A dog, we're told repeatedly, is for life, not just for Christmas. But what about a lizard, or a snake? On  Morning Ireland, Elaine Keogh visited the National Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Co Meath, where she spoke to Kevin Cunningham. He told Elaine – while Sonny the Senegal parrot made himself at home on her head – that the exotic birds, despite coming from different backgrounds and situations, all get on very well together.

Paul Kelly is a vet who's been practising for nearly 30 years. He got a call from someone saying they'd seen a parrot in the trees in the area. He went and caught it and now Rafiki, as he called her, lives in the veterinary practice. She enjoys watching the world go by and imitating the dogs – among other things.

"You know, when the phone goes off, I don't know if it's the phone or the parrot."

The exotic animals are here to stay, Paul says, and that means we have to protect our indigenous population. People are looking at the likes of Planet Earth II on television and thinking, I'd like one of those. And bringing in just one or two exotics can have serious consequences:

"Somebody brought in six grey squirrels and the red squirrel population was nearly destroyed over time."

Meanwhile, there are now over sixty species living on the 27-acre site of the National Exotic Animal Sanctuary near Balliver. And Kevin Cunningham told Elaine that having an exotic pet is no longer unusual.

"Someone walking down the road with a racoon on a lead, somebody walking down the road with wolves on a lead; we get calls about the most unusual things."

Kevin's aware, he says, of six or seven racoons living on the island, but he's sure there are a lot more. His advice, by the way, if you see a racoon being walked down the road, is to be cautious, as unfriendly racoons can be quite dangerous. So if a relative or friend tries to give you a present of an exotic animal this Christmas, ask yourself if you really need a racoon or a Senegalese parrot in your life.

You can hear Elaine's full report at the link above, and the rest of Morning Ireland, here: