The Reptile Trade…

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It’s Perks And It’s Evil Ways

PERK #1: CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF SEEING THOSE UNUSUAL EXOTIC ANIMALS IN PET STORES

EVIL #1: THOSE REPTILES YOU SAW ARE ONLY SURVIVORS OF A TERRIBLE TRIP THERE.

Do you remember visiting a pet store when you were little and enjoying the variety of animals? If you’re like me, you liked seeing all of them. When I was little, my mom and I would frequent the one in our local large, indoor shopping mall – that’s where I was bitten by a cute parakeet bird (one of many in an open area for people to see and touch), who for reasons unknown, did not want to let go of my tiny finger eventually dripping with blood! I think I was more surprised than hurt, and I wasn’t mad at the bird.

There was another (safer :)) pet store we occasionally visited. And that is the place that introduced me to the wonder and strange beauty of reptiles!! I fell in love with the lizard body shapes and cute faces at about the age of 7 years old. Sure, I liked kittens & all, but now that I had seen lizards and salamanders, I was hooked. Some people are drawn to certain animals. In my case, lizards are my favorite, then frogs and everything reptilian. Following that are wild animals such as raccoons, bats, sloths, elephants, etc. As for sea creatures, I appreciate them all, but I adore octopuses… and everybody else there.

Who are you most drawn to, and do you have any idea why that is?

Murph is an individual with love and personality.

My lizards have taught me so much. They made me better.

Lil’ Murph having one of his weekly hydrating soaks a.k.a. “spa time” & he’s unimpressed with floating objects.

PERK #2: YOU MAY HAVE FOUND ONE OR MORE OF THE LOVES OF YOUR LIFE IN A PET STORE OR AT A REPTILE SHOW & GAVE HIM OR HER A LOVE-FILLED LIFE.

EVIL #2: MANY LARGE PET STORE CHAINS OBTAIN THEIR ANIMALS WHO WERE KIDNAPPED FROM THEIR HABITAT HOME. THEY ARE SCARED, THIRSTY, MALNOURISHED, INJURED, TREATED TERRIBLY, AND THEN DON’T RECEIVE OPTIMAL CARE WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT A STORE.

“Poor capture techniques, compounded by poor shipping methods or inadequate care, kill many reptiles before they reach the pet store. An estimated 90% of wild-caught reptiles die in their first year of captivity because of physical trauma prior to purchase or because their owners cannot meet their complex dietary and habitat needs. Reptiles are among the most inhumanely treated animals in the pet trade. Because they are cheap and easily replaceable, dealers, captive breeders, and retailers factor huge mortality into their operating costs.”

This quote and more found HERE

If you’re like me, you now see a pet store for how it is, and get pi**ed off when you visit one. Animals are imprisoned in cruel-sized containers and looked after by incompetent, uneducated individuals who are there to earn a paycheck, not to educate themselves on animal care, or love the “merchandise” for their individuality. The lizards there, for example, aren’t getting proper heat, lighting, exercise, and diet combined, and the fish are miserable too!

Lil’ Murph & I at the “Wall of Woe” Hey, pet stores – Betta fish are not dumb! TEAR DOWN THIS WALL

Are you one of many who cringe either at the sight of or thought of touching a snake or a lizard, what about turtles? No? They are reptiles too. And you need to see what follows. If you don’t adore these magnificent animals already, you may grow a heart for reptiles after you see what the twisted, brainless, heartless, scum who should be taken out and pistol-whipped-at-a-minimum sort of humans are doing to them. Don’t nobody do that though, it won’t change their hearts (which is what really needs to happen), we have to stop the profit in wild-catching and animal mills somehow.

Our reptiles are being sold as food as well as pets. The most common species exported to each of these  top 10 destinations was the red-eared slider turtle.

These graphs and more are found HERE. Although they are from earlier years, I don’t think much has changed. *This downloads as a pdf.

Pretty sad, heh? These beauties are taken from their bogs, woodlands, and various home territories. More suffer and die than make it to their designated locations. Can you imagine that for a moment? Look at those numbers in the millions!!

