time.

2) CAN I REALLY TAKE CARE OF IT PROPERLY?

-This goes hand in hand with what I just touched on in terms of being able to afford it, but a little deeper.

Can you, as a human being, find the resources and materials necessary to take care of your creature? You can try and find it at a store, persay, but what if you can't? Will you go out of your way to get something that is necessary for your animal? Internet resources, books, videos... Will you go the extra mile to find out from a professional what is required of you for your animals care?

For example... spritzing water on Chameleons. That is a full time operation! You need to have it done often and well... Will you buy that hand spritzer and do it yourself, or will you buy a fancy doo-dad to make it happen without you?

3) DO I REALLY CARE ENOUGH FOR THIS ANIMAL IN THE LONG RUN?

-Will you go the extra mile if the animal is sick, even if it is a $10 animal, to make it well again? Will you spend the time giving it expensive medicine, paying for the expensive medicine, going to the vet three times a week only to be told its getting worse? Would you really care enough to do that?? COULD you do that?

These animals that we get as pets depend on US to take care of them. They cannot go into the Vet and say "Hey, Vet guy, I need to get some medicine cause my stomach is rotting from the inside out..."

It is your perogative to take care of them, and if you don't, the ultimate sacrafice is not paid by you, the owner, but by the animals you own.


Why is this even an issue, you ask? Why do you feel the need to write this all out, Heather?

Well.... It is important to remember all of this.

And ask yourself if you are just being selfish in taking in another animal, or if you are really ready to own a new critter.



It is up to you to realize your own limitations.

But it is not up to the animals who takes them home...

Be aware, and care deeply for the animals you do own. And when you are ready, financially and mentally, THEN take the next step.

Until then, just wait it out.

Great post, all very well said. If only people that don't use animal forums read things like this before buying a living creature. It might save a lot of animals from suffering and neglect. It will be good for people new to the hobby to read to.
Just curious though, what spurred you on to making this thread? Any particular incident(s)?

Great Post, things everyone certainly needs to think about.


I personally wonder about how important grow up cages are. I've heard from friends they just add alot more hides. In a cage the snakes will eventually grow into.

Thank you for posting this, it's such an important topic. Its really sad to see people getting pets for the wrong reasons and treating them as disposable objects. They also fail to realize just how long of a commitment it is, not just with reptiles- even cats can live to be 20 years old.

This is such an important thread!! We touched on this allot when I had my reptile show at school. Research....research....research!! In this day and age there is NO reason that ppl should not do all the research needed to learn about a pets needs prior to getting them. But even if you did not do your homework before hand (I didn't with our first BP) there is never an excuse not to do it once you have the pet. Empower your children to do this as well. With my son....he had to read the care sheets for our BP's and our beardie. When I bought his best friend a beardie .....I sat him down to read up on everything. Now my son is on here....egads.... lol...but at least he is learning.

We all need to learn young and old that when we take in a pet....they are completely reliant on us for everything....housing, food, temps...humidity....and even sunlight for some.

Thank you for posting this Heather!!

Heather - I am stickying this (if it isn't already)!

It's sad that we see far too many examples of people who state the price of the animal that they can afford (purchase price) because they have limited incomes, and don't think about all the additional expenses also involved. It's also very sad to see many people think of these animals as disposable and easily replaceable pets. :(

another 'hidden' expense is electricity. It's not usually much per month per snake, but it never goes away.

Great post Heather!

This is a great post. I've seen a lot of examples especially in this economy where someone went out and bought a lot of animals at one time and as soon as they got laid off, they were selling a lot of them at bargain basement prices, rationing their food, etc. Before adding another animal you have got to calculate how much additional resources in terms of both time and money that it is going to cost you. If you lost your job tomorrow, could you at least care for your animals a few months before having a problem? If you would immediately be in a bind, you don't need to be adding more. My first time around in the hobby I did exactly that and swelled my collection too big too fast. I use restraint now. I carefully think out each and every addition before I buy it and make sure that I can easily afford its care and have the time to give the animal what it needs.

Yet another great post from Heather! Not many people think ahead into what will this really cost me. We have all done this at some point in time, when you were 5 and wanted that puppy, some people don't learn from that experience. This is deffinently something EVERYONE should learn from and apply in their life. This lesson goes for much more then pets, people impulse buy pets, cars, houses, and new toys with little thought of consequence and eventually that glutony hurts us as a community. Thanks for bringing up such an important subject.

I'm done rambling and rantin.
Mike

Great post! I see far too many people on classified ads looking for cheap pets for whatever reason. The worst is when it's for large "talking birds" , having my own I know the cost to own them is quite substantial, and they require a lot of your time and attention.Same with any animal though of course.

