Reporter Wang Jingyue and Shi Zhipeng

In a shopping mall in Beijing's Chaoyang District, hamsters in a pet store attract children. Photo by reporter Qiao Cai

At a pet shop in Beijing's Chaoyang District, customers use their mobile phones to film meerkats. Photo by reporter Shi Zhipeng

The nimble chipmunk jumps over the keeper's shoulder, the "flying" honeyglider slides from the top of the cabinet to the palm of the owner's hand, and the maned lion lizard lazily stretches out a paw lazily in the thermostat viewing box...... In a flower, bird, insect and fish market in Chaoyang District, Beijing, a variety of "exotic pets" are selected by customers.

In recent years, with the change of consumption concepts and the promotion of personalized needs, many families have begun to try to raise "exotic pets". The so-called "exotic pets" refer to niche pet categories that are different from cats, dogs, ornamental fish, etc., and can include reptiles, small mammals, insects, etc. Why is it popular to raise "exotic pets"? What are the risks behind the trend? Journalists investigated this.

"I feel like it's fun to raise"

Li Ying, a post-20 generation who lives in Beijing, still remembers the scene of visiting the flowers, birds, fish and insects market with her father 0 years ago. At that time, some merchants sold pets such as small snakes and lizards, which made her feel novel. Now, she took her children to the market and found that there were more merchants selling "reptile pets", and even opened a reptile pet area. "The shops on both sides of the aisle are lined with large and small terrariums with all kinds of reptiles. A boss took the initiative to introduce me to the eyelash horn guard, pignose snake, corn snake, etc., rich in variety, I really didn't expect the reptile pet market to be so big now!" Li Ying said.

The market for small mammalian pets is also booming. Compared with reptiles, mammalian "exotic pets" can interact more with humans. Walking into a flower, bird, fish and insect market in Chaoyang, Beijing, a variety of "exotic pets" gradually come into view: chinchillas originating from South America and the prototype of the anime "My Neighbor Totoro", lop-eared rabbits that look like plush toys, honey gliders that can "fly" and lie on their shoulders, golden bears of different colors, "dwarfs" and "in-laws" and other hamsters, snakes of different varieties and colors......

The reporter saw many people sitting around chatting in a meerkat store. According to reports, they are all meerkat fans in Beijing, and everyone gets acquainted through the Internet and goes to the store on weekends to exchange breeding experience. "In the past, there were very few people, but now there are more and more people, and the customer base is mainly young people who are curious and eager to explore new animals." The shopkeeper said.

在社交媒体，这些“神奇动物”同样受追捧，分享养宠攻略和“盘玩”秘籍的博主比比皆是。以仓鼠为例，小红书APP上，“仓鼠”话题有近40亿浏览量，“仓鼠怎么养”话题下有32万余篇笔记。被网友称为“仓鼠专家”的博主“将蝶”，2018年起在小红书发布科学养鼠视频，每条笔记下都有网友咨询关于鼠笼造景、垫料选择等问题。她介绍，这两年收到的评论和私信不断增加，最后索性拉了个群，“感觉越来越多人对养仓鼠感兴趣了”。

数据显示，近年来，“异宠”消费市场呈现增长趋势，饲养“异宠”人群的数量持续上升，龟、蛇、守宫是爬宠种类中的主要类型。截至去年底，中国有约1707万人饲养“异宠”，市场规模近百亿元。

Why is "exotic pet" popular? Industry insiders pointed out that consumers' current choices for pets are becoming more and more diversified, no longer limited to the companionship of traditional pets, but seeking more personalized and fresh pets "exotic pets". "It feels very interesting to raise" and "It's very alternative and cool to have this kind of pet" are the main intentions of those who enter the circle.

In addition, social media has also opened a window for more users to understand and accept "exotic pets". Li Ying told reporters that her daughter came up with the idea of raising hamsters after reading the Xiaohongshu post, "I was originally afraid of animals like rats and hamsters, but after reading more posts with my children, I began to think that this little guy is cute." Li Ying said, "This year, our family went to the market to buy two more. ”

It takes a lot of effort to raise them

Some "exotic pets" human domestication, artificial breeding time is short, still retain a certain degree of wild survival habits, compared with cats, dogs, more need to be independent, simulate the natural living space, so the breeder should make great efforts in food, landscaping, temperature and humidity, etc., to simulate the wild habitat environment, to ensure the healthy growth of "exotic pets".

"Under the standard of scientific feeding, the living area of each hamster is 60-0 square centimeters, and the small wire cage we see in the temple fair stall is definitely not enough, so we have to buy a large cage. Hamsters are nocturnal animals that run at least seven or eight kilometers in the wild for food, so running wheels are also indispensable. Blogger "Will Butterfly" said. For example, the bedding on the floor, the landscaping for enrichment, the ice box for cooling down in summer, the bath sand, the kettle, etc., should be specially equipped. To this end, many businesses have launched various supplies suitable for hamsters.

Ms. Gao, a citizen of Beijing, was attracted by watching a video of the sugar glider, and has raised many sugar gliders in the past two years. "They need to be raised more delicately, not only to pay attention to the temperature, food, but also to prepare toys such as jumping platforms, climbing ropes, running wheels, and most importantly, to respond to their feelings." Ms. Gao said that some sugar gliders may be depressed due to long-term lack of companionship.

