Exotic Pets: Snakes

Snakes are limbless, cold-blooded and scaly reptiles belonging to the order of Squamata. Keeping snakes as pets may be straightforward only if their requirements are understood deeply. Their needs are different from other reptiles. Owners must also understand that some of them grow very large and may grow to be dangerous with the passage of time. There are various kinds of snakes available for pet owners with completely different preferences. Every snake has a different weight-reduction plan and need totally different environment to live in. Snakes, which are saved as exotic pets, range from widespread garter snake to pythons. Snakes generally also cross forty years of age; so potential house owners should be aware of this reality and be ready to make lifetime commitment before pondering of keeping snakes as pets.

Snakes can easily escape from their ownerÂ’s custody. They all the time look out for enclosures, which is able to let them out of the captivity. The house owners should be extremely careful in this regard and also should build an escape proof enclosure. Snakes are carnivores. They do not eat vegetation at all. The favorite food for snakes is rats and mice. Greater snakes are fed with squirrel, rabbits and other small mammals. Some species even eat insects and fishes. As the snakes eat small animals, it is advisable to kill the prey before it is given to the snake. If this job is left to the snake, it could be threat to its life.

Usually snakes that have been bred in captivity are a superb alternative as pets. Wild snakes carry a number of illnesses and parasites with them, get really stressed with the transportation and are very troublesome to be tamed. King snakes, ball pythons and corn snakes are fashionable choices. Their food regimen and environmental needs arenÂ’t as sophisticated as other species of snakes. They are also small in dimension, but the king snakes can sometimes grow up to seven feet. Ball pythons have eating issues. They prefer to feed on a live prey as a substitute of pre-killed prey. Also, they often stop eating food for months together. Ball pythons which were bred in captivity have lesser eating issues. And before buying a ball snake, the owner can take a look at whether the reptile eats a lifeless prey readily or not.

The more difficult snakes that are saved, as pets are red-tailed boas, water snakes, Burmese pythons, and any other pythons and wild snakes. Probably the most dangerous of them are Burmese pythons. They will utterly swallow a human being. So it is recommended to have individuals around while feeding the reptile. Burmese pythons are very sturdy snakes. They grow more than twenty toes and weigh more than 2 hundred pounds. Even pink-tailed boas grow as much as ten toes and weigh greater than fifty ponds. They’re additionally difficult to be managed by one person. All these species demand right temperatures and humidity in their environment.

Reticulated pythons and anacondas are extraordinarily dangerous unique pets. Some strictly suggest towards holding them as pets. One other variety that is deadly is venomous snakes. They not solely are a risk to the proprietor and his family members but additionally to people in the neighborhood, if it escapes.

Snakes are also bred for his or her pores and skin, which is used to make belts, baggage, footwear, etc. They’re also eaten as a delicacy in many international locations and even in Western America. In lots of the Asian nations, the snake’s meat and blood is consumed for medicinal purposes.

Exotic Pets: Tigers

Tigers are felines which are extremely fashionable among pet lovers who have immense passion for exotic animals. At the identical time they are also probably the most dangerous of all the exotic pets. In the first place, it is really difficult to get a permit for them to be saved as pets. And even if the owner gets the permit, they have to face other issues like finance, responsibility, threats, and regulatory issues so much so that even the local inspector drops by every so often to inspect the animal and the residing situations supplied by the owner. Although owing a tiger sounds impressive but it is more like building castle on clouds.

Potential house owners shouldnÂ’t get turned down, but they should very well understand the challenges they have to undergo during the whole process. They should work as a volunteer at a zoo which has adult tigers to understand in depth about what they are going to do.

Cubs normally like to cuddle and sleep with humans around. They can be fed with milk bottles like a human baby. They need to be taken out for a walk, frequently. They wonÂ’t complain if the owners keep other pets along with them. Tigers wish to play wild games around the house. They attack a piece of furniture multiple occasions and drag them from one corner to other, because of their wild instincts of hunting. They will get companionship and would enjoy taking part in with each other, inside the house as well as outside. Downside arises only when the tiger outgrows other pets, as they start biting and attacking the weaker one. They should not only be moved out of the house, but additionally will require an even bigger cage, if a smaller cage was built earlier. The expense for building a larger cage will be huge. When they grow, they need to be shifted to a cage which is at least eighty-seven toes long and thirty-toes tall. A small swimming pool also needs to be built for them, which they can enjoy in the scorching sun.

