An exotic pet is a rare or unusal creature kept as a pet, or a creature kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet. Exotic pets are sometimes for the express purpose of having a pet which is unique.

The definition is an evolving one; some rodents, reptiles, and amphibians have become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy to no longer be considered exotic. Sometimes any unique- or wild-looking pet (including common domestic animals such as the ferret and the domestic rat) is called an exotic pet. "Exotic" may also be used for a species which is non-indigenous to the owner's locale.

Many major pet stores and service providers (such as veterinary insurance carriers or online retailers) tend to classify animal besides cats, dogs, or fish as "exotic".

Issues

Legal issues

Trade in certain animals is restricted or prohibited, and as a result it may be illegal to keep them in certain jurisdictions. In some cases such laws are circumvented by breeding; in the United States, for example, it is illegal to import primates for the pet trade, but a flourishing breeding industry exists, using animals descended from those brought in legally before the ban was enacted.

Health

Finding a veterinarian qualified and willing to care for an exotic animal may be exceedingly difficult or even impossible, and the costs for treatment of such animals may be significantly higher than for a cat, dog, or other more typical pet.

Some animals are known to carry diseases that can affect humans. Similarly, some human diseases can be dangerous for certain animals.

Husbandry

Providing the right environmental conditions, housing and diet for an exotic animal may be difficult for several reasons: insufficient information may be available on caring for such animals in captivity; adequate housing may be difficult to procure or build, and/or very expensive; it may be difficult to provide the correct environment (such as temperature or amount of sunlight); feeding the correct diet may be difficult or impossible; providing the right social environment for highly social species may be impossible in a home setting.

Domestication

Unlike creatures like cats and dogs, most exotic animals have not been domesticated by humans for thousands of years; they are wild animals. Even if they are bred for the pet trade and raised by humans, they may be unpredicable, largely untrainable and, in some cases, dangerous, particularly as adults.

Species kept as exotic pets

Alligators, wolves and wolf/dog hybrids, wild cat cubs (lions, tigers, ocelots, etc.), snakes, tortoises, spiders, scorpions, rare birds and non-human primates are among the species kept as pets. Some exotics are less "wild" than others; dingos have been in relationship with humans for generations, and the Bengal cat descends from a hybrid of wild and domestic species. Llamas and pot-bellied pigs, though still present in the wild, have been raised in captivity for centuries.

Primates

It has been estimated that as many as 15,000 primates, including monkeys, Chimpanzees and apes, are kept by private individuals as pets in the United States alone.Nine states ban the keeping of primates, but no federal law regulates primate ownership. In 1975, however, the Centers for Disease Control prohibited their importation into the US for use as pets. The breeding industry uses descendants of animals imported before 1975. Primates of various species, including those listed as endangered, such as cottontop tamarins, Diana monkeys, lemurs and gibbons, can be purchased for between ^*2000 and $50,000.

Most reputable commenters, including veterinarians,zoologists[http://www.petmonkey.info/prosimians.htm, humane societies and others strongly discourage the keeping of primates as pets, since their complex emotional and social needs, and other highly specialized requirements, cannot be met by the average owner.

Although the breeding population has been largely isolated from wild primates outside the US, and therefore is likely to be free of many exotic diseases such as Ebola, there is still risk: research workers have died from diseases contracted from their primate research subjects.^* By far the larger risk, however, is the transmission of disease from human to primate: the virus that causes human cold sores, for example, is deadly to monkeys.

Primates of any size can be extremely dangerous once they reach sexual maturity.

References

• Maryann Mott, "The Perils of Keeping Monkeys as Pets" National Geographic News September 16, 2003
• Craig J. Blair, DVM Pets or Prisoners?
• Heather Thomas, Education Coordinator, Duke University Primate Center Lemurs as Pets

External links

• Resources for pet owners
• Phoenix Exotics Wildlife Association

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