Owning Exotic Pet

Water Dragon

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Feeding Your Exotic Pets

Exotic pets have very unique detailed feeding requirements that most ordinary pets don’t have. Because of the range of exotic pets out there, there’s also a wide range of exotic pet food available to feed them. The main factors to consider is the species type and size of your pet and its own likes and dislikes.

From live locusts to dead rats, a wide range of different foods for exotic pets exists, which causes a lot of mixed views on best practices for particular animals. On thins is for sure, separate your human food from your pet food!

Exotic Pet Foods

A crucial part of having an exotic pet is to do thorough research before bringing home any kind of exotic pet to be fully familiar with its eating requirements. This means more than just having a rough idea about the food types any particular species requires but also being sure that you will have regular, available access to these foods.

After all, for some people, the idea of a dead rat defrosting on your kitchen sink or having to pick up a live locust is just too much to stomach! Although, some exotic pets will feed on more natural foods such as dried foods or fresh fruit and veg.

How Frequently Do You Feed?

Overfeeding your exotic pet is very difficult, just feed them balanced diet. Some foods contain more fat than others which might cause some of the exotic pets to act very lazy but in general, you can give them as much pet food as they wish.

As a general guide, insect-eating reptiles and amphibians require daily feeding. Try to make sure that there’s no live food in your pet’s cage for too much of the day as it could cause them stress. A better approach is to feed them once daily but give them only enough live food that they can consume in a short time frame.

For invertebrates, adult tarantulas will probably eat only once or twice weekly while mantis will eat more frequently (depends on the species).

Adult snakes may only eat once or twice weekly while other exotic pets that require plant feed should have fresh food at their disposal whenever they need it.

The younger the hungrier!

Another tip worth noting, is that younger and/or smaller specimens are more likely to eat frequently. As an  example, baby snakes which feed on pinkies may eat as often as twice or even three times weekly while adults of the same species who might feed on an adult mouse, may only need to eat once per week or even less.

Watch and learn

Observe your pet and it’s behavior so as to signal to you how often and how much you need to feed it.  Overtime, you’ll realize the frequency and volume of food that your exotic pet needs. Remember not to try to order feed your pet, do your research, ask an expert or someone who has the same type of pet how theirs behaves and you’ll be fine.

chimpanzee

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Chimpanzees. Owning One

Like humans

Chimpanzees are remarkably similar to human beings. Although they’re considered as an endangered species, you can still legally own one in the USA. Chimps originate from West and Central Africa. If you want to own one you are looking at up to $60,000 just to buy one! Chimps ain’t cheap.

You need to consider many factors when thinking about owning a chimpanzee. Chimps are extremely intelligent, highly territorial, and like some human beings, they will strike on a whim. Weight wise, Chimps can grow to be 100 pounds or more and they can live for up to 60 years.

The average upper-body strength of a chimp is five times the same strength in a human being! Some would consider owning a chimpanzee as a “status symbol”.  If you have the money, be sure that you are aware of what it takes to own one of these beautiful creatures.

When they grow up

Chimpanzees and baby monkeys are so cute, so you might think that raising one would be like raising a little child. Chimpanzees in their infancy, are affectionate, require love and attention and delight in interacting with humans. But they grow up fast, physically and intellectually.

So this makes it very challenging to keep their minds stimulated and content in human environments. By five years old, they have more strength than most adult humans! They can become quite destructive and grow to resent discipline. And yes, they do bite! Warning: Chimpanzee owners have been known to lose their fingers and suffer from severe facial damage.

Bitten by reality

Many chimpanzee owners won’t often travel as it’s hard to find suitable carers for their pets. In addition, they are likely to rebel if their owner comes in late from work or has an irregular schedule. Space is a huge obstacle to chimp ownership. The average home isn’t big enough to keep them actively happy.

It’s impossible to train a chimp to behave exactly like a human.

Aggression

Chimpanzees naturally show signs of aggressive behavior. In the wild, it’s not uncommon for them to bite each other. Owners have been known to delay that day where they inevitably have to give up their chimp, by pulling out their teeth, placing shock collars on them, and some have been known to go as far as removing their chimp’s thumbs in a mistaken notion that it will make climbing the drapes impossible.

Giving them up

Sadly, a day will come even despite all of your best efforts, that the chimp must leave! Owners sometimes feel betrayed by their animals, after raising them for so long and dedicating their love and care to them. Unfortunately, chimps can’t be just sent back to Africa.

Most of the zoos won’t accept ex-pet chimps as human-reared chimps won’t know how to fit into established chimpanzee groups. So tragically, a lot of pet chimpanzees do end up being used for research in medical labs. Are you sure you want a pet chimpanzee?

