Women keep leeches as pets to buy live fish for them to suck blood, and their families call them perverts.
Crocodiles, poisonous snakes and foxes, such exotic pets, have a unified name in the pet circle — — Different pets. Now, they have been unable to board the list of popular "exotic pets". At present, blue-ringed octopus, leech and poison dart frog have become the new favorites of different pet players. More and more mysterious creatures appear in daily life as pets. Why would anyone dare to raise them? What kind of stories do they have with their breeders? The Beijing Morning Post reporter investigated the exotic pet market and breeding groups.
■ Noun explanation
Different pets, that is, different pets, first appeared in Europe, America and Japan, then entered Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and gradually entered the mainland market in recent years, completely breaking the traditional pattern of pet market constructed by cats, dogs, birds, ornamental fish and flowers, and becoming the new favorite of young people. Its advantages are nothing more than less time occupation, low expenses and novel shape and personality.
one
"I was a coward and set the snake free secretly."
Roi is a junior, and he often hangs out in some different forums in his spare time. From time to time, I will reply to some questions raised by new players in the forum. "I have raised snakes and chameleons before, but they have not persisted." Speaking of his own way of being spoiled, he is somewhat reluctant to talk about it. "I just wanted to look different," he said. "The first pet was a chameleon that my classmates didn’t raise. I took it over and sent it away quickly because my family was afraid. Since then, I have been raising exotic pets. I don’t like it, but I think people will think I’m cool and have face. To put it bluntly, it is vanity. " He said that at the beginning of his freshman year, he bought a corn snake in the official garden market. "200 yuan, the store sent a transparent box. At that time, the snake was very small, about twenty or thirty centimeters long, and it was winding in the box. After a few months, the snake has grown to nearly 80 centimeters and its body has grown nearly three times. I am a little scared. " Roi told reporters that as snakes grow bigger and bigger, the wave of family opposition is getting higher and higher. "Let me get rid of the snake as soon as possible. Especially after I was bitten by a snake. "
Roi said that although the snake is not poisonous, it still bites people, especially when cleaning cages, feeding and taking photos. "On one occasion, I was feeding it. I just put my hand into the cage, and I may have accidentally touched it. It reacted violently and bit my arm very quickly. The wound immediately bled. " Roi said that he was very nervous after being bitten, so he went to the hospital for examination immediately, and he was relieved after getting a tetanus shot to eliminate the poison. "After that, as long as you need to put your hand in the box, you will wear a thick rubber glove. ‘ Once bitten, twice shy ’ I have experienced the feeling. "
Roi said helplessly, "I was a coward once and set the snake free." Taking advantage of a weekend, Roi and his family went to Xiangshan Park with snakes. Let the snake out in a secluded place. "Seeing it crawling away into the grass, it feels complicated, and it is also a bit embarrassing to get rid of it." Roi said that since then, whenever I saw the news of the unauthorized release, I felt it was a condemnation of myself. "I know this is wrong, but I don’t know what to do with this snake. Until now, I am still ashamed. If you want to raise a different pet, you really have to think about it before you act. "
2
"It’s the hardest time to take cockroaches."
The "true love powder" orange told reporters that he had raised spiders and scorpions, and now he has a soft spot for chameleons. Oranges say it is dangerous to keep scorpions and spiders. "All spiders and scorpions are poisonous, and merchants always say that it is impossible to ensure non-toxic and harmless. As long as it is paralyzed, you must go to the hospital for examination and treatment. " Orange said that she is now the "true love powder" of the chameleon and has been raising it for 10 years.
The chameleon raised by oranges is a "mane lion", which mainly eats insects. "The chameleon has no interaction with the owner and rarely exercises." The orange said that the most uncomfortable thing for him was the feeding. "The mane lion can usually eat cricket. But if you want it to grow up, you should supplement it with nutrition. The nutrient that I eat the most now is live cockroaches. " Oranges say that they are very afraid of cockroaches, especially living ones. "I always buy it from a familiar pet store ‘ Dubya ’ Species of cockroaches, put cockroaches in a separate box, put some vegetable leaves and raise them. Every time I need to add food to the mane lion, I take a few out of the box. " The orange said that this was his most painful process. "I am most afraid of cockroaches, but I have been forced to raise cockroaches for so many years. Until now, every time I take cockroaches from the cockroach box, it still feels the most disgusting."
