PetSmart campaign

Some data suggests that mortality rates in the exotic pet trade can be as high as 81% annually.^[iii] And according to a court case in the U.S., a 70% mortality over a 6 week timespan is considered standard industry practice for exotic pet wholesalers.^[iv] [v]

Whether captured from the wild or born in captivity, thousands of reptiles and amphibians suffer and die every year because of the exotic pet industry. Intensive breeding conditions, transportation in cramped containers, and being housed in small, barren, unnatural conditions are unacceptable practices, causing untold amounts of psychological and physical damage to these animals.

PetSmart is not transparent about how the exotic pet trade severely impacts the animals they sell.

Reptiles and amphibians pose a public health risk. They can be carriers of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Approximately 46 zoonotic diseases in reptiles and amphibians are currently known.^[vi] Zoonotic outbreaks related to keeping exotic pets in Canada have been reported for decades with the latest two outbreaks, in 2019 and 2020, traced back to the keeping of hedgehogs and snakes.^{[vii] [viii]} Ten individuals were hospitalized.

It’s often difficult to determine if exotic animals are hosts to pathogens because many pathogens do not cause the animal to appear sick. For example, most reptiles are carriers of salmonella, and while the animal does not appear ill, reptiles, amphibians and other species can make humans ill. Furthermore, when an animal is stressed, pathogens are more likely to be shed, increasing the risk of transmission.

Health agencies, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, warn that reptiles and amphibians are inappropriate for families with young children, the elderly, or anybody who has a compromised immune system.

Despite the warning signs and guidelines from health agencies across the country, PetSmart continues to sell reptiles and amphibians to anybody who wants them, and without any veterinarian analysis indicating which diseases the animals might carry.

The majority of reptiles and amphibians at PetSmart are likely captive bred, but animals like anoles (lizard species) still have a close link to their wild counterparts. The wild capture of animals is at times cheaper than breeding them in captivity. ^[ix] PetSmart also sells Ball pythons, who are protected internationally by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to prevent their extinction in the wild.

By selling reptiles and amphibians in their stores, PetSmart supports the capture, breeding, and trade of wild animals which causes immense cruelty and is a driver for species extinction.

We are calling on PetSmart to stop participating in the wildlife trade and to end the sale of reptiles and amphibians. PetSmart is the only large pet store chain that continues to sell these animals. This causes harm to the animals, the environment, and humans alike.

PetSmart is the corporate for-profit business. They are responsible for policies around the sale of animals and their products. They also allow use of their stores for adoptions and give customers an opportunity to donate to the charity when they pay for their purchase. PetSmart Charities was established in 1994. They are a charitable organization doing important work like providing grants to animal welfare organizations and collaborating with local shelters to get animals adopted. They are helping the same shelters that are struggling to take in the exotic animals PetSmart sells.

Yes, they are. A wild animal is a species without a history of domestication: a long process of genetic alteration over thousands of years through selective breeding by people for particular ‘desired’ traits. Generally speaking, it involves changes in the animals’ appearance and behaviour.

Reptiles and amphibians bred in captivity retain their complex social, physical, and behavioural needs, which are adapted to their specific natural habitats.

Canadians love animals and many of us share our homes with pets. But there is a big difference between a dog, or a cat and a lizard, tortoise, or frog. Cats and dogs are domesticated animals, meaning they have been selectively bred over many generations and thousands of years for specific traits that make them better suited for living alongside humans. Domesticated animals, with the right care and conditions, can live with humans in captivity without suffering.

Wild animals have not co-evolved with humans, which means that these animals cannot thrive in a home setting. Therefore, in captivity, these animals are usually restricted to live in tanks or another type of enclosure and cannot roam in the house or outside. Reptiles and amphibians require an environment and climate that replicates their wild habitats, which is simply not possible to do because an enclosed area can never have all the complex elements of nature. Similarly, the freedom and array of choices an animal has in the wild cannot be provided in a captive setting.

Take Ball pythons as an example: these snakes live in a wide range of habitats. During the day they hide in burrows, and at night they leave their shelter to go hunt or find a mate. They are even known to climb trees. In a home environment, Ball pythons are often kept in undersized enclosures, restricting basic body movements including the ability to stretch out their full body.

PetSmart is not being honest about how reptiles and amphibians usually suffer in captivity. They are ignoring a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that these animals do not make good pets.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that the reptile and amphibian trade is inherently cruel, contributes to biodiversity loss, and is a public health risk. Here are some reading materials to help you learn more about these topics:

Zoonotic disease risk:

• A review of captive exotic animal-linked zoonoses (Warwick et al.)
• Pet husbandry and infection control practices related to zoonotic disease risks in Ontario, Canada (Stull et al., 2013)
• Risk for zoonotic Salmonella transmission from pet reptiles: A survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices of reptile-owners related to reptile husbandry (Corrente et al., 2017)
• Zoonotic Parasites of Reptiles: A Crawling Threat (Mendoza-Roldan et al., 2020)

Biodiversity risks:

• Chytrid fungi and global amphibian declines (Fisher and Garner, 2020)
• Diversity, biogeography and the global flows of alien amphibians and reptiles (Capinha et al., 2017)
• Thousands of reptile species threatened by under-regulated global trade (Marshall et al., 2020)
• When pets become pests: the role of the exotic pet trade in producing invasive vertebrate animals (Lockwood et al., 2019)

Animal welfare issues:

• Exotic pet suitability: Understanding some problems and using a labeling system to aid animal welfare, environment, and consumer protection (Warwick et al., 2018)
• Given the Cold Shoulder: A Review of the Scientific Literature for Evidence of Reptile Sentience (Lambert et al., 2019)
• Morbidity and Mortality of Invertebrates, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Mammals at a Major Exotic Companion Animal Wholesaler (Ashley et al., 2014)
• The Morality of the Reptile “Pet” Trade (Warwick, 2014)

Reptiles and amphibians come from natural environments where they have the freedom to decide what and when to eat, where to forage, when to bask, along with many other choices. Animals have evolved to make these decisions. At PetSmart, animals face the same small tank with unnatural features every single day. These conditions severely restrict the possibility to perform natural behaviours or to make choices that would give the animal control over its own life. It is generally accepted by animal welfare experts that space and providing choice are instrumental for good animal welfare. A lack of one or both can negatively impact the health and welfare of animals severely.

While we appreciate all the incredible work PetSmart has done on dog and cat issues, they continue to ignore the growing problems related to the sales of reptiles and amphibians. They are a prime example of how companies in Canada participate in the cruel wildlife trade.

In their code of ethics and integrity, PetSmart claims to be a responsible, ethical company concerned about animal welfare, but the reptiles and amphibians they sell are wild animals who suffer at every step of the trade. In the past PetSmart made the important decision to not sell dogs and cats and instead work with shelters for adoption of these animals. Shelters are now facing challenges with taking in an increasing number of exotic animals, the very same animals PetSmart continues to sell and the very same shelters that PetSmart Charities tries to help.

PetSmart’s compassion should not stop with dogs and cats but be inclusive for all animals.