When I was little, I wanted to be an "animal doctor," or veterinary assistant. I am glad to have my current job instead, because when I see the crazy pets people have these days, I don't know if I could have handled being a vet. My friend, for example, just got a lap leopard. Have you ever heard of them? I hadn't. They are a mix between a house cat and a type of leopard and they can grow to be the size of some dogs. She had to order it from India and have it sent to her through international pet shipping. It is really unique, but it is also really expensive and has no pet health insurance. It got sick last month and she had to shell out over $5,000 to nurse it back to health. What ever happened to wanting a tabby cat?
Her unusual choice of pet got me wondering what other exotic animals people are keeping as pets. Looking at this list of top searched bizarre pets, I am curious where people get these sorts of pets. Websites like PetFinder and TerrificPets have some unusual pets, but none this bizarre.
The number one searched bizarre pet, a Sugar Glider, is native to Australia. How can they live in your living room? Number two, might be in your closet as a fashion item. PETA keeps a close watch on Chinchilla safety because they are popular for their soft fur. Their cousin, Degus, are also very fuzzy, all the way down to their furry paws.
Hedgehogs are the opposite of soft and fuzzy. Just like the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, they are covered with little spines, like a porcupine. They aren't known to run fast like him though.
Snakes are becoming more popular as pets, but owning a Kingsnake still seems a bit too exotic for my taste in pets. I do hear they are easy to care for though. Other strange creatures on the list include the Axolotl, which looks like a fish with legs.
Do you own any of the pets on our list or another bizarre pet? Let us know! Find more information about these bizarre pets on AOL Search.
Top Searched Bizarre Pets on AOL Search:
1. Sugar Glider
2. Chinchilla
3. Wallaroo
4. Bearded Dragon
5. Chameleon
6. Hedgehog
7. Kingsnake
8. Alpaca
9. Degu
10. Axolotl
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posted by Brittney
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COMMENTS
Yeah I have an crockodile. I just love him. His name is Crocky. Every morning I give him his daily walk around the street. Your probably wondering what I feed him. I feed Crocky about 20 chicken wings every other hour. You most likely think I'm crazy and for those of you that think that I am.
By Omar on Jan 4th 2009 at 10:42AM
The axolotl is not a reptile! It is an amphibian.
By Professor on Jan 4th 2009 at 6:21PM
You know I couldnt help but laugh when I read this article....first..most of the sugargliders that are sold in the U.S. are bred and raised here in the U.S. and as far as Kingsnakes go....most of them are not "exotic" as you call them....they are native to North America......go look in you wood pile you might find a speckled one in there!
By flowerstomper78 on Jan 4th 2009 at 10:59AM
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE ADOPTING A PET! That is why so many pets are neglected and animal shelters are overflowing. Do not get any pet without knowing what kind of commitment you are in for.
By twobadbunnies on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:07AM
I have a sugar glider,,shes wonderful,,,no mess no fuss she eats just about anything ,,fruits vegetables seeds meal worms baby food shes fun and beautiful, I recently lost my dog Bear,,a wonderful black pomeranian he was 15 and my buddy, But i am agorphonbic so walking him became a burdon on someone else,so i cauld not replace my preciaous bear. My best friend gave me her 1 year old glider nd i adore her, Bizzar? not if you see one,,,nothing bizzare there!!
By Charlotte on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:09AM
I own some of the finest game bred pitbulls in the world, I also own a alligator that I take great care of and he is the happiest gator in the world.
BabuRob@aol.com
By ROB on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:31AM
Gee I guess I have two very odd pets?? Or so it seems from this blog. Just two four legged poddles.
By Norma on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:35AM
I have lived with degus for over three years now. I love them! They are very intelligent though not very cuddly creatures. A great website to find out about them is http://www.degutopia.co.uk I live in Massachusetts.
By Diana on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:35AM
One should learn a bit about a species before adoption. A Ball Python is a rather pleasant creature (unless you are a mouse) but a Reticulated Python may have an attitude. Burmese Pythons are best left in a zoo or in the wild.
