Cats and dogs are adorable pets, but some people prefer to adopt other exotic animals as their pet. Bugs, lizards, snakes, and beavers are all uncommon animals to keep at home, yet they have gained popularity recently.
Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Hugh Hefner, Slash and Steven Tyler are known to keep animals that are neither dogs nor cats. Miley keeps a pig as her pet. Hefner, whose Playboy Mansion is the only residential building in the States that has zoo license, loved to have monkeys. Slash is into reptiles and has Burmese phyton that can grow up to 5. 74 m.
If you are interested in keeping an exotic animal as a pet, here are some guidelines for you.
Knowing the legal status
In most states of America, owning a monkey is illegal, except in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and North Dakota. Serval, the wildcat with a strong resemblance to a small leopard, requires special permission to own.
We cannot keep exotic pets at hour home as we please, especially if the animals belong to the near-extinction or wild and dangerous category. Venomous snakes need a legal permit to own, but it is pretty easy to get it, as long as you can prove yourself to be a responsible pet owner. There are special cases that you should be aware of, like the banning of constrictor from entering Florida. The snake is deemed too well adapted to the environment and has the potential to destroy local ecosystem.
When you want to own a dangerous animal, it is always better to check the legality of the ownership to the local authority. There are always good reasons why the government forbids specific exotic animals to be kept as a pet.
Two exotic animals that are safe and easy to own
Capybara
Capybara can grow 1.2 m in length and weigh 40 kg. It is the largest rodent on earth and is also a semi-aquatic animal. Owning a capybara has been famous since the appearance of Melanie Typaldos with her capybara pet named Caplin Rous.
If you want to follow her idea, you have to make sure that your residence has enough space and access to a pond or lake. Capybara loves to wander and eat aquatic plants. It is a wild species that need special care and treatment to own as a pet.
Bearded Dragon
The bearded dragon is an exotic lizard with the appearance that resembles a dragon. But they are passive to human interaction and is a wrong choice if you expect an agile pet.
Bearded dragon can be kept in a terrarium, of which the size should be wide enough for them not to get stressed. Like a regular pet, if you keep a bearded dragon in a small terrarium, it can get stressed out.
Conclusion
Owning an exotic pet can bring so much fun and can be challenging. But handling it requires special attention and treatment. Some animals even need special permits to own and might be illegal to have in particular areas.
