National Reptile Awareness Day 2020: Can They Be Good Pets? Expert Answers

When people decide to get pets for themselves, they immediately consider adopting or buying animals such as dogs or cats. But not many know that reptiles can also make good pets.

On the occasion of National Reptile Awareness Day, which is celebrated annually on Oct. 21 to appreciate the creatures and create awareness about the threats they are facing, International Business Times spoke to a snake catcher, who has several years of experience in dealing with different types of reptiles, and asked him if reptiles can be pets.

"Yes reptiles can most defiantly be kept as pets, one thing you should note before keeping reptiles is that they don’t require a lot of attention nor do they show you any affection, so if you want a reptile to be all cuddly with, it is probably not the pet for you. I personally keep a large number of reptiles, from snakes to lizards to geckos, and even venomous snakes as pets. If you have a passion for reptiles and wildlife, then reptiles defiantly make great pets," Joshua Castle, a snake catcher from Brisbane, Australia, told IBT.

Castle went on to say that snakes such as spotted and ball pythons make good pets. He added that bearded dragons and blue tongue lizards can also be kept at home.

On the other hand, Castle said that keeping venomous snakes, alligators and crocodiles as pets is not a great idea as they "are very hard to get a hold of."

When asked about how to choose the right reptile as pet, Castle told IBT, "First and foremost, go with something you can handle, preferably something that is a little more matured, hand raised and not that bitey. You do have to remember that reptiles don’t show you affection. They all can bite, all it takes is one mistake. Hence, a snake that stays small is a very good starting point as it is easy to house and if you do get bitten it doesn’t hurt as much as a large species."

So this National Reptile Awareness Day, go and get a pet reptile for yourself but only if you are sure that you can handle them.