When it comes to pets, the first thing that comes to mind for most people may be the lively and lively appearance of cats and dogs in the center of the lawn, goldfish swimming freely in a fish tank, or parrots talking to people on the balcony. But with the diversified development of social culture in recent years, people's lifestyles and interests have become increasingly diverse. Climbing pets have gradually entered the public eye, breaking people's traditional understanding of pets and bringing them into a wonderful world of exotic pets.
Crawling pets refer to pets that live by crawling, including but not limited to turtles, spiders, snakes, lizards, geckos, etc. The enthusiasts who feed them call themselves "crawling friends". In the eyes of "climbing friends", every climbing pet has its unique charm: the horned frog is seen as cute and silly due to its chubby appearance; Leopard geckos are known as "smiling beasts" due to their mouth contours resembling a smile; Blue tongued stone dragons are referred to as "trash cans" by the opera due to their curious personality and appetite for everything.
Tracing back to history, China has a long-standing tradition of raising climbing pets. In ancient times, turtles were deeply loved as representatives of "longevity" and were endowed with auspicious and healthy meanings. Among them, the ink turtle (also known as the adult male Chinese grass turtle) was endowed with special feng shui functions such as guarding homes, regulating feng shui, and warding off evil spirits due to its unique black shell and mysterious image. In addition, China has a tradition of raising chirping insects since ancient times, such as crickets, grasshoppers, and sandflies. The crisp calls of these chirping insects bring joy to people and have even developed into entertainment activities such as fighting crickets, entering the lives of the upper class.
Nowadays, the trend of raising climbing pets has flourished as a niche culture, and more and more young people are paying attention to climbing pets, viewing them as a reflection of fashion and personality. The White Paper on China's Pet Industry (Consumption Report) for 2023-2024 shows that the growth rate of the pet market in China will remain strong in 2023, with a particularly significant increase in the number of people raising emerging exotic pets. The proportion of pet owners who are climbing pets has reached 8.4%, a significant increase from 2022, indicating the broad prospects and enormous potential of the climbing pet market.
China Climbing Pet Carnival 'Cute' Moves Shanghai
Recently, the "Turtle Valley World Famous Turtle Exhibition · China Climbing Pet Carnival (Shanghai Station)" was held at the Shanghai Agricultural Exhibition Center. The venue features exhibition areas for aquariums, climbing pets, equipment, and live turtles and turtles, providing employees and citizens with a comprehensive understanding of the industry situation and opportunities for learning and viewing. Among them, the climbing pet area has attracted a large number of visitors with its unique charm. Visitors can not only observe these magical creatures up close, but also exchange breeding experience with breeders and share beautiful climbing pet pictures.
There are many types of climbing pets on display this time, among which the most common turtle is known for its long lifespan and calm personality. Whether it is the small and delicate Brazilian turtle or the huge crocodile turtle, they have won the favor of many "climbing friends" with their unique shell and swimming posture. And spiders, as another highlight of the climbing pet world, use their complex web weaving skills and diverse survival strategies to make their owners feel the wonder and mystery of nature. Snake climbing pets have attracted many owners who pursue excitement and challenges with their elegant posture and agile movements. From colorful corn snakes to mysterious pythons, they not only have unique appearances, but also demonstrate high adaptability and survival wisdom in their habits.
In addition, lizard climbing pets are also a hot topic in the market. From the lively and active maned lion lizard, to the adorable horned frog, to the leopard gecko known as the "smiling beast", each lizard has won the love of its owners with its unique form and habits. They either showcase the vitality of life with their bright body color and agile posture, or become the new favorite of the pet market with their gentle personality and easy to raise characteristics.
A unique way of emotional companionship
Compared with traditional pets, climbing pets provide pet enthusiasts with a new feeding experience and observation perspective with their unique form, habits, and lifestyle.
They do not require excessive companionship time, frequent walking, bathing, or beauty treatments, but can provide silent companionship and support to their owners in a quiet and steady posture. When you feel exhausted, just sit quietly by the glass box of your climbing pet and observe a microcosm of another universe: the emerald green palace jumps lightly at the tips of simulated tropical rainforest leaves, the cool and gorgeous corn snake slowly swims under the withered trees, and the colorful lizards are like armor, guarding this miniature kingdom. The peace and harmony brought by their every move can instantly soothe your inner restlessness, allowing you to find a trace of peace amidst busyness and pressure. For young people living alone, the elderly, or those under high psychological pressure, a small climbing pet may become an indispensable part of their lives, bringing warmth and comfort.
Many climbing pets have strong interactivity and can establish deep emotional connections with humans. For example, some turtle and lizard pets may exhibit dependence and closeness towards their owners during the breeding process. After work every day, I would move a small stool to observe my palace guard, see if it was eating properly, and observe how its tail was moving. Often, I would sit for one or two hours and forget all my troubles, "said a player who participated in a pet climbing exhibition with emotion.
