Beijingers long for lucky dragon pets

Beijing's small animal sellers are expecting to cash in on selling unusual pets whose Chinese names are related to "long," dragon in Chinese, during the Spring Festival, pet vendors said.

Animal experts caution against the trend of selling zodiac-related pets, as once the novelty wears off, buyers often abandon them.

These unusual pets include chameleons, bianselong in Chinese, literally a dragon that can change the color of its skin, some types of ornamental fish referred to as gold and red dragon fish, and even chinchillas, whose name is erroneously translated as dragon cat, or longmao, in Chinese.

At the Shilihe Folk Culture Market in Chaoyang district, while some stores are already closed for the holiday, a number of aquariums selling fish and water animals remain open for business. Tanks filled with dragon fish are placed front and center.

"The average price for a gold dragon fish is 5,000 yuan ($792), and the red ones sell for even more," said a vendor surnamed Li from Bihaipeng Aquarium.

"The Lunar New Year is earlier than previous years, so we have a shorter time to sell fish before the festival," Li said of her business. But she believes that the best period to market these dragon fish is from January 3 up to February 2, or Dragon Head Raising Day, according to the lunar calendar.

Li said dragon fish are more expensive as they are believed to be good for feng shui, which can bring good luck to a room.

A chinchilla seller, surnamed Zhang, also hopes to sell more "dragon cats" in the coming year. At Zhang's Chinchilla Beijing Specialty Shop, the mammals sell for between 800 to 5,000 yuan.

Chameleons, meanwhile, are on sale for 1,200 yuan at the Shuiduizi market, Chaoyang district.

But for rabbits, it's a case of out with the old, in with the new, as sales have slumped to almost zero. Many rabbits bought as pets were subsequently abandoned last year, according to media reports.

"We shouldn't promote this trend of raising pets in accordance to the zodiac," said Qin Xiaona, director of the Capital Animal Welfare Association.

In Qin's opinion, young people who are passionate to own pets, should understand that when buying an animal, they are responsible for the animal's life.

This attention to one type of pet can also negatively affect the animals.

"Vendors may force animals to breed more than usual to sell more pets, or even inject hormones to make them look more adorable," Qin said.