Maja Hampson's Zoo Keeping Adventures

 The holidays are upon us! If you're thinking about getting one of your family members a pet this year make sure you do your research.

Let me tell you a little Christmas story about Optimus the Sulcata tortoise. Optimus was donated to our zoo when her family could no longer take care of her – in fact our zoo has never really had to pay for reptiles because there are plenty of people who buy them with out knowing what they're getting themselves into. Optimus is half the size she should be for her age. This is because when her previous family purchased her they didn't want a pet that would get very big. Sulcata tortoises grow to 18 inches in carapace length and can weight 70-100 pounds. The pet shop owner told the family to feed Optimus once a week to keep her from getting too large, and it worked. Sulcata tortoises are grazers and they eat constantly through out the day. Since Optimus was only fed once a week, her growth was stunted and she will never grow to her full size.

Here's Optimus enjoying some tasty rose petals with our junior zoologists. Notice how bumpy her shell is, this is a sign of nutrition deficiencies in tortoises and turtles.

Never buy a pet that you are not willing to take care of. For example, ball pythons can live for almost 50 years. Same with Parrots. They can live for 50 -100 years depending on their species and that, combined with their intelligence, means you're stuck with a 3 year old that will most likely out live you.

Once you've done your research about the animal itself and you're sure you can give it adequate care, then make sure you're getting the animal from a human source. Many small exotic pets are smuggled into the country using inhumane methods. See the pictures below.

Remember that no wild animal makes a good pet. If you're interested in owning an animal, go down to you local shelter and adopt a cat, dog or bunny!

Happy Holidays!

Images from: The Huffington Post