Not only that, but the cost of raising different pets is not small. "The mane lion is not expensive in the chameleon, and many people buy it. The cubs are about five or six hundred yuan, while those that are shaped or raised greatly need several thousand yuan. " Orange said, in addition, raising chameleon also needs professional breeding box, heat preservation lighting, interior decoration and so on. "The expenses of buying food and maintenance are expensive. At least five or six hundred yuan a month. "
three
"Keeping leeches as pets is a lonely road."
Li Dan is an ordinary white-collar worker, but her pet is not ordinary. She keeps two leeches as pets at home. The common name of this pet is actually "leech", a blood-sucking creature, which is soft and prone. I’m afraid the older generation all have unpleasant memories of this creature.
The reporter contacted Li Dan several times in the hope of visiting her home, but she declined. Through the photos she provided, the reporter saw two leeches in a transparent box, which looked only three or four centimeters long. The yellow and black body is full of circles of patterns. "I don’t think there is anything wrong with raising leeches. My friends around me are too fussy." Li Dan said that she bought live leeches online and has kept them for half a year. "Leeches do feed on blood for a living, but that doesn’t mean they have to suck human blood. Anyway, I won’t feed them with my own blood." Li Dan said that he was also sucked by leeches, but he didn’t feel any pain. "When leeches suck blood, they feel like a sucker to hold their arms, and there is no pain. Because it releases an anesthetic at the same time when it sucks blood, it won’t hurt. "
Li Dan said that raising leeches is very simple, just buy some live fish. "After leeches suck blood, the fish will not die, and it is not as horrible as imagined." Every week, she buys fresh fish for leeches to feed on, and the updated fish will be eaten in soup or braised.
Speaking of why leeches are kept, Li Dan said that "it’s just a personal hobby". "Our people who raise leeches have established a WeChat group, and the number has increased from more than a dozen at the beginning of the year to more than 30 now. In fact, there are quite a few people who like leeches." However, her idea was not recognized by her family. "My family is particularly opposed to raising leeches, and I feel very ‘ Abnormal condition ’ . I kept leeches in my own house, and my parents refused to enter the house. " Li Dan said, "I have to admit that keeping leeches as pets is a lonely road." She admits that leeches have no interaction with people all the time. "Daily activities are occasional peristalsis, which will swell when sucking blood, and gradually digest and become smaller as time goes by. The only interaction may be that when I change fish, I need to take them out of the water tank temporarily with rubber gloves. " Li Dan said, but out of an inexplicable feeling, she will still insist on raising it.
Beijing Morning Post reporter Zhang Jingya
■ Expert opinion
There is a threat to feeding and releasing, and it is recommended to introduce legal norms.
For the breeding of exotic pets, the breeders all expressed the same concern in the interview, "fear of being reported." Jinlong told reporters that if someone reports the breeding of exotic pets, the police are likely to confiscate the pets at home. "Because the breeder can’t provide proof of the source of the pet, even if it is artificially bred, but there is no evidence, the police will confiscate the pet.
Tian, director of the Beijing Wildlife Conservation Association, said that since the beginning of summer, many calls for help have been received, most of which are related to crocodiles, because breeders see that crocodiles are getting bigger and bigger and urgently ask for help. "It was originally kept as a pet." Director Tian said that when pets are mainly Thai crocodiles and Kevin crocodiles, wild Thai crocodiles can grow to 4 meters and are not suitable for pets. Moreover, alien species may carry diseases, and they have antibodies themselves, but they will be transmitted to local species.