But once they grow, they grow to be very heavy and the owner finds it troublesome to take it outside for a walk as he will find it unimaginable to manage the leash with the animal’s weight on it. The animals will then begin to miss out the freedom and will typically get aggressive and start roaring a lot. To keep them occupied, the owner can place things strategically, so that the animal gets involved in the activity of sniffing out things and food. They can be given toys to play with, but they gained’t last for long and should be replaced by new ones frequently. They even throw the toys outdoors their cage, which the owner should get it back for him to play again. When the owner leaves the house, even for a while, the animals should be securely tied throughout the cage. There are possibilities that they’ll break open and attack humans in the neighborhood.

After the passage of eighteen months, tigers shed their baby enamel and grow four inches canines. ThatÂ’s when most of the homeowners freak out as a result of although till then they had tamed the animal, but the wild predator will always dwell in the animal. The owners no longer go inside the cage to feed the animal, and even if they do, they carry a pepper spray along with them. Special protective measures should be taken to make sure the security of people not solely in the house, but around the home as well.

Probably the most hectic components is cage keeping. There are probabilities of algae growth which requires lot of scrubbing and water. The previous hay should be thrown out, which makes really huge pile and not to forget animal waste. The water within the swimming pools must also be replaced often. As they’re fed with complete animals, the stays accumulate which ought to be cleaned as they will start decaying. Particularly through the summers, maggots develop quickly if even one cage cleaning schedule is missed.

Exotic Pets: Tortoise

Tortoises are turtles, which live on land and belong to the reptile family of the order Testudines. They too have shell like sea turtles. The top part of the shell is called carapace and the bottom side is named plastron. They have both exoskeleton and endoskeleton. They are active during the day and are very shy animals.

They are very fascinating animals, but their dietary habits are completely different than others. Totally different species have a different diet. They eat huge amounts of food and the calcium and phosphorous stability should be maintained in their diets. The tortoises are also temperature sensitive. Normally it is a good idea to bring the tortoise indoors at night. And when the weather is cold, they should be stored inside totally. But this can be a big problem if the tortoises are big in size. Some species also hibernate during winter. This can be really irritating for the animal as well as the owners. The house owners should provide the pet with special provision for hibernation otherwise the pet will endure with stress.

A pen may be constructed in the yard, where the tortoise can live. The pen should be really sturdy and the fences should be buried deep as some of the tortoises have fascination of digging. They are also very sturdy reptiles. They’ll easily break weaker walls. Also some tortoises are good climbers, so the pen should also be provided with a roof. The roof also saves the tortoise from other dangers such as dog chew, chook attack, etc. The owner must try for possible menace to the pet, also throughout the pen itself. Some vegetation will be harmful if the tortoise feeds on them. So plants that are edible only should be planted or stored in the den.

They should also be provided with water, but the water body should be shallow, so that the tortoise won’t drown in it. Other things which are sharp or which might be chewed and not digested by animal shouldn’t be saved in the pen. Steps also needs to be avoided inside the pen, because while they are climbing they’ll trip and fall over their back, which may be very deadly for them.

Some species grow really big, so this factor must also be thought of while building the pen. In truth, this factor should be considered when buying itself. Different species grow to completely different sizes; have totally different dietary habits, dwelling circumstances, and temperature adaptability. Beginners should definitely go for a captive bred, as they are less troublesome than the ones that come directly from the wild. Also when tortoises are captured from the wild and transported, there are possibilities that they’ll fall unwell and even die due to excessive ranges of stress. Also such kinds of animals carry a wide range of parasites, which can be harmful for the owner as well. When the potential proprietor thinks of buying a tortoise, it should get it completely examined for parasites and other ailments from a vet.

Tortoises prefer to remain alone. They shouldn’t be combined with different pets and no two male tortoises should be kept together as they will struggle and injure each other very seriously. Tortoises have a very long lifespan. They’ll live as much as hundred years. There may be chance of the pet outliving the proprietor, so the owner ought to have everything deliberate and should make a lifetime commitment.

Exotic Pets: Stick Insect

Stick insects belong to Phasmatodean Family. Other insects that also belong to the same family are leaf insects, ghost insects, and walking sticks. There are nearly two thousand and eight hundred species within the Phasmatodean family. The striking characteristic of this family is that the species have a body structure, which helps them to camouflage with the surroundings. Stick insects belong to areas having tropical climates and some of them have wings. Stick insects that are saved as pets can grow four inches and can live up to one year.

Among all the insects, which are kept as pets, stick insects are essentially the most desirable. Some of the favorites are Indian stick insects; Vietnamese thorny stick insects and pink winged flying stick insects. They are desirable as a result of they are low-maintenance and their unique appearance. Their surroundings in captivity should be just like that of their native surrounding. The temperature and humidity should match almost exactly with their unique habitat.

