FAQ: Keeping Unusual and Exotic Animals as Pets

What happens if an unusual animal has a health problem?
They should not be treated any differently to any other kind of pet. There are in fact many veterinary surgeons who will be happy to look at your pet. However, finding a vet who has specific knowledge and experience of your pet type may be difficult and time consuming, so it is important that you find a specialist as son after you have got your animal as possible, rather than waiting until something is wrong.

What kind of animals are available?
There is a huge variety of pets you could keep, far greater than there are for any other class of pets. Invertebrates include crickets, millipedes, centipedes, scorpions, vinegarones, tarantulas and mantids. Caecilians are worm-like amphibians which are unfamiliar to most people. Amphibians include salamanders, newts, frogs, toads and axolotls. Unusual mammals include porcupines, jirds hedgehogs. Molluscs include snails and slugs. And finally, there are also thousands of species of lizards, snakes, turtles, terrapins, tortoises and insects. And this has ignored the prospect of the literally millions of varieties of marine animals you could keep.

What are the most common types of unusual animal kept as pets?
Probably the most common are the arachnids, such as scorpions and tarantulas. If you are keen to keep an exotic pet then this is a good place to start, if only because of the vast amount of literature available. Unusual mammals are becoming more popular as well. If you are not sure if you want an unusual pet, why not try keeping some garden snails to begin with?

How much should I expect to pay?
The price of your unusual animal will vary even more greatly than it would for any other type of pet. Some animals you may be able to obtain for free if a breeder has surplus. For other types, such as tarantulas and scorpions, you can expect to pay between 20 dollars and many hundreds of dollars. For the more unusual mammals and snakes you might need to pay up to several thousand dollars.

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