question of the weekend: What’s the strangest or most exotic pet you’ve ever had, or would like to have?
What’s the strangest or most exotic pet you’ve ever had, or would like to have?
My life has been rather boring in this department. We had a cat when I was very little, and a dog for a short while when I was in high school (she was killed, run over by a car, only months after we adopted her), and then I’ve had cats and parakeets as an adult. Now, I’m petless. But if I had the money to buy one and the attention to give that they require, I’d love to own a big bird, perhaps an African gray parrot. It would be like having a little alien intelligence in the house.
You?
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comments
posted by Cori Ann (Sat Mar 13 10, 1:36PM)
I had a hedgehog for a brief period in high school. I got her my senior year though and right after graduation we ended up moving across the country and my school wouldn't allow her as a pet, so my boyfriend at the time ended up taking her. She was pretty awesome even though I don't think she liked me very much. But those are pets that definitely require a very lot of attention!
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posted by Tully (Sat Mar 13 10, 2:25PM)
I also had a hedgehog for several years; they are great pets, but they are very high maintenance. Once they've gotten used to you, they are quite friendly and affectionate. They unfortunately have a tendency to acquire a bad autoimmune illness, which is almost always fatal. I highly recommend them if they're legal in your area.
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posted by bronxbee (Sat Mar 13 10, 3:16PM)
my family has had a history of strange and exotic pets... as an adult, all i've ever had are cats. i plan on getting goldfish soon. however, when i was a kid, we always had dogs, cats, birds (canaries and parakeets) and fish. then we had a pet chipmunk (rescued) for 7 or so years; a duck, several rabbits (all this while living in NYC). after my parents moved to the country, we had: goats, horses, a pig, a pigeon, a raccoon (and yes, they were all pets!) THEN came the capuccin monkey (another rescue), a kinkajoo and the first parrot. my parents were the kind of people who, if someone offered them an orphaned elephant, would have said yes. then the moved to tennessee. more of the usual, then more parrots! then my sister got involved in raising exotic animals, but that was after i was already living on my own in NYC.
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posted by bronxbee (Sat Mar 13 10, 3:17PM)
also, there were rats, snakes, hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs.
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posted by Isobel (Sat Mar 13 10, 4:11PM)
I would love an African Grey parrot too, or a Hyacinth Macaw if that were ethically possible but I don't think they are bred in captivity in the UK so that's out.
I've had a lot of pets, we had a couple of acres when I was in my early teens. So, cats, dogs, horses, gerbils, rabbits, geese, ducks, chickens and bantams, peacocks (all the birds were tame and would eat out of your hand), a Jersey cow (she was such a sweetie - we got her when she was three days old and fed her milk for about a year longer than necessary 'cause she liked it and so did we. She got these little tiny curly horns and she was always tiny). Also budgerigars, a mouse, a chinchilla, goldfish and a bunch of tropical fish.
Currently (and sadly) petless.
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posted by Orangutan (Sat Mar 13 10, 4:28PM)
If I had the time to devote to it, I would love to have an Umbrella or Molluccan Cockatoo as a pet. And in the realm of 'never gonna happen', I always thought a descented and tame skunk would be awesome. But I know that isn't possible. :)
And as I type this, my dog comes running over to give me the 'take me outside now or you'll regret it' look. :D
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posted by Danielle (Sat Mar 13 10, 4:37PM)
My hairless rat was as exotic as I got. I loved that little guy. Rats are fantastic pets.
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posted by Joy (Sat Mar 13 10, 5:29PM)
I currently have two snakes (Great Plains Rat Snake adult and an 8 month old Albino/melanistic Corn Snake), and a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula. I love both types of pets. LOW maintenance, yet high enjoyment. Recently I saw a Brazilian Possum for sale in a shop. It is between the size of a mouse and rat but has a cool prehensile tail. Long snout and very loving when hand reared. I was very tempted.
