It is better to be warm, cool and docile, and avoid being "cold and cold-blooded": the true corner of the reptile pet circle

"Snakes and lizards are so scary, but people still keep them. Are we mentally twisted?" "Snakes don't understand human nature, so what's the fun in keeping them?" Misunderstandings and prejudices, curiosity and the unknown, what is the reptile pet circle like?

Written by reporter Lv Bingxin

Editor/Liu Zhao

New Media Editor/Lv Bingxin

Interview experts

Hu Kai (Scientific Advisor and Research Instructor of CCTV-9 Documentary Channel)

Qiao Yilun (amphibians and reptiles conservation expert at Beijing Zoo)

——Along with the anger, there is more of a sense of frustration that cannot be expressed.

As a long-time fan of reptiles, Mu (net name) was invited to a variety show, but he was unexpectedly met with the host's obvious prejudice against reptiles. Subsequently, the topic of whether or not to keep reptiles was pushed to the forefront of the Internet.

"Snakes, lizards, and spiders are so scary, but we still keep them at home. Do we have dark and twisted mentalities?" "Snakes don't understand human nature, so where is the fun in keeping them as pets?" Misunderstandings and prejudices are intertwined, curiosity and the unknown are mixed, and the attitudes towards reptiles inside and outside the reptile community are like two opposing worlds.

In Mu's opinion, this is just a microcosm of the discrimination faced by the reptile community. In the 12 years of raising reptiles, he has deeply felt and witnessed the many difficulties in the development of the reptile community over the years.

What is so fascinating about the world of reptiles? Do reptiles pose a potential threat to humans and the ecological environment? We try to find the answer between this hobby that is about personal choice and public issues.

01

Reptiles, a different choice from cats and dogs

Reptiles, as the name suggests, are reptiles that are kept as pets. Currently, the most popular ones include various snakes, lizards (including various geckos), turtles, etc. In a broader sense, reptiles also include frogs and salamanders among amphibians, as well as arthropods such as various insects, spiders, scorpions, etc. Although they are not reptiles in classification, they are kept by many reptile enthusiasts and are therefore often classified as reptiles.

In recent years, reptiles, as a niche hobby, seem to have become an increasingly attractive choice and have been favored by many people. According to the latest disclosure of the "2021 China Pet Industry White Paper", reptiles account for about 5.8% of the types of pets kept in cities and towns.

Hu Kai, scientific consultant and research instructor of CCTV-9 Documentary Channel, said that with the continuous development of the reptile pet market, many mature domesticated species have been cultivated in China. These reptile pets, which have been bred for many years, are more docile than wild species, and are therefore more suitable for humans to keep as pets. "Just like domestic dogs and wild wolves, the difference is already huge."

Among them, the four types of pet snakes that can be legally kept and are kept by a large number of people are corn snakes, king snakes, bull snakes, and hognose snakes. The most popular geckos are leopard geckos, fat-tailed geckos, crested geckos, and giant geckos. The slightly larger bearded dragons and blue-tongued skinks are also popular among reptile lovers.

Compared with cats and dogs, reptiles are popular among young people and students because they do not shed hair, do not need to be walked, are easy to raise, have low cost, save time and effort, and can be used as companions. Searching for reptiles on Internet communities, you can see not only comprehensive reptile forums, but also more specific forums for geckos, corn snakes, blue-tongued skinks, etc. Tens of thousands of reptile enthusiasts gather online to exchange experiences, output knowledge, and share photos.

Not only online, offline reptile experience stores are also distributed in some corners of cities with more open minds. The reporter visited a reptile store located between the East Fourth Ring Road and the East Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. All kinds of reptiles of different sizes, different appearances, and extremely exotic are gathered in the two-story space of the store. Here, consumers can not only buy their favorite reptiles, but also interact with hundreds of reptiles in the store, feed them food and touch them in person. The clerk told the reporter that among those who experience the interaction, there are not only young people, but more and more children are also beginning to join the ranks of trying to experience it. "On Sundays, this place has almost become a paradise for children."

