Why Exotic Animals Don't Make Good Pets

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Dr. Marcia Martin and we're here at Safe Harbor Animal Rescue in Jupiter, Florida. Today we're going to talk a little bit about why exotic animals don't make good pets. The first thing I want to say is an exotic animal should never ever ever be an impulse purchase. You should not go into a pet store and see the monkey in the cage and decide to take it home that very day without doing your research. Now the first thing you want to learn about exotic animals is how big is the animal that you have in mind going to be. Will you have room for it in your house? Do you have accommodations that will fit that animal? The second thing you want to think about is how long is it going to live? Certain tortoises and birds can live 100 years. Do you have somebody in mind who will take care of this animal after you're gone and how much fun is owning an exotic really when you think about it? If you own a big cat or a primate you have to be there for that animal 24/7. It's not like you can pay the kid down the street to come in and house sit because they are dangerous animals, they need special care and they generally really only like or tolerate one person around them. The other thing you need to think about is is this really going to be fun, feeding a giant snake? A python is cute when it is four feet long. When it's twenty feet long it's really not that cute and is it all that much fun? They don't do a lot, they sit in their cage and you have to feed they live prey. Will that be distasteful of you over time feeding live prey to your animal? Is it going to smell bad? There are certain exotic animals that have a very pungent odor. Is it going to become annoying to you in the future? Is it dangerous to you, your neighbors, your other pets, or the environment? Big cats, primates, can cause lethal damage to humans and to other animals. Animals left loose because we're tired of them can cause huge risks to the environment. Animals like Quaker parakeets that can get out and breed can take over an environment and push out native species, the same with reptiles that have been left in places like the Everglades. They are killing off the native species and sort of taking over so you have to be responsible as a pet owner if you are going to own an exotic pet but the one thing I can tell you if you are even considering an exotic pet. Go online, do your research. Talk to people who actually own one, go to the zoos, handle one before you make that decision to go out and purchase it."