Exotic amphibians, like tree frogs, don’t make good Christmas gifts: animal hospital
Posted December 11, 2019 12:56 pm.
Last Updated December 11, 2019 1:24 pm.
MAPLE RIDGE (NEWS 1130) – If you’re thinking of giving a tree frog or salamander as a gift this Christmas, think again.
Dr. Adrian Walton with Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge says without fail, every new year, there is an increase of unwanted exotic amphibians and reptiles, like bearded dragons, and leopard geckos.
Exotic amphibians, like this frog, don’t make good Christmas gifts, warns the Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge. (Courtesy Adrian Walton, Dewdney Animal Hospital)
While some exotic amphibians are legal, others are not, and Walton says in the last few years, the province has been more concerned about what they may be carrying.
“A lot of these animals could potentially bring in a very nasty disease called chytrid fungus that can actually impact our native species,” Walton says.
“If somebody brings in a wild caught frog from say, Southeast Asia and has that fungus and it gets into our water system because they were doing a water change on their fish tank, it could negatively impact the frogs that we have in our community.”
Walton is a supporter of having exotic pets, but says you need to get them from local breeders – and not pet stores or as imports from other parts of the world – to eliminate the risk of transmitting diseases.
