Exotic Animals: Alligators
Alligators are the most dangerous of the exotic pets. It is a crocodilian, which comes from the family of Alligatoridae. The name was derived from Anglicization of a Spanish word, which was used by Spanish explorers who were settled in Florida, United States. Alligators are found mostly in America and China.
Exotic Animals: Alligators - 669 words
Bengal Cats
Bengal cats are a hybrid variety of cats, which are very homely and friendly by nature with a very wild look. They are also very intelligent and alert. Along with being friendly, they are very good at sports. Their distinct features are markings such as spots and rosette. It has very close resemblance to the Asian Leopard Cat and from its taxonomic name was the word ‘Bengal’ derived.
Bengal Cats - 696 words
Bobcats
Bobcats are small cats belonging to North America. They inhabit the wood areas and deciduous forests stretching from west to southeast America and Mexico. Some even occupy parts of south Canada. They have a small body structure. Their fur is of color yellowish brown or reddish brown with black or dark brown stripes. They have noticeably long ears with black tips. Their weight ranges from twenty four to thirty five pounds.
Bobcats - 719 words
Bottle Feeding Exotic Cubs
Cubs should stay with their mother for nearly six weeks, after which they can be separated. When cubs and kittens are separated they still need to be supplied with calcium enriched diet to help the healthy growth of bones, teeth, gums and joints. Bottle-feeding is also done so as to make a strong bond between the owner and the animal. Experts say that guests and strangers who visit the owner’s house frequently should also bottle feed the animal so as to help the animal overcome initial hesitation.
Bottle Feeding Exotic Cubs - 683 words
Exotic Pets: Capuchin Monkey
Capuchin monkeys had their name derived from the Franciscan Capuchin whose cowl is similar to the coloration of the monkeys. They belong to the Cebinae family and Cebus genus. These monkeys are found in Central America and South America. Also known as sapajou, these species of monkeys are considered to be the most intelligent of all present species of monkeys.
Exotic Pets: Capuchin Monkey - 669 words
Exotic Pets: Chameleon
Chameleons belong to the lizard family. Chameleon has been derived from the Greek words chamai and leon meaning earth lion. The structure and size of chameleons varies a lot. They can be from one inch to thirty-one inch long. Chameleons are kept as exotic pets because of their characteristic color changing capability. They change colors so as to camouflage, communicate with each other and to regulate temperature. They also have a very long tongue to catch prey.
Exotic Pets: Chameleon - 673 words
Exotic Pets: Cheetahs
Cheetah is one of the exotic animals which are kept as pets since five thousand years and can be dated back to Ancient Egyptian civilization. Initially they were used for hunting. Scientifically known as Acinonyx Jubatus, they are fastest of the wild cats and also amongst the animals but aren’t good at climbing trees like other cats. They are capable of reaching a speed of seventy mile per hour and within merely three seconds they can accelerate from zero mph to seventy mph. The length of the cheetah’s body ranges from forty five to fifty five inches and the weight ranges from ninety to one hundred and forty pounds.
Exotic Pets: Cheetahs - 699 words
Exotic Pets: Chinchilla
Chinchillas are of small sized crepuscular rodents belonging to the Chinchillidae family, almost the size of rabbit. They are found in the Andes Mountains of South America. There are two different species of chinchilla, Chinchilla Lanigera and Chinchilla Brevicaudata. Although they look almost similar, the tail and ears of Chinchilla Brevicaudata is shorter, its shoulder and neck are broader and is found in the wild. The Chinchilla Lanigera species can be kept as pets. Their standard color is grey and they can also be found in ebony, beige and other colors.
Exotic Pets: Chinchilla - 692 words
Exotic Pets: Clouded Leopard
The striking pattern of clouded leopard outdoes all other patterns, stripes, spots and shades. It can be better explained as marble blotches and hence, clouded leopard is sometimes called marbled cat. No one blotch is similar and the larger ones are more beautiful when compared to the smaller ones. Clouded animals are on the verge of extinction and the Endangered Species Act has been passed for them. Some states even say that it is illegal to keep them as pets and even in states where they are allowed, they come for a huge price.