Also the food assets provided to them should be close to the foliage available to them in their natural habitat. Blueberries are among the most favorable foods of stick insects. Other than that, they can be given raspberry, ivy, oak, privet, oak and hawthorn. These insects could be kept in a vivarium or circular jar, which has some holes on the top. The length of the jar should be thrice that of the insect and it should be tall in height. The holes shouldnÂ’t be so big that the insect can escape from it. To be additional careful, a net can be placed over the holes, to utterly forestall them from escaping. The vivarium could be filled with ivy, bramble and privet.

The temperature throughout the jar should be maintained around seventy to seventy-five degree Fahrenheit. At night time the temperatures might be lowered to sixties. The humidity within the vivarium should be moderate. Stick insects are very fragile insects and should be handled with extra care. A lined water container can also be placed and the insect should be allowed to drink from it only under invigilation, as the animal can fall and drown in it.

Stick insects shed skin usually, which they eat. When the insect shed for the sixth time, it indicates that the insect has reached sexual maturity. All of the Indian stick insects are female as they reproduce by parthenogenesis or the eggs are laid and they do not need fertilization by a male. Owners that are interested by breeding can spray water on the eggs and wait till they hatch. After eggs are hatched, offspring might be managed with the help of paintbrushes. Generally the tail has some stays of the egg, which will be gently dismissed with the help of the paintbrush. Also, care should be taken to to not depart pools of water as there can be a probability of bugs drowning in them and dying. And owners that arenÂ’t keen on breeding ought to fully destroy the eggs by boiling, burning, or crushing them.

These bugs shouldn’t be left out within the wild, from captivity. Since they do not belong to the surroundings, there’s a chance that they’ll hurt the ecosystem by reproducing young ones. Insects, which dwell in environments other than their pure habitats are often known as pests. In United States, Indian walking stick bugs are supposed to be plant pest. A special allow is needed to import them.

Exotic Pets: Sugar Gliders

Sugar gliders are marsupials belonging to Indonesia, Australia and New Guinea. They are small gliding possums and weight up to three to five oz. They have a silky fur of the color pearl grey with patches of colors cream and black. The black color is often on their ears and end of the tail. They are named sugar gliders as a result of they can glide because of the patagium or the skin membrane which connects first toe of the hind foot with the fifth finger of the forelimb, on either side. They expand them to create an aerodynamic airplane to glide from one tree to another.

Sugar gliders have the habit of nibbling on each other, and this shouldn’t be confused with biting. They nibble to do many things like testing food, to point out affection, force, groom, etc. Babies initially are taught by biting. When they are angered, they get aggressive and bite really hard. So, new homeowners should be alert until the pets becomes familiar and stops biting. Care should be taken that this biting shouldn’t turn into a habit. Incase, if it turns into a daily conduct, the animal should be held firmly when it bites, so that it can’t move and gets tired of crabbing. Although this takes a long time the pet will ultimately get over its natural instinct. The animal must submit to the owner and it shouldn’t be given the feeling it has won. He must also be released very slowly; otherwise it will chunk again and flee. Also, they can be fed with some food, to appreciate their discipline once they start learning. Additionally they become comfy with humans, after they eat in front of them. Usually female sugar gliders are tough to tame, especially those which come directly from the wild.

Sugar gliders come from a very rough environment. They are basically searching animals. So they should be provided with a rich environment so that they donÂ’t get disturbed mentally. The cage should be very big so that they can leap freely. Small cages hinder the health of the animal. They are also very lively and want exercise. Their cage should be geared up with toys like exercise wheels with a diameter of eleven inches. They are also very inquisitive animals, so new things like cardboard boxes, should be introduced in their cage from time to time to stop boredom. The food can also be placed in different places to keep them on their heels. Food can also be hidden in branch holes, which they can dig out.

The cage of sugar gliders should be cleaned every week to ensure their hygiene. The urine should be spot cleaned as the ammonia in it can be very harmful to the respiratory system of sugar gilders. Also the moisture can encourage the growth of harmful fungus. If the cage isnÂ’t cleaned for a long time, not only will the occupants turn into sick but additionally the house will be filled with odor. Some precautions should be taken while cleaning the cage and also it should be sprayed with disinfectant so as to kill the germs and bacteria.

Sugar gliders are habituated to living in groups. That is the reason why they’re never saved alone as pets, as it will adversely affect their health. It additionally requires attention from humans around it. They cling onto one another when they sleep, so as to keep warm. They convey with one another by squeaking, crabbing, chirping and barking. They’ve a good memory and may retain a grudge in opposition to a human after receiving hurt from him, even if it was attributable to accident.

Females have the flexibility to beget offspring each seven to 10 months. They give delivery to a baby sugar glider after sixteen days of pregnancy, which normally weighs only 0.2 grams. After the birth, the infant shifts to the momÂ’s pouch, where it stays for seventy days and feeds on milk from the nipples. Each the mother and father have equal participation of citing their offspring.