Comments on: Chicago River Gator http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/chic-gator/ for Bigfoot, Loch Ness, and More Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:46:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: kittenz http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/chic-gator/#comment-44464 kittenz Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:15:56 +0000 http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/chic-gator/#comment-44464 You've hit on a good point, Andrew Minnesota. Energy costs for maintaining exotics, especially exotics like reptiles which depend on environmental heating and cooling to survive, are high. The costs of animal feed, of every kind, has skyrocketed. Feed prices for horse and other livestock feeds has tripled in some cases; chicken feed can not be had for "chicken feed" anymore. I paid $18 for a 50 lb bag of rabbit food the other day. There has been an drastic increase in the number of dogs, cats, and other animals surrendered to animal shelters too, and most shelters either have limited space for exotics, or simply don't accept them at all. There are exotic pet rescue organizations, but many people don't know about them, or else live too far away to use them. Compounding that is the fact that most people who acquire an exotic pet just do not know what to expect from it, and are unable to cope when it exhibits natural behavior such as biting or predation. In some areas they are illegal to own, and so the person feels that since they cannot relinquish the animal without suffering legal consequences, and they don't want to kill it, they abandon it. It's not right, but it happens. You’ve hit on a good point, Andrew Minnesota. Energy costs for maintaining exotics, especially exotics like reptiles which depend on environmental heating and cooling to survive, are high. The costs of animal feed, of every kind, has skyrocketed. Feed prices for horse and other livestock feeds has tripled in some cases; chicken feed can not be had for “chicken feed” anymore. I paid $18 for a 50 lb bag of rabbit food the other day. There has been an drastic increase in the number of dogs, cats, and other animals surrendered to animal shelters too, and most shelters either have limited space for exotics, or simply don’t accept them at all. There are exotic pet rescue organizations, but many people don’t know about them, or else live too far away to use them.

Compounding that is the fact that most people who acquire an exotic pet just do not know what to expect from it, and are unable to cope when it exhibits natural behavior such as biting or predation. In some areas they are illegal to own, and so the person feels that since they cannot relinquish the animal without suffering legal consequences, and they don’t want to kill it, they abandon it. It’s not right, but it happens.

]]> By: Andrew Minnesota http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/chic-gator/#comment-44463 Andrew Minnesota Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:27:33 +0000 http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/chic-gator/#comment-44463 I was thinking about the recent explosion of all these non-native animals that are being found, that we are assuming are released pets. And I have wondered to myself why all of a sudden has there been this increase? I have a thought. As we know the economy here in the U.S. is not at its best. With gas prices going up, this brings about rises in other aspects of our lives. Over the last year to 6 months prices of living have spiked, and I thought perhaps there is a correlation here. Perhaps people purchased these exotic pets and as prices of living shot up they simply couldn't afford these pets anymore and they simply released them. Hence the "boom" in releases. I would not be surprised if we keep seeing more and more exotic creatures found as prices continue to increase. It is just a thought. No doubt some are released for simply growing to big and becoming unmanageable which we know happens. I was thinking about the recent explosion of all these non-native animals that are being found, that we are assuming are released pets. And I have wondered to myself why all of a sudden has there been this increase? I have a thought.

As we know the economy here in the U.S. is not at its best. With gas prices going up, this brings about rises in other aspects of our lives. Over the last year to 6 months prices of living have spiked, and I thought perhaps there is a correlation here. Perhaps people purchased these exotic pets and as prices of living shot up they simply couldn’t afford these pets anymore and they simply released them. Hence the “boom” in releases. I would not be surprised if we keep seeing more and more exotic creatures found as prices continue to increase. It is just a thought.

No doubt some are released for simply growing to big and becoming unmanageable which we know happens.

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