More than 450 calls concerning the welfare of exotic animals in Devon were made to the RSPCA last year.

Upon the release of their annual statistics, the UK’s largest and oldest animal welfare charity raised concern that prospective owners were not doing enough research before buying the animals.

They said that across England and Wales, calls to their 24 hour cruelty hotline had increased by 13 per cent to 1,175,193.

Last October, a three foot long corn snake was found dumped in a box in the River Otter.Stephanie Jayson, RSPCA’s senior scientific officer in exotics and qualified exotics vet, said: “We believe that people may buy them with little idea of how difficult they can be to keep and the animals are sometimes neglected when the novelty wears off and the commitment hits home.

“This is why we would encourage anyone thinking of getting an exotic pet to find out as much as possible about the animal’s needs and whether they’re the right pet for them.”