Persuasive writing: reptiles as domestic pets.

argument: Reptiles should not be allowed as domestic pets.
Points: Reptiles are potentially dangerous to pet owners due no domestication. It is hard to give the reptiles a natural environment to live in.
they are wild animals.

thesis: Reptiles should not be kept as pets.

Intro: With the change in technology, more things have been made available to make people's lives more enjoyable. Over thousands of years, people have been taming and even domesticating animals for their skills and companionship. The problem here is, people are now keeping pets that have not been domesticated. Keeping reptiles as pets can endanger not only their lives and well being; but yours. Reptiles haven't been domesticated, meaning they are unpredictable and could cause you harm at any moment. Keeping reptiles in an environment much different from their own, can cause great harm to them. They are wild animals which have not evolved to live beside humans, making life dangerous for both parties.


Reptiles haven't been domesticated and there fore could pose a risk to whoever is keeping them. Domestication means to tame generations of an animal, over thousands of years, so it will live beside you. The best example of this is dogs; over many millennia, dogs have been bred and trained to live with humans, providing both with companionship and safety. Reptiles have not been domesticated and there fore are not suitable as pets. Reptiles have not been trained to not attack humans, they have been trained to fight anything that may harm them. Keeping a reptile as a pet could not only endanger you, but could endanger the reptile itself.

Taking any animal out of its natural environment is cruel, especially if they are kept somewhere drastically different than the environment they need. Imagine taking a salt water fish and keeping it out of water; that seems wrong right? Then why would keeping a ten meter python in a glass case be considered alright? Keeping any animal in a place where they are not suited, could cause them harm. A Tuatara whose natural environment is the forest shouldn't be taken out of it, with the purpose to be kept in an enclosure. They are wild animals, not display objects, and should be looked after.

We would consider a lion a wild animal, needing space to explore and thrive in. We wouldn't keep a lion as a display, then why is it legal keep a snake as one? Reptiles, just like any other animal, need space to thrive and live, places to explore. They should not be kept in glass boxes for people's amusement. The average reptile enclosure in a zoo is about four square meters, much less than what they would live in when in the wild. The amount of space given for a reptile kept as a pet would be much less, seeming as the owner would have less experience in animal keeping.

In conclusion, it is extremely wrong to keep an undomesticated reptile as a pet. Keeping reptiles as a pet can harm you, the reptile and can mess up future generations of reptiles due to different- and much worse- living environments. Keeping a reptile as a pet can be harmful for all parties involved, and shouldn't be permitted.