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Notes
on reptiles as pets in WA
WARNING: Never
leave your pet in the sun!!
Reptiles and amphibians are primarily terrarium animals that have been
kept as pets for years in other Australian states as well as throughout most of
the world. In WA it is new as from 7 March '03. A recent WASAH survey found the
most popular reptiles wanted by keepers to be (in descending order), pygmy
goannas, geckos, pythons, dragon lizards and skinks.
Harmless native reptiles are state of the art pets. Why?
·
They are easy to look after.
·
They don’t make much noise.
·
They don’t dig up the garden.
·
They don’t leave hair all over the lounge.
·
They don’t require feeding every day.
·
They don’t need looking after by the neighbours when owner goes away.
·
They don’t smell much.
·
They don’t need much room.
·
They discourage unwanted visitors such as inlaws, salespeople,
burglars, etc.
·
They are therapeutic.
·
They feel great.
Other benefits of keeping are -
·
They allow the keeper to connect with the importance of protecting
habitats.
·
They allow for more positive attitudes towards this group to flow into
the community through wider contact.
·
They allow the knowledge base on these native animals to be rapidly broadened
(NSW Minister for Environment stated that 80% of our knowledge on reptiles has
been contributed to by amateur herpetologists).
·
They allow people to source alternatives to exotic animals.
·
They allow those with allergies to source a pet that is non-allergenic,
apart from a fish.
·
They allow those with hearing impediments to source a pet with an
affinity – both have little dependence on the sense of hearing.
Important:
·
Licensing is a requirement, with attached conditions.
·
Reptiles can only be sourced from licensed dealers.
·
They wont be cheap ‘throw-away’ pets.
·
Snakes readily feed on dead food - it is forbidden under licence
conditions to feed pets live vertebrates.
·
DEC will continue to vigorously pursue illegal activities involving
native fauna.
·
Demand will exceed supply initially.
· Many pet shops will stock the required peripheral keeping paraphernalia.
· Care sheets will be available.
· Safeguards are in place to exclude children and novices from sourcing dangerously venomous snakes.
Direct to DEC's page for more information on pet reptile Keeping in WA
The new regulations were gazetted back in September '02 and the species
lists were gazetted 7th March '03. It's all systems go!!!
The suppliers of reptiles and frogs will hold Dealers Licences. These
will be mainly pet shops, although specialist herp dealers will become
established. In the short term however, all purchases of pet reptiles and frogs
will be from these dealers. The price of individual animals will be regulated
by supply and demand, plus wholesale to retail markup and government levy. I
would expect lower category lizards to sell for around $75 to $500 and pythons
to sell for around $350 to more than $2,000. SUPPLY IS GOING TO BE SLOW IN
THE EARLY DAYS
Care Sheets will be available for all species free of charge from point
of purchase, or from the net.
WHEN FILLING OUT LICENCE APPLICATION (in PDF
format) - REFERENCES ARE NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR CAT. 2 & 3
7 March
2003 - You ripper! The new keeping system is in place now.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Care of Australian Reptiles in captivity
By John Weigel
ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER AVAILABLE - BE QUICK!
First published in 1988 by the Reptile
Keepers’ Association this is an important reference for anyone about to keep
reptiles. Includes information on housing, parasites, incubators and a whole
lot more. At only $20 inclusive of postage and packaging.
|
ORDER FORM Print out and address to: The Secretary, 169 Egina Street, Mt Hawthorn, WA
6016 Please send me:_______ copies of CARE OF AUSTRALIAN REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY. Enclosed is a cheque or money order for $17 plus $3.00 postage & handling ($20) per book. NAME:_____________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS:__________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________Post Code:____________ |