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How much is that bald guinea pig in the window?

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One year on from Sars, business is better than ever in the city's pet shops

Business could not have been worse at pet shops this time last year. The Sars outbreak scared many Hongkongers into getting rid of their pets and the fear that animals might transmit the virus meant few people were in the market for cats and dogs, let alone anything more exotic.

Now, business has clearly returned to normal along Tung Choi Street in Mongkok, and there is a thriving trade in more than just the usual puppies, kittens, hamsters and fish.

There is a range of bizarre creatures on offer in the shops along the street - commonly known as 'pet street'. They range from string-like albino snakes and hairless guinea pigs to oversized goldfish.

In the Lucky Aquarium shop, owner Tsoi Mau-wing looks at a large red oranda goldfish - or pin day kam, meaning 'gold everywhere' - not much smaller than his head.

'It takes about two years for it to grow to that size and weighs about a catty and a half,' he says.

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