BUYING an exotic pet could have deadly consequences, the RSPCA warned today.

A rising trend in owning unusual animals has led to an RSPCA campaign urging animal lovers to think carefully before they buy. Dangerous and exotic creatures including iguanas, scorpions and even crocodiles are being sold at pet shops, often with little information about the new pet given to the customer.

Kathy Kay, Bolton RSPCA branch administrator, said the problem was not a new one.

"We've had problems with people buying exotic pets for many years," she said. "It started with terrapins. People bought them when they were an inch long, not realising that they grow to over a foot long. They were getting dumped in lodges and all sorts of places."

Now she says the same is happening with snakes, lizards, spiders and other exotic creatures.

Kathy said: "In many cases people just don't know how to look after them properly. They feed them wrongly, don't have the correct heating or tank for them, and they end up with snakes and lizards that starve, bake or freeze to death."

She wants anyone buying an exotic pet to get a leaflet called "Will you still love me tomorrow?" from the RSPCA, The Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1HG.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.