Photo Essay: 15 Unusual Pets That Could Be Yours
Check out these 15 examples of unusual pets kept around the world. Then next time you’re caught in the midst of some tedious debate between a cat lover and a dog lover about which is the better pet, you can just turn to them and say, “Actually, I’m more of a hippo person myself.”
1. Bearded Dragons, which come from Australia, are friendly and chilled. They like leafy greens, insects… and being licked by dogs! Photo by Christina Spicuzza.
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Some very good pics. Especially love the one with the kids and the (BOOO!) gator
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Very nice and funny pets=)
But pets should stay at THEIR home, not ours….
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I’m a rock person myself ; )
Great piece! But is it me, or is that skunk related somehow to Freddy Kreuger?
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As a veterinarian who has seen her fair share of poorly treated and kept exotic animals, I feel it is very irresponsible for you to be promoting ownership of wild animals on this website. The truth is, alligators, hippos, skunks, and most other non-domesticated wild animals make terrible, dangerous pets and it is extremely rare to have owners who appropriately feed and care for them. They come into the clinic for malnutrition all the time, and the US has millions of animals each year who the owners give up, release into the wild, or attempt to give to sanctuaries because the animals become aggressive or violent, destroy the house, or have other unacceptable behavior once they reach sexual maturity. Sanctuaries in this country are filled to capacity with animals people bought without realizing what they were getting into, then try to dump on others. We no longer have room for these animals, and many will be euthanized or continue to be kept in poor conditions. I urge any readers to become well informed on this subject. Ferrets, llamas/alpacas, hamsters etc are animals that have been domesticated for generations or centuries, and with proper education and treatment can be good pets. Primates, smaller cats like bobcats/servals, large cats like tigers/lions/cheetahs, many large reptiles, and many wild birds are not appropriate pets at all. Additionally, many species, such as chameleons, wild parrots, and exotic fish are being driven to extinction by the exotic pet trade.
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I have 2 chinchillas! http://www.flickr.com/photos/j0cy0223/sets/72157607034634857/detail/
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My parents had sugar gliders- and lots of other unusual pets- while I was growing up. My favorite, though, was a spider monkey.
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I’m not sure that promoting more exotic pets is such a good thing.Given the growing trade in endangered wildlife to satisfy such demand, all around the world.
Stick with the rocks!Plenty of those around.
Hey, and how many of you can lay claim to having a genuine Zebra Rock as a pet?
http://www.minsocam.org/msa/collectors_corner/arc/zebra.htm
Now that’s the tops in having a pet!↵ -
Thanks for the comment, Jim.
Agree that the trade in endangered wildlife to satisfy the demand for exotic pets is not cool, and not something we’d want to promote. As far as I’m aware, the only animal on this list that is endangered for that reason is the Emperor Scorpion, which we point out in the caption. Axolotyls are also endangered in the wild, though this is nothing to do with their being used as pets, but is a result of water pollution and the introduction of non-native, predatory species to their habitat.
Zebra rocks definitely rock – and dating back to the Cambrian, that must make them the oldest pets in the world, no?! Gotta get me one of them ; )
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To be honest I’ve always wanted a pet hedgehog. There’s definitely something intriguing about them, safe but spiky, cute but curious. The sugargliders would come in for a close second.
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I’m fairly sure Australian authorities don’t allow their native reptiles to be shipped around the world and sold as pets.
The illegal trade in exotic pets/wildlife further threatens already endangered species and the animals often wind up in the care of people who have no idea how to properly look after their exotic new friend.
Just because it’s possible to obtain a strange new pet doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, y’know…Aside from a collection of cute pics, I’m not sure I can really see the point of an article like this
The dragon, the alligator, the hippo, the sugar gliders and the skunk all seem like particlularly ill-advised choices.
Remove the skunk’s scent gland? C’mon…↵ -
Thank you for your comments Ben,
The point of this essay is just a fun way to show that some people have successfully adopted unusual animals as their pets. In any way we are promoting illegal trade of exotic animals of course.
Some of these pets are endangered in their wild habitats due to human pollution/intervention but most of them are also sold by respectable breeders. Some even survived extinction thanks to breeding!
Even cats and dogs were wild animals centuries ago until Humans started using them as pets. Removing scent glands seems as bad as castrating a cat but it is a common procedure now with pet owners.But I completely agree with you that no one should ever take care of a pet (any pet) unless they have the proper finances, time and knowledge.
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the giant rhinoceros beetle is actually a popular pet item in Japan.. it’s sold at pet stores, hardware shops, and even some vending machines across the country!.. I’ve heard some people even bet on fights in some of the southern islands.. I’m actually in the process of setting up a tank and trying my hand at breeding the little beasts
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Fantastic post, Daniel. Great photos too!
I can’t imagine having a hippo as a pet. I’d always heard they have nasty tempers and a hard flat bite.
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I “awwww”-ed out loud at the hedgehog! Cool stuff.
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”Agree that the trade in endangered wildlife to satisfy the demand for exotic pets is not cool, and not something we’d want to promote. ”
But by the very nature of this essay promoting exotic pets, are you not sending a message that the more exotic a pet you have the more cool it is?Perhaps promoting even in just a small way that it’s OK to raid wildlife just to have some sort of status symbol?
So it’s not the fact that an animal is endangered, but the subtle encouragement that you gotta have something unusual as a pet.That gator deserves to be left in the wild.That bearded lizard also.And the encouragement to spread insects around from one country to another has got to be questioned.
I have to admit to sadness at seeing this sort of essay on this site.A site that does a lot to promote the thinking, aware traveller.
I do a lot to promote conservation awareness but this essay promoting exotic pets leaves me really disapointed.↵ -
Ever since I had a gray squirrel as a pet ( something i wouldn’t recommend in a Seattle apt!) I have always wanted to have a sugar glider. Everything I loved about a squirrel without the profuse blood loss…but that Hedgehog is pretty darn cute… Oh no, my cat is getting jealous!
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Personally ,this second sentence I quote of yours is as mistaken as is the headline,Daniel.(The point of this essay is just a fun way to show that some people have successfully adopted unusual animals as their pets. In any way we are promoting illegal trade of exotic animals of course.)I’m sure you really meant you were not promoting….In any we are promoting…??
The headline says it all also, you need to have unusual exotic pets.And this essay is sending that message.
Exotic pets belong in their exotic locations.
Too often the reality is that owners aquire a python,a gator, a baboon etc as a baby,but as it grows it becomes too much for the owner.
I know of one guy got a young python as a pet.It got out of it’s cage, and was never found in the apartment.It was thought to have hidden up under the lounger.The apartment changed hands shortly after.Florida has a problem in the wild with pythons and nile monitors dumped presumably by their owners.
Insects should never be transported from one country to another,they often carry undesirable mites ,or viruses.Africa’s wild dogs and other wildlife suffer from diseases transmitted from introduced animals-the pets people have brought into that continent.
It is sad to see this essay particularly with it’s heading on a website that does a very good job of raising traveller awareness on a host of issues.↵ -
Daniel, really fun photo essay! I want a hedgehog, but I *need* a sugar glider.
@Nick – You said “Cambrian” – a word I haven’t heard since my gorgeous Paleoanthropology undergrad. My night is made.
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hi Friend,I thought you post Photo Essay: 15 Unusual Pets That Could Be Yours is very useful.
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