Animal Workshops in Birchwood

Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge: Marmosets, Meerkats and much more

JUNE 2011

Exotic pet keeping in the north west

What is “exotic”?

£1.50

TTeaching Awareness

The big question

AME

ContentsPet News PAGE 3

Monkeying Around... Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge

PAGE 8

Defining ‘Exotic’ PAGE 10

Of Mongeese and Meerkats

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

Welcome to this months issue of Tame magazine; as usual we have delivered an exciting issue full of the most important and interesting news in the pet-keeping world. This issues features starts off with an exploration of one of the north-wests lesser known secrets. Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge, located in Warrington is well worth the visit. As the article hopefully points out, there is much more to the place than lizard-keeping. It is also raises many questions about the state of exotic pet keeping today, which is explored later in this very issue. Theterm“exotic”isalwaysadifficultonewithnumerousmean-ings, you may be surprised at one others wll consider to be an “exotic” pet. This month we take a look at two more unusual choices of animal companion-ship; the mongoose and the meerkat. These two creatures are becoming highly popular - no doubt encouraged by certain car insurance adverts! Hopefully we’ll also increase awareness about what it takes to care for such unusual and energetic pets. As with any of the animals shown in this magazine, great care and research into your chosen pets needs will go along way to ensuring a happy and healthy pet.

JUNE 2011

Features

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Welcome to this months issue of Tame magazine; as usual we have strived to deliver an exciting isse full of the most important an interesting news happening in the pet-keeping world. This issues features starts off with an exploration of one of the north-wests lesser known secrets. Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge, located in Warrington is well worth the visit. As the article hopefully points out, there is much more to the place than lizard-keeping; the shop is a home for animals of all walks of life. It also raises many questions about the state of exotic pet keeping as it is today, which is explored later in this very issue. Theterm“exotic”isalwaysadifficultonewithnumerousmean-ings; you may be surprised at what others will consider to be an “exotic” pet. Thismonth,tohighlightthisdifficultissue,wetakealookattwomoreunusualchoices of animal companionship; the mongoose and the meerkat. These two creatures are becoming highly popular as household pets - no doubt encouraged by certain car insurance adverts on the television! Hopefully we’ll also increase awareness about what it takes to care for such an unusual and energetic animal. As with many animals shown in this magazine, great care and research into your chosen pet’s needs will go along way to ensuring a happy and healthy pet. You can never be too knowledgeable. As usual, feel free to tell us what you think, or if you have any news to share. We all love to hear about your pets, so e-mail in anything from your opinons or photographs of your animals and their cages/ set-ups. Enjoy this months issue of Tame, and we’ll see you in July for another issue of exciting animal news!

Edward Marsh

Editor editor@tamemag.co.uk

TAME magazineContact us on enq@tamemag.co.uk

See more articles on www.tamemag.co.uk

Call us on 01925 123 456

TAME magazine2

Your Photos

Letters

Upcoming events PAGE 4

PAGE 5

PAGE 6

Regulars

*all photographs by Edward Marsh

STORE EDUCATES PET CARE A pet store in Birchwood has began pet workshops to educate children about keeping animals. Pets at Home, located in Birchwood shopping centre, now offers workshops onthevariousanimalsinstore.Thefirstofwhichhavefocusedondegus.

The degu workshops are being run by store employee, Dave Partner. “They call me Degu Dave, as I have quite a few at home, so I offered to run the work-shop” said Mr. Partner. The store aims to run at least one workshop a month; this involves letting people have supervised contact with the pets as well talk about looking after them with children.

“We often sit the children down and discuss with them the needs of the pet” added Mr. Partner, “We like to promote awareness for their requirements. Its not just about the cage or the animal, its about nutritional needs, how to feed and make sure they’re healthy”

“Degus are great pets, they’re very lively and are always happy to see you if you spend enough time with them, but they do have special requirements. They need a large enough cage to be able to run around, and we can show you the reasonable sized cage that we would recommend for a group of degus.” Degus, medium sized rodents that originate from south America, are social animals that require a large space to house several degus at once, it is recommended they are not kept individually

The store plans to run further workshops on different animals, primarily fo-cusing on their small pet section, which includes guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils and rabbits. “Hopefully we’ll focus on the guinea pigs, we have alot of them in stock right now, they’re very popular” added Mr. Partner.

