The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
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Perth: Bearded dragon had been kept in tank with no heat or light
Edgar the bearded dragon, in the safe hands of Mitchell Scobbie, having been returned following a raid on a Perth pet shop on Friday. The missing exotic animals were discovered at an address in the city.
A bearded dragon stolen in a raid on a Perth pet shop “could have died” as a result of the theft, its owner has said.
The reptile, along with a tarantula and three corn snakes, was taken from Perth Pet Centre on Friday.
The animals were found at a Perth address on Monday night.
Store owner David Scobbie said while the snakes and spider had been well cared for, Edgar the bearded dragon was too cold.
He said some juvenile bearded dragons taken in a previous raid had not survived after suffering similar treatment.
He said: “The snakes and the spider were fine but the bearded dragon was very cold and not moving much at all.
“He’d been put in a small tank, which was unsuitable for him, and they’d not given him any proper heat or light.
“He’s back in his big 4ft vivarium and he’s looking a lot better now. It would have affected him very badly if he’d been kept like that long term.
“It was only two or three days, so it wasn’t too bad.
“It’s the second time we’ve had a situation where animals were stolen.
“Last time we managed to get most of them back but the bearded dragons died because they hadn’t been kept in the right conditions.
“They were baby ones and weren’t as strong.”
He said the theft had attracted much attention on social media. “It all snowballed,” he said. “I put it on Facebook and before I knew it it was at 1,000 hits – about 20 people shared it and it just spread.”
The pet centre, which shares its premises with Ladeside Aquatics, closed for business last month.
It is in the process of moving to new accommodation on Atholl Road and David says the new shop is far more secure.
“There’s only the front door, which has roller shutters,” he said. “There’s also flats above. “The unit we were in is a warehouse, which has a lot of places you can break in.
spokeswoman for Police Scotland said inquiries into the theft are ongoing.