Exotic pet
"Exotic" often refers to a species which is not native or indigenous to the owner's locale, and "pet" is a companion animal living with people.
[2] However, many use the term to include native species as well (e.g., snakes may sometimes be considered exotic as pets even in places where they are found in the wild).
When a person owns a collection of enough exotic pets, the property that they keep the animals on may be operated as a private zoo or a menagerie.
As with exotic pets in general, laws about private zoos varies by country, state, county and/or territory.
Because it usually requires a great deal of financial support for displaying exotic animals which are uncommon, difficult to acquire, and expensive to maintain in a living and active state, private zoos are at times seen as a status symbol that upper class people can use to illustrate their power and wealth.
One of the dangers of private zoos is the damage and harm that the animals can pose to people if they escape or are released by the owner.
[18] In 2003, the US Captive Wild Animal Safety Act (CWASA) became law, and in September 2007 the US Fish and Wildlife Service enacted rules to enforce it.
[19] Illegally transporting exotic pets is also known as wildlife smuggling, and the industry generates an estimated $7 to $23 billion (USD) each year.
[21] In one example of smuggling, slow lorises trafficked from Indonesia have their teeth removed prior to being sold locally, or exported to Japan or Russia.
[24] This continues to hold true today: one of the major factors behind the status of the slow loris is the fact it is often kept locally as a pet, or traded to Japan.
[27] Veterinary costs for treatment of exotic animals may be significantly higher than for a more conventional pet, owing to the increased specialization required.
Providing appropriate environmental conditions, housing and diet for an exotic animal may be difficult for several reasons: However, captive care and husbandry information for many commonly kept amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small exotic mammals are widely available through literature, animal enthusiast groups, and Internet websites and discussion forums.
Exotic animals retain their unpredictable wild nature, with some being physically capable of maiming or killing their owners.
Even if they are bred for the pet trade and raised by humans, they may be unpredictable, relatively resistant to training; in some cases, especially as full-grown adults, they can be dangerous.
Injuries to humans may be relatively common, but reported yearly deaths due to exotic pet ownership are rare.
[35] Non-human primates of various species, including those listed as endangered, such as cottontop tamarins, baboons, chimpanzees, Diana monkeys, lemurs and gibbons are still available for purchase in the US, although due to captive breeding, this does not affect wild populations.
As they grow, so do their strength and aggression; some owners and others interacting with the animals have lost fingers and suffered severe facial damage among other injuries sustained in attacks.
[36] Many professionals, including veterinarians, zoologists, humane societies and others, strongly discourage the keeping of primates as pets, as their complex emotional and social needs and other highly specialized requirements may be difficult to meet by the average owner.
[34] Small exotic pets include marsupials like Chacoan pygmy opossums and sugar gliders,[39] as well as other mammals like ferrets, hedgehogs and flying squirrels.
Many small exotic pets are prohibited in certain areas for being invasive; California,[40] Hawaii, and New Zealand have strict regulations to protect their native environments and agricultural operations.
However, they are not allowed to be kept as pets in Western Australia, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland or Tasmania.
Breeding takes place in June to November and the glider gives birth to one child, or joey, although having twins is possible.
Hedgehogs are omnivorous and threaten insect, snail, lizard, and bird populations due to a lack of natural predators in New Zealand.
Despite their small size Hedgehogs require a large cage with bedding and plenty of furniture to hide in and explore.
