"exotic" pets

[BlaqueKatt]

This thread is basically a short rant about humans taking animals out of their natural environment "because they're cute". I watched this video and it upset me terribly. Yes it's a cute animal, but it doesn't belong as a pet. In my opinion neither do kinkajous, Fennic foxes, large cats(tigers, etc), "hybrid" cats*, monkeys, marmosets, some rodents. and pretty much any animal that is ripped from it's home because some human thinks it's cute and wants to possess it. These are living creatures, not toys, and should be free to live their lives in peace. Just because it's docile in captivity doesn't mean it's happy-the poor little thing in the video looks cute clinging to the chair and licking it, it's looking for bugs, not "acting cute"

*see post in unethical/irresponsible breeders

[Greenday]

How about people who get exotic pets like alligators, crocodiles, or tigers, leave them in their apartments in a city or something, then proceed to get killed by these "pets"? Karma is a bitch.

[tropicsgoddess]

This could be somewhat off topic, but what gets to me are the people that have snakes and when it gets too big they release it. Yeah, fuck you very much, now there's a snake on the loose that could eat my dog or kill me, douchebag! There's a reason they're exotic animals (tigers,crocodiles,alligators,etc.): live in the wild or a preserve if they're endangered in some level NOT as a house pet.

[radiocerk]

Snakes...

Now I have one snake in my house, and am busy setting up an enclosure for another. I am bright enough, however, to not get a snake too big for me to handle. There are people perfectly capable of taking proper care of Bermese or Reticulated Pythons, which get absolutely enormous. I'm not that person.

The inherent problem with exotic pets is not that they exist, it's that people don't put in the research necessary to know what they're doing. The people in the pet store, for instance, who think ferrets eat vegetables, since they are in the same section as the bunnies and mice.

I don't think that any single person has the ability to properly care for a large predator: tiger, bear, etc. I live near a mini-zoo that is a home for rescued large cats, and the stories they tell could curl your hair. But, some do have the sense and the ability to keep an exotic animal in a safe and comfortable environment for both themselves and the animal.

And when you consider that most people define anything that is not: cat, dog, fish, as an exotic pet, there are more of us "exotic" pet owners than you think.

My California kingsnake couldn't do any appreciable damage to anything bigger than a rat if her life depended on it, and neither will the ball python I'm going to be getting. Not that I would ever "release" them, that would be a certain death sentence to a captive born, raised in an enclosure creature.

[BlaqueKatt]

And when you consider that most people define anything that is not: cat, dog, fish, as an exotic pet, there are more of us "exotic" pet owners than you think.

I already stated my definition of "exotic"-basically wild-caught, or imported, something that has not been a pet for long enough to have any kind of domestic breeding to keep from plundering the wild versions or their young. Kinkajous are a prime example-most are wild-caught as babies.

[Flyndaran]

I already stated my definition of "exotic"-basically wild-caught, or imported, something that has not been a pet for long enough to have any kind of domestic breeding to keep from plundering the wild versions or their young. Kinkajous are a prime example-most are wild-caught as babies.

That may work as a general rule for most mammals and birds, but not so much for simpler creatures. Reptiles, and snakes in particular, are extraordinarly capable of adapting to "human rich" environments without much or even somtimes any stress.
Others will kill themselves trying to escape and/or refuse to mate in captivity hindering legitimite attempts to save endangered species. At best their behavior is severely altered even when appearing to be in good spirits.
Example: Recent in the wild research has proven that sloths only sleep about nine hours per day to the nineTEEN in captivity.