Thoughts & Discussion on Exotic Pets

[Brookie]

So what do you think?

There are more tame exotic pets such as hedgehogs but then there are some that are outright bizarre,
Like monkeys and tigers.

I for one think most of the exotic pet trade is unethical and cruel. The insane things they do to these animals (like pulling out their poison teeth) and then there?s the fact that the animals may not ever be happy enough to not go insane.

Discuss!

 

[Xara]

i don’t think it’s right for people to have exotic pets - i mean, hedgehogs and other little creatures like them are slightly more plausible, but animals such as tigers/lions, monkeys, etc aren’t meant to be house-pets (or in a zoo for that matter, but thats a whole different convo).

my opinion is that wild animals should be kept as just that - wild.

 

[seliph]

the pet trafficking industry is something i have really strong feelings about tbh. before anyone goes on the hunt to get an exotic please keep in mind the industry is directly affecting species' risk of extinction. the grey parrot is just one example (x)

exotic birds are probably the biggest concern with how common they are as pets, namely macaws, c0ckatoos (does this still get censored lol), and parrots - which will always be beyond shocking considering how horrible they all are as pets. exotic birds shouldn't be living in anyone's house to begin with, it's so incredibly cruel to keep large flying animals in a confined living space. if you want a bird so badly get yourself a chicken or a pigeon which already naturally co-exist with humans.

of course exotics that have been in the care of humans since they were babies can't ever be released into the wild because they could spread diseases along with them just not knowing his to exist as a wild animal, but searching for exotic pets only increases demand and gets more wild animals plucked from the wild. don't get exotic pets.

 

[Bcat]

I saw this Uber-disturbing thing where a woman literally had her face torn off by her friend’s chimpanzee and...yeah. People shouldn’t own un-domesticated animals imo. It’s bad for everyone involved.

 

[Xara]

I saw this Uber-disturbing thing where a woman literally had her face torn off by her friend’s chimpanzee and...yeah. People shouldn’t own un-domesticated animals imo. It’s bad for everyone involved.

ugh yeah i saw that and heard the 911 call - that was brutal.

 

[Dim]

So what do you think?

There are more tame exotic pets such as hedgehogs but then there are some that are outright bizarre,
Like monkeys and tigers.

I for one think most of the exotic pet trade is unethical and cruel. The insane things they do to these animals (like pulling out their poison teeth) and then there’s the fact that the animals may not ever be happy enough to not go insane.

Discuss!

Could also be what climate/habitat they are in

 

[Brookie]

exotic birds are probably the biggest concern with how common they are as pets, namely macaws, c0ckatoos (does this still get censored lol), and parrots - which will always be beyond shocking considering how horrible they all are as pets. exotic birds shouldn't be living in anyone's house to begin with, it's so incredibly cruel to keep large flying animals in a confined living space. if you want a bird so badly get yourself a chicken or a pigeon which already naturally co-exist with humans.

Yeah, I used to have a mini-colony of parakeets/budgies (4) and as much as I loved them, I always felt like they weren't meant for this life. Stuck in some tiny cage not being able to spread wings. I felt bad so I would give them "play time"and open the door but there were two things wrong with that: (1.) I had to clip their wings so they wouldn't be flying up and downstairs in the basement (2.) before I clipped their wings, they'd just latch on to the cage and never explore --- so yeah there was no point. They aren't meant for this life.

 

[John Wick]

I saw this Uber-disturbing thing where a woman literally had her face torn off by her friend’s chimpanzee and...yeah. People shouldn’t own un-domesticated animals imo. It’s bad for everyone involved.

I remember that. She lost her sight and a hand as well.

I'm for the protection of animals.

People should not be allowed to keep these animals, unless it is a national park or something similar, that has been set up in an effort to preserve the species.

 

[Wildtown]

ill take a hedgehog thx

 

[Mayor Monday]

Do I think people should own literal wild animals such as tigers, monkeys, raccoons, etc? No, that's ridiculous.

Pets like hedgehogs, birds, sugar gliders, etc? I don't see a problem as long as their owner knows what they're doing.

My only issue with the exotic bird market is the cruelty of their shipments.

 

[Dim]

ill take a hedgehog thx

Be sure to give it lots of rings and chili dogs, k?

 

[SheepMareep]

Exotic pets such as sugar gliders and hedgehogs are ok imo because they can still explore and have the opportunity for proper enclosures in someone's home.