Director Tian introduced that macaques, pythons and foxes were once kept as pets, but later they were unable to keep them and released them quietly. In fact, these animals could not survive in the release environment, and they would soon die and be released into killing. "If alien species are released at will, it will do harm to the surrounding ecological balance, such as some frogs. Not only that, some highly toxic or dangerous creatures will pose a serious threat to breeders and citizens if they are raised or released. "
In response to the management of exotic pets, Director Tian said that at present, China’s laws are still lacking and there are no detailed regulations. "I still call on relevant departments to introduce new laws and regulations as soon as possible, so that exotic pets can be raised according to laws."
■ status quo of different pets
Update too fast, new and different pets are popular.
In a large chain pet store in Beijing, in recent two months, apart from cats and dogs, the fastest-selling small animals are no longer conventional animals such as rabbits, minks, hamsters and squirrels, but a little thing called flying mice. The little guy is very clingy, obviously Nocturnal Animals. He is as lively during the day. Occasionally, he really "flies" from the cage to the guest’s shoulder and crawls around on his body. This kind of "flying squirrel", whose scientific name is flying squirrel, has a flying membrane between its front and rear limbs to help it glide. The salesperson said that it is easy to domesticate. The usual staple food is fruit and special rat food.
Jinlong is a veteran player in the exotic pet circle. He started to raise snakes in 2004, and fell in love with chameleons in 2008. He doesn’t like cute animals like flying squirrels and glasses monkeys, but as an "old-timer" in the reptile pet circle, he still lamented that "the situation is changing too fast" when talking about popular exotic pets. "Ten years ago, snakes, chameleons and Okumo were all popular pets. Five or six years ago, many people began to play with crocodiles and foxes. Since last year, some highly toxic marine and tropical creatures, such as octopus and frogs, have suddenly become popular. "
Jinlong said that in the circle of different pets, many people are chasing trends and catching up with each other. "Popular exotic pets are updated quickly, and the number of breeders of crocodiles and snakes is reduced for the simple reason that there is little interaction, low attention and insufficient talk. It is very likely that next year, poisonous octopus will become less novel and there will be more weird pets. "
The poisonous octopus in his mouth refers to the blue-ringed octopus, the "king of poison" in marine life. The reporter of Beijing Morning Post found several shops selling blue-ringed octopus through search, all of which clearly stated in their product descriptions that they were selling live blue-ringed octopus, and most of them were sold in 180 yuan, and the most expensive ones were sold for thousands of dollars. The seller told the reporter that the sales of octopus were "very good" and were "hot items". In addition, the store also promised to "guarantee everything when it arrives", and some stores even explicitly showed off in their product descriptions — — "The blue-ringed octopus and the box jellyfish are called the two most poisonous marine creatures. The venom in its body can kill people in a few minutes. At present, there is still no way to detoxify in medicine." The store said that the reason why it sells so much has a lot to do with its toxicity. "Many young people just like the feeling of excitement."
There are more and more people who have different pets, and not many can persist. Many people are trying to keep fresh, so just keep them for a few days. If you keep it for four or five years, it is estimated to be true love.
■ Reporter survey
Merchants do not leave the spot, pay the deposit first and then pick up the goods.
In recent years, the supervision of underground exotic trade, market level and even forest public security system has been strengthened. A friend of the reporter, who has been engaged in the business of Brazilian parrots and African lizards for many years, completely switched to selling strange stones last year, even if it is artificially bred, such animals cannot be bought, sold and raised. The trade of exotic pets is almost completely out of the sunshine trade, and many species are suspected of smuggling and conflict with the animal protection law. Even safe animals may bring health and epidemic prevention troubles. For operators, it is at least beyond the scope of operation.