Add to that, many reptiles are seen as a novelty item, and once purchased… are to them,  nothing more than something cool & unusual to see in a home rather than the exotic beauty and friend with a personality that they truly are.

These scaly angels aren’t in good health when they arrive to their destinations, but some are only lucky to be alive, they can rebound physically if given sustenance, but reptiles are more intelligent than most people can see, and they experience sadness, fear, even lonliness & boredom. They also possess a memory like other beings. They are beings, and they are very precious.

And I assure you, regarding my life with lizards, they are no different from humans, dogs, elephants, and many more – in that reptiles (& all creatures) have an emotional body too, simple things like moving to a new home will upset/stress them for days, weeks, or months. Our Beardie, Murph, shut down, he “shut down” for days after leaving the home he’d known for years. We left our old home, the birds we knew, and painfully, the squirrel friends we had that would sit with us, right beside us and eat from my hand.

Our new house didn’t feel like home, and it was weeks, I don’t recall how many, before Lil’ Murph showed his personality again. Lizards, reptiles, everyone, has emotions and a will and desire to live. They are to be treated as such.

After that bit, I want to state that I disagree with something, and that is  breeding, for this reason:

IF AN ANIMAL ISN’T ENDANGERED/NEARING EXTINCTION, DON’T BREED THEM! THERE ARE TOO MANY HOMELESS AND SUFFERING ANIMALS OF ALL KINDS!

HOWEVER, If reptile breeders adhere to excellent care protocols (not storing them in plastic totes with nothing to do, see, or climb on or in, and for breeders with many animals, minimal interaction and obviously love – which is painfully common), and genuinely care that animals are happy and go to a good home, captive breeders may be the only thing to smash the profits in wild-catching. It is my understanding some smaller pet stores (not like Petsmart, etc.) obtain their animals through “reputable” breeders, but do your own research.

Do you think if there were less animals of all kinds, they’d be more appreciated? Maybe. Maybe not. If there were one last elephant on Earth, some piece of sh** somewhere would kill it just for the ivory tusks.

If ever you can help exotics in any way whatsoever, do it. They need humans with hearts.

Yes, Bearded Dragons actually do wave. This is an adorable fact.

*As I’ve stated in previous posts, don’t always take my words as facts (except for that caption above… and about their intelligence and emotions), they are facts as I know them to be based on my own experiences, or I am simply showing what I’ve read or seen. Don’t always believe what you see and read either, do your own research and gather all you can to be as educated as possible.

But this, below, this is not AI generated or edited in some weird way, this torture is absolutely happening to these animals somewhere. I can’t attest to the origins of these beings, or where they are designated to go, but this is, beyond cruelty, this is sick and evil, IT IS HELL. And the only beings in life deserving of this hell are those causing it on God’s helpless creatures.

youtube

link here: https://youtu.be/xsR-pvUFT3Y?si=D90Mt9oibPZWYWmM

I’m gonna tell you, I have purchased pre-used leather items from thrift stores, but I will never again knowingly purchase leather on a new item because I don’t agree it. I won’t fuel that market. Sure, in many cases I think it comes from the skins of animals that were already murdered for people to eat (the poor cows & pigs). But NOT ALWAYS! Leather can come from tortured lizards… watch the following video.

You like the bi*** that is proud of her material items, check out what she may be supporting: Look at it. LOOK AT IT

I certainly hope you looked at it.

I’ve taken the time to expose my eyes and heart to this to share with you what innocent reptiles are living with until they die. Did you watch? Can you watch? Will you take a few moments to know what’s going on?

Can you believe there isn’t just one person okay with doing this, but many?!

Educate the ignorant of this, will you?

