Meet the girl who shares her room with over 50 tarantulas and other exotic pets

hollie-with-corn-snake-in-the-grass
Image caption,

Here is Hollie with one of her snakes

Snakes, tarantulas, geckos and millipedes aren't usually the first things that you think about having in your bedroom.

Nine-year-old Hollie shares her room with over 50 tarantulas and a whole host of other creepy crawlies and exotic pets.

She wants to help people understand how to look after pets like hers responsibly.

Media caption,

Meet the girl who shares her room with over 50 tarantulas!

Since lockdown began in the UK in March 2020, the RSPCA has been receiving lots of calls about reptiles and other exotic pets being abandoned.

They think that people buy these animals as pets without fully understanding their needs.

From March to July 2020 the RSPCA received 353 calls to help and rescue exotic pets.

A spokesperson said: "These figures are still significant considering we were in lockdown and we are now concerned about the longer-term impact the financial strain of the pandemic could have on the number of animals being abandoned".

The RSPCA has been urging UK pet owners to think especially hard about whether or not they have the right time, skills, and knowledge to look after exotic pets.

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Hollie has been interested in looking after insects, reptiles and other not so furry pets since she was tiny!

Hollie has been researching her pets for years.

She spends most of her time looking after her snakes, tarantulas, millipedes, geckos, and other exotic animals.

Image caption,

Here's Hollie holding one of her many tarantulas!

Hollie likes to help others understand how to responsibly look after tarantulas, snakes, and any of the other animals she keeps.

Newsround spoke to Benjamin Kennedy, a veterinary surgeon with a special interest in these species.

He said: "The ownership of any pet is a significant responsibility and many 'exotic' pets have specific management requirements to ensure their welfare is maintained. Veterinary practices are a good source of information for new and prospective owners."

Image caption,

This is one of Hollie's hissing cockroaches

Hollies exotic pet collection is made up of:

  • Over 50 tarantulas

  • A leopard gecko

  • Giant African land snails

  • Two snakes

  • Hissing cockroaches

  • A giant millipede

That's a lot of people to share a bedtime story with!