Some of the felines bred from domestic cats and their wild cousins are likely to be healthier than some overbred domestic types that have lost a lot of disease resistance.
A caring pet owner can easily get hit by a four-figure vet bill for a domestic shorthair, so the cost of an exotic may not be that great.
Always remember that such an acquisition is a long-term committment and do the homework before you buy (or adopt).
By Art Downs on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:42AM
Sugar Gliders and Chinchillas are actually quite easy to care for.
My friend has two Sugar Gliders, Fred and George, and they are tons of fun! (Though they do smell. BAD.)
Chinchillas cannot have water come in contact with their fur, so they have to have dust baths, instead. You just have to put out a bowl full of volcanic ash, which they sell at most pet stores, and they do it themselves. They are, however, very fragile.
By Sam on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:41AM
I have lived with degus for over three years now. I researched them first and found the website degutopia out of the UK has the most information and is a great resource amongst its members. They are very vocal and very smart. They sleep through the evening unlike other animals of this type. They also have a longer life span.
By Diana on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:42AM
My family used to have 18 mallard ducks, but they flew away once we started leaveing them out at night, I really liked those ducks, they were fun. Then just last summer we got 12 guiny hens but by the end of the summer the rangers told us that we were going to have to get rid of them. That was fine with me, they were the stupidest birds I've ever seen! No wonder no body buys them as pets!
By kc on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:47AM
We just buy what our dogs will actually eat, usually beneful. Our tarantula gets crickets. The cats get fancy feast or sometimes what is on sale. We have 17 dogs, 5 cats, and the tarantula, so we can't get high dollar food, but we try to get good food.
By musicrose05 on Jan 4th 2009 at 11:54AM
From your list I have had a chinchilla and kingsnakes.
Animals not on your list that I have had are:
Spider Monkey
Flying Squirrels
Burmese Python
Sonoran Gopher Snake
Boa Constrictor
Tarantulas
Iguanas
Anoles (small lizard that changes color)
Ferrets
Wood Hog (wild pig)
Pac Man Frog
Hermit Crabs
I currently have a variety of about 60 birds.
By Cheryl on Jan 4th 2009 at 12:02PM
I forgot about the mice, rats and guinea pigs I have had. True pets. I held and petted them. My favorite rat was a hairless one named Fluffy. My original comment is #29.
By Cheryl on Jan 4th 2009 at 12:06PM
i have hamster
By apelay10 on Jan 5th 2009 at 3:29PM
i had a sugar glider!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love them!!!!!!
By cbiebas on Jan 4th 2009 at 12:40PM
We've had several snakes when the kids were young & living at home, to show them that they are not Evil & Dangerous; quiet, clean, odor-free.
Some, like the albino banded king snake, (pearlescent grey w/yellow bands) and the albino red rat snake (pinkish, w/red camo-type saddles) are beautiful, and docile. We also had a ball python, who hissed and bit me a couple of times at feeding time to show he was a bad-ass python; 50 little pinpricks, but annoying, nonetheless.
By richard Sp on Jan 4th 2009 at 1:53PM
I think that bearded dragons are actually the most popular exotic pet. I've owned many different pets myself, and my bearded dragons were personal favorites. Other than that, some more fun ones that have lived under my roof include a spider ball python, a burmese python, an aligator snapping turtle, leopard geckos, a short tailed opossum (very cool creature), poison dart frogs, an alligator, spurthied tortoises (they were HUGE), multiple beetle species, and others that sadly I'm forgetting right now. Yeah, I was the kid at the zoo show who when they brought out the different animals I said 'i have that!' and they just shook their heads...haha. If only they knew.
By Danielle on Jan 4th 2009 at 12:57PM
We had a variaety of snakes when the kids were younger & living at home, to show that they were not Evil & Dangerous; silent & odorless. Some are beautiful, like the albino king snake (pearlescent grey, w/yellow bands), or the albino red rat snake (pinkish w/red camo-type saddles), and docile. We also had a ball python, who hissed and bit me a couple of times at feeding, to show he was a bad-ass python; 5o little pinpricks, but still annoying.
By richard Sp on Jan 4th 2009 at 1:52PM