Exotic Pets: Clouded Leopard - 598 words
Exotic Pets: Crocodile
Crocodiles belong to the Crocodylidae family. Crocodiles can be traced back to the Cretaceous period and the Triassic period. This family also includes alligators and caimans. Crocodiles are huge aquatic reptiles and live in fresh water bodies such as rivers, wetlands, lakes and brackish water. They are found in America, Africa, Australia and Asia. Crocodiles are often confused with alligators. Crocodiles have a V shaped head and alligators have a U shaped head.
Exotic Pets: Crocodile - 610 words
Exotic Pets: Degu
Degu belongs to the family of rodents. They are very friendly and intelligent pets when compared to other rodents. They are hassle free and demand less maintenance. Some people compare degus to chinchillas, squirrel and even gerbils. They have a tweed brown color and have a long tail with brush like hair at the end. The tail is nearly one to two third of the body’s length. They use it to maintain balance while climbing and while walking they keep it in upright position. Their belly is creamed color and there are circles around their eyes. Their ears are surprisingly big as well as their whiskers. They hinder the growth of their claws by nibbling on them, so they the claws don’t require grooming. Degu’s forelimbs are longer than their hind limbs. They are born with yellow teeth that turn orange after reacting to the chlorophyll present in plants, which also turns their saliva into orange.
Exotic Pets: Degu - 684 words
Diet For Exotic Pets
Exotic cats demand exotic food. Their nutritional requirements are different from domestic cats. Their diet should consist of very high levels of fat and proteins. Also important is the arachadonic acid which is found in animal cells. This fatty acid derivative is one of the essentials, along with vitamin B and nicotinic acid. Otherwise it can affect the growth and the reproductive system of these animals and will lead to reproductive system failure and metabolic diseases.
Diet For Exotic Pets - 676 words
Exotic Pets: Hermit Crab
Hermit Crabs have no directly relation to crabs. They come from the super family Paguroidea. They are named as ‘hermit’ crabs because it is their characteristic to occupy abandoned seashells. They do this to protect their delicate abdomen. Nearly five hundred species of hermit crabs are known to exist and most of them live in water. They live in colonies of approximately hundred occupants.
Exotic Pets: Hermit Crab - 655 words
Issues With Keeping Lizards As Pets
Lizards are cold-blooded reptiles belonging to the Squamata order. They have four legs, visible ear opening and maneuverable eyelids. Their size can vary from few centimeters to as long as three meters. They are also very-good inexpensive pets. But if the owner wants to get the right type of equipments, the whole affair can become quite expensive. The cost can be cut down a bit by not relying on the pet store completely and doing some self-research.
Issues With Keeping Lizards As Pets - 587 words
Exotic Pets: Macaws
Macaws belong to the family of New World parrots. They are extremely colorful and are largest in the parrot family. These birds inhabit the rainforests in Central America, tropical South America and Mexico. Some of them even live in savannas and woodlands. They are very intelligent organisms. Macaws are known to live for hundred years, but on an average they can hit fifty. Mini macaws live up to thirty years. The lifespan, of a captive macaw, totally depends on the nutrition and care provided to it.
Exotic Pets: Macaws - 556 words
Metabolic Bone Diseases In Exotic Animals
Other than diseases which result from infection from bacteria and viruses, diseases can also be caused due to deficiency of proper nutrients in the diet. The metabolic bone disease is caused if there is a deficiency of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus. The condition specially aggravates when the problem is not treated for a long period of time. The major cause of this disease is due to improper care in dietary needs of animals. According to some doctors, the disease can also be caused due to high consumption of proteins.
Metabolic Bone Diseases In Exotic Animals - 564 words
Exotic Pets: Raccoons
Raccoons are sometimes called the masked animals because of the black fur near their eyes which resembles a bandit’s mask. Their fur is usually of the colors white, black, grey and brown. They can be found in major parts of North America and Europe. Their native habitats are deciduous and mixed forests.