Shougong, belonging to the gecko family, has no less than 90 genera, 900~1000 species, and is the second largest family in the lizard order, spread all over the world. There are two types of geckos: terrestrial and arboreal. Currently, the common categories on the market include leopard geckos, eyelash geckos, tumor tail geckos, frog eye geckos, etc. The feeding methods for different categories also vary. The main food is insects, and some species also prefer to eat fruit puree. Juvenile palace keepers are usually easier to adapt to new environments and cultivate good habits under the supervision of their owners, but they also require more careful care and attention.
The New Blue Ocean of Economic Industry
With the rise of pet climbing culture, the related industry chain has also ushered in unprecedented development opportunities. A huge economic system is gradually taking shape, from the breeding, feeding, and sales of climbing pets to the development of peripheral products, as well as disease treatment, feeding consultation, and climbing pet foster related services.
The scale of the climbing pet market in China is constantly expanding. More and more businesses are entering the climbing pet market, providing various climbing pets and related products and services. Online e-commerce platforms, offline physical stores, professional forums, and social media channels provide rich choices and convenient communication platforms for those who love crawling.
As the largest supplier of reptile pet food in China, Ren Shunxin, Deputy General Manager of Qingdao Daren Fucheng Livestock Co., Ltd., introduced: "Our company started producing frozen live feed ten or twenty years ago, but in recent years, the popularity of reptile pets has truly begun to rise. In addition to frozen products, we have also extended our product line to canned food, grass, freeze-dried, live and other products. The animals used to make the products are self bred and self raised, strictly following various epidemic prevention procedures and production management systems to ensure that all animals are healthy, disease-free, and nutritious." The main consumer markets for reptile pets are Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and southeastern coastal areas, which have higher economic levels, higher acceptance of reptile culture, and more concentrated industrial chains. The sentence is:.
Emerging services such as pet climbing medical care, beauty, and foster care have also emerged to meet the diverse needs of different consumers. In Shanghai, there are three formal exotic pet hospitals in Danminhang District that can provide diagnosis and treatment services for reptiles, rodents, birds, and other animals. The rapid development of this emerging industry not only injects new vitality into the economy, but also provides more opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.
In addition, Shanghai also has a dedicated immersive experience venue for exotic pets. The San San Cute Pet Park, located in Pujiang Town, Minhang District, is a multi-functional interactive area for humans and pets, as well as a habitat for frog species and a camping site for internet celebrities. The amusement park has multiple functional zones, such as a cute pet leisure area, a cute pet sports area, etc. Children can observe, feed, and interact with climbing pets up close, enhancing parent-child relationships. At the same time, the amusement park also focuses on creating a good interactive atmosphere between humans and nature, providing a safe environment for children to come into contact with and understand climbing pets. They can hold climbing pets up close, observe their appearance, and feel their form. Among them, Hexiang Frog Singing Garden is also a student social practice base in Pujiang Town. Children can play and learn about climbing pets in areas such as the frog science popularization area, broaden their horizons, and cultivate their understanding of natural mysteries and biodiversity.
Unlike traditional pets such as cats and dogs, crawling pets like turtles, snakes, spiders, lizards, etc. are often closely connected to the wild ecological environment, and their breeding process itself is a vivid ecological education lesson. Many pet owners actively learn and exchange information on the habits, breeding techniques, and biological protection knowledge of climbing pets through methods such as researching materials, attending lectures, and joining communities.
At the Shanghai station of the Chinese Climbing Pet Carnival, professional books related to climbing pet breeding sold at the booth range from 100 yuan to 800 yuan. Even books written entirely in English are highly favored by consumers due to their professionalism and popular science. It can be said that in today's increasingly ecological and environmental awareness, climbing pet culture has gradually become a new window connecting humans and nature.
The rise of the pet climbing craze is an inevitable product of social development and changes in people's spiritual needs. The European and American countries that first saw the rise of the "climbing pet craze" have a more mature and open climbing pet culture. Climbing pets are considered a symbol of fun, beauty, and mystery, and there are more social platforms and activities to promote communication and interaction among climbing pet owners. The current climbing pet culture in our country is relatively weak.
In China, some climbing pets are protected animals that are explicitly prohibited from being raised by individuals, collectively referred to as conservation animals. The National List of Key Protected Animals has elevated the protection of wildlife to the level of law, and violations of relevant regulations will be punished by law. If it is a foreign species of climbing pet, it should follow the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) adopted by the members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is also one of the conservation lists in China. Animals listed in Appendix I and Appendix II are all conservation animals in China, such as the protected animal salamander from North Africa. In addition, China's "List of Three Protected Animals" basically includes common native Chinese amphibians and reptiles, as well as some arthropods, including Chinese toads, geckos, grass turtles, flower turtles, etc. Legal breeding activities can only be carried out after obtaining approval and licenses from relevant departments.
A civilized and legal pet climbing market not only requires relevant departments to crack down on illegal trading activities, strengthen supervision and regulation, but also requires pet lovers and practitioners to abide by relevant laws and regulations, legally and civilized pet raising, and consciously refrain from trading or raising key protected wild animals that are explicitly prohibited by the state. Therefore, before deciding to raise climbing pets, it is important to fully understand their living habits and feeding requirements. Through appropriate selection, scientific feeding, and careful care, one can find infinite happiness in the wonderful world of climbing pets.