By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide
Guest Blogger

Exotic animals don’t make good companions.

You can buy them at pet shops, over the Internet, through newspaper ads, or from a neighbor. They’re not the same as a cat or dog – or a rabbit or guinea pig.

What are exotic pets? They’re agoutis, chameleons, coatimundis, hedgehogs, iguanas, marmosets, monkeys, chimpanzees, prairie dogs, pythons, servals, sugar gliders, wallabies, tigers, and lions.

These varied animals share one critical trait: They’re wild. Species from outside the United States often may be called “exotic” rather than “wild,” but none of them are domesticated.

When people buy pets, they need to be responsible and provide the animals with the right kind of care and humane treatment.

However, meeting the responsibility for wild and exotic animals can be impossible for the average person, says the Humane Society of the United States, and the animals usually suffer because of it.

Exotic animals require considerable expertise, specialized facilities, and total dedication to their needs. Without these, the life of an exotic “pet” is miserable – leaving the animal to languish in a cramped cage.

Dogs and cats were domesticated thousands of years ago and shaped by breeding for traits making life with humans easy and natural, the society says. They’re used to living with humans, and they depend on humans for their care.

But, wild or exotic animals – even those who were captive-born or hand-raised by people – haven’t been adjusted to life with humans. It takes generations for these traits to occur.

As a result, keeping these animals as pets is often inhumane even if the owners don’t deliberately abuse them.

In addition, having wild or exotic animals as pets can lead to health and safety problems.

The risk to human safety isn’t related to the species, age, or size of an exotic pet, the society reports. Small animals can be as dangerous to people as large ones. Muzzled and declawed exotics still present a danger from their strength.

Along with the potential for physical injury comes serious public health issues such as polio, rabies, ringworm, and tuberculosis, the society reports.

More than 93,000 cases of reptile-associated salmonellosis occur each year in the United States, resulting in about 10 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All reptiles and amphibians carry salmonella and are capable of passing the bacteria on to household members even without direct contact.

Macaque monkeys can transmit herpes B virus to humans through bites or saliva. The result is usually fatal, the society reports.

The threat of rabies also is a concern. No approved vaccine exists to immunize wild and exotic mammals, as is routinely done with dogs and cats.

Not only does the exotic and wild pet trade threaten public health and safety and condemn captive animals to miserable lives, it also causes the deaths of millions of animals worldwide every year, says the society.

Many finches, parrots, and toucans are wild-caught, and up to 80 percent of wild-caught birds die during transport and capture.

Captivity stresses the survivors, making them more susceptible to medical and behavioral problems. This is an issue because large parrots can live more than 50 years.

Most pet reptiles are wild-caught or born to wild-caught parents. About 90 percent of wild-caught reptiles die in their first year of captivity from trauma during capture and shipment and their often-unmet dietary and habitat needs.

The society advises people to resist the urge to take home an exotic or wild animal. It’s not good for the animals or your family.

For more information, see the article “Don’t Buy Exotic Animals for Pets” on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

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