Salient Points About Adopting Exotic Pets At Home. People have different reasons why they get an exotic pet. Some people have them purely to stand out from their peers and a few get these exotics just because they want one, putting little thought to the implications of keeping such animals. However, these reasons are not very good ones. Exotics have unique requirements and should be kept only by those individuals who understand, and have the time and financial resources to meet all of those needs. Exotics also live for a very long time, and in some cases even outlive you. Only keep an exotic animal if you can commit to caring for them over the long haul.
Snakes are one of the more popular exotic pets. They require low maintenance, being that they are only fed once every five to fourteen days and do not require a lot of space. Keep in mind though that they are adept escape artists, thus, having an escape-proof vivarium is necessary. Settle for snakes that are smaller and easy to care for like corn snakes, and never get large constrictors and venomous ones.
Tarantulas are also quite in demand among exotic animal fanciers. There are a number of tarantula varieties, but those of Brachypelma genus are the ones recommended to those who are caring for spiders for the first time, since this kind is relatively less aggressive. These spiders are not social creatures hence you have to allot one cage for each. To thrive, you need to give the spider a living environment that mimics its natural habitat. For instance, if you have a burrowing tarantula, you need to fill its terrarium with enough dirt it can burrow itself into, and structures that allow them to hide when they want to such as halved clay pots, cut side down. If it is tree dwelling variety, then you should put in branches it can scale from time to time. For your tarantulas to thrive, you need to keep the temp inside their terrarium within 75 to 85 Fahrenheit and misting it once a week to keep its tank from drying out. As for feeding requirements, you have to give crickets and other bugs once a week and place a receptacle containing a small amount of water so your pet won’t get dehydrated.
Lizards, such as iguanas and geckos, make for interesting pets too. The price for the lizard itself is typically not very high, however, the cost of keeping these exotic pets can easily become prohibitive though since you would have to provide adequate ultraviolet light and keep the temperature in the tank warm. The implements that allow you do achieve both UV lighting and control temperature gradient are costly, and need regular replacement. You also have to have a terrarium that simulates its natural habitat so that the lizard won’t get as stressed. Fortunately, you can now find several ready-made vivariums, Exo Terra terrariums being one of the most popular. Exo Terra terrarium reviews are extremely favorable. The design of Exo Terra terrariums allows for sufficient ventilation and easy upkeep. They also have well-secured lock doors, another benefit pointed out in most Exo Terra terrarium reviews.
Safety should always be a top priority when you have these exotic pets at home, especially if you have young children. They can be aggressive, dangerous, destructive, and toxic. Remember as well that they can harbor disease causing organisms. Lizards for example are known to harbor Salmonella, a disease causing organism. Hence caring for these exotics requires specialized training and knowledge. It is recommended to adopt exotics that have been raised in captivity, as these tend to be less aggressive and can adapt better to its new environment.
Article by Ronald Wicks. If you want to get an exotic pets, you should have a vivarium set up beforehand. Exo Terra terrariums are great choices for your snake, lizard, and frog pets. Vivariums can be found here.
Adopting Exotic Pets At Home – The Salient Points
