It’s not uncommon for people to keep exotic animals as pets, such as reptiles or insects. However, these creatures tend to have more unique dietary needs, as opposed to pet dogs or cats.
One Malaysian exotic pet owner has come under fire over this exact reason after revealing how he allegedly procured food for his pet snakes on social media.
Malaysian man claims he offers to adopt kittens so he can feed his pet snake with them
This issue was initially brought up by local Twitter user @vvnloll, urging Malaysians to be aware of a man who claims that both he and a friend would pretend to be interested in adopting kittens or rabbits for free, before feeding the small creatures to their pet snakes.
A number of screenshots were also enclosed in her Tweet, showing how the man suggested that other snake owners consider doing the same.
Prior to this Tweet, the man had asked netizens on Twitter back in June 2022 if they knew of any kittens that were up for adoption, adding that his pet ‘Helga’ was lonely and needed a companion. However, he did not state what species Helga happened to be.
Following his tweet, many netizens replied saying that they don’t have kittens and only have cats. He politely declined adopting cats as cats were ‘too big’ for his preference. A subsequent screenshot indicated that he had managed to find another kitten for his pet, which he reveals to be a snake by quoting his own Tweet from January 2022.
The thread’s OP proceeded to point out that many of the strays have been saved and nursed back to health by animal rescuers, and have been lied to by the man when they gave up the animals for supposed adoption.
She also suggested that snake owners could opt to feed their pets with dead or live rats that were bred for feeding purposes, instead of strays that have been deliberately rescued off the streets.
Other netizens have also chimed in on the issue, expressing their horror at the man’s practice.
“Why?! Please don’t have a pet snake if you cannot afford to buy it food. What did the kittens do to deserve such a cruel ending?”
Source: Twitter
“I was about to open up an adoption for kittens but now I’m scared if the kittens actually fall towards the wrong hands. Please don’t use natural selection as an excuse for your acts. If you want to have exotic pets, please buy proper food for them. Can you imagine if someone stole your pet snake and fed it to other people?”
Source: Twitter
“Moving forward, I think those who want to open up adoptions for cats and kittens should properly filter through those candidates who want to adopt.
If you find them suspicious, you should try and visit their social media profiles to see if they’re suitable for having cats. Otherwise, you could get them to film their house and see if you find anything suspicious.”
Source: Twitter
Separately, a 2022 report from NST notes that prospective owners are required to obtain a license first before acquiring any exotic pets in Malaysia. Unfortunately many such animals fall in a grey area in a long list of prohibited species, making it difficult to regulate properly.
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