I own red eared slider turtles, while not exactly exotic it’s funny that the three things they are known for by owners are things normal folks would not expect.
- Turtles are escape artists. Because they need so much water to swim in and need basking areas, you’ll generally want to fill your tank up as high as you can, and then have a basking platform up there. They will use those and filters to try to escape. They may succeed. There are a ton of questions/guides online to address this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHbV5nsDCb8&ab_channel=TheTurtleGirl
- They are destructive. You will want to have a filter for them, and they will attack the filter with the fury of a bored creature attacking the thing making a noise. Many filters will fall to their wrath. If you google it you’ll find ton of stories of turtles destroying filters/water heaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnD3cKuFOa0&ab_channel=HMoore
- They smell. How can such a small creature smell so powerfully? Magic.
Any other pet owners have secrets about their type of pet?
Pet rats are awesome! They’re domesticated and used to interacting with people. They have distinct personalities and are very loving. Sadly, they only live about 2.5 to 3 years.
Had several while growing up. This is the pet I always point to as being a fantastic pet that a lot of people pass on because of their association with sewer rats.
In how far are rats considered exotic? Is it hard to find a vet who knows how to help them?
I think it’s more that the majority of people just don’t consider rats as pets. They have this unfair reputation for being dirty disease vectors, which simply isn’t true of well cared for pet rats. They’re no more dirty than a hamster, but hamsters are bitey pricks that are, for some reason, seen as a perfect small pet for kids. Rats are way more fun. You can teach them tricks.
It’s unusual to have pet rats. Most vets do cats and dogs, and anything else is an afterthought. While there are many vets within 5 miles of me (suburbia), we have to travel over 30 miles to get to a good rat vet. Vets for farmers know more animals, but I wouldn’t expect them to know rats very well.
One time when one of ours got an X-ray, the doctor was comparing to a photo in a large book of X-rays for various animals. I expect that’s an expensive book to buy.
I don’t have them currently, but people really need to experience owning ferrets for a couple of weeks before deciding to purchase them (and I do mean THEM - don’t just purchase one). They are like playful and adventurous kittens 24/7 between naps, which seems awesome, but they need vet check-ups, diligent cage cleaning, and tons of play time.
They are playful and adventurous kittens that smell bad all the time (and will smell even worse if you try to bathe them too often), will actively try to kill themselves eating things they shouldn’t and getting into places they can’t get out of, and will shit in corners of your house rather than anything else you might set up for them to you. Unlike kittens, they bite hard when they’re playing. They’ll also pass out and sleep so hard that you’ll think they’re dead.
My wife has had a lot of ferrets, more than 20 for sure. Our home can absolutely not be made ferret-proof, which is probably the biggest reason that she hasn’t been pushing to get more.
That’s a lot of ferrets. Wow.
She worked in animal rescue. And they weren’t all at the same time. But a lot of them were.
An ex had ferrets. They were fantastic. I don’t think I’ll ever have any of my own though.
…and that’s why I suggested spending time with ferrets before owning them. They are so much fun and full of energy, but they take as much energy as they give.
My dad had a ferret bite through his fingernail
My brother had ferrets. I loved them, awesome personalities and adorable, but ferret-proofing your flat seems like more work than child-proofing. Even then they can and would get absolutely anywhere they weren’t supposed to be. They’d always get out again, but not after making you stress for fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to extricate them.
The smell was omnipresent too.
Giant African snails can hibernate. Do not simply throw them in the trash, because their shell is dried shut. They can quickly infest the entire neighbourhood
Some dude thinking his pet snail is dead, only to throw it in the trash and forget about it, and then wake up to a snailpocalypse a week later is pretty funny to think about
Lifespan: Chinchillas have a long lifespan, and potential owners should be prepared for a commitment that could last 10 to 20 years.
Social creatures: Chinchillas are social animals and may benefit from having a same-sex companion to prevent loneliness and boredom.