Under the leadership of Jinlong, the Beijing Morning Post reporter came to Shilihe Flower, Bird, Fish and Insect Market. He took the reporter to a shop selling tropical fish in the market. Only tropical fish are sold in the shop, and no unusual pets are seen. "In the first two years, crocodiles and lizards were sold directly in the store. We all bought them directly here and then took them away in cages. When asking the price with the boss, we all call the different pets goods, which is more professional. Since the year before last, the shops have hidden all the goods, and only old acquaintances will show them. Starting from this year, they will not put the goods in the store, but only after paying the deposit will they make an appointment for the time and place before trading. "
Jinlong said that he once bought a chameleon here and was a regular customer. "Shops basically don’t do business with strangers. As for why, first, the inspection is tight now, and the goods themselves are few. Second, strangers don’t know how to do it, and there will be a lot of trouble in subsequent feeding. " Jinlong said that the price of exotic pets has changed a lot compared with the original one. "It turns out that crocodiles are the most sought after. When they are expensive, an ordinary Southeast Asian crocodile can sell for two or three thousand pieces. In the past two years, crocodiles have not been sought after, and they can be won for a few hundred dollars. "
Entering the store, the store saw Jinlong and greeted him and asked him what he wanted to buy. The boss surnamed Wu said with a mobile phone, "If there is anything new, you can see it on my WeChat. There is nothing in the store, and the market is very tight. It is inconvenient to take it out. If it is seen, it will be fined and the things will be confiscated. " Subsequently, the reporter visited several businesses that sold crocodiles, lizards and frogs privately. They all said that there was no stock in the store and the goods were delivered after the deposit was paid.
Jinlong said that there are many people who have different pets now, but there is no law to follow. At present, China has the List of National Key Protected Wild Animals and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which make specific provisions on keeping animals. "If it’s not wild, it’s all artificially raised. Isn’t that okay? In foreign countries, wild protected animals cannot be raised, but artificial reproduction is not restricted. " He hopes that there will be relevant judicial interpretations in the future.
"bosom friends" get together. There are many transactions in WeChat circle of friends.
Nowadays, the purchase and sale of exotic pets by exotic pet players have basically changed from face-to-face trading to online trading. Players are divided into several professional small circles according to the types of pets they keep, and communicate or trade through WeChat group.
The reporter saw that in a WeChat group called "Spider Scorpion", players shared their experiences and photos of raising pets such as Okumo and Scorpion. "Look at my rain forest scorpion, black and bright, beautiful." A player sends photos of rain forest scorpions at home to the group. Soon, a player posted a photo of his own black thick-tailed scorpion. In the next three minutes, the players have talked about hundreds of messages.
"This WeChat group is like a post bar in previous years. Everyone likes to raise different pets. To be honest, the hobby of raising scorpions is not easy for most people to understand. " Xiao Xue began to raise different pets seven years ago. He has successively raised snakes, scorpions and chameleons, and his favorite is salamanders. He said with some helplessness: "My family can’t accept me to raise these, and my friends around me also think that I am pretending to be cool, but I don’t understand that I really love them, and sometimes I feel quite lonely. However, after entering this WeChat group, I found like-minded friends, and I was very happy to exchange my experiences and feelings together. " He said that in the different pet circle, everyone who plays with fish, coral, poisonous insects and reptiles has a relatively fixed WeChat group. "It is a place where all kinds of players gather together, and players are willing to trade on WeChat."
The reporter saw in a WeChat group of frogs and salamander players that some rare salamander varieties on the market were clearly priced in the group. "Rich orange-red, big Asian adult male, good color and well-proportioned, complete nails, the first choice for novices considering trying to raise and breed!" A player posted in the group, all jargon, outsiders can’t understand.
Some people buy their favorite varieties at high prices in the group. The reporter saw that, for example, the current hot poison dart frog and gold foil arrow-tailed salamander are all in a "priceless market" situation. "Buying poison dart frogs at a great price", some people in the group publish such purchase information from time to time. Although there are many people discussing it, no one can provide the goods.
Trading in a circle of friends is also dangerous. "Friends around me once paid 8,000 yuan to buy one ‘ King chameleon ’ . As soon as the money was transferred, it was immediately blacked out by the other party. " Xiao Xue said that he only trades with familiar people on WeChat now.