“More than 57.8 million live reptiles, representing 638 taxa, were
exported from the United States between 1989 and 1997.” More HERE

🐍💓Snakes slaughtered: https://youtube.com/shorts/GudyXnTClZE?si=PDJFJ5ewEFdkhYGa

Look at these sweet, angels: https://youtube.com/shorts/-G2cPGHZzwg?si=-zoQs5-72eoiMIKk

Read the following links & see what you think:

https://www.thebiodude.com/blogs/reptile-and-amphibian-husbandry-basics/captive-bred-wild-caught-or-farm-raised-what-is-the-difference-and-how-do-i-tell-where-my-reptile-came-from#:~:text=A%20word%20of%20caution:%20Keep,the%20animal%20from%20different%20angles.

🦎

https://www.animallaw.info/intro/trade-wild-caught-reptiles#:~:text=Added%20to%20the%20problems%20arising,of%20infection%20and%20further%20complications.

🦈

https://www.ice.gov/features/wildlife

🐍

https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-international-trade-wild-caught-reptiles#:~:text=The%20suffering%20will%20often%20be,neglect%20of%20reptiles%20in%20captivity.

🦎

https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-international-trade-wild-caught-reptiles#:~:text=The%20suffering%20will%20often%20be,neglect%20of%20reptiles%20in%20captivity.

Now, I haven’t been able to locate and damn the actual takers of animals from their homes, if you have or locate information on who has the ability to slither around laws or use them to their advantage to capture animals from where they belong to experience a torturing trip and probable death, I welcome and appreciate your knowledge in the comments.

Pillow life Murph💋

A favorite quote from Chief Seattle (his English name):

“What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.”

This is all of them, those of air, Earth, and sea.

“Give me Lizardry or give me Death!”❤️ Murph (still & always) & Dawn

8 responses to “The Reptile Trade…”

  1. Thinking about you.

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  2. Thank you, Gigi. We’ve lost 3 Earth angels in just more than 6 months, my Murphy and Gypsy just 68 days apart, and Jazzy bolted out the door & was struck by a car in December. Today, the last non-human animal here, Coco, is having a mysterious problem, maybe in her shoulder, months after having a tumor removed. She is due to see the vet at 4 p.m. tomorrow. Feeling somewhat defeated and pi**ed off. Our animal friends are vital. whether we have them as pets or not. Many hugs for your compassion and years of support.

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  3. Timothy Price Avatar
    Timothy Price

    The animal trade is sad. Sorry for your losses.

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  4. It breaks my heart.
    Thank you, Timothy

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Thank you for the information about pets especially reptiles trading here. As Timothy mentioned below, this is sad!

    I completely agree with you completely on this: “And I assure you, regarding my life with lizards, they are no different from humans, dogs, elephants, and many more – in that reptiles (& all creatures) have an emotional body too”. They love their lives too. For me, I may not like certain animals (because of their looks) or fear of them (concerning being injured by them) but that does not equate to hate them and wanting killing them. For those, let’s stay away from each other please… If I can help it, animals that intrude my home that I do not think they should be I will try my best to send them out harmlessly (this past summer few flies were delivered outside nicely 🙂 ).

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  6. This whole situation still makes me so sad. RIP Murph.

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  7. I greatly appreciate your reading & it is so good to see of you again. You were away for so long. I hope all is well, better than well. Right on for that. I have designated “bug glasses” & post cards to take out the uninvited, wasps, spiders, & everything bitey, stingy, & whatever cute multi-legged thing in between. Lizards, at least the ones I’ve been blessed with, are highly intelligent, incredibly full of love and observance, and… I declare they are fiercely strong in spirit and will to live to experience sincere love and the sunny Earthly experience. God, Gods, or some divine being, someone please bless our lizards, these glorious beings, and ultimate companions to some of us.

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  8. I think my reply went to the wrong person. Man, I’m having more technical issues than I care to admit. Balladeer, dear friend. Thank you so much for your friendship. I sincerely hope you and your wife continue to enjoy the Lil’ Murph calendars. He would want you to see his cuteness, as I do, with rememberence and love, and rejoice in him as one of God’s creatures and a most rebellious spirit. He is quite the character, you know. Lizards have either a bad reputation or an existence that matters only to a few. They are so smart and sweet – when shown or taught love, they give it back. The way they are treated are painfully & too frequently, either ignorantly or evil.

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