If you haven’t been able to keep a clean home in the past with a dog and are wondering about having an exotic animal as a pet, you must find out the exotic animals that are legal to be domesticated at your home. All domestic pets need a caring owner who will provide adequate food and affection. Uncommon exotic pets often require less hands on care than a dog but can be more likely to be expensive in terms of vet care from a special veterinarian who has specialized in wildlife and exotics.
What you need to learn about small home exotic pets and how to take care of them?
Exotic animals such as lions, tigers, and bears make dangerous pets since they are not domesticated and very expensive to purchase and take care of. Not to mention even the best treated beast can go primal. Our recommended animals below may not technically be as exotic as what you’d find at the Tiger King’s Zoo, but they are still quite exotic compared to your average Fido.
Keeping this in mind, here we have made a list of exciting and exotic animals that are legal and are relatively easy to take care of. The legal exotic pets mentioned in this list requires less maintenance because these animals:
- require moderate housing needs.
- are relatively small.
- require a fairly simple to moderate diet that does not consist of 200lbs of near expired meat from Walmart.
- do not need much attention.
Reptiles
Axolotl – There has been an increasing demand for a cute-looking exotic pet called axolotls. They are not only cute but are extremely easy to take care of. They are legal too own in most states except for California, Maine, and a few others so be sure to check with your state before bringing one home.
Being water dwellers, they require a deep tank where they will live comfortably and happily. People often have this misconception that pets like axolotls and Betta fish live happily in smaller tanks. However, the minimum size of the aquarium should be 10 to 20 gallons for just one pet.
Their growing popularity has made axolotls very easy to have as pets. Pet retailers and vets have also started to carry on with this trend. You will find these cute-looking pets in specialized exotic stores or pet chain stores and they will cost you around $20 to $35.
Axolotls live for 10 – 11 years but they may live up to 20 years too if they are kept in the right environment. Other than providing the required aquarium size, they need tons of freshwater for swimming. They cannot crawl on solid surfaces despite having small legs. These amphibians need plenty of rocks, sand, plants to hide.
One important factor is water temperature. They live in cooler temperatures and hence, your aquarium setup needs a cooler to make sure that your pet remains healthy. The ideal temperature of the water should be between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Their diet constitutes of bait worms, bloodworms, feeder fish, and even meat.
Baby Copperhead Snake – Being a part of the viper family, baby copperhead snakes are identifiable by the reddish head and hourglass-like marking on their body. Even though they are venomous, they do make a good pet for those who have extensive knowledge on how to raise them.
They are simple to care for since they –
- require low temperatures
- require no precise humidity levels
- can survive in different habitats
- require only one meal every 2 weeks
Being carnivorous, their diet includes lizards, frogs, mice, and birds. They thrive quite well on thawed dead mice and make sure that live prey is avoided since they can injure or bite the snake.
Copperhead snakes may experience many general health issues like parasites, mouth rot, or dermatitis which are common in these.
Mouth rot may occur due to improper diet, unsanitary environment, or a mouth injury. Parasitic infections may occur due to different organisms such as coccidia, ticks, worms, protozoa, and lice. To treat parasitic infections, your snake will need to be treated with de-wormers.
Copperheads have a long life-span that lives up to 18 to 25 years in captivity. And their costs range from $100 to $350 based on their age, coloration, and subspecies.
Bearded dragon – Bearded dragons have a beard-like spiky collar that lies flat in normal situations. But if your pet feels threatened, it expands its throat and the spines stand erect. The behavior of dragons is usually docile and rarely expresses any aggressive behavior. A single bearded dragon requires about 55 to 75 gallons of a water tank with a secure top. These are tree-dwelling too. Hence, they may require branches, half logs, and sturdy rocks to climb on, especially in their basking area. You also need to provide hiding spots for them like hollow logs.