“Anyone interested in such a pet should attend the workshop, its a good chance to learn about them and an opportunity to introduce them to your chil-dren before buying”

“They’re all very popular with children” commented Mr. Partner, “but its

Pictured: A staff memeber holding a young degu during one of the workshops

By Edward Marsh

important we teach them the responsibilites involved before taking one of themon”.TheBirchwoodstorealsosellstropicalfish,butdoesnotsellreptilesunlike other pets at home stores. There are curretly no plans to feature either in any future workshops. Pets at home were asked to comment on wether this would become a com-mon a monthly scheme in other stores throughout the nation-wide franchise, but have so far not this has not been commented on.

For more information on the next available workshop the store can be con-tacted directly on 0 1 9 2 5 8 5 2 7 3 4 . General information about the store can be found on www.petsathome.com

SMALL PETS SEEK HOMES A Warrington animal shelter is still seeking new homes for small animals. The RSPCA shelter, located at Slutchers Lane, still has numerous animals that need re-homing. Many have been at the shelter since the post-christmas period. “Christmas is one of the busier times” said an RSPCA spokesperson, “we alwaystrytofindthemgoodhomes” “The public are welcome to come in and have a look” The small animal section in the shelter holds numerous hamsters, rats, gerbils, birds, rabbits and guinea pigs. Many are unwanted christmas presents but can not be returned to the pet store. Others have simply been returned or , in more rare cases, found abandoned. Whilst the animals are not free, as basic care and health costs need to be re-covered, the animals are not over-priced. Many of the pets available may also requireahomevisitfromanRSPCAofficer,tomakesurethenewpotentialhome is suitable for the new pet, before the adoption can take place. The shelter also has a dog pound and cat nursery, and members of the public are encouraged to visit these as well when looking for a new pet. For those wishing to donate for the continuing care for these animals, and the support the RSPCA offers, the shelter also has charity stores throughout the Warrington area. The RSPCA is a charity service and runs off public dona-tions. For more information, the shelter is open daily, except tuesdays until 4 pm and is open to visitors. It can also be called directly on 01925 632944. Alternatively they can be accessed at www.rspcawarr ington.org.uk For more information on the RSPCA visit www.rspca.org.ukPictured: A homeless rat, one of the many animals still seeking a new home.

By Edward Marsh

3TAME magazine

NEWS JUNE 2011

TAME magazine

Events JUNE 2011

Date Event LocationThismonthsevents;whatshappeninginthepetkeepingworldandwheretofindit.

12th June Leeds 12th Annual Fancy Rat Breeding Context

Harpoole Road, Leeds

14th June Red Iguana showcase and breeding conference

Carling Academy, Manchester

14 - 16th June Royal Python exhibition and sale

Corner Exotics,Warrington

18th June Vivarium.com stock clearance sale.

Vivarium.com

20th June Exotic Expo MEN Arena,Manchester

21st June

22nd June Meerkat Madness

24th June Snake Workshops Corner Exotics,Warrington

Tropical Fish Workshops24th June

5TAME magazine

Your Letters JUNE 2011

AnotherroundupofthebestlettersreceivedattheTameofficethismonth.Got something to say? E-mail us at opinon@tamemag.co.uk

Dear Tame,

Thank you for last months amazing issue. Whilst I enjoyed reading it immensly, I have a few issues. Firstly, you reported that Red Iguanas are not interbreedable with Green Iguanas. This is not true as I have encountered many Red-Green hybrids. Secondly, I think this magazine needs more photographs of ani-mals,itsdifficulttounderstandtheexact species, photographs make this issue much more clear.

Yours Sincerly, Mike G.

Tame Magazine,

Once again, great issue last month. I’m really starting to enjoy this magazine and the articles featured within. However, would it be possible to feature more articles about mammals? I know there are sever-al interesting species out there that could be considered exotic; the hedgehog, marmoset and meerkat spring to mind. It would be very useful to me if you could feature this as I am interested in purchasing one. Besides this, I really enjoy the magazine, keep up the good work! Looking forward to the next issue, I hope it involves more mammals.