In fact, Mu's initial relationship with reptiles and pets was also accidentally started when he visited a reptile pet store. 12 years ago, he saw various reptiles in the reptile store, which suddenly awakened his childhood love for ancient animals. The moment he touched the snake, he was deeply touched. "I can feel its distinct scales and tight muscles. It crawls very neatly. It is not the kind of creeping feeling I imagined. I have never experienced it before. It feels very cool."

In fact, many reptile lovers have been moved by this wonderful touch and the unique beauty of reptiles. A comment by a netizen on a social media account received high praise and recognition: "If you ask why I like reptiles so much, I believe that real long-term reptile lovers do not simply do it for novelty and excitement. To me, they are the embodiment of the unique power and beauty of nature. Even the small and common species have armors interlaced and flowing in rows, showing a kind of awe-inspiring majesty that seems difficult to be hurt by anything. Appreciating them is like appreciating a gorgeous set of armor or an exquisite sword..."

▲Double-crowned lizard (Photographed by Lü Bingxin)

The ornamental value of reptiles is also reflected in the specially landscaped breeding tanks for reptile lovers. Bionic branches are implanted, and the smart little snakes crawl freely in the ecological tank, making people feel like they are in a real wild scene. "You can think of it as the same principle as raising fish at home," said Mu.

In addition, even if it is the same species, different genes will show different body colors and patterns, which is why many reptile lovers are addicted to collecting and keep more and more. Take corn snakes as an example. There are more than 20 single genes that affect the changes in their color and patterns. The superposition of genes and different breeding directions will form strains with different colors and strange patterns. For the corn snake species alone, there may be thousands of different strains.

▲Different strains of corn snakes (Photo/Mu)

02

Daily life of raising reptiles

In Mu's eyes, raising a reptile is different from raising other pets. The fun of raising a reptile is not only in raising it, but also in learning all kinds of biological knowledge. In order to better understand their pets, reptile lovers will look up information and read papers everywhere, from the climate type of the origin to the living habits, from the evolution of species to the classification of organisms, from basic care to physiological structure, etc., all need to be understood step by step.

"Reptiles and humans have parted ways for 300 million years. Raising reptiles is actually a way to look at and communicate with ancient genes, which is a very romantic thing," said Mu.

Hu Kai holds the same view. His major in student life was biological science and animal science, and reptiles are one of his enduring interests. "The reason is that they are very diverse, and it is also interesting to observe their behavior and habits." Hu Kai said that different types of reptiles have very different body structures and living habits. Take lizards as an example. Some are very large, some are very small, some eat plants, some eat insects, some live in rainforests, and some live in deserts. This knowledge itself is very attractive. And until now, new species of amphibians and reptiles are constantly discovered every year.

Take the care of a corn snake as an example. What are the steps and links? First, you need a suitable breeding box. The length of a corn snake can grow from a small seedling of 20 to 30 centimeters to between 1-1.2 meters. The length of the box should be about 1/2 of the snake's body length and the width should be 1/3 of the snake's body length. Then cover it with kitchen paper or newspaper, and add a basin of water to meet the corn snake's summer needs.

▲Corn snakes raised by Mu (Photo/Mu)

At first glance, such a space seems a bit cramped for the snake. In this regard, Hu Kai explained that corn snakes have been domesticated in captivity for more than a hundred years, so there is no need for owners to replicate their wild environment to create a natural landscape.

Since snakes are cold-blooded animals and cannot regulate their body temperature on their own, when the weather turns cold, an additional heating pad is needed to maintain the ambient temperature. The heating pad can be placed halfway in the enclosure to distinguish between hot and cold areas. The hot area is about 29-31°C, and the cold area is 25-26°C. When the weather turns cold, special attention should be paid to the enclosure temperature, because a sudden change in temperature may cause pneumonia in snakes, and too low a temperature may cause indigestion and induce gastroenteritis in snakes.

