13 Exotic Pets You Can Actually Own
- SERVALS. Some exotic pets are riffs on established categories.
- FENNEC FOXES. If you like cats but you also like dogs, the little fennec fox might be the right choice for you.
- AFRICAN PYGMY HEDGEHOGS.
- SUGAR GLIDERS.
- PYGMY GOATS.
- MICRO PIGS.
- CAPYBARAS.
- TARANTULAS.
Some of us might not have enough space to bring home popular pets like cats and dogs. In such a case, certain wild animals (like geckos or hedgehogs) which are small in size, can be kept as pets. Certain wild animals, like the hedgehog, can be useful in controlling insects and pests in the house.
Best Exotic Small Pets That Are Easy to Own
- Fennec Fox. If you're looking for an unusual and exotic pet that is incredibly cute, you can't go wrong with the fennec fox.
- Axolotl. This salamander has been rising in popularity.
- Degu. Degus looks a bit like a cross between a Guinea pig and a hamster.
- Cockroach.
- Sugar Gliders.
- Millipedes.
- Hedgehogs.
- Tarantulas.
You can't provide the right home for them. Wild animals have complex behavioral, social, nutritional and psychological needs. Most people cannot meet the needs of wild animals kept as pets. Wild animals need to be with members of their own species.
While keeping some exotic pets may be less cruel than others, no wild animal can have its needs met entirely in captivity. Only domesticated animals like cats and dogs should be kept in our homes, as all their needs are met.
Exotic animals are very difficult to take care of, as they require several specific needs to stay healthy. People should stop keeping exotic animals as pets because they rightly belong in the wild; where they are not a threat to the ecosystem. This makes it sound influencing for more people to acquire the exotic pets.
The punishment for being caught with an illegal animal can be quite severe. In addition to confiscating the animal, punishments tend to include: Heavy fines, potentially up to $25,000. Community service.
State Laws for Keeping Exotic Cats as Pets. 4 states have no laws on keeping dangerous wild animals as pets: Alabama, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Owning a pet tiger is considered legal or is unregulated in eight states, all of which have rather lax regulatory laws concerning animal rights in general: North Carolina, Alabama, Delaware, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Tigers are surprisingly cheap to purchase as a pet.
An estimated one million pangolins are believed to have been smuggled from 2000 to 2013, making them the world's most trafficked animals. The pangolin's specialized diet makes it very difficult to keep in captivity. Pangolins are more closely related to cats, dogs, and bears than to armadillos and anteaters.
California is one such state with a ban on exotic pets. The law bans the possession of a large variety of animals from alligators to zebras, and enumerates them by class, order, family, genus, and species.
Some of this trade is legal, but many times animals are captured from the wild illegally to supply demand for exotic pets. The illicit sales of live animals comprises a major part of the overall illegal wildlife trade, a multibillion-dollar global black market.
"Exotic" often refers to a species which is not native or indigenous to the owner's locale, and "pet" is a companion animal living with people. However, many use the term to include native species as well (e.g., snakes may sometimes be considered exotic as pets even in places where they are found in the wild).
Is It Legal to Own a Hyena in the United States? Owning a hyena as a captive animal is allowed in certain states within the United States. Nevada has some of the loosest pet restrictions, while California and Hawaii have some of the strictest.
“Exotic” pets include a wide variety of animals: birds, rodents (hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats, mice), rabbits, ferrets, reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises), amphibians (frogs, toads), sugar gliders (marsupials), hedgehogs, potbellied pigs, and even spiders.
But there are more immediate and perhaps selfish reasons: These animals, despite being fluffy and adorable, do not make good pets.
- Red pandas.
- Sloths.
- Sugar gliders.
- Fennec fox.
- Slow loris.
- Capybaras.
- Tigers.
- Lemurs.
The 8 Most Dangerous Animals To Keep As Pets
- Reptiles.
- Alligators and Crocodiles.
- Lions.
- Owls.
- Bears.
- Primates.
- Wolf-Dog Mixes.
- Tigers. The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries estimates that 5,000 captive tigers are residents of the United States—the large majority live with private owners rather than in accredited zoos.
Finally, there are nine states (Florida, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, and Nebraska) where there is a partial ban on exotic animals, which means a giraffe would be illegal. In the remaining 20 states, owning an exotic animal is totally illegal.
Elephants are considered exotic animals too, so the elephants you see doing tricks in the circus are captive exotic animals. The only reason these animals perform those unnatural tricks is to escape being beaten by whips and bull hooks.
While the charity says hedgehogs are not suitable pets, it advises would-be owners to research the animal's needs - and only consider keeping one if they can ensure they are fully able to provide for them.
The term exotic pet has no firm definition; it can refer to any wildlife kept in human households—or simply to a pet that's more unusual than the standard dog or cat. Many of the large exotic animals that end up in backyard menageries—lions and tigers, monkeys and bears—are bred in captivity.
Hedgehogs are usually considered an exotic animal and may be classified invasive or dangerous in some areas. Many times this is due to local lawmakers misclassifying hedgehogs as the wrong species or simply not understanding what a hedgehog is.
Wolves are sometimes kept as exotic pets, and in some rarer occasions, as working animals. Although closely related to domesticated dogs, wolves do not show the same tractability as dogs in living alongside humans, and generally, a greater amount of effort is required in order to obtain the same amount of reliability.
Exotic Pets: Average Purchase Price
| ANIMAL | AVERAGE COST |
|---|
| Leopard | $3,000 - $5,000 |
| Elephant | $10,000 + |
| Camel | $500 - $2,500 |
| Kangaroo | $2,000 - $3,000 |