Other animals such as monkeys, tigers, birds, and bears are unacceptable. Even though having a pet bird is common with how pet stores sell them constantly (I also know of an exotic bird shop/hospital near my house.) I've always hated seeing them in such small cages. The owners usually get annoyed by the parrots too. I have a friend who has some parakeets and a parrot and any time you call her the parrot is just screaming which leads to my friend or her family yelling back. They also have long lifespans so getting one at an older age is cruel imo. Exotic birds can be hard to rehome in the event of their owner dying before they do and could die if released to the wild or have trouble coping with being sent to a zoo or wildlife refuge

We are pack animals essentially and try to incorporate animals we think are cute or cool into that system. It works with dogs and cats due to so many years of domestication and the similar pack mentality they have but other animals like tigers and monkeys are too different and dont integrate into the system very well leading to attacks and such. Of course dogs and cats can also attack people, but we have a better understanding of their body language and boundaries. Exotic animals we dont generally have that information outside of zoo/wildlife conservation areas. I mean just watching that bronx zoo show on animal planet shows how different and complex each animal is.

 

[Snowesque]

They do not belong in your home, so you should not have them.
It is that simple folks.

 

[LadyDestani]

Like everyone else has already stated, these types of animals belong in the wild, not in your home. Domesticated animals as pets are one thing, but bringing a wild animal out of its natural habitat is wrong for so many reasons. It's detrimental to the animal, dangerous for the people around it, and those animals are often obtained in illegal and immoral ways.

 

[SublimeDonut]

ok, these outright bizarre ones are off definetely. in my country they passed a law against these kind of animals being kept home, and i 100% agree, even though it also makes it impossible for me to own a python or cameleon. amphibians, reptiles, birds of prey and rodents other than hamsters are illegal to own as pets because so many people would buy them for the clout or thinking they don't require maintenence, and then dispose of or abandon them. and that situation was worsened by the animals surviving lol. the ones that did began spreading and thriving. many of them were animals not native to the country, or to the specific region, so they lived without predators and became native species. that's a bigger problem, i believe, then the actual suffering of the exotic animals treated as pets: because then it threatens to ecosystem as a whole.

 

[DJStarstryker]

I technically have an exotic pet according to Google. I didn't realize I did because I think of things like monkeys and tigers. But anyway, I have a cockatiel. She was bought from a breeder for my husband as a birthday present (he didn't ask for it) from his parents about 20 years ago.

In general, I'm not a fan of the exotic pet trade. I think it's unethical and cruel. I think people should try to avoid buying these, but ESPECIALLY from breeders. That encourages the trade. It's a bit different ethically if you take in a rescue exotic animal that is already habituated to humans and therefore possibly unreleasable to the wild.

For our case, we treat our cockatiel extremely well. But also, at this point, it's impossible for her to live in the wild. She is extremely picky about food and would not even recognize the types of food that wild cockatiels would eat as, well, actual food. She also has a wing that somehow got hurt when the in-laws were watching her for a while (sigh). It has healed up long ago, but she can't fly very well now. Flying birds that can't fly can't really survive in the wild. She would either die of starvation or die of getting picked off by a predator. I feel a moral obligation to care for her as well as I can, keeping her happy and healthy, until she dies. She's already 20, which is old for a cockatiel, so who knows how much longer we'll have her.

 

[pawprints]

I don't know why they're considered to be exotic pets, but I have guinea pigs if that counts!! 10/10, would recommend if you have a lot of space bc they need *BIG* cages. my cage is approximately 3x5.5ft for two piggies. the only thing that's hard is finding an exotic's vet, but i think i found a good one finally.

 

[Ghoste]

*Wild* animals should not be pets. But of course like others have said, things like domestic rats/mice/sugar gliders are alright in my opinion. Of course when I say domestic I mean domestically bred animals that have lived their entire lives indoors and have a long history of being kept as pets. I do not mean "hey timmy let me go pick up a rat from the sewer and get rat bite fever xoxoxo".

 

[Brookie]

I don't know why they're considered to be exotic pets, but I have guinea pigs if that counts!! 10/10, would recommend if you have a lot of space bc they need *BIG* cages. my cage is approximately 3x5.5ft for two piggies. the only thing that's hard is finding an exotic's vet, but i think i found a good one finally.

I LOOVVVEE guinea pigs! They are so cute and interesting. Their little pursed mouths are adorable and so is their munching sound. I can't wait till I'm able to get a few!

 

[pawprints]

I LOOVVVEE guinea pigs! They are so cute and interesting. Their little pursed mouths are adorable and so is their munching sound. I can't wait till I'm able to get a few!

YESS. And the wheeking... the wheeking is amazing! lmk if you ever have any questions!!