Thanks

Magnus K,Liverpool

To Tame,

I really enjoyed last months is-sue, keep up the good work! I think its great you promote the exotic pet community and the various societies that we have here in the north

Thank you

Joe H

TameOffices,

I would like to raise an impor-tant issue. As a breeder of leaop-ard geckos, it surprises me the amount of ‘breeders’ that do ont understand geneticsItwouldbeofgreatbenefitifthis magazine was to explain how genetics work, both breeders and casual pet keepers breed animals, and it helps to know what genes are dominant and what can be expectedfromaspecificpairing.

Thank you in advance,

Kenneth

Dear Tame,

Are Zebras an exotic pet? Or do we just count them as horses?

Yes, it is legal to own a zebra in the united kingdom, it has be done before

Adios

JennyHorsebreeder

To whom it may concern,

Can you make an effort to promote local breeders in your magazine? I am a breeder of boas and pythons, I have many pets for sale butfinditdifficulttoadvertisemystock to the right audience I feel your magazine is in touch with the right community and to utilise this would be of great help to me and others. If this is possible, please let me know.

Mary,

Stockport

To the editor,

What are the fundemental differ-ences between turtles and tor-toise? I have had several of both for many years now, and apart from the obvious aquatic and land preferences, the exact difference between the two isn’t exactly clear. Where do I draw the line? My razorback musk, for example, hasclawsonitsflippersandiswell at home on land as well as in water, yet it is a turtle? I hope this issue could feature in a future issue, as I’m sure I am not the only one who is confused by this, or has at least wondered.

Keep up the magazine!

Jerome W

Pet Enthusiast

Dave’s new Ganet, not yet named. suggestions?

6 TAME magazine

YOURInfant Coatimundi from

Bob in Liverpool

Fluffy the skunk, sent in by Tom, Manchester

Once again, more photographs of your wonderful pets found throughout the

north west.

Want to see your photo here?E-mail us at photos@tamemag.

co.uk

Dave’s new Ganet, not yet named. suggestions?

TAME magazine

PHOTOS

Iggy, an Chinese Water Dragon, bask-ing on his favourite branch. Sent to us by Iain, from Leeds

More next month!

Baby Bearded Dragons, bred byJoe & Linda, Birchwood

MONKEYING AROUND... s a town, Warrington has a big, if hidden, pet community.

It has several pet stores selling both regular and exotic species. However, by far the most impressive, is Leeroy’s Liz-ard Lounge, located outside of the town in Padgate. Leeroy’s relocated to its bigger location at Padgate Lane in Novem-ber and it is easy to see why. Leeroy Sherratt, who owns the store and lives locally, needed the space for the vast amount of pets available. “Its choice” said Mr Sherratt, “I wanted to offer as wide a range as I could. We already have shops that sell your usual pet animals; ham-sters, guinea pigs and rabbits, but I’ve always been interested in the alternatives out there. Warrington didn’t have a store like that”

According to Mr Sherratt, the most popular animal is the bearded dragon, an increasingly common household reptile, although Leeroy’s offers plen-ty more choice; lizards, venomous and non-venomous snakes, arachnids, marmosets, bats and crocodilians can all be found. The staff work regularly with local vets to ensure the animals are in their best health. The website also features additional animals, which can be brought into the store through various breeders and contacts whenaspecificallybredcreatureisneeded.

The staff take great care with these creatures, and meet all and any of their nutritional and temperature requirements. Likewise, additional care and responsibility is taken to make sure they go to the right owners.

“We’re more than happy to talk and give advice on keeping them, but we’re very careful who we give pets to. For example, the venomous snakes require a license, which we will check through the council before handing over.”

“Likewise, we’ll also perform house checks when people want to buy any of our mammals. We’ll go to their house and make sure it suits the animals needs, and that there are no risks. We’ll also do the same for some of the larger snakes, such as the pythons and boas, who need the space”

Besides the animals themselves, Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge also stocks and sells a wide range of cages and vivariums, as well as food designed for exotic ani-

mals,. This includes a large variety of live insects, such as locust, grubworms and meal worms. Leeroy’s ensures that all the food needs for the pets sold in the store can also be found within. They also sell books, clothing and other related materials.

The store is also open for people to come in and take a look around. As the website proclaims, “Come along and see some animals you would normally onlyfindinazoo”.Leeroy’sisalsohometobothNelsontheAfricanGreyPar-rot,whoisveryfriendlywithcustomers,andFifitheEuropeanskunk.

The shop also spearheads an animal conservation project. Mr Sherratt houses two ring-tailed lemur’s upstairs, which are not available as pets. “They’re not my pets” commented Mr. Sherratt, “They’re a conservation project. There’s an estimated 2000 left in the wild,we have more in captivity so I help breed them. I’m in contact with other breeders and we do what we can” A similar

breeding programme is underway with the cotton-eared marmoset, but this is not an endangered species and is readily available and legal as a pet in the UK.

In a similar effort, the store has opened an animal rescue service. The store aims to take inandfindnewhomesforunwantedpets,as well as injured animals that can not be re-leased back into the wild for health or legal issues. “We currently have some young grey squirrels” said Mr. Sherratt on the new inita-tive. The squirrels were found abandoned, the mother most likely killed.

“They legally can not be re-released, and the vet was going to put them down so I took them off his hands. We’ll keep them untilwefindsomeonewhocantakecareofthem. We also have terrapin turtles that need a new home too. We try not to charge money for these, but we may need to cover the

costs of feeding them”

Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge is open every day of the week, but has extended hours on weekdays so customers can visit after work hours.

By Edward Marsh

8 TAME magazine

“I’ve always been interested in the alterna-tives out there. Warrington didn’t have a

THIS MONTH, A CLOSER LOOK AT A LIZARD LOUNGE THAT SELLS MUCH MORE THAN REPTILES . . .

A

Conservation and Rescue

Exotic Pets

Shop Profilewww.leeroyslizardlounge.com

01925 259008

leeroyslizardlounge@hotmail.com

9TAME magazine

Above: One of the ringtailed lemurs being bred as part of the conservation project to preserve the species. They are not available for purchase as pets and require a license to breed them.

Left: A cotton-eared Marmoset, one of the more unusual mammals sold in store which will often require a home visit from one of the staff before pur-chasing. They often have special re-quirements, such as heating and a large amount of space.

“They’re a conservation project. There’s an estimated 2000 left in the wild”

MONKEYING AROUND...

?DRAWING THE LINE BETWEEN ‘EXOTIC’ AND ‘SMALL’ PETS: OR DO THE TWO OVERLAP?By Edward Marsh

It may not be an obvious question, but it is important; whatdefinesan‘exotic’pet?Itisanimportantquestionbecausethe word exotic often denotes an animal with special needs, or extra care, as opposed to a normal, or more conventional animal. Forexample,oneoftheearliestdefinitionsofexoticisofananimalthatoriginatesfromanothercountry.Thismonthsprofiledshopkeeper,LeeroySherrat, believes this view. “quotey quote quote” However, pets at home, the largest pet chain in the UK, operates under a different viewpoint. The franchise seperates its livestock between fish,reptilesand‘smallpets’.Smallpetsinessenceistheoppositeof‘exotic’.It focuses on mammallian species. The issue with this is that ‘small animal’ implies simplicity, an animal that is easy to care for. This obviously gives it an advantage over an exotic choice. The problem with this is ‘small animal’ is such a loose category. The flemishgiant,forinstance,isalargebreedofrabbit.Itisneitherbigorsimpleto look after. It has various needs and health issues due to its size, in addition to its large dietry needs. Pets at Home were asked to comment on the issue but have not replied. One store worker, Dave Partner from Warrington, was available to comment. “Pets at Home specialise in small pets” said Mr. Partner, “this gener-ally includes small animals and are the more popular choice for families and small children”

