So you’ve done your research, you’ve chosen your new pet.
You’ve bought the equipment you’ll need, you’ve set it all up and decorated it
to your satisfaction. You’ve run the heating and lighting and you know your
temperatures. You’re as ready as you’ll ever be, and so you set off for the
reptile shop to collect your new pet.
It’s a tremendously exciting time; one of the most rewarding
aspects of our job is seeing the sheer delight on someone’s face when they
collect their new pet, whether it’s their first reptile or a species they’ve
been hankering after for a while.
Off you go, new pet safe and secure in a box or bag, advice
buzzing around your head like so much meaningless noise. You can’t wait to get
home and start building that essential bond between pet and owner—
STOP.
Excitement notwithstanding, there are a few vital points to
remember at this stage.
1.
This is a big day for you, but it’s a colossal
upheaval for your new pet. Everything he’s become used to is changing; the
sounds, the smells, the timing of lights on and off, the food will be different
(albeit very similar). Imagine being set down in a strange city, where you
can’t speak the language, and have no idea where you are. Even if everybody is
very kind to you, it’s going to be pretty scary.
2.
Animals respond to scary situations in one of
three ways – fight, flight, or freeze. Even a very confident bearded dragon
that sat quite boldly in your hand at the shop may well thrash about and try to
run away when handled for the first time in a new home. They have no idea that
you’re their friend, and if you’re too insistent in trying to make friends then
that’s when the fight reflex kicks in – which is no fun for anyone!
3.
Being stared at is, almost without exception, an
unfriendly signal in the animal world. Captive bred animals may well be used to
being looked at, but a direct stare for any length of time is going to make
them very, very uncomfortable. It’s going to suggest that you’re either about
to attack your new pet, or eat it. Neither option is going to make your new
friend feel very happy about you!
I know it may seem like we’re being terrible killjoys when
we advise you not to touch or stare at your new pet, but to keep any contact
light and calm for the first week (and possibly longer, for some species). But
truly, we’ve seen more problems caused by an over-enthusiastic welcome than we
have from just about any other cause; most animals will very quickly figure out
that the best defence is a good offense if they’re forced to. And then there
are the truly sad ones where an animal simply shuts down in fear, hiding away
and refusing to feed, until it becomes sick or even dies. It’s rare, but it
does happen.
So how to avoid causing yourself and your new companion any
undue stress on ‘moving day’?
Firstly, we’ll give you as much information as possible
about your new pet. We get to know our residents pretty well, and will be able
to give you individual advice on how to settle that particular animal in. All animals
are individuals, so even if a species is normally very bold remember you may
have a shy one!
The bag or box that we will give
you to transport your new pet home is sufficient to keep them comfortable and
secure for the several hours it will take you to get home and make sure their
new house is all ready for them. Taking them out and stuffing them back in
again is going to give them a stressful experience they may never get over, so
put them somewhere warm and quiet and leave them alone.
When the time comes to put them
in their new home, that’s when you can take the time for a little bit of a
cuddle. They’re having a stressful day as it is, so a quick five minute
handling session isn’t going to do them any harm – but keep it short!
The next bit is definitely the
hardest. This is where the mistakes get made and the damage is done, so it’s
very very important to try your very hardest to get it right.
The next bit?
Patience.
A little bit (or perhaps a lot!)
of self control here will pay dividends in the long run. Yes, you want your new
pet to respond to you. You want to see it eat, you want to interact with it –
and all of these desires are fine. But back off a bit. Give your new pet a
chance to observe the new sights and sounds and smells and figure out for
themselves that they aren’t threatening, which most will do pretty quickly. If we
say three days, we mean it; yes, there are animals that will settle in much
more quickly, and will be demanding attention from the first night (bearded
dragons are most often like this!), but most will take a little bit of time. We
come up with the figures based on our past experience of the species, and our
current knowledge of that particular animal – some are shy, some are bold, some
are nosy.
Just check they’ve got access to
water and food, make sure their temperatures are OK, then leave them alone. If
you’re worried you can always call or email us!
Follow these few simple
guidelines, and you should get your relationship with your new companion off to
a flying start. Remember – patience!
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