Frozen mice scarcity leaves Perth reptile entrepreneurs and wildlife carers ‘desperate’

A shortage of frozen rodents is a escalating worry for many reptile house owners and native wildlife carers in Perth whose animals depend on mice and rats for meals, with some being pressured to surrender their pets.

Perth Reptile Rescue and Rehab volunteer Natalie Parr claims a key frozen rodent provider in the jap states has decreased shipments to Western Australia, cutting down provide and forcing up costs at smaller pet retailers considering the fact that.

“People today are so determined now. As soon as mice or rats go up on [social media] webpages for sale men and women will just purchase the entire whole lot,” she stated.

“I realize why, but at the same time there’s very little for any person else since they are stocking up.”

Ms Parr said the organisation had been overloaded with requests from men and women struggling to feed their snakes.

“It’s getting even worse, like six messages every single working day,” she said.

“I have shed a couple, sad to say. There was just no return when they’ve got to that phase.

“One particular of the recent carpet pythons I took in … his entrepreneurs hadn’t been feeding him for around seven months.

“I could notify that they were in a seriously tricky situation when I took him in.”

Ms Parr reported it was tricky for individual pet entrepreneurs to get obtain to the minimal source.

“Fundamentally, you have to have an ABN. If you do not have an ABN these greater providers will not even glance at you to provide you,” she reported.

“Neighborhood, scaled-down [rodent] breeders are receiving overloaded far too. Some also supply the zoo, which is a precedence for them.

Carers ‘rationing’ rodents for indigenous wildlife

West Australia’s main wildlife rescue facility WA Wildlife is also battling to feed its native snakes and owls.

Its director of operations Dean Huxley said the organisation was rationing its mice to feed all animals in its treatment.

“These are animals that we require to feed so that we can handle them and mend them so they can get back out into the wild,” he reported.

“Any where between 500 to 700 mice-having animals come by way of the doorway every single yr.

In WA, it is illegal to use dwell vertebrates for feeding. All animals employed for feeding need to be humanely euthanised and then frozen, Mr Huxley.

“I have heard the key supplier has been constrained with their inventory,” he claimed.

“There are shortages and importing from the jap states is highly-priced.”

One particular of Australia’s most significant rodent suppliers, Pisces Team, was contacted for comment but did not answer.

Tarryn Starkey, owner of pet source retail outlet Snake Metropolis, was advised by breeders and suppliers the scarcity was thanks to “breeding difficulties”.

“Usually, they’re going to come again and they’ll find upwards of 100 small pinky mice that have been born,” she reported.

“But now when they go back to the containers they will obtain that there is certainly 4 or 5 [or] perhaps a maximum of 10 in there.

“You can find been a whole lot of people come into the pastime and consequently a whole lot additional snakes and reptiles are needing to be fed.”

Ms Starkey said men and women were turning to other foods sources this kind of as hen necks and newborn chickens to feed snakes.

“It truly is determined moments at this issue. We’ve got to get our palms on whatsoever we can,” she mentioned.

Human food off the menu

Exotic pet veterinarian Luke Bradley reported feeding pet snakes wild-caught rodents could be detrimental to their wellness.

“The most important concern is in which individuals are hoping to change rodents with not always the most proper food items,” he mentioned.

“We are observing points like rooster wings and chicken necks currently being fed to them. They’re not a entire nutritional deal and not a excellent merchandise longer-term.

“We’ve experienced customers occur in starting to worry that they won’t be capable to feed their reptiles.”

Nonetheless, Dr Bradley reported it was critical for pet house owners not to stress and to try out to utilise social media and neighborhood reptile teams to supply foods.

“It is far more of a threat for younger snakes which require to be fed fairly consistently, but adult snakes must be great without the need of currently being fed for a few of months — specifically about the cooler months,” he explained.

“So it truly is likely well worth trying to obtain those [independent] locations rather than just relying on the pet stores.”