This highlights the problem perfectly, the subtle suggestion that these animals are easier to keep makes them a favourite with familes. Although this may sometimes be the case, it results in many missing out on the opportu-nity of a greater pet experience with an animal more suited to their needs and lifestyle. At the very least, the choice should be made more aware of. Ontheotherhand,therearebenefitstothis.Beingrefferedtoasexotic and high-maintenance means many will often take greater research and consideration before purchasing such an animal. On the other hand, many small animals are often returned or abandoned because owners were not aware of what they were getting into. Just visit any RSPCA centre, the small animal sectionisasbusyasthedogkennels.TheRSPCAwascontactedforfiguresonthis issue, as well as where exotic pets, such as lizards and snakes, that need re-homing are temporarily housed, but declined. Thesolution?Thereisnodefinitiveanswer;whilststoreslikepetsat home can arguably encourage better choice, the ultimate decision still lies with the potential owner. Knowledge of more exotic creatures, such as iguanas and snakes, is becoming more and more common. Animals often blur as time progresses; the mongolian gerbil, for instance, was originally brought over dur-ing the 1940’s and, airing from arid plains, was considerd an ‘exotic’ alterna-tive. Now it is a common household pet no more unusual than a cat or dog. To summarise, both ‘small animal’ and ‘exotic’ are just labels, they only guide the decisions of people who should be more knowledgeable anyway.

Pictured: The Mongolian Gerbil, or Clawed Jird, was original-ly considered an exotic creature. Now a common household pet, much more knowledge exists on them. So, do we now no longer categorised or consider small pets as ‘exotic’?

D E F I N I N G ‘‘E X O T I C ’’

TAME magazine

Pictured: Pytons, like most snakes, can be considered the more typical “exotic” example; their temperature and feed-ing needs, plus the wide range of sizes and colours, marks them out from normal “small” mammalian pets

Have your say...

What do you think? Do you agree? Do you disagree?

Want to share your opinion?

Contact us at opinion@tamemag.co.uk

Of Meerkats Mongeese &

The Dwarf Mongoose, pictured, like the Meerkat is a very social animal and often requires the

company of other mongeese or its owner. Lone mongeese are often at risk of developing stress

An example of a more unusual ‘exotic’ pet, a closer look at two increasingly popu-lar animals; the meerkat and mongoose.

By Edward Marsh

The meerkat and the mongoose, both members of the family Herpestidae, are increasingly popular. They are often classed as “exotic” pets due to their specificneedsandrequirements. Although they look similar, there are many important differences between the two. Leeroy Sherratt, owner of Leeroy’s Lizard Lounge in Warrington, sells and breeds both meerkats and mongeese. Both are legal, and require no licenses, but there is very little common knowledge on the keeping of such unusual creatures. “They’re great pets” said Mr. Sherratt, “They

can be very friendly when use to you, but there are some key differences between the two”

The dwarf mongoose is the common pet variety found in the UK. It is a smaller species of mon-goose, with a dark brown coat. It can be kept by itself or in groups. “They’re very social animals” said Mr. Sherratt, “they love company, it doesnt matter if its a human or another mongoose”. However, as with most social animals, more time will be needed to spend with your pet if it is housed by its own. Animals

Pictured: A pet meerkat at home in a custom built vivarium.

TAME magazine

such as the mongoose often tend to become very stressed when kept on their own, likewise out of boredom. Grouping also has its own problems. . Like most group animals, introducing new members at later stages can disrupt the group hiearchy, leading to fighting.“Theyneedtobebroughttogetherorin-troduced early” said Mr. Sherratt “Its not common, but its still an issue” As for houseing itself, the size of the home will depend on the number of mongoose kept. They can be kept in either vivariums or cages, provided there is plenty of space and ventilaton. Although they can be kept in vivariums, temperature is not an issue.

Meerkats, however, are a much newer pet in the UK. It is recommended that they be kept in groups, although it has been known to keep individuals. “They act very much like they do in the wild” commented Mr. Sherratt, who owns several meer-kats, “They’ll take turns watching out, and will look after each other. This includes the owner” “They need a large space so they can look out and have somewhere to hide when they get scared”. Meerkats also don’t eat when on watch ‘shifts’, and often need to eat straight after. Having just one meerkat, therefore, can be quite stressfull if it decides to stand on its shift for too long. Their diet is also complex, ranging from dry cat food to fresh fruit and vegetables. Since the species is still new on the pet keeping scene, there is still some debate on the correct diet and feeding meth-ods, what is known is that meerkats still retain their instinct to forage and dig when outside. Sand is also recommend to help recreate an aird environment, such as those found in the wild. Like the mongoose, however, they are very social and can show alot of affection towards their owner, provided time and attention is spent with the animal. The RSPCA were asked to comment on the suitability of meerkats and the possible re-homing rates, but have yet to comment.

Mongeese

Meerkats

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