SNAKES are not the only out-of-the-ordinary pets Steph has encountered on her daily rounds.

Around 18 months ago an iguana had to be re-housed after his Eldene owner was sent to prison.

A friend had been trusted to look after it but he was overwhelmed by the amount of care it needed.

And last month RSPCA inspector Steph Daly was called to Highworth to collect a tropical lizard, which had crawled into a woman's luggage before she boarded a plane.

"The woman found it in her make-up bag," said Steph. "She had a bit of a surprise when she saw it she had been back home five days."

Now and again, the inspector says she receives calls from alarmed supermarket managers. "We've had a few cases where spiders and banana frogs have concealed themselves inside crates."