Kim Kardashian criticised for dressing her pet reptile in her clothing line

‘Stop dressing him, they breathe through their skin,’ said one fan after the reality star put the lizard in clothes

(Getty Images)

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has adopted a bearded dragon, and posted about her new pet on Instagram on Wednesday, with her daughter North holding the reptile.

But she has been criticised by some for dressing the animal in clothing.

In the post, the reptile is being handled by Kardashian's daughter and is seen dressed in a white furry top with a hood and a gem between its eyes. “Meet the newest member of our family ... Speed,” wrote the star.

“ I really wasn’t planning on liking Speed the way I do but she grew on me! Speed was really my BFF Allison’s and we babysat for a week and she never left and it’s been months!”

She added: "Speed got a makeover with custom Skims Cozy and even the Lil Uzi jewel (Speed actually got the jewel a few months back; North always knows what’s up!). North and her bearded dragon go everywhere together it’s kinda cute.”

She also shared the message on Twitter with a picture of the lizard, Speed, dressed in her clothing line Skims.

“Wait? Is Speedy wearing custom Skims? I’m crying, [laughing emojis]” said the Skims chief marketing officer Tracy Romulus under her Instagram post.

Almost three million people have liked the post, but some were concerned about the welfare of the reptile.

"Stop dressing him, they breathe through their skin," said one user.

Reptile specialist Gary Rolfe from Reptile Centre told The Independent that reptiles do require the right care, which doesn’t include wearing designer clothing.

“Bearded Dragons make excellent pets for children provided they get the right care. As they are ‘cold blooded’ (ectothermic) they need to warm their bodies by basking under specialist reptile heat lamps, not by wearing designer clothing,” said Rolfe.

“That said, bearded dragons are very calm in nature and posing for a quick photo on Instagram will cause them no harm provided they are handled correctly.”

PETA’s senior vice president of cruelty investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch, told The Independent: “Life in a Hidden Hills mansion isn’t like life in an Australian desert, where bearded dragons love to climb, bask in the sun, cool off underground, and forage for veggies.

“Now that Kim and North have inherited Speed, we know they’ll want to give her the best home that they can, so we hope they’ll set up a spacious, naturalistic environment for her, where she can live as a bearded dragon, not as a plaything—and we urge Kim’s followers never to buy these animals. “

This is not the first time the reality star has come under fire in connection with animals, after she was pictured riding an elephant in Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2018.

The Independent has contacted Kim Kardashian for a response.