An Introduction to Exotic Pets: Small Mammals

Dogs and cats are awesome. They make lovely companions and are fairly easy to care for. For some, though, nothing beats the allure of owning an exotic pet. Choosing which one?s right for you, though, can be difficult. Before you consider bringing an exotic pet into your home, ask yourself these five important questions:

  • How much do you know about the pet you are considering?
  • Do you want an animal that you can hold and pet?
  • Do you have the time and money to dedicate to proper care of your new pet?
  • Can you offer the new animal a healthy environment similar to its natural environment?
  • Are you legally entitled to own the animal you are considering in your area?

The first question on this list is probably more important than anything I?m about to tell you. Often times, exotic pets need very specific care. If you don?t know how to provide that care you?re going to do your pet a serious disservice. Find out as much as you can about the animal you?re considering before you commit to bringing it into your home. Some animals don?t get along well with other animals. You?re not going want to bring something into your home that?s will fight with Rover, Grover, Rex, or Fluffy, every chance they get, nor are you going to want to bring an animal home that?s going to send little Sally or Eric Jr. to the hospital for shots.

source: Wikipedia

If there?s laws prohibiting certain exotic pets in your state or province there?s likely a reason. And beyond the legalities, you also don?t want to end up falling in love with a new pet only to have it taken away because you weren?t allowed to have it in the first place. Pleading ignorance doesn?t work, either. Even if you genuinely didn?t know you weren?t allowed to have your new animal in your area, you?ll still have to give it up. Check first to be safe. There?s lots of perfectly legal exotic pets on the market that will appreciate your love and affection just as much.

source: Wikipedia

Beyond hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and rabbits (which all make wonderful pets, themselves), there are many types of exotic pets available. In the coming weeks World of Female will talk about different animals and how to care for them more in detail, but for now we?ll just cover the basics. We?ll start off with the most common type of exotic pet ? the small to medium sized mammals.

source: Wikipedia

Chinchillas

Chinchillas originate in South Africa and are members of the rodent family. Although they range in size, an average adult chinchilla is just slightly larger than a typical ground squirrel. To keep its teeth worn down it requires something to constantly chew on. It also needs plenty of exercise and cooler temperatures. Chinchillas need a diet of high quality, hay-based pellets and timothy hay, but should not be fed fresh vegetables and fruits. Chinchillas are also hypoallergenic pets that stay clean by taking dust baths.

source: Wikipedia

Degus

Degus originate in Chile and are, like wise, members of the rodent family. As a pets, they are highly social and offer a lot of personality. Only beginning to become popular as of late, the?advantages of owning a degus is quickly coming to revile that of ownership of some of it fuzzy cousins such as the gerbil, the hamster, and the lowly rat. It?s more apt to interact with you, the pet owner, and it isn?t nocturnal ? as aren?t we, and there?s no need to go into the benefits of that little trait. Above average intelligence makes the degus an animal that?s quite a bit easier to tame when side-by-sided against similar pets, as well. Its strictly herbivores and requires a high in fiber/low sugar diet. Kept as a pet under ideal conditions, a degus will live from six to thirteen years.

source: Wikipedia

Fennec Foxes

Fennec foxes originate in the Sahara and are members of the canine family. Known for their comically large ears and comparatively small bodies; weighing it at only two ? three pounds, and reaching only about six inches in length: these little fellas are the smallest known member of the canine family, and are often considered the only breed of fox (apart from the domesticated silver fox) that can be kept as a pet. They?re suitable for any cat-or-dog-friendly environment; they prefer a warmer temperature; and they?ll actually shiver if they get cold. And as though all that wasn?t already cute enough: they can purr like a kitty, as well. They?re a highly social animal, and can even be, also like your kitty, trained to go poo-poo right where you want it to ? as long as its box is there, of course. It can be fed any off-the-shelf high quality cat or dog food thus eliminating the need for extra stops at specialty stores, and, if kept in a well-cared-for home, can have a potential lifespan of fourteen, or so, years. Secure cages are a must for this pet as it can usually escape most unfortified enclosures with ease.

source: Wikipedia

Ferrets

The origin of the?one to four pound ferret as a pet is unclear but it?s believed they?ve been domesticated in one form or another for at least 2,500 years. Ferrets belong to the weasel family, and can?grow up to twenty inches in length including a five, or so, inch long tail. As a pet choice, their rambunctiousness, personality, and unique behavior seems to outweigh their known risk of contracting several distinct health problems common in the un-spayed, un-bred females of this mammalian species since they still manage to make a widespread popular pet choice. They are omnivores which allows for a little flexibility in their diets, and, in captivity, have an average lifespan of about eight years.

source: Wikipedia

Hedgehogs

There are seventeen distinct species of hedgehog native to an area on the globe covering Europe, Africa and Asia. They?re nocturnal mammals covered with non-poisonous spines or barbs. Hedgehog spines are unique appearance which makes them an favorite amongst future pet-owners looking for something a little different from the typical fluffy small exotic pet. Hedgehogs are omnivores with a diet in the wild consisting of mostly insects, small reptiles or amphibians, berries, mushrooms, melons, and roots. In captivity, hedgehogs are fairly easy to care for as far as terms of diet because they are able to thrive on cat or ferret food supplemented with insects. They prefer a little warmer climate most than pets other of their caliber, but are, as opposed to the ferret, resistant to many illnesses and maladies that are common in other similar exotic pets.

source: Wikipedia

Sugar Gliders

These little guys are almost too adorable to be real. Originating in Australia, these marsupials are members of the possum family. Although adorable, sugar gliders can be difficult to care for as they require a diet that meets very specific guidelines (a topic we?ll cover next week). It?s important to note sugar gliders are not able to be legally kept as pets in all parts of the world, and are specifically outlawed in Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts.

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Next week, we?ll be talking about larger mammals that make great exotic pets (such as llamas, alpacas, pot-bellied pigs etc). I?ll also be launching a weekly feature that aims to help guide you through caring for your new exotic pet. Make sure you come back for those. If there is an animal you?d like to see a guide on, let me know in the comments section at the end of this article.

About Wanda Fraser

I'm just a typical girl in her late twenties who likes to write about stuff I find interesting - relationships, music, movies, television and of course, cute boys I'll never meet. I live in a cabin in the woods in the heart of Nova Scotia, Canada, with my husband, my dog, my cat and my rabbit. Follow me on Twitter (@_chenault_).

Source: http://www.worldoffemale.com/an-introduction-to-exotic-pets-small-mammals/

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