The loyal dog, Britain’s favoured and popular pet, or so they were. Research has been gathered from all the local pet shop owners and suppliers of pet food, to see what Britain’s favoured pet is. The results showed that the U.K now prefers reptiles over poor ol’ rover.

I started to question and looked into the reason for this; I mean I haven’t seen any major news reports that could have undoubtedly put the British off of their once favoured pets and onto lizards and snakes. In my opinion I’ve always seen the exotic pets as being ones for the experienced keeper, with many pet shop owners only selling them to the right customer, while a puppy or kitten can be bought by just about anyone with the right money.

The increased sales of reptiles can be explained by marketing, however in this case it wasn’t intentional. Many people are influenced by their peers, and in today’s society many peoples peers are celebrities, especially people in the A class. I’ve seen a fair few celebrities parading their new found pet reptiles. I can only see this as a fad; the new thing for celebrities to keep themselves entertained that or course will eventually wear off, however I believe that it has had a direct impact on people’s choice of pet. A perfect example has to be Britney spears and her fascination with snakes. Her relaxed attitude and love for them will see her fans wanting to go out and get one, or if her fans are still relatively young, they can get their parents to buy them one. Using of course the same techniques they have to get the latest trend toy at Christmas. This is what I see it as, a trend, one where people want it now but in a few months they’ll find something else to occupy themselves and forget all about their once loved reptile. This sees me agreeing strongly with only selling them to the experienced keeper, as they have the care and knowledge that they deserve, after all they took the time to learn about them, they will surely take the time to look after them properly. Many animal welfare companies have reported a rise in neglected reptiles, abandoned by young or inexperienced owners as they didn’t know what they were letting themselves into.

The increased sales are seeing the reptile being classed more and more as a traditional pet, such as a cat or dog. And I can see the fascination; most reptiles are very interesting to look at. They are cheap to initially buy and to keep compared to their mammal counterparts. A reptile is easier to entertain and feed, and requires little human attention compared to a dog, however I cant see a snake giving it’s owner the love and affection that a cat or dog could provide. Many people see the lack of attention as a good thing, especially people with busy life styles, as long as their habitats are maintained and kept correctly then you can have the same attitude towards them like you would towards fish, as long as they’re fed and the tanks kept clean, you can leave them to it.

They are great pets, with a lot more variety to entertain any kind of owner. And if they are looked after properly, with people taking a genuine interest in them, learning all the proper techniques to look after them, then I cannot see any problems with more and more people opting for this kind of pet. Just be sure, like with any pet, that you take out some kind of insurance. Dogs and cats are expensive with regards to vet bills, imagine how much a exotic animal will set you back.