Picking the Right Exotic Pet for You

Choosing any kind of pet is a major decision, but when you’re contemplating sharing your home with something a little out of the ordinary, the whole thing can get a lot more complicated. It’s no longer just a question of how much time you’ll be able to spend looking after it, or who will look after it at holiday time – important though these issues are. If you’re thinking about keeping an exotic pet, there are lots of things you need to consider to make sure you get the right one for you.

The best place to start is by amassing as much background knowledge as you possibly can, which means reading everything relevant that you can find in the library and online, talking to other exotic pet keepers, the staff at the pet shop, your vet – in fact, anyone who might help.

What Kind?

With so many different species and kinds of exotic pets available, it can sometimes be difficult to know what kind to pick. It’s probably best to try to narrow it down to one or two general groups that really appeal – say snakes or lizards – rather than trying to consider everything in the shop at once.

Ease Of Care

Amongst all exotics, from spiders to snakes, there are some kinds which make great first pets and others which are so difficult for anyone without years of experience to keep that they rule themselves out of the running. Now, there are individual specimens of both “easy” and “difficult” types that will sometimes buck the general trend, but why take the risk? Ask around and stick to something relatively undemanding to start with – you’ll enjoy the experience more and there’s plenty of time to graduate to the awkward customers later.

Space, Diet and Needs

It’s obviously important to match the size of your pet – and its container – to the space you have available in your home, but it’s also important to consider what kind of living quarters it’s going to want too. Some exotic pets can have particular needs, so you have to be sure from the outset that you can provide them – and part of this also involves meeting the cost of keeping the animal warm, properly fed and in good health.

Some exotic animals have rather strange dietary requirements, while others will happily tuck into anything suitable that you put before them. It’s too late to find this out after you’ve already arrived back home with your new creature – so make sure you’ll be able to provide a regular food supply for it before you part with your cash.

The best people to ask about all of these issues are those who already keep the type of pet you’re thinking about buying for yourself – so don’t be afraid to benefit from their experience and advice.

How Big?

The final adult size of your pet is another serious consideration to take into account – and many pet-keepers have fallen foul of this one over the years. It’s all too easy to forget that those be-jewelled iguana babies will end up 6ft long, or those spider hatchlings will grow to the size of a saucer. Make sure you know if you’re planning to share your home with a potential giant – and if you are, that you will still have enough room to accommodate it in a few short years when it gets to be fully grown. Either that, or start thinking about moving house!

Whatever group of the animal kingdom you feel yourself drawn to, there’s bound to be a species or two that will make an ideal pet. Exotic pets sometimes get labelled “difficult” to keep, but it isn’t really a fair criticism; undoubtedly, some are, but just as many are not. In the end it all comes down to picking the right one for you. The preparatory work is essential – and it may take a little time – but it will be worth it in the long run.