Corn snakes are fed mainly white mice raised in a sterile environment. Generally, reptile lovers will buy frozen mice in bulk and thaw them in warm water before feeding. Hu Kai told reporters that snakes are cold-blooded animals and do not need to consume energy to maintain body temperature. Their metabolism is very slow, so they only need to be fed and cleaned once a week. It is precisely because of this characteristic that the owners have much less financial pressure to raise them than cats and dogs.

▲Red, green and orange tarantula (Photo by Lü Bingxin)

In addition, people think that reptiles are dirty, which is also a misunderstanding. Hu Kai introduced that compared with mammals such as cats and dogs, reptiles are very distant from humans in evolution. If the food and breeding environment are kept clean, zoonotic diseases rarely occur. The only thing to pay attention to is that freshwater turtles such as red-eared sliders may have salmonella in their excrement. If the owner does not have good hygiene habits, there is a risk of infection with salmonella.

At present, Mu has raised more than 10 corn snakes, which are usually kept in a special snake cabinet. "That is, one wall is full of drawers, and there is a snake inside each drawer," he explained. If he just takes care of them, feeding them one by one and cleaning their poop, about an hour is enough every week.

When he is not busy at work, Mu will often interact with them. Some people are worried about whether they will be bitten by playing with reptiles. Mu told reporters that mature artificial domesticated species on the market are generally docile, and corn snakes themselves are non-toxic as pet snakes. In case of being bitten, they can be disinfected in time and handled correctly.

03

Family opposition and public stereotypes

In many people's childhood memories, whether due to the influence of movies and TV dramas, or because of parents' safety reminders, or perhaps because snakes do not look like what people like, the impression that "snakes bite or even eat people" is deeply rooted in people's minds, so that even when they grow up, they still "change color when they mention snakes." Therefore, in the eyes of most Chinese people, snakes and pets are almost "not related at all."

When Mu first started raising a pet snake, his mother strongly protested and even often dreamed that her child was bitten to death by a snake. Therefore, Mu patiently explained to his mother the difference between pet snakes and wild snakes, and gradually let his mother let down her guard.

"This is mainly due to people's lack of understanding of snakes. It's a fear of the unknown. After understanding them, people may not be so resistant to them," said Mu.

Mr. Yan, who experienced it at an offline reptile pet store, told reporters that he used to think that snakes were extremely dangerous and cold-blooded animals. He used to be so afraid of snakes that he would have nightmares at night if he saw pictures of snakes during the day. But after coming to the reptile pet store out of curiosity, he found that it was not as scary as he had imagined after the staff's popular science and actual interaction with the pet snakes. "Snakes don't feel as cold as ice. Although they are lower than human temperature, they are still warm, cool, and slippery, and they don't bite people."

Qiao Yilun, an amphibian and reptile conservation expert at the Beijing Zoo, believes that the public's fear of snakes has deep roots in the public's scientific literacy and social and cultural background. Ordinary people have limited scientific knowledge, so they have a great degree of misunderstanding of reptiles, and sometimes even demonize them.

"It is also known as nature-deficit disorder. Many young people are out of touch with nature and are too far away from it. They don't understand the animals and plants around them, which leads to some prejudices." Hu Kai once led children to observe insects in the wild. He found that even at the age when children love to play, they have very little knowledge of insects. Some children can't tell the difference between crickets and cockroaches. Some children hear cicadas chirping in the trees, but have never seen what cicadas look like, and think cicadas are a kind of bird. "So, if there is an opportunity to let children come into contact with reptiles, coupled with the correct scientific explanation, then children will know that they are not that scary."

Mu admitted that being a reptile enthusiast is actually "humble". "We are just a group of people who love nature and want to learn more about it. Even if you don't like reptiles, I hope you won't abuse or ridicule them for no reason. Of course, this is not to call on everyone to like reptiles, but to hope that the reptile circle can be taken seriously and prejudice and misunderstanding can be eliminated."

When it comes to breaking down stereotypes about reptiles, both reptile enthusiasts and relevant experts believe that there is still a long way to go in popularizing science.

