Exotic Pet Ownership

Hi everyone and thanks for joining me on this episode of Val Talk’s Pets.  In this episode I want to explore the topic of exotic pet ownership.  How many of you have heard of someone or you are someone, who owns a Bearded Dragon for example, or a Ball Python or a Sugar Glider?  These and quite a few more are considered, exotic pets.  The question I feel that needs to be asked is, “Should we take exotic animals and try to turn them into pets?”.  Is there an issue of cruelty here?  Well, let’s have a look at exotic animals that are on the list that people have as pets and see what we can find out. 

Exotic Pet Defined

First I think we need to define what an exotic pet is.  Exotic itself according to Wikipedia is “of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized.”  An exotic pet “is relatively rare or unusual to keep, or is generally thought of as a wild species rather than as a domestic pet.”  Or, “any animal that is not native to the country where it is kept in captivity can be called an exotic (non-domesticated) animal.  Generally, these animals are not adapted to the climate and wild environment in the country where they are kept.” Now, an actual exotic animal kept as a pet will differ from country to country.  And there are some that are illegal to own either by country, province, city or municipality.  

Legal Exotics In Canada

Let’s look at the legal exotics you can own in Canada.  Whether you should have these animals is a whole other question.  And just because they are technically legal in the country, doesn’t mean your individual townships and counties will allow them. 

Capybara

Believe it or not, you can own a Capybara.  Yes, these giant hamsters basically can be a pet.  According to slice.ca/exotic-pets-we-didn’t-know-were-legal-to-own-in-canada, Capybaras are native to South America and “feed on grass and tree bark and have enormous teeth. Like its cousin the beaver, a capybara’s teeth are constantly growing.”  I remember when two Capybaras from a small zoo in Toronto escaped and went on the lamb for quite a few weeks. They eventually caught them, but imagine the tree destruction they left behind!

Muntjac Deer

You can also own a Muntjac Deer.  I have never heard of this animal.  It looks sort of like a small goat with deer ears.  They are “native to South Asia…are affectionate, playful and easy to train – they can even be taught to use a litter box just like a cat.”  The Muntjac deer makes a noise similar to a dog’s bark and because there are different species of Muntjac deer, some “will grow to just 10 pounds at full adult weight, while others can grow up to 90 pounds.”  Better make sure you know which one you are looking at. 

Serval

You may also own a Serval.  I have heard of this animal becoming pet centered but I think this one should really be left to its indigenous roots.  A Serval looks like a leopard and as slice.ca points out they do have a temperament similar to a house cat.  But as slice states, “be forewarned that they require a lot of space in which to run around, and are instinctual hunters.”  

Pot-bellied Pigs

Pot-bellied pigs are also allowed.  Now here is one of those animals that although legal by Canadian standards you need to know your town by-laws.  In my town, you cannot have a pot-bellied pig in town.  You could have one in the outlying areas that are different smaller towns that are farms etc. but in town specifically, no. 

Pot-bellied pigs were a bit of a fad at one time. Unfortunately these creatures became the typical fall out of celebrity ownership and the aftermath of being a fad animal.  As piglets, pot-bellies are super cute.  But then they grow and they can grow up to 300 pounds.  They can be destructive and they eat a lot.  As pot-bellies started to run out of favour due to their realistic nature and I hate to say, many people’s stupidity, many pigs ended up neglected, ill due to the owners not knowing how to care for them, euthanized for being inconvenient, and at a rescue if lucky. 

Sugar gliders

Sugar gliders are another exotic that I actually did see once at a pet expo.  As slice explains, “these tiny little marsupials (meaning they have a pouch) can be found in Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea, and get their name from the fact that they suck sweet nectar out of fruits and sap from trees.  Sugar gliders are prone to live on treetops with a membrane linking their arms and legs that allow them to ride air currents and glide through the air. 