Exotic Pets: Raccoons - 569 words
Reality Check For Potential Owners Of Exotic Pets
Owning an exotic pet is a big decision for anybody and should be given a deep thought before it’s taken. There are many constraints which should be considered like expenditure, permit, laws, care, time devotion, etc. The owner should not take a step forward unless he is able to make a lifetime commitment. There are chances that the owner might simply get bored of taking care of the pet and even the animal can develop behavioral patterns which are dislikeable later on. If the pet is adopted very late, it would be difficult for it to accept the new owner. If the owner is tired, it would be really difficult to find a new owner and setting them free is also not advisable as it is dangerous and will put the animal’s life to risk.
Reality Check For Potential Owners Of Exotic Pets - 750 words
Exotic Pets: Serval
Servals are African wild cats and are also known as Leptailurus Serval. Its most distinctive features are the tall oval ears which are placed very closely to each other. It is mostly found in African countries such as Ethiopia, Benin, Tanzania, Mozambique, Congo, Angola, Togo, Uganda, Transvaal, and Algeria. Spread all over Africa, they are found where water can be found.
Exotic Pets: Serval - 679 words
Skunks
Skunks are famous for their ability to produce foul smelling odor to defend a prey. These mammals belong to the Mephitidae family. Eleven species of skunks are known. The types of species can be divided into four in general: Spilogale or spotted skunks, Mydaus or stink badgers, Conepatus or hog-nosed skunks, and Mephitis or stripped and hooded skunks. Skunks are found in North America, South America, Canada, Philippines and Indonesia.
Skunks - 566 words
Exotic Pets: Snakes
Snakes are limbless, cold-blooded and scaly reptiles belonging to the order of Squamata. Keeping snakes as pets can be easy only if their requirements are understood deeply. Their needs are different from other reptiles. Owners must also understand that some of them grow very large and can become dangerous with the passage of time. There are different types of snakes available for pet owners with different preferences. Every snake has a different diet and need different environment to live in. Snakes, which are kept as exotic pets, range from common garter snake to pythons. Snakes sometimes also cross forty years of age; so potential owners should be aware of this fact and be ready to make lifetime commitment before thinking of keeping snakes as pets.
Exotic Pets: Snakes - 580 words
Exotic Pets: Stick Insect
Stick insects belong to Phasmatodean Family. Other insects that also belong to the same family are leaf insects, ghost insects, and walking sticks. There are nearly two thousand and eight hundred species within the Phasmatodean family. The striking feature of this family is that the species have a body structure, which helps them to camouflage with the surroundings. Stick insects belong to areas having tropical climates and some of them have wings. Stick insects that are kept as pets can grow four inches and can live up to one year.
Exotic Pets: Stick Insect - 580 words
Exotic Pets: Sugar Gliders
Sugar gliders are marsupials belonging to Indonesia, Australia and New Guinea. They are small gliding possums and weight up to three to five oz. They have a silky fur of the color pearl grey with patches of colors cream and black. The black color is usually on their ears and end of the tail. They are named sugar gliders because they are able to glide because of the patagium or the skin membrane which connects first toe of the hind foot with the fifth finger of the forelimb, on either side. They expand them to create an aerodynamic plane to glide from one tree to another.
Exotic Pets: Sugar Gliders - 684 words
Exotic Pets: Tigers
Tigers are felines which are extremely popular among pet lovers who have immense passion for exotic animals. At the same time they are also the most dangerous of all the exotic pets. In the first place, it is really difficult to get a permit for them to be kept as pets. And even if the owner gets the permit, they have to face other issues like finance, responsibility, threats, and regulatory issues so much so that even the local inspector drops by every now and then to inspect the animal and the living conditions provided by the owner. Although owing a tiger sounds impressive but it is more like building castle on clouds.
Exotic Pets: Tigers - 687 words
Exotic Pets: Tortoise
Tortoises are turtles, which live on land and belong to the reptile family of the order Testudines. They too have shell like sea turtles. The top part of the shell is known as carapace and the bottom side is known as plastron. They have both exoskeleton and endoskeleton. They are active during the day and are very shy animals.
Exotic Pets: Tortoise - 577 words