Special diet: They require a specialized diet consisting of high-fiber hay, chinchilla pellets, and occasional treats. They should not be fed sugary or fatty foods.
Dust baths: Chinchillas need regular dust baths to keep their fur clean and healthy. The dust absorbs excess oils and moisture from their fur.
Temperature sensitivity: Chinchillas are sensitive to heat and should be kept in a cool environment, ideally between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit (15-21 degrees Celsius).
No water baths: They should never be bathed with water as their dense fur takes a long time to dry and can lead to health issues.
Chewing habits: Chinchillas have constantly growing teeth, and they need appropriate chew toys to prevent dental problems.
Escape artists: Chinchillas are excellent escape artists, so their cages and play areas need to be secure.
Regular exercise: They need opportunities for exercise and playtime outside of their cage.
Veterinary care: Regular check-ups with an exotic pet veterinarian are crucial to monitor their health and catch any potential issues early on.
Quiet and calm environment: Chinchillas are sensitive to loud noises and sudden movements, so a calm living environment is beneficial for their well-being.
Time and attention: Chinchillas are active and curious animals, requiring daily interaction and mental stimulation.
So. Much. Poop.
Oh wait, so if they don’t have chew toys, can it grow long enough to harm themselves?
That’s super sad! They are the cutest little things.
That’s my understanding of it. It is apparently common in the rodent family.
Most rodents have continuously growing teeth. Like fingernails. In the wild, they constantly gnaw on stuff to sharpen and wear down those teeth.
As pets, if they are fed only soft food, and aren’t given something tough to gnaw on, the teeth won’t wear, and will just keep growing until the animal can no longer close their mouths.
This can be addressed by a visit to the vet, who will grind down the teeth, but you can only get to this point by seriusly neglecting your pet.
I had a rabbit whose teeth didn’t meet so couldn’t wear down by eating. Every 6 weeks I had to go to the vets and he clipped the teeth with nail clippers. It freaked me out so much.
I breed various species of roaches (Emerald roaches, Madagascar hissing roaches, glowspot roaches and Simandoa conserfariam). They are very social creatures with favourite sitting spots and fights when someone challenges that. There are also only very few species that infest homes (about 20-30 out of 4600) the rest live in forests and caves and don’t want to have anything to do with humans. They also clean themselves a lot. There are also a lot of very pretty species.
I like how hissers will stack on top of each other, sometimes 3 deep and upside down! Their remarkable ability to climb walls means a secure enclosure is key. They can be quick for their size…but only a foot or two before they stop to catch their breath.
And they are strong, I have a big branch in the enclosure and if the males are fighting they can easily throw that around.
- Despite being desert-dwelling animals in the wild, bearded dragons should not be kept in enclosures with sand (or other particulates) as a substrate. They’ll ingest it with their food, and it can get stuck in their digestive system and can kill them.
- They enter a hibernation-like state (called brumation) typically once a year, and it can last up to 3 months or so. They stop eating and spend most / all of their time asleep in their hide, and if you’re not expecting it, can look like they’ve died. It’s normal, healthy, and they’ll wake up and go back to normal again.
- Bearded dragons are frequently carriers of salmonella, which they can pass on to humans. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling one.
Hey point 2 and 3 are the same for my little turltes that I forgot to mention!
Yay little salmonella carrying monsters!
The best pets have all the worst methods for fucking humans up!
Hedgehogs shit while they run. Sonic doesn’t eat chili dogs, he lays them.
African Pigmy Hedgehogs are incredibly cute and have a lot of personality but are incredibly sensitive to it to their environment and will die unless properly taken care of.
For instance!
- They need to exercise or else they will gain weight and die from obesity.
- But don’t get the kind of rodent wheels with supporting bars because they’ll turn their head while running and potentially break their neck.
- Also, don’t get the wheels with mesh/holes on their running surface as their toes or paws can get stuck and lead to injury.
- They will poop and pee constantly in their area, which means daily cleaning.