Sugar gliders are also communal creatures, so it would be cruel to have just one, as these animals have been known to become forlorn and literally die of loneliness if not partnered with at least one or two others.”  To me, seeking out a sugar glider as a pet is ridiculous.  Why would you take a little animal that is used to gliding through the trees, sucking nectar with its mates, and put it in a country that is cold 4 months of the year and more than likely stick it in a cage?  Sugar gliders?  Leave them be!

Hedgehogs

Now here’s one you may not realize is an exotic.  Hedgehogs.  I encounter people that have hedgehogs.  Hedgehogs by rule are not really interested in being handled or cuddled.  They like to roll up into their spikey balls when they fear being handled.  This is why all the info on hedgehogs always say you need to handle and socialize them early on to acclimatize them to people.  To me this just sounds like a small animal that doesn’t want to be a pet.  And all this handling etc. is just trying to make it something that it isn’t naturally.  

Hyacinth Macaw

As for birds, personally I don’t like the idea of birds being caged and in a house.  They fly for heaven’s sake!  On the allowed list of permitted animals is the Hyacinth Macaw.  I can’t believe this bird is allowed as it is on the endangered species list.  Immediately this bird should not be allowed as a pet.  

Pygmy Goats

Pygmy Goats are allowed.  They are small and can be housed in a good-sized fenced back yard, but you have to remember, they are still goats.  For this reason, again, although allowed, your individual by-law may classify them as a farm animal.  And as slice points out, just because they are called pygmy, don’t get fooled because an adult could easily weigh up to 75 pounds. 

Wallabies

Wallabies are surprisingly on this list.  Who on earth would bring a Wallaby to Canada as a pet?  These small kangaroos look-alikes are meant to wander and graze on grass.  I would like to know who in Canada thought this animal could be on the list of animals someone could have as a pet. 

Miniature Donkeys

Miniature donkeys are actually animals I see every day going to and from town.  Again, these guys may fall into the farm category and for their own sake they need to be in bigger spaces.  A mini donkey can live from 25 to 35 years so there is a big commitment there.  For the last 11 or 12 years, I’ve been driving by one on my way to work. He’s been in the same place all this time and has outlived two ponies so far.  I laugh when I see him in the winter, because the humans put a small horse blanket on him and all you can see is his little hooves sticking out the bottom of the blanket about 6 inches.  It’s like a kid putting on their Mum’s dress!

Fennec Fox

The last one is again, one I have never heard of and that is the Fennec Fox.  These little foxes average only 1.5 to 3.5 pounds and come from North Africa. Slice says they are known for being “as independent as a cat and as affectionate as dogs.”  They are also typical like foxes and will eat prey and plants etc.   Again, why bring an animal from North Africa to Canada.  Head shake time!

Illegal Animals

So when it comes to animals you cannot own, things become grey.  Exotic animal bylaws were actually delegated to individual municipalities in Ontario, for example, so this is why you would have to check your individual area.  You cannot own a monkey for example in Toronto. 

Monkeys

There was quite a story a few years ago about the Ikea monkey.   A woman went to her local Ikea and had her pet monkey in the car.  Seeing as it was winter, he was clothed in a shearling jacket.  While the woman went shopping, he found a way to get out and ventured to the store and started looking in the glass door obviously trying to find his Mum.  Well, the owner ended up in court and the monkey was taken away and put in a licensed rescue for primates.

The real issue here was that she was treating this monkey like a child.  I know they are cute, but should we be anthropomorphizing what should be a wild animal, that should be swinging from trees and cavorting with other monkey friends.  And how did she get this monkey in the first place?  Was he ripped from his mother’s arms and forced to watch as poachers’ slayed her?  Was she contributing to the horrendous exotic animal trade, making poachers rich and animals suffer? 

Raccoons

In the city of Toronto, although you may find an orphaned racoon, you are not allowed to keep it.  The only one who can do that has to have a proper license to be a rehabber or rescue.  I know quite a few people who have told me they had a pet racoon.  Most times however, as the raccoon aged and reached puberty, they became aggressive and a bit violent, so they were released to the wild.  But, again, did the domesticated racoon have the skills to survive in the wild? 