It is understood that the lizard box where the lizard lives is also expensive, which is more sensitive to humidity and needs to be equipped with a humidifier or dehumidifier; Some turtles have high requirements for light and water quality, so they have to purchase professional aquarium lamps to ensure sufficient light duration, and install a powerful filtration system......

With the increase in the number of "exotic pet" breeders, many "exotic pet" supplies have ushered in a sales boom. Tmall data shows that during the "379.0" period last year, bird categories such as bird nests and bird feeders exceeded 0% year-on-year; Aquarium landscaping equipment/decoration exceeded 0% year-on-year. In terms of JD.com, the turnover of hamster cages exceeded 0% year-on-year.

Some people like "exotic pets" to bring them home, and some people like them but it is inconvenient to raise, how to meet the needs? Nowadays, all kinds of "exotic pet" theme stores and cafes provide convenience for the latter.

Post-100 Ansan opened a capybara and meerkat experience store in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province last year. "Average 0 customers per day. There are more people on holidays, up to 0 people. Ansan said. Similar to cat cafes and dog cafes, the experience store charges per person and also provides paid feeding services. Because capybaras and meerkats have more restrictions on the living environment, many families do not have the conditions to raise them, so Ansan's pet shop has received a lot of praise.

In Huangpu, Shanghai, Cui Dejun's "Mysterious Interactive Pet Shop" ushered in a large number of customers during this year's Spring Festival. He introduced that few people have frequent contact with reptiles, and pet shops provide a safe environment for everyone to interact with all kinds of reptiles. At the same time, he also popularized the knowledge of reptiles to customers, "increased a lot of knowledge", "children have gained a lot", "I didn't expect reptiles to have such habits"...... Many customers leave messages on apps such as Dianping.

The "exotic pet" market urgently needs to be regulated

However, as an emerging pet raising model, the "exotic pet" market needs to be further regulated.

Not long ago, a blogger on Xiaohongshu said that after reading "Nezha's Demon Boy in the Sea", he was very "upset" with groundhogs, so he bought one online. Who knew that after getting his hands on it, he found that the groundhog had multiple wounds and ticks, and suspected that the merchant had grabbed one directly from the wild and sent it over, so he posted the matter on the Internet. Some attentive netizens found that this groundhog is not a domesticated black-tailed groundhog, and is an important host of Yersinia pestis, the blogger lives in a densely populated large city, and if it carries germs, it is likely to bring harm to local citizens.

Zhou Chuikun, a senior partner at Yingke Law Firm in Beijing, pointed out that if an animal like marmot is truly needed for artificial breeding due to scientific research and species protection, it must be approved by the provincial wildlife protection department and obtain an artificial breeding permit for wild animals under national key protection. The Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Postal Law expressly prohibit ordinary courier companies from sending live animals. The arrival of a diseased marmot from the wild to a big city shows that businesses and courier companies still need to strengthen the standardization of the transport of live animals.

Wu Qian, a lawyer at Hunan High-tech Law Firm, said that online platforms, as an important channel for "exotic pet" transactions, should strengthen supervision and information review obligations. A smooth and efficient information exchange mechanism should be established between relevant departments and platforms.

When the sense of curiosity passes, the practical problem of raising "exotic pets" follows. Some consumers want to consume fresh and impulsively, and then abandon them due to high cost, energy, and "exotic pets" after breeding. The reporter searched for the word "abandonment" on social media and found that many netizens have found discarded "exotic pets" such as African mini hedgehogs (pet hedgehogs that can be housed) and hamsters in garbage stations or gardens.

A "exotic pet" doctor once said frankly that at present, the country's "exotic pet" medical resources are scarce, and it is difficult to meet the demand, and there are no professional "exotic pet" medical institutions in many places. The metabolic rate of "exotic pets" is four or five times that of humans, which means that if the diseased "exotic pets" are not treated in time, the risk of death or abandonment is greatly increased.

In fact, raising "exotic pets" is not only about personal hobbies, but also about public safety such as ecology, biology, and health. Statistics show that there are 660 species of invasive alien species in China, and the illegal entry of some "exotic pets" is one of the main ways of invasion of alien species.

中国刑法以及生物安全法等已针对引进、放生外来物种的各类行为已有明确规定。业内人士提醒，“异宠”饲养者要注意相关法律法规，如《国家重点保护野生动物名录》和《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》，其中公约附录中的3万多种动植物均禁运、禁售。

Experts suggest that it is necessary to further improve relevant laws and regulations and clarify the definition, management scope and regulatory responsibilities of "exotic pets". Intensify the crackdown on illegal "exotic pet" trade. At the same time, the relevant departments should disclose to the public the types of "exotic pets" that are not allowed to be traded and update them in a timely manner, strengthen scientific publicity, and enhance the scientific understanding of "exotic pets" in the whole society.

"Raising 'exotic pets' should be cautious and rational, do your homework before buying, fully understand their habits, difficulty and possible risks, and do not buy blindly; After buying, feed scientifically and reasonably, and do not abandon it willfully. If you really can't continue to raise, you must find the 'next home' and do a good job of docking. Li Ying said.