What made you want to get an exotic pet? How do you adjust to living with them?

I’m curious about people who own pets like snakes, spiders, or other unusual animals. What made you choose them, and how do you handle their care?

I wouldn’t call my pet super exotic, but I have a tiny corn snake named Rubi. She’s smaller than normal for no particular reason, she just grew that way. My boyfriend had her before we got together; now she’s one of our pets.

As for more unusual animals, my cousin used to work as a zookeeper and now he’s a vet assistant. For a while, he took care of confiscated exotic animals before they could be relocated. Sometimes people kept animals illegally, like crocodiles or parrots, and they’d end up at his place until they could go somewhere proper. Once, a crocodile even had to chill in a bathtub for a few days while his enclosure was being fixed!

Technically, anything that isn’t a dog or cat can be considered exotic in some areas. That could even include hamsters!

We used to keep a few exotic livestock animals like guinea fowl, hair sheep, a llama, and a donkey. Nothing too crazy, but they were fun to have around.

I have chinchillas. Why? Because they’re ridiculously cute!

I’m allergic to furry animals, so I had to go for something different.

I just love hedgehogs. I didn’t need time to get used to her, she completely stole my heart. I can’t imagine life without my little prickly buddy.

I’ve got snails, frogs, and gerbils. Do those count? I just love animals, and they bring me so much happiness.

I have a gecko and some insects/crustaceans. They’re not super high-maintenance, but they look cool, and I keep them in tanks and bins. I also have a dog, but caring for the others mostly just means I use a lot of water.

Exotic just means non-native species, so even common pets like hamsters or betta fish can count.

As for snakes, I got them because I like them, and they’re easier to care for with my disability. I also keep crested geckos now.

I’m just an animal lover. We have about 100 animals from 16 different species.

Our most exotic ones are probably the Patagonian mara. I discovered them while researching ahead of getting rhea (which we also have). They’re incredible creatures, and we just had a couple of babies born yesterday.