Lets get a bit of discussion of exotic animals going on.

BetterThanThou

Does anyone else here keep any exotic animals? Weather it be a corn snake, monitor lizard, macaw, monkey, prairie dog or any other of the hundreds of thousands of wonderful animals on our planet. Personally I got into the hobby of keeping exotic animals a while ago, and it's something I absolutely love. Personally I've got a tri-colour hognose snake, boa constrictor, California kingsnake and a Chinese Water Dragon. And I'm looking to expand on what I keep, as keeping and caring for these beautiful creatures is something I've dreamed of doing my whole life. Though, of course, I don't plan to ever expand to the point where I can't give each and every animal what it needs to thrive, including social interaction if it's a species which requires that.
So does anyone else keep any exotic animals? Is there any exotic animals you'd like to keep? Have you ever thought of keeping any exotic animals?

DBB

Can you post some pics of your snakes? I just want to have a nosey goosey :-D

BetterThanThou

Don't have a camera at the moment and I'm not too into pictures so I haven't got many, but I've got 1 picture of my tri-colour hognose snake.

SingItOut

I had a Chinese water dragon (Tia) and leopard gecko (Raphael) back in my teenage years, back then it was so hard to actually find a pet shop that provided food for them because they were so rare so I re-homed her to rescue centre. I'd had them both for almost 8 years I was gutted! Currently my exotic pet is my four year old beige chinchilla Gonzo, I would have liked to find him a companion but not a hope! He's pretty temperamental. That hog nose is beautiful

BetterThanThou

SingItOut wrote: »

I had a Chinese water dragon (Tia) and leopard gecko (Raphael) back in my teenage years, back then it was so hard to actually find a pet shop that provided food for them because they were so rare so I re-homed her to rescue centre. I'd had them both for almost 8 years I was gutted! Currently my exotic pet is my four year old beige chinchilla Gonzo, I would have liked to find him a companion but not a hope! He's pretty temperamental. That hog nose is beautiful

Thanks Personally haven't owned a leopard gecko, though they are some very beautiful animals. Chinese water dragons are some incredible animals, surprisingly affectionate for a lizard. I can't imagine how difficult and expensive it would have been to feed a Chinese water dragon back then, the amount those things eat is insane.

Irishchick

I rescued an African Grey Parrot about 6 years ago. I love her to bits but I can't say I'd ever recommend them as pets.

Her diet was so bad that her feathers would snap at the slightest impact. It took me months to get her back to full health.

She makes me laugh everyday with her antics and talking but they really are a hell of a lot of work.

DBB

We never have enough threads about exotics here, so for those of you who know them and love them, can you tell us a bit about yours? Stuff like, where they originate from, what they eat, what their personalities are like, maybe something about the difficulties encountered in keeping them properly?
And a photo!
I love reptiles and birds: I don't know if I'd keep them as I don't have the proper resources, but I love to see photos of everyone else's exotic pets!

TooManyDogs

My hubby wanted an african grey parrot too and after researching it I persuaded him that it wouldn't be a good idea, and hearing from other people who have parrots I think we definitely made the right decision. Fabulous birds, but they strike me as the working collie of the bird world, stunning in the right hands but hard work and dedication needed.

SingItOut

DBB wrote: »

We never have enough threads about exotics here, so for those of you who know them and love them, can you tell us a bit about yours? Stuff like, where they originate from, what they eat, what their personalities are like, maybe something about the difficulties encountered in keeping them properly?
And a photo!

Chinchillas come from from South America, they are mostly found in the Andes mountains as they mostly come out at night and are therefore protected from predators by the cracks and burrows in the mountains. In the wild, If they are attacked by a predator, e.g. Skunks, birds or snakes , they spray urine at their attackers face to escape or they can spontaneously shed large clumps of fur to avoid injury. Domesticated chinchillas will also do the same thing if they feel threatened. They can jump up to 5 times their own height

They need daily to regular specialised dust baths to remove wetness and dirt trapped in their fur. Chinchillas have the highest fur density of any land animal with more than 20,000 hairs per square cm. Their fur is so dense that insects such as fleas or lice can't live on one as they will suffocate. Humans grow one hair from each follicle, a chinchilla has more than fifty hairs growing from a single follicle.

They are nocturnal and only very active in the late morning hours and evening times. They are social animals and love the company of another chinchilla but can also do fine on their own. They vary in temperament, some can be sweet and love being picked up whereas others hate it but very rarely bite without "barking" a warning at you first they need a large cage and a lot of stimulation as they are extremely clever animals. A healthy nutritious diet is essential to their over all health. In the wild they would eat small insects, vegetation & fruits. Domesticated chinchillas need specialised hay (which they'll also use as bedding and play with it) such as alfalfa, Timothy hay etc for fibre and to keep their teeth in good shape. A chinchilla's diet should consist of 30% fibre, 14-16% protein, 35% carbohydrate, 3.5% fat and oil, 4% sugar, 6% minerals and 10% moisture/trace element. Pellets are a healthier food source.