The temperature gradient on the cooler side should range from 80 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit while 95 – 105 degrees in the warmer side where they bask. Nighttime, the temperatures may fall to 65 – 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Being a carnivore, the bearded dragon’s diet consists of a combination of vertebrate and invertebrate prey such as smaller animals, insects, and even plants. They must be fed both vegetables and insects, at least once a day. Baby dragons eat 3 times a day and they cost around $25 to $60.
Mammals
Fennec Fox – Fennec foxes love to be in groups but they also like to be independent in captivity. They are energetic and love to play with humans. They may also prefer to be alone sometimes. They are extremely cautious and flee quickly if they feel threatened.
To express their feelings, they may use several vocalization techniques and hence, can be extremely loud sometimes. Being desert animals, fennec fox requires at least 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You may need to provide an outdoor pen which is large enough for your pet to exercise. Make your pen with wire screening and wood but make sure it is designed in such a way so that your pet does not dig under or climb over. These foxes can dig holes up to 20 feet. So, additionally build their pens over concrete, wood decking, or paver stones.
The diet of Fennecs includes both plants and meat including insects, fruits, and rodents. Optimally, their diet should include a commercial canid diet of the wild. You may mix cat food, dog food, fruits, and vegetables. Provide sufficient taurine or amino acid to regulate metabolic processes in their systems. However, they cost too much that ranges between $1500 to $2500.
Ferret – If you are looking for a sociable pet, ferret could be an ideal option, if you can handle them well and make them sociable at a tender age. They are playful and inquisitive animals, quite similar to the dogs. They can be trained very easily on toilet training.
However, ferrets, unlike cats and dogs, require high maintenance, a lot of attention, and time. They need to be supervised while playing and exercising outside their cage since they can be very destructive and mischievous.
Being a meat-eater, they require premium quality ferret food. And they can live up to 5 to 8 years. If you have female ferrets, also called jills, then, their pregnancy is likely to last for 42 days. When young ferrets (kits) are born, they are deaf and do not open their eyes till 3 weeks after birth. You can feed the kits ferret or kitten food by the time they reach 6 weeks.
The house of a ferret is also crucial since they are extremely susceptible to a stroke or heat stress. Hence, you may need to protect your little pets from high temperatures of above 78 degrees Fahrenheit. A ferret may cost around $65 to $250 depending on their age and size.
Hamster – Not necessarily an exotic best but an all time classic. Hamsters are extremely popular as pets for both adults and children. These small rodents live up to 2 years. There are different varieties of hamsters such as the Chinese hamsters, dwarf hamsters, and the Syrian hamsters if you want a more exotic breed of critter.
An active hamster makes a great pet that eats and runs around its cage so you can watch him be active while you sit on your bum. Young ones are easy to train and tame compared to the older hamsters who may have gone through different experiences in terms of human interactions.
Keep your hamsters in a cage with good ventilation and clear space. You need to provide absorbent bedding inside the cage, a wheel for exercising, water bottles, food dish, chew toys, and a house to a hide.
What is best for a pet hamster’s diet is a variety of fruits, vegetables, and protein. You may also offer a pelleted diet in place of seed mixture. You can get a pet hamster at around $15 to $20.
Birds
Blue parakeet – The blue parakeet or budgie is often considered as the beginner bird. They are very outgoing and social and deserve much attention and care like any other birds. They live up to 7 to 15 years unless there is mistreatment or accidents or even a lack of care for this pet. Primarily, parakeets eat plant materials and seeds. Their diet should consist of healthy fruits and vegetables and pellets with Omega 3, 6 fatty acids. A fully grown budgie or parakeet may cost you somewhere between $10 to $35.
Budgerigar or the cockatiel parrot – Cockatiels are usually kept at homes and they do not disturb the neighbors. They chatter, whistle, drum, or chortle just to show off their skills. The male ones can even learn to say a few words. Their diet usually consists of sweet potato, yam, squash, greens, and seasonal vegetables and fruits.