The cost-of-living crisis is forcing exotic pet owners to abandon their animals as they struggle to afford expensive equipment needed to keep them.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it is braced for a surge in abandonments in animals such as snakes and bearded dragons as higher electricity bills start landing on people’s doormats in the United Kingdom.
But as owners struggle to afford keeping their costly ultraviolet (UV) and heat lamps on, reptile shop owner Charles Thompson, 41, has already seen a spike in dumped reptiles.
Thompson, who owns Snakes ‘n Adders in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in Northern England, has noticed the number of bearded dragons he’s taken in double since energy prices soared.