- Their nails/claws grow fast and must be clipped or they will start to grow back up into the bottom of their paws.
- They need 8 hours of “day light” in the form of a lamp or their body will think it’s hibernation time.
- They must be kept around 65°F-90°F or they’ll either think it is winter and try hibernating, or they will overheat and die.
- They can be tumor machines. Our one hedgehog Prickles had a hysterectomy after developing tumors in her uterus. She also developed multiple mouth tumors.
Picture for reference: https://imgur.com/a/nBkbHpA
Aww they are so cute!
I didn’t realize they are so prone to getting themselves killed though :( Poor little dummies.
They will poop and pee constantly in their area
TIL I’m a hedgehog.
Lmao for real though I had no idea how fragile they are! Some animals are really specialized to their very specific environment.
I’m not sure if leopard geckos really count as exotic, given they’re about as close to domesticated as lizards get currently, but they’re more exotic than cats and dogs. In any case, I with people in general would understand that pet stores, especially large chain ones, but the smaller ones are often included too, cannot be trusted to give accurate advice on how to set up and care for an animal, and as such, asking the employee for what to get to go with the animal while buying it does not constitute adequate research into that animal’s care.
I’ve seen way too many posts on the leopard gecko subreddit, before I left reddit, from people with wildly insufficient or actively harmful setups, based on advice from a pet shop, or “starter kits” marketed as being for the species. Many were well meaning people who simply assumed that the pet store employees were professional and therefore must know what they were talking about, and while most ultimately seemed to listen when everyone warned them that they were doing something wrong, some stubbornly would insist on trusting what they had been told to buy.
As a veterinary student, I’d say you really can’t trust anything from pet store employees regardless of species. As part of our nutrition rotation we go to pet stores and pretend to be new first time dog owners and ask for recommendations on food. The “advice” I’ve heard has been horrifying at times.
I’m usually a snake owner (although not at the moment), the amount of people who have horrible misconceptions about snakes genuinely frighten me
People see snakes and assume they’re bitey monsters that just want to hurt you, this could not be further from the case, snakes have relatively fragile teeth, and their venom is precious, furthermore they cannot tear chunks out of their prey, they must swallow them whole. These few things combined means that biting humans is not really high on their list of things to do. Some snakes can be rather defensive, but there’s no snake that will chase a human, and you can tame almost any snake down from defensiveness relatively easily (much easier than you could if a giant grabbed you)
There’s no such thing as a snake that chases humans, they aren’t slimy, they aren’t all venomous, and the venomous ones know they will still lose a fight with a human, so, they will run away, furthermore it is no consolation prize to the snake that they kill you TOMORROW if you’ve been bit, when their head has been stomped today.
I used to keep snakes, they are so misunderstood. The couple times I was bit (non-venomous) over several years of having snakes were honestly both my fault; once I had fed her and didn’t wash my hands properly afterwards, and once I didn’t notice she had started shedding and so was a bit more defensive than usual. They’re not typically aggressive at all and are usually content to just chill with you as much as anything else. Humans are way too large for a snake to ever consider you food, so they’re not really going to be trying to hurt you except as a last resort in self-defense.
I especially hate the slimy stereotypes because I always found my snakes super pleasant to hold, snakeskin feels great. I’d like to get one again, it has been a long time.
I kept turtles back in the 90s. I had a fantastic setup: a blocked off room, with a kiddie pool in it, with ramps leading in & out of the pool.
Oh man that would be sick!..
I do have a spare tiled room in my basement… maybe one day as that would be awesome! No more escaping for them (unless they escape the room some how, which I know they will try.)
Not an exotic pet owner but wanted to say this post was thoroughly enjoyable. I’d like to own an iguana one day, possibly birds again, and it’s cool learning about others exotic oet experiences!
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=QHbV5nsDCb8&ab_channel=TheTurtleGirl
https://piped.video/watch?v=cnD3cKuFOa0&ab_channel=HMoore
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