Reptiles

As for reptiles, in Toronto for example, their rules state that you cannot have a snake larger than three metres or a lizard larger than 2 metres.  And of course nothing venomous or poisonous.  But, that’s pretty ambiguous and again, individual municipalities have to be consulted about reptiles.  Again, I do not get why you would want to have a reptile that is used to being out slithering along and put it in a terrarium. 

Exotic Pets – Pros and Cons

Pros

So, I looked at a few lists of pros and cons for owning an exotic pet.  The pros were similar on the lists saying that exotics provide a unique companionship, they have an educational value to learn about their care and behaviour and that there is a possibility of aiding in conservation efforts. 

Okay, a unique companionship means they are different from a traditional dog or cat.  But what companionship is the person actually getting depends on the animal.  If you have a pygmy goat out in the back are you really interacting with it to the degree that it is a companion like a dog or cat that is in your home cuddling with you? Does someone actually get companionship watching something cooped up in a cage or terrarium?  Even a hedgehog is nocturnal so it is awake when you are not. 

As for educational value I think that one is really flimsy.  In today’s world access to information and virtual learning can easily teach anyone what they are seeking to learn about any animal.  And as for conservation I think the scale probably tips more to the propagation of illegal wildlife than it does to conservation. 

Cons

As for the cons there are quite a few.  As set out by theexoticpets.com, these include suppressing the natural instincts of an out of place animal contributing to stress.  Many people just do not do their homework and get an exotic without really knowing how to house, feed and care for it.  In this case many suffer terribly with health and mental issues solely because someone thought something was cute and didn’t take into consideration the animal’s welfare. 

There are health risks to the animals and to people.  Sometimes an exotic can’t tolerate climate or lack of their natural environment, especially food and death can be a real outcome.  Humans exposed to exotics out of their element can pose a risk of being aggressive or carrying harmful diseases. 

There is also the issue of ethics where taking an animal out of its natural habitat just to be someone’s entertainment is a horrible treatment of animals that should be allowed to share the planet.  Plus, breeding in captivity can upset the ecosystem. Many exotics naturally spend time in groups like I mentioned with sugar gliders.  Forcing a communal animal into solitude with a human can lead to a horribly unhappy animal and possible death. And the worst is that if there is a market, you will find unethical people.  The exotic trade business is cruel, inhumane and beyond disgusting as to how these poor animals are trapped, traded and exported.  Animals have been found stuffed in suitcases and birds stuffed in toilet rolls in suitcases and well it goes on and on.  

My Opinion

So, should exotics be allowed as pets?  My opinion, no.  My biggest concern is that the scale tips too far into the direction that someone sees something cute and wants it for that reason only.  Once the care and cost gets involved and that the animal possibly grows out of the cuteness, the animal becomes a burden and often gets mistreated.  I see this harvesting of the earth’s wild animals for human entertainment very disturbing. 

One pros list I saw actually had on the list that it was cool to own an exotic.  Are you kidding me?  That’s the reason. I’m sure there are quite a few people that really know their stuff about reptiles or other animals, but I really think they are probably the minority.  I think there are probably a lot more out there that just make a knee jerk decision to acquire a sugar glider for example and really have no idea how to care for it.  Then it dies.  I also think that the illegal trade will grow and grow and grow, as unethical, cruel people capitalize on animal fads.  I feel so sad for these animals.  

When it comes to exotic pets, there is a lot to know.  Not only do you need to know the care and feeding of the animal beyond normal knowledge, you also need to know all the legalities as to whether you can have it or not.  Plus, knowing exactly how this animal came to be available is one of the most important questions.  An exotic pet needs to be considered very, very carefully with a good dose of reality thrown in because as I say, knowing is caring. 

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Tagged as: exotic animals in captivity,  wild pet ownership,  exotic animals,  exotic pets.