Photos will be up once I get to a laptop, I can't seem to upload any using an iPad

ShaShaBear

The most exotic pets I have are a pair of Himalayan rats :rolleyes:
Not exactly a deadly snake or tropical lizard, but they keep me entertained!

Capercaille

The "pet" trade in parrots/macaws is driving many species to extinction. Huge amounts of wild parrots like African Grey Parrots are stolen from the wild every year. Huge amounts suffer miserable deaths during transport. It's little different to the trade in Tigers or rhinos.

Look at the links/videos::(
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/casestudy/165
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TewGxvKxQpw

BetterThanThou

TooManyDogs wrote: »

My hubby wanted an african grey parrot too and after researching it I persuaded him that it wouldn't be a good idea, and hearing from other people who have parrots I think we definitely made the right decision. Fabulous birds, but they strike me as the working collie of the bird world, stunning in the right hands but hard work and dedication needed.

You're definitely right there, an African Grey is beautiful and can offer companionship and love. But they aren't domesticated animals and even if you can meet all their needs, they can't really be "pet" animals no matter how cuddly they seem, and you'd always need to respect that.

As for the animals I have:
Chinese water dragon - Native to east and south east Asia, as the name suggests. They can grow to about 3ft long. They require a humid enclosure which can be provided by spraying the enclosure every day, or sometimes multiple times a day depending on size/material with a spray bottle, They also require heat which I would usually be provided by a heat mat and heat bulb, as well as UVB light which would be provided by a UVB bulb. They're arboreal, so they need things to climb in their cage. They're primarily insectivores, eating things such as crickets, locusts, meal worms, roaches as well as many other types of insects. They also eat a small amount of vegetables, and you can feed them a dead mouse/chick/lizard/fish/ect every now and then, and they're very aggressive eaters when it comes to large items, so that's always fun to watch. They have very good personalities, easily tamable and once tame they love being taken out of their cage and being handled. Any time I pass my water dragon's cage, he always runs up to the glass practically begging me to take him out. They also like a good rub and are likely to fall asleep on your lap if you sit there rubbing them.

Tri colour hognose - Native to South America, much smaller than other species of hognose, only growing to about 65cm in average, the one in my picture is an adult male, though females get bigger. They require a dry enclosure with a humid hide. Not the most tamable species, but bites are incredibly uncommon, they're much more likely to play dead, hood up like a cobra and shake their tails like a rattlesnake to scare off predators. Usually bites only happen when the hand smells like food. In captivity, they usually feed on mice, though I'd imagine you could get a big specimen to take a small rat. In the wild I believe they feed mostly on amphibians such as frogs. They require heat from a heat mat, you could use a heat bulb as well, but they spend most of their time burrowing, so there would be little point in that.

Boa constrictor - Native to South America as well, can grow from 3ft to 13ft depending on the locality, personally I have a locality which I would expect to max out at 6/7 feet. Boa constrictors require a bit of humidity, usually the humidity requirements for a boa don't require misting and would usually be met by keeping the substrate somewhat damp. Depending on the size, they can feed on anything from mice to rabbits. While they are still wild animals, boa constrictors are quite docile and don't seem to care if you take them out and handle them, though, this, of course, depends on the animal, some will put up a fight. They also require heat from a heat mat, and a heat light is not a bad idea, though not required.

California kingsnake - The California Kingsnake, like the name suggests, is native to the western United States. Very easy species of snake to look after, no specific humidity requirements, though, bumping up the humidity before they shed is known to help them have a good shed. Some people would argue that they don't even need a heat mat as long as they're kept at room temperature, since they don't live in a particularly hot climate. The species is quite tamable, though, untame snakes are very fast and aggressive. You cannot house kingsnakes together, or with any other species of snake, as one of their pray items in the wild is other snakes, including copperheads and rattlesnakes! In captivity, they feed on small mice and rats usually, and in the wild, they eat practically anything, including other snakes.

BetterThanThou

Capercaille wrote: »

The "pet" trade in parrots/macaws is driving many species to extinction. Huge amounts of wild parrots like African Grey Parrots are stolen from the wild every year. Huge amounts suffer miserable deaths during transport. It's little different to the trade in Tigers or rhinos.

Look at the links/videos::(
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/casestudy/165
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TewGxvKxQpw

I definitely agree that the pet trade can be a horrible thing. Personally, I only buy animals which I know have been captive bred, as not only does it take a toll on the wild populations, wild caught animals are not suitable for captivity and often end up dying from stress.

Capercaille

BetterThanThou wrote: »

I definitely agree that the pet trade can be a horrible thing. Personally, I only buy animals which I know have been captive bred, as not only does it take a toll on the wild populations, wild caught animals are not suitable for captivity and often end up dying from stress.

Unfortunately many wild birds are passed off as "captive" reared.

BetterThanThou

Capercaille wrote: »

Unfortunately many wild birds are passed off as "captive" reared.

That's why it's crucial to have reputable sources, personally, there's only 1 person I'd trust to source me any rare animal which could be possibly wild caught.

looking_around

the most exotic animal I've had were degus. 2, male and female. They are very docile, and normally get on with just about any animal. I added mice in later years, when one of the degu were getting strokes, to keep the other company. Worked a charm .