I completely agree, you have to consider the YEARS of care ahead of you. I had to stop myself personally cause even though i want more animals and would love to have them, i know its not realistic, so i have put a hold on buying any more animals for a while. Heck i already have all the ingredients i want and i have rats having litters as we speak, so i'm good.

A lot of people don't realize the life changes they will go through and they don't think that their macaw is going to live 60 years. They also don't realize how messy and expensive it is along with the time consuming nature of caring for very intelligent birds. Birds are a perfect example, even more so than snakes, people don't realize how bad it can be for the bird is you don't give it constant interaction and things to do. Rant done.

The life expectancy is a big issue. I just read in the new Reptiles magazine that rosy boas can live 60+ years. Who would have thought a diminutive species like that would live that long? Granted, their care is pretty easy but for those of use pushing 40, it's possible for them to outlive us.

This post really hit home, and I thank you for it. Before things went a little downhill at home, my pets had the greatest care, and still do, to the best of my abilities. But that doesn't mean everything else is great.

When I lived with my mom, she would never even consider allowing me to get an exotic pet. I wanted a larger bird, a snake, a lizard, you name it. Now, having moved out, I said to myself, "Hey, I no longer live under her roof - I can finally have everything I've ever wanted." I NEVER thought to stop and think my NEW situation might CHANGE. Now, I have two birds, a lizard, a snake, and several rodents (the dog stays with "daddy"), which all make it more difficult to find a suitable apartment or suite. Many landlords won't even accept small dogs or cats, let alone a SNAKE or possibly noisy birds. We desperately want to move, and I may have to re-home some of the ones I love so dearly...

On top of all that, I'm unemployed, and finding work is incredibly hard right now, too. My boyfriend (who has been so tolerant thus far) has been able to scrape up what leftover cash he has for my animals' necessities. This is a huge stress factor on our relationship and our living situation. We take every bit of stress on our shoulders, so the animals don't have to; I wouldn't dare let my animals suffer. I would rather make MYSELF go hungry, and use that money to buy food for them. BUT, this didn't need to happen if I had just thought things through and stabilized myself BEFORE getting more pets. They are always fed, always watered, always cleaned, but now I've dug myself a hole I can't get out of unless I break my own heart to do it.

Thank you, Heather, for getting this message out.

This is probably the most on point, most sensible, and most useful post I think I have EVER seen. It reminds me of a friend (we're not the greatest of friends now) I have, and a story. This friend has gone through numerous pets since I've known her. Snakes, lizards, fish, cats, etc,. She sees something cool, buys it on impulse (which so many people do) and then months or even a few years later, becomes bored with it,it takes up too much space, doesn't want the expense anymore,etc,. and then gets rid of it. I'll never forget this one time; we were roomates, and when we moved in, she had two cats. She loved them dearly. (I thought) about 8 months aafter we moved in, she found a kitten in the bushes outside. She wanted to bring it in. I told her that it would cause problems, because we don't even know 1) if it belongs to someone 2) if it has fleas or other "buggies" 3) behavioral problems with the other two cats. She ignored me. Within about 1 month, all 3 cats were covered with fleas. One of her cats started peeing all over the floor. It was discovered that the kitten had ringworm, and gave it to everyone else in the place, and all three cats now has to be treated. We were all getting bitten by fleas. She the worst. (Karma?) One day, she decides she doesn't want to confront the problem anymore. So, she just takes all 3 cats to the SPCA, and tels the person she "found" them. :O I was shocked and appalled. How could anyone do that to an animal they supposedly love? I have recieved snakes from her over the years that she just "didn't want" or "didn't have time for". And this is a person who would spend any amount of money on the initial cost, but later would not confront the responsibility. I have too many stories like this with her, but different types of animals.Animals she has spent 1000s of $$$ on, much time and effort to build custom cages, "tricked out" enclosures, what have you, only to "throw them away" later when it became a chore..or she was bored with it, whatever.There are people like this everywhere. It really makes me sad inside.

ugh, I hate people like that. I have literally dumped friends who had a revolving door for animals. Animals are a lifetime commitment in my mind and must be purchased as such. That said I know that things do happen and rehoming is sometimes best for the animal - that's different from the 'throwaway' attitude people sometimes have for their pets.
My parents were somewhat like that - drove me nuts and turned me into a stickler for the proper treatment of pets.

Fantastic post. I can honestly say impulse buyers annoy me greatly. Awesome post, has a lot of information, any new reptile (or any new animals owners, really) should take a quick view of this. :gj:

Heather, this is a great post. It hits home especially now when eggs are a hatching. This should also be thought of when someone is wanting to breed their snake. Can you afford to have 1-xxx more snakes? For those that have lots of live babies the "what now" comes hard and fast when you suddenly have a slew of babies that need fed, watered and taken care of. For those that lay eggs the excitment can quickly lead to being overwhelmed.

:) Thanks for a great post.