04

Standardize the cultivation of reptiles and promote the positive development of the reptile circle

In fact, reptiles are questioned the most on the Internet, and reptile lovers are attacked the most by public opinion mainly because of whether they keep poisonous or wild protected animals, and the risk of species invasion caused by the escape of reptiles or abandonment by their owners.

Not long ago, the news that Yang Moumou, a 21-year-old female college student in Weinan, Shaanxi, bought a coral reef snake twice on an online platform and was eventually bitten to death by the venomous snake once again brought the rights and wrongs of keeping venomous snakes as pets to the public's attention.

▲A girl bought a coral snake online as a pet and died after being bitten (Photo source/screenshot of CCTV Weibo)

"Strictly speaking, this situation is a loophole in the law." Qiao Yilun introduced that the current laws of my country stipulate that individuals are prohibited from keeping the first and second level key wild protected animals, as well as the wild species listed in Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, without going through any relevant procedures and obtaining permission from relevant departments. The coral snake is a "three-protected" animal. Although it is not within the scope of national key protection, privately keeping it does not constitute a criminal offense, but it does not mean that individuals can keep it at will. After all, venomous snakes are not only a threat to the life of the breeder, but also a hidden danger to public safety.

Hu Kai believes that such a tragedy is due to the irresponsible behavior of the parties involved, which has led to bad consequences. At the same time, it also reflects to a certain extent that popular science work for the public needs to be strengthened and everyone should be fully aware of the dangers of venomous snakes. Take the Bungarus for example, it is the most venomous terrestrial creature in my country, with a very strong venom. Only 0.08 mg of venom can kill a person.

In response to the dilemma of buying and selling venomous snakes, Hu Kai hopes that the government will establish more complete laws and regulations. "Only when the public and the government truly attach importance to the culture of reptile pets can scientific supervision be carried out to guide the reptile community to develop in a positive direction," he said. "For example, venomous snakes can be included in the list of dangerous goods for supervision and control." There are many types of snakes, and there are many types of non-venomous snakes that are docile, artificially bred for many generations, and suitable for keeping as pets. There is no need to keep wild and venomous individuals.

In addition to buying and selling venomous snakes, Hu Kai pointed out another disorder in the reptile market that needs attention - the "laundering" of wild animals from illegal sources such as poaching through legal breeding companies. In layman's terms, it means selling wild individuals as artificially bred individuals. Hu Kai further explained that this situation is more serious in the turtle breeding circle. Although some unscrupulous companies have legal certificates for breeding, they will capture wild turtles that are already endangered in the wild due to profit. This gray area requires relevant departments to strengthen supervision and improve the management system. It is understood that the laws and regulations on the distinction between wild and artificially bred populations are being gradually explored.

There are also many netizens who are skeptical about the reptile circle and believe that the abandonment and "escape" of reptiles may lead to species invasion and damage the local ecology. In this regard, Hu Kai believes that from the source, this is more of a problem of the owner's sense of responsibility. No matter what pet you keep, you must be responsible for it, the residents and the ecological environment, and you cannot abandon it casually or let the pet escape.

Mu also put forward his own suggestions, "We can learn from the advanced experience of foreign countries, such as real-name purchase, handling certificates, implanting pet chips, etc. to prevent this phenomenon from happening."

▲Brazilian red-eared slider (Photo source/pixabay)

Will it cause ecological invasion? Qiao Yilun said that it needs to be analyzed in combination with species and regions. Reptiles generally prefer warmth and are afraid of cold weather. The prerequisite for becoming an invasive species is that the area has the living conditions it needs. If they escape to a colder climate, it will be difficult for them to survive in the winter. "But there is a possibility that they will cause panic among nearby residents."

Another counterexample is that the red-eared slider turtle, although it will not hurt people, has strong adaptability and can survive in temperatures several degrees below zero. Because people have not paid attention to the individuals that escaped into the nature before, as their reproduction number increased, they became a well-known alien invasive species.

He suggested that reptiles can be managed in a differentiated manner according to the region. For example, in the warm and humid southern part of my country, strict control can be implemented, while the northeast and northwest regions can make appropriate adjustments. ■