They can become very friendly if you spend alot of time with them, otherwise they'll just about put up with you,get curious when you talk to them, but won't really be keen on being picked up.
They live apporx 8-10 years (and sometimes longer). They are very cute though, like big mice XD. and they are diurnal Which is very handy!
They need more cage space than pet shops allow for.):.. ( at least 1 floor per degu, as they like to eat on separate floors. )

It'll be a tough choice when my ferrets pass on whether to get more ferrets or go back to a couple of degus. Both very adorable in their own ways.

Rommie

I have a beardie at the moment but down through the years have had leopard, mossy and crested geckos, ridgetail monitors, blue-tongued skinks, uromastyx, axolotls, kingsnakes and numerous rescue beardies who were dumped on me. Only exotic mammal I've had was an african pygmy hedgehog (another rescue). Moved house and only have room for the one beardie. Thinking about getting african pygmy dormice, though I'm going to do some more research before deciding. Anyone here keep them?

BetterThanThou

looking_around wrote: »

the most exotic animal I've had were degus. 2, male and female. They are very docile, and normally get on with just about any animal. I added mice in later years, when one of the degu were getting strokes, to keep the other company. Worked a charm .

They can become very friendly if you spend alot of time with them, otherwise they'll just about put up with you,get curious when you talk to them, but won't really be keen on being picked up.
They live apporx 8-10 years (and sometimes longer). They are very cute though, like big mice XD. and they are diurnal Which is very handy!
They need more cage space than pet shops allow for.):.. ( at least 1 floor per degu, as they like to eat on separate floors. )

It'll be a tough choice when my ferrets pass on whether to get more ferrets or go back to a couple of degus. Both very adorable in their own ways.

Degus are very nice animals, I've considered getting a pair myself, but decided I don't have the time to take care of them. I love the idea of housing mice in with the degus, in a way similar to a little project I'd like to undertake, I'd like to have a large vivarium with multiple levels, aboutt 6ft high and 5 or so ft across, and I'd like to keep some different species of lizards such as bearded dragons, ridge tail monitors and plated lizards, though this will be quite a big undertaking and take some considerable time and money to do correctly.

Rachiee

Rommie wrote: »

I have a beardie at the moment but down through the years have had leopard, mossy and crested geckos, ridgetail monitors, blue-tongued skinks, uromastyx, axolotls, kingsnakes and numerous rescue beardies who were dumped on me. Only exotic mammal I've had was an african pygmy hedgehog (another rescue). Moved house and only have room for the one beardie. Thinking about getting african pygmy dormice, though I'm going to do some more research before deciding. Anyone here keep them?

I keep an african pygmy doormouse shes extremely cute they are best housed in vivariums because they are escape artists. Heat mats arent always necessary although i use one as i find shes more active and my house it quite cold. Handling can be an issue but if you.get it from a young age you should be able to train it handle although if it does manage to get away chances are you wont get it back as its tiny and can jump from fairly high they are also expert climbers and you will need somethings in the cage to climb on. If i could do it again id probably of gotten her sister too and reared them together but as she is an adult now i would be worried she would attack another one. They also require a varied diet a mix of fruit veg and protein. My little gitls fave food is dried mealworms.
I also keep a horsefield tortoise, bred in captivity but as a species usually found in afghanistan. They need a heat mat a heat lamp and a uvb light and a calcium supplement every two days. Eats mosltly leaves. Its currently 5 months old and smaller than the palm of my hand wont be fully grown until 10 yrs. One of the smallest species of tortoise will only
grow to be about 6-8 inches. They need a lot of space and the ability to regulate their own body temperate so vivariums are not a good idea. I keep mine in an indoor rabbit enclosure. Males have less health problems than females.

Shelli2

Apart from the dogs and cats, at the moment I have an Axleotle and a Chinese Soft Shell Turtle.
I'd be writing all day if I named all the exotics I'd kept over the years, mostly reptiles.
But my favourite by far and one I hope to have again some day, was a pair of sugar gliders. Really the most amazing and interesting little creatures ever!

looking_around

BetterThanThou wrote: »

Degus are very nice animals, I've considered getting a pair myself, but decided I don't have the time to take care of them. I love the idea of housing mice in with the degus, in a way similar to a little project I'd like to undertake, I'd like to have a large vivarium with multiple levels, aboutt 6ft high and 5 or so ft across, and I'd like to keep some different species of lizards such as bearded dragons, ridge tail monitors and plated lizards, though this will be quite a big undertaking and take some considerable time and money to do correctly.

Definitely sounds costly, probably cool though.

If I had thought to try mice with the degu long before one was getting ill, I would have. Really added a liveliness to cage, Very cute to watch them all sleep together too.
I introduced them carefully, just in case, but they got along very well.

Degu only need alot of time if you want them to be cuddly, If they have a nice sized cage and interactive toys and such, they don't really require much work. Always keep a pair of Degu though, they get lonely easily.

I used to play with/hold them while I was studying XD. (reading out loud to them) And just kept them entertained with toys/'working' for their treats/food. Re-organising their cage weekly, when I was busy.