Oh yeah, I also have two cats and a blind dog with a thyroid disorder. lol
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posted by LaSargenta (Sat Mar 13 10, 7:37PM)
...well, there was Robert, who loved going for walks on the leash...
Oh. You mean a non-human pet?
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posted by Neil (Sat Mar 13 10, 11:57PM)
I had a brown-haired tarantula for a couple of years.
I'd like to get a Bengal cat, and possibly a Maine coon.
My (recently ex)girlfriend has a Scottish terrier/shi-tzu cross, looks a lot like "Benji." I love that dog, but I guess I will have to learn to live without her now that the G/F and I are kaputs. -_-
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posted by JoshB (Sun Mar 14 10, 1:33AM)
I would like to own a porcupine.
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posted by Isobel (Sun Mar 14 10, 8:31AM)
There are loads of squirrels in the woodland around the block of flats I live in, and I do occasionally yearn to tame one of the squirrels.
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posted by Althea (Sun Mar 14 10, 1:39PM)
When I was a kid we had a skunk for a while. He was adorable and a lot of fun, but we(my family) too learned that it's hard to keep a non-domesticated animal as a pet.
As for me, there's almost no animal I wouldn't love to have around (besides my cats), but if I had the means I'd have an alpaca, a miniature horse, and a miniature donkey. It would be fantastic taking them out for walks.
And even though it wouldn't be a pet per se, a badger or two to live on the grounds.
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posted by Rich (Wed Mar 17 10, 1:54PM)
I have a 5 year old African Grey parrot and you are so right, it is like having a little Alien intelligence in the house.
He talks a lot and is a real character. He was house trained but then started to think it was very funny to say loudly "Uh-OH" then when you look at him he poops on the floor and says "gotta clean up!" and then laughs my laugh. When he does this in front of people he gets a big laugh out of them and that positively reinforces the behavior, so I'm in a big retraining mode right now to house train him again.
He love playing peak-aboo with anyone that will indulge him and he likes playing the animal noise game (what does a duck say, a cow, a cat, etc.) and has learned to ask for just about anything he needs: "Want... food, juice, grape, cracker, dinner," etc. Want to go... kitchen, sit on top of door, tree (his stand downstairs), upstairs, downstairs, etc. Wanna shower... etc.
He's really a never ending source of joy and companionship, however I caution anyone who wants to get a Grey (or a Cockatoo-- aka velcro birds because they want/need to be with you 24/7 and will scream bloody murder if you don't indulge them). A Grey is not a pet, it's a lifestyle and you must know what you are getting into.
Grey's are flock animals and you become their flock. In the wild they would NEVER be separated from their flock, EVER, so they can't understand why you'd ever want to be in the next room and not have them with you-- let alone go to work outside the house.
It's their natural instinct to always want to be with you. It's really tough to be in another part of the house and have Griff in his cage and hear him calling out my name and saying, "ah come-on, Griff's a good boy, come here. Rich. Rich!"
It's been said of Grey's that they have the intelligence of a 2-4 year old and they really do, along with an emotional/instinctual neediness of that age group.
There are so many wonderful things about having a Grey and I'm so glad he's in my life, however, before getting any bird, a Grey or a Cockatoo, one has to ask themselves if you really want to get a pet that will be an emotional/ intellectual two-year old for life for the next 50 years.
I hope I didn't bring the conversation down. I'll leave it on a fun up beat note...
I was meditating one morning and my back hurt so I lay down on the floor (normally I'd be sitting upright) and he said, "What-cha-doing, you sleepy?"
Another time he was on the counter in the kitchen and the cabinet above him was open and something in the cabinet shifted and startled him. He looked up at the open cabinet door and started saying to me over and over, "close, close, close." until I closed the cabinet. Now as we approach the counter if he sees a cabinet door open he says "close!" and I do.
Those are the moments that give me a chill and make me grateful to share my life in such a unique way with an African Grey.
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