If you’re someone who isn’t interested in having the traditional pet such as a dog, cat, fish etc then you aren’t the only one. Many people have rare and exotic pets. I looked up some information on exotic pets and this is what I found.
Exotic pets can be very interesting from scorpions, stick insects, lizard, snakes and alligator. My question before looking for information on this article was can these animals be kept as pets and if so how do you maintain them? What to feed them? and how do they behave when living with humans this article explores all this.
Table of Contents
Scorpion
Buying tip:
If you’ve never owned a scorpion a good beginner scorpion to get is the emperor scorpion. The sting is not as bad and can be compared to that of a bee or a wasp. Scorpion species that are to be avoided are the androctpnus, vaejovis, scorpio maurus. These have very painful and or lethal stings.
Handling:
Scorpions aren’t that dangerous but there’s a higher chance of you getting pinched by their pincers than getting stung by the tail. Handing isn’t recommended as they get stressed by this and react badly. If at some point you find it necessary to handle them, for example when cleaning cages, be should to use long handheld forceps to pick it up at the stinger end
Habitat:
They are native to Africa therefore they need warm humid environments to live in. If you keep them as a pet you need to accommodate for the environmental needs. A good option for scorpions is to keep them in a glass aquarium tank. Be sure that the lid of the tank is tight fitting. A 10 gallon tank is a good decently sized tank for them. Do not use a bigger tank because this will make it difficult to catch their prey. Conveniently scorpions are quite clean and relatively easy to care for in contrast to other pets
Deco:
You can use peat as bedding or vermiculite. Ensure that it is deep enough for the scorpions to dig burrows, make it around 3 to 6 inches deep. Provide hiding spots such as flat stones, bark or broken ceramic flower pots.
Temperature control:
They need the temperature to be between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit and they need high humidity and daily misting. Keeping their habitats damp but not wet, you can ensure this by providing a heat mat under the reptile tank.
Diet:
Their diet consists of invertebrates as well as vertebrates. Insects and other arthropods, lizards as well as crickets supplemented by mealworms and moths. As they usually eat at night it is recommended that you feed them at this time. Provide water in a shallow dish to prevent drowning.
Health:
To ensure that your scorpion stays healthy be sure to prevent dehydration. If it’s not getting enough water it might seem troubled or lethargic. Your local vet will be able to let you know if this is happening. If so increase the humidity levels to combat this
Snake
Habitat:
To house a snake you will need a terrarium which is specifically designed to house snakes. Depending on the size of snake make you might need a larger or smaller terrarium, ensure that you only have one snake per terrarium as they’re not social creatures. A substrate material for the bottom of the terrarium is helpful as it soaks urine and faeces. The substrace needs to be specifically for snakes.
Décor:
Snakes need to perform quite a bit of activity. Ensure that they have this opportunity, provide them with rocks and climbing branches. In order for the snake to stay warm ensure that you have heat in the terrarium. You can use a snake light and measure the heat by using a thermometer. A confined space needs to be added to the terrarium to allow the snake to have a dark place to slither into. Be sure to get one large enough to fit your snakes body but small enough for it to be snug.
Diet:
Snakes will eat both live and dead mice. You can purchase dead mice for your snakes at pet stores or online. Keep them in your freezer and warm them up when necessary. Do not keep them in the same freezer as you keep your own food. Snakes are accustomed to eating once every three weeks so you won’t have to keep many mice. If your snake is uninterested in eating the prey you might want to wiggle it in front of the snake. It if your snake rejects the dead mouse you might want to feed it live prey. You can get these at pet stores, theses mice are breed to feed snakes. Always keep freshwater available for snakes in a ceramic dish, check it daily
Handling:
Allow it to eat four meals in its habitat before you handle it. This is to ensure that it is comfortable in its home. Be sure not to handle it while it’s still digesting the food. To know if this is happening you will see a large bulge in its body. When handling you should hold it underneath it’s belly and not at the head or the tail. Alternatively you can use a snake hook which will make things easier for you preventing your snake from viewing your hand as food.
Health:
Young snakes shed often but older snakes shed about once every 3 to 6 months. If your snake is not shedding or is overly shedding then take it to the vet. You might want to get it to the vet for a general check-ups as well. You as an owner can check for snakes having sunken eyes, not eating for long periods of time, having a pink hue on its underside and curling up with you touch it.
