The Saskatoon City Council is recommending a revision to the animal control bylaw that would let some varieties of pythons and boas to be kept as pets.
According to Ward 3 Councillor David Kirton, a bylaw will be passed to bring Saskatoon into compliance with provincial rules.
According to Kirton, “the city needs to alter its regulations to comply with the provincial legislation” because the provincial government “modified its laws to allow certain pythons and boas to be exotic pets here in Saskatchewan.”
“I personally don’t like having pets like boas or pythons, but I assume there are people out there who feel it’s important.”
One of them is Jemma Omidian from the Saskatoon SPCA.
Omidian said she had pythons and boas before moving out to Saskatoon, and said it will make things easier if the province and city are on the same page when it comes to exotic pets.
“It just makes things a little bit more cohesive and simple, especially if you’re moving from out of the city (into) the city, and all of a sudden you need to rehome your pet,” Omidian said.
She added that she does not anticipate the bylaw change having a significant impact on the SPCA.
“In general, we don’t get a lot of reptiles or exotic creatures. It might, however, be because it was once illegal.
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Omidian emphasised that before purchasing one of the pythons or boas mentioned on the website of the government of Saskatchewan, people should be aware of what they’re getting into.
They’re not as simple as you would imagine.
“There’s a lot of extra stuff that you have to do to make sure you’re keeping them comfortable in an environment that’s not natural to them,” Omidian added.
She advised controlling the temperature and humidity and added that you might need to wet a python down in addition to providing sufficient nutrition for them.
Omidian emphasised that each species of animal has a different setup and has various needs, so if keeping an exotic pet intrigues a person, they need to conduct their research.
“As a personal snake and reptile lover, I do feel like snakes get a bad rap.
I am aware that there may be considerable concern as a result of the new regulations because many people dislike snakes and view them negatively.
Snakes are nothing to be afraid of. They can make excellent pets if they’re cared for properly,” Omidian added..
Slithering into Saskatoon and into people’s hearts are exotic pets.
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