Recently, the Huffington Post's Barbara Fenig posted a slide show entitled "11 Pets You Shouldn't Buy." Listed were such exotic pets as white handed gibbons, white tigers, and eurasian vultures. Perhaps those aren't good, safe pets for most people. But then, most people really don't want a eurasian vulture.
But what about the also listed kinkajou, sugar glider, macaw, or lemur? In response to Fenig's pictures and claims that all these animals make bad pets, here are 11 tips to be happy with your exotic pet
1. Expect it to be what it is.
Expect a monkey to act like a monkey, not a furry human. Expect a capybara to act like a capybara, not a dog. And don't expect it to stay an infant version of itself longer than is natural. If you don't love and want to own the adult version, do not take home a baby.
2. Commit to a lifetime.
A large, healthy macaw can live 50 years. A sugar glider on the right diet can live 15, that's almost double the average lifespan in the wild. A Chinese Box turtle may live 50 years, but a Russian Tortoise may live 70. If you don't have the attention span to commit to a pet that will live many years, buy one that will live only 2 or 3 years like a hamster or gerbil, or adopt an older pet.
3. Purchase from a responsible breeder or rescue.
Despite what ill-informed comments on the Huffington Post suggest, sugar gliders are not smuggled from Australia, babies stripped from the arms of their mothers to be sold in malls. There are many of responsible breeders that raise them, in captivity in the US and have for decades. My Sugar High, a USDA licensed breeder right here in Utah has lineages and careful breeding practices.
There are also many breeders who are not responsible, who give out false information, practice inbreeding, and other bad practices. Tropical Attitude, Perfect Pocket Pets, and Custom Cage Works are just a few. By doing some research you can avoid breeders and brokers that amount to "exotic animal mills."
"Stealing babies from the jungle" scenario is less and less likely nowadays when a prospective pet parent looks for a legal, USDA licensed breeder. Never be afraid to ask the breeders weening practices and choose one you feel comfortable with. And never be part of illegal smuggling of animals.
4. Obey the Law.
Laws vary from state to state. There is the Utah State Code to start with here, but there are also local zoning restrictions. Do your own footwork and find out! Nothing is more heart breaking than having a treasured pet taken away and having no legal recourse to get it back because you were in the wrong all along. Are you required to have insurance for your pet? As reported by the Associated Press, records show the owner of a bear that recently mauled its caretaker to death had no workplace injury insurance to cover the man, a violation of the law in Ohio. Don't give naysayers room to talk by keeping an illegal animal.
If you want an animal that you can not have where you live, move or work to change the laws. At one time, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and ferrets were all illegal in Utah. Now states like California are fighting for this right. Those interested can join the 3000 club at LegalizeFerrets.org. To stay abreast of other legal battles, both here in Utah and nationally, join REXANO.
5. Be active in the exotics community.
Having people to commiserate with, discuss care, share funny stories, and likewise just share each others burdens is a great source of strength for exotics owners. It can be difficult if you are the only person you know with a slow loris. You have nobody to go to when times are hard, nor when times are good. Join a group. REXANO stands for Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership and has people in it who own cougars, tigers, kinkajous, sugar gliders, savanahs, and just about anything else under the sun. They stand for responsible ownership of these animals, and support each other so long as they are being responsible.
There are also individual groups for individual species. If you have sugar gliders, join Glider Central. If you have hermit crabs join the Society for Land Hermit Crab Owners. Check Yahoo Groups. Also check around for a local Meet Up-style group. Mountain West Pocket Critters Conference welcomes owners of all small exotics from sugar gliders to hedgehogs to ferrets to rats to marmosets and covers Utah and surrounding areas. They plan to have a Bunko and Bugs night, the humans playing Bunko and the insectivore animals eating hissing roaches.
6. Do your research before taking it home.
Sugar gliders are nocturnal, macaws are loud, a serval can jump 9 feet or more. None of these things come as nasty surprises to pet owners who have done their homework. If possible spend some real time handling and caring for the exotic pet you are interested in before you ever buy your own.
7. Forget fleeting novelty, learn something new about it everyday.
Become an expert. Read books, pour over websites, talk to other owners. "What you put into an exotic is what you get out" says Julie of Julie's Jungle.
8. Safety first.
Keep people safe from your animals, and your animals safe from people. Have plans for what to do in case of an escape. Some states require this, but even if they don't it's just smart. You may be able to trust your big cat, but others can't. Have defenses enough to fight back if something happens. There is news enough of exotic pets attacking their owners or owners' friends, don't let there be anymore. Make sure your enclosures are up to code and anyone who helps care for them is trained well.
9. Never gift a pet.
Getting a dog "for the kid" is bad enough, but a primate, large reptile, or sugar glider is even worse. Exotics aren't always bad for children, but children are almost always bad for exotics. A pet that requires even more maintenance than regular should not be left to someone else. That needs to be a choice they make themselves.
10. Be financially responsible.
Exotic pets are expensive, often much more so than typical domestics. Do not expect others to support your hobby by turning into a "sanctuary." There are true sanctuaries and rescues, but a great majority of them started out as pet owners and now speak against it. Perpetrators of this type of hypocrisy are considered traitors by other exotic pet parents.
11. Get what's right for you, not anyone else.
Don't choose a kinkajou or sugar glider because Paris Hilton had one. Don't choose a cat because people against owning exotics keep saying "why not just get a cat?" Choose the animal that you want. Be sure you can give it all it needs. Be sure you can afford it and that you know all about it's needs. Choose the animal that is yours, yours in your heart, be it a cocker spaniel or a cockatiel, a macaw or a macaque.
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