The frustration that results from unmet expectations leads to a lack of socialization with the birds, only causing more noisemaking to get attention, Hils says. Liz Burke, a reptile keeper at the Columbus Zoo, says she advises people to research animals thoroughly to get an understanding of an animal's life expectancy and range of growth. Kids are given turtles and parents are left caring for the animal long after the child has left the nest. Turtles can live to be over 30, over 50 and in some cases over 100 years old. Pet store sales people often make untrue claims, especially if they maintain that animal growth can be stunted, Burke stated.
Reptiles continue growing all their lives.
Gators will grow to become giant eating machines. Some people look at tiger, leopard and lion cubs as adorable kittens without considering their long-term growth and ferocious nature in the wild. Other big cat owners pull canine teeth and declaw the cats in an effort to make the animals less perilous. Those acts of mutilation have several negative consequences according to Hunt. The South has the greatest number of big cats as pets but the Midwest is also home to a growing number of the felines.