Scaly friends: Effyna’s bearded dragon Comet (left), and her other pet, Jupiter, a leopard gecko.
PETALING JAYA: When most people hear about pets, they think of cats or dogs. They may never think that snakes or lizards can be pets.
As such, an online community in Malaysia is doing everything to educate people about these scaly friends. The group also helps to address the needs of lovers of exotic pets on how to care for them.
Formed three years ago on Facebook, Exotic Lovers Malaysia community (ExoMy) serves as one of the active online local communities of exotic pet enthusiasts. They are also active on Telegram and TikTok.
With more than 12,000 members currently, the group has 37 administrators to help out the platform with each admin specialising in specific types of animals.
For admin Effyna A, 26, her love for scaly friends began from her youth after she saw an advertisement for geckos from a breeder in a newspaper. She described it as “falling in love at first sight”.
With her desire to own a scaly friend, she got her first leopard gecko from the breeder while she was in college.
“They were well-known breeders who encouraged me to be better, learn more and to continue spreading my love and knowledge for these pets to others.
“I eventually decided to help out the community because taking care of animals is my passion and I wanted to share my knowledge while learning from others,” she told The Star in an interview.
Since becoming an admin, Effyna and 36 other admins work tirelessly during their free time to manage the community while educating members on exotic animal welfare through informative posts.
The community also shares much needed information on trusted breeders, places to get supplies for exotic pets, as well as important veterinarian contacts.
“We also provide updates on the latest news from both the local and global exotic pet community while notifying our members on pet expos.
“We strictly monitor the group to make sure all sales consist of animals that require no licence to own under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
“Legitimate licensed animal owners and breeders are also provided support so long as they continue to renew their yearly licence,” she said, adding that licence renewals can cost up to RM20 depending on the exotic pet species.
Effyna, who is a freelance artist and illustrator, owns a wide variety of exotic pets, such as bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos and even some cockatiels.
“The lizards can cost from RM200 to thousands depending on the morph and how well they are bred.
“The geckos’ enclosures can cost as low as RM50 for a simple setup. For food, you can either opt for live insects that can cost up to RM50 a month, or insect puree that cost around RM40 per packet, which can last about a month.
“Crested geckos, in particular, require cool temperatures and daily misting otherwise they can get heatstroke easily.
“Bearded dragons require big dry enclosures of around 0.9m to 1.2m tall with heat and UVB lamps to create enclosures with warm and cool sides, which can cost several hundreds of ringgit.
“This is because bearded dragons need heat lamps and UVB to produce vitamin D3,” she said.
She said this allows them to properly digest and absorb the nutrition while the insects fed to the animals must be properly gut loaded with calcium powder.
“Failing to do so puts them at high risk of getting metabolic bone disease, which will cause their bones to become permanently crooked,” she said.
Effyna also started breeding rankin’s dragons in 2019 and leopard geckos in 2021 to add more diversity and lineage in the local exotic pet scene.
Using her art skills, Effyna has since started her own comics called Terrarium Tales that features her everyday lives with her beloved exotic pets, which are sold at pet and art expos.