Alligator
Regulations:
It is illegal to keep alligators in many states so be sure to call your local marshals to check if you are allowed to own one in your state. Ensure that you have the right permits and licences if it is legal in your state to own one. If you want to own one you need a permit to keep alligator with over 6 feet long
Handling:
It is highly recommended that you tame your pet, although it might be difficult it can be done. When taming be sure to tame your alligator individually and at a young age exposing them to people and making sure they understand your rules.
Habitat:
Alligators are an interesting type of animal but they do come with needs with regards to habitat. Take note and they must have at least 2.5 acres of land available to them.
Also similar to their natural habitat they need a body of water such as a swimming pool to lounge in. In order to keep the temperature at a good level for them you will need a water heater, heating pads and uvb lighting.
Diet:
You can feed your alligator’s insects, crayfish, frogs, small mice and small fish, this is similar to what they would eat in the wild. They eat whole food as they need the calcium and nutrients found in it. Be sure to not over feed them as this can lead to gout and obesity.
Small recently hatched alligators will eat anything in their hatch enclosure, thus you should not leave small pebbles in it as they can eat the pebbles and it will get lodged in their digestive system.
Bearded dragon lizard
General:
This is a much better option as a pet if you are a reptile lover but aren’t fond of alligators. If you take note of their nutritional and environmental needs then they are good pets as they are social, interesting, easy to tame and handle.
Habitat:
Create a habitat that includes a tank, ensure that you have a secure cover on the top and full carpeting in the tank. For juveniles you can use papers, paper towels and indoor-outdoor. You can use loose threads for adults you should avoid fine silica sand, this can cause a mess and it makes it difficult to clean up faeces and for them to dig burrows. Ensure that you have half logs, study rocks and branches, this will give them a place to climb on.
Temperature control:
Light designed for reptiles that expose UVA and UVB radiation is important for their enclosures as well as fluorescent bulbs specially made for them. Ensure that the temperature is from 80 or 85 degrees fahrenheit to 95 or 105 degrees. You can create this by using a ceramic heater or a Mercury vapour bulb
Décor:
Provide water in a shallow dish for your dragon and you can mist the enclosure but be sure that it’s not humid or wet. Some bearded dragons like to relax in water so provide a large dish for climbing into.
Diet:
You can feed your dragons butter worms, mealworms, superworms and vegetables you can also occasionally give them tiny mice. For better health you can provide a multivitamin no more than once a week
Health:
Keep your dragon healthy by regularly taking them to a vet. They are susceptible to respiratory infections so check for excessive mucus around the nostrils and mouth as well as wheezing
Stick insect
General:
These are some of the most popular insects to keep as pets because they are easy to care for and are interesting. Check with your local authority if it’s legal to own them and if you need permits or licences
Handling:
These insects are very tame. When picking up with be sure to pick them up by the body and not by their legs as you can easily harm them. They can last up to a week without any care from you
Habitat:
When creating a habitat for them be sure to keep their captivity environment similar to the natural one. The insect will need a cage dependent on its size, it needs a cage three times as tall as the insert. You can use tall glass jars, plastic pet containers and glass aquariums of about 10 to 15 gallons. Make sure that it’s well ventilated and secure. Ensure that you have netting over for adequate ventilation.
They need a moderate amount of humidity and if you’re using a terrarium make sure that it has adequate ventilation to prevent mould growth. You can mist leaves to maintain humidity levels and provide water. At the bottom you can use peat Moss or vermiculite or alternatively newspaper
Diet:
The foods that you can feed your stick insect are blackberry, hawthorn, oak, rose, raspberry and ivy. Leave fresh cut branches of these plants in water. Close the water off so that the insects don’t fall into it, for a fresher option for them you can leave small pot plants of these plants growing. Make sure the plants you give them don’t have insecticides or pesticides on them.
Health:
These pets don’t have major health problems but if the space you keep them in is too small they will become deformed and can die. Note that they shed their skin while hanging upside down, give them space to do so.
If you haven’t read it click this link for 5 more pests and if they can be kept as pets
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