Wallaby

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3 Strange Pets You Can Own

Stranger things to own

In another of our articles, we have looked at four exotic pets that you can own in the USA. Those four might not be wild or exotic enough for you. Maybe they aren’t unique or you just don’t like them for whatever reason. So, below are three stranger exotic pets that you can own today, enjoy!

  1. A Skunk

Skunks were originally kept on farms to scare away any rodents from eating crops. The modern day skunk is known as a playful, lovable creature. But beware, this is only after their scent glands have been removed. Skunks are also called polecats and their lifespan can be up to 12 years.

The average weight of a skunk is between 8 and 12 pounds. They use the scent glands in their anus as their defense mechanism. Oh, and you really won’t want to get any skunk spray on you! Their spray can reach as far as 10 feet and it is very difficult to lose the stench!

But besides the smelly reputation, skunks are very sensitive creatures who are very clever, curious, and they do love to be held. Many people have skunks as pets as they take well to being trained to use the litter box.

However, their curious nature lends them to stealing stuff around the house! So beware.

  1. A Wallaby

Of the kangaroo family, though not quite as large, the Wallaby can reach a height of about 41 inches and they can weigh around 53 pounds. These are extremely sociable animals who love being outside.

As they are cute, fuzzy creatures, who love the outdoors, people feel that they are the ideal exotic pet. But beware that a small garden is not big enough to keep one! Although not too big in size, they actually need lots of outdoor space, due to moving about at very high speed.

Ideally, they should be kept in a sheltered pen. Your fencing should be at least five feet high, because of their Kangaroo relation, Wallabies love to jump!

  1. A Squirrel Monkey

Found in the tropical climates such as the forests of South and Central America, a Squirrel Monkey might just be the most adorably strange pet of choice. They are very light, weighing in at about 2 pounds usually, but they are very fun and playful pets with lots of energy!

Squirrel Monkeys are very intelligent, social creatures and they are also highly affectionate, which makes them a popular exotic pet owner’s choice. Among all of the primates, they have the largest brain, so house-training a Squirrel Monkey should be very easy.

Beware though, Squirrel Monkeys urinate onto their feet, spread it onto their hands, and even occasionally all over their body which helps them to mark their path. Squirrel Monkeys aren’t cheap either, costing you upwards of $8,000 just for a baby one.

Strange enough for you?

If you have the finances to buy and own one, check out a Hyacinth Macaw or a Chimpanzee!

Tarantula

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4 Exotic Pets You Can Legally Own

General exotic pet welfare

So you have a dog, a cat, some goldfish and you might see the odd mouse run across your kitchen floor in the winter time. But you want more. You need something different, something exciting and quirky. What you need is an exotic pet!

In the USA, most animals can be owned but there are some states where there’s a ban on exotic animal ownership so do your research into the specific laws of your state. I’ve put together below four different exotic pets to give you an idea of what you might like:

  1. An Emperor Scorpion

These are a native of the rain forests of West Africa. They are shiny and black and look a little scary with their big claws out front. But these unique qualities are why some people like to keep them as an exotic pet.

The Emperor Scorpion is actually the most common breed of scorpions to be kept as an exotic pet. Globally, they are one of the largest scorpion species around. Some of them do grow up to eight inches in length!

Although they look rough and tough, they are actually known to be quite docile. The venom that the scorpions carry is fairly mild. Despite a mild venom, it will still hurt your if they sting or pinch you due to their large claws.

  1. A Tarantula

Have you ever watched the film Arachnophobia?

Some people will just run out of the room screaming if they see a tarantula! While others aren’t afraid and just walk calmly towards them. Tarantulas can be found everywhere besides the Antarctica and believe it or not, have a lifespan of 10 and 25 years!

Their size can range from as tiny as your fingernail to as big as a fruit bowl. They have eight legs and two fangs so this causes them to appear rather intimidating. Despite this, Tarantulas would rarely bite humans.

Many species of these are out there, but the most popular ones as pets are the “Chilean Rose-Haired Tarantulas”, simply because they are large in size so are easy to care for.

  1. A Sugar Glider

Moving away from spiders and scorpions, these cute little things are marsupials and come from the same general species of the Kangaroo. They also originate is Australia, Indonesia, and Papa New Guinea.

They have a lifespan of 10 and 15 years. The can reach about seven inches long and weigh only about 5 or 6 ounces. Not surprisingly, their love of sweeter things and gliding through air ability lends to their name.

  1. A Hedgehog

These spiky little critters hail from Asia, Europe and also Africa. They have a lifespan between 3 and 8 years. Weight wise, up to 1.5 pounds is common, while their little spines can reach a length of 1 inch.

They are harmless, quiet animals they have a high “adorable factor”. This makes them an ideal exotic pet but they do require much care and attention.

Enough to get you started?

These are just some of the many exotic animals you can own as pets. Keep an eye on our other articles for more ideas for the wonderful life of exotic pet ownership.