EDMONTON SUN (Alberta) 04 October 06 Full-scale fun (Rob Cramer)
When you ask someone why he or she has a snake or a lizard or a tortoise for a pet you will probably get the same answer - they have plenty of personality and they are easy to care for.
You'd be surprised at the kind of people who keep reptiles and amphibians as pets; the stereotype of snake owners being goths and bikers is entirely untrue.
Lynn Thompson is the president of the Edmonton Reptile and Amphibian Society (ERAS), and she owns a number of non-furry pets ranging from iguanas to ball pythons. Thompson has had pets like these for over 20 years.
"I started with reptiles when my kids were young; they had allergies to dogs and cats, so we needed a pet that could be fun but not harmful to them," says Thompson.
According to Thompson, reptiles make great pets as long as you care for them and handle them as often as you can.
"Some people think that you can just put a snake in a box and leave it there. You still have to care for them and make sure they get attention," says Thompson
Being the president of the ERAS takes up a lot of Thompson's time despite the fact she is strictly a volunteer, as are all other members of the ERAS. Thompson works as an events coordinator by day, but her love of reptiles and amphibians has kept her busy as the ERAS president on and off for the last five years.
"If anyone is interested in becoming a reptile owner they should come to an ERAS meeting. It's important that people know what it will be like to own this type of pet before they get into it."
ERAS meetings happen once a month, with members aged five and up coming in to share their love of reptiles and amphibians.
The ERAS isn't just a place for reptile enthusiasts to hang out, though. The society has a rescue centre where mistreated reptiles and amphibians are taken in an effort to find them new homes.
Michele and Neil Weldon run the centre out of their own home near Calmar. They get reptile-related calls that range from people who will be moving to people who realized too late that a reptile wasn't the right pet for them.
Michele works as an animal health technician at the Meadowbrook Animal Clinic, and Neil's experience handling snakes and other reptiles for over 20 years makes him extremely qualified. Both also volunteer for the society, opening their home to all sorts of reptiles and amphibians.
"I go through a strict process to make sure our rescued animals go to a person who knows what raising a reptile will be like," says Michele. Most reptiles are easy to take care of, but it's a bad situation for everyone when someone gets a reptile and then they bring it back to us because they realize it's not for them.
Despite the fact that reptiles and amphibians make great pets there is one reptile that doesn't make a great pet, unless you are prepared and extremely knowledgeable. The ERAS has worked tirelessly to get pet stores in the Edmonton area to stop selling iguanas as many people buy them at 20 centimetres thinking they'll make great pets, but when they get to be two metres long they are not prepared.
"Iguanas need large cages and light sources on them from all sides. Our efforts over the last few years have helped to create awareness about these pets," says Michele.
Only two pet stores in the Edmonton area still sell iguanas, and now a question process is required to sell the animals. The ERAS has rescued over 40 iguanas in the last five years.
The ERAS has been creating awareness about reptiles and amphibians as pets for over 10 years now. The society was founded in 1994 because of the lack of that type of organization in Edmonton.
"There wasn't a place for reptile owners to get together and talk 10 years ago. Since then, the amount of people who have reptiles or amphibians has taken off. It's amazing," says ERAS co-founder Neil Tyreman.
If you want to connect with the ERAS and are interested in owning a reptile as a pet visit their website at www.edmontonreptiles.com. You can also drop by a meeting to see if it's right for you.
"Reptiles make great pets," says Neil Weldon. "You can interact with them unlike fish, you don't have to worry about allergies and they are never boring."