The owners of a failed exotic pets centre in North Tyneside abandoned their reptiles for a week after their business floundered, a court heard.

Supposed pet lovers Michael Barker and Ashley Crowther, who set-up and ran Reptiquatics, on Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, left bearded dragons, corn snakes, a carpet python, an iguana and a turtle on their own inside the closed store for up to seven days.

And, when the reptiles were eventually seized by the RSPCA, one of the dragons was so emaciated she died, a court heard.

Now, Barker, 25, of Swaledale, Wallsend, and Crowther, 23, of Glendale Avenue, North Shields, have pleaded guilty to one count each of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to ensure the needs of the animals at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Judith Curry, prosecuting, told the court that the pair had set-up Reptiquatics in June 2013 but, for financial reasons, were forced to close it in early 2014.

Magistrates heard that in April, all the animals the pair couldn’t sell were left inside the shop.

Ms Curry said: “Inspector Trevor Walker attended the address. He first went there on April 27.

“He went to the door and there was no reply. He could see round the edges of the blinds and saw a tank with two bearded dragons.

“He placed sellotape over the locks of the door and on the seals to see if anyone was entering the property and he spokes to neighbours.

“On April 29, he returned and the locks and tape were still intact, so nobody had entered the address since he was last there.”

Insp Walker contacted the borough’s animal welfare officer and the shop’s landlord, and was given Barker’s name and phone number. A number of calls were made to Barker and messages left but he failed to respond.

Insp Walker returned to the store the next day, where he found Crowther.

Ms Curry said: “Mr Crowther advised he had been in the shop for about 45 minutes prior to everyone arriving and he had cleaned out all the animals and fed them.

“He said they were in a bit of a state and that they had last attended the premises the previous Thursday.

“Mr Crowther also said he had received three texts off Mr Barker asking him to go to the shop as soon as possible to deal with the reptiles. All the texts were dated the previous day, after Insp Walker had left messages for Mr Barker.

“One said: ‘Try to get down the shop as much as you can while I’m working. We’ve had the RSPCA leaving messages. Get the reptiles out ASAP.’”

A vet examined the animals and found the bearded dragons to be severely emaciated. One weighed just 192g, with the normal optimum weight being between 350g and 600g, and later died. A also corn snake had to be put down because it had contracted a contagious disease.

Stuart Athey, mitigating, said the pair had got into difficulty when their business failed.

He said: “It’s a great shame this whole scenario. First and foremost because of the welfare of the animals but also because two young men, with no previous convictions and who had only an intent only to set-up in business, effectively got out of their depth.”

The pair will be sentenced after the court hears reports on their circumstances.