Exotic Pet Brochures

1. Introduced species of vertebrates, some of which become established and cause ecological and economic damage in addition to negatively impacting human quality of life, are a significant concern in Florida and elsewhere. Pythons in the Everglades, several iguana species in South Florida, and red-eared sliders throughout the state of Florida are prime examples. The most common invasion pathway by which many species are introduced in Florida, especially reptiles, is the pet trade. People often purchase exotic pets without learning much about them, and when the animals grow too large, develop behavioral problems, or when the pet owner becomes bored with their pet they often release the pets into the wild thinking this an appropriate solution to their dilemma. Clearly, there is a need to educate these people about how to choose an appropriate pet and what to do if they can no longer care for an exotic pet. By providing this information, the two brochures described below seek to educate current and future owners of exotic pets and to ultimately reduce the number of exotic herpetofauna released into the wild.

These two brochures function independently or as a set and are targeted at the lay public who own pet reptiles or are considering purchasing them. The Buyers’ Guide to Pet Reptiles brochure outlines basic care and husbandry requirements for several reptile groups (snakes, lizards, turtles), provides URLs for useful websites, a list of questions that informed pet owners should ask themselves, and also provides recommendations for best choices of pet reptiles (species that are poor choices are also included). The Options for Unwanted Exotic Pets brochure outlines numerous options that pet owners should consider when they can no longer care for their pet amphibian or reptile. This brochure emphasizes that releasing such a pet is never an option—release is unethical and illegal. The brochures were created by IFAS personnel in collaboration with the Invasive Species Working Group of the Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and staff at Zoo Miami. The content of each brochure was reviewed by the American Zoological Association, the SE PARC Invasive Animal Task Team and several people representing the pet industry (e.g., US Association of Reptile Keepers, Central Florida Herp Society). Dr Steve Johnson, UF IFAS Extension Specialist and ANREP/FANREP member played a key role in development and dissemination of these materials.

Both brochures are available via the website of Dr. Steve Johnson (http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu) and the Southeast PARC website (http://www.separc.org/). The Options for Unwanted Exotic Pets brochure is also available as via the University of Florida’s EDIS system (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_a23708620), and the Buyers’ Guide to Pet Reptiles brochure is in the process of being published as an EDIS document. Printed copies of the Options for Unwanted Exotic Pets are being distributed at Zoo Miami and several local pet stores in central Florida and there are plans to distribute them to additional pet stores. We are in the process of having several agencies (e.g., Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) and organizations (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council) add links to the documents on their websites. Due to the methods we are using to disseminate the brochures, measuring impacts is not simple. Presently, we are monitoring the number of downloads of the documents on websites as a measure of impacts. The ultimate impact of this information would be a decline in the number of releases of non-native herpetofauna into the wild—such data are virtually impossible to gather accurately.

Files

Unwanted Pets Brochure

PDF of brochure described in my application.

Buyers Guide for Pets Brochure

PDF of brochure descibed in my application.