Almost every family has a pet, and sometimes more than one. Traditionally these are guinea pigs, parrots and fish. But some daredevils dare and get very unusual animals that do not like to live in captivity. But love works wonders!

The editors of InPlanet have compiled a list of the most exotic pets that people have in their homes. This is surprising, but most of them do not require special care and can coexist quite peacefully in the same house with a person!

20 Hyacinth Macaw

19 Kangaroo

18 Turtle

17 Silver fox

16 Lama

15 Capybara

14 Spotted genet

13 Skunk

12 Bengal cat

11 Monkey

10 Axolotl

9 Mini donkey

8 Fennec

7 Kinkajou

6 Bearded Dragon

5 Chinchilla

2 Red-footed tarantula

1 Crocodile

A variety of animals bring joy to the house.

Everyone tends to make their own decisions about what kind of pet to get, but not all such actions can be called well-considered.

1. Big cats

Today it is very fashionable to have wild forest or jungle cats, servals, leopards and even lions. There are isolated examples of peaceful coexistence of such animals and humans. But we know that even domestic cats are capricious and difficult to train, but they are prone to affection, but very subtle, and will easily take root in a new home. What can we say about a completely wild animal, whose instincts are all heightened? Of course, you always need to be on guard with such a pet, since in most cases these “domestic” pets sooner or later caused injuries of varying degrees of severity to their owners. However, there are also positive examples of such proximity, for example, the family of the Soviet architect Berberov or the American actress Tippi Hedren.

2. Tender bear

Trainers Yuri and Svetlana Panteleenko have been living under the same roof with a brown bear for 20 years. They bought him from hunters at the market when Stepan (the bear's nickname) was only 3 months old. The owners of such an unusual pet claim that during all these two decades Styopa has not shown aggression, has not bitten anyone and often performs at children's matinees, acts in films and at photo shoots. But it is worth emphasizing once again that this married couple are professionals in training wild animals.

3. Strange pet - anteater

Salvador Dali was the first to own an anteater in the 60s; he attended all social events with it and walked around the city on a golden leash. It was provocative; such a couple could not help but attract attention. Today, a large number of people around the world already have this interesting animal as a pet. He is quite peaceful and can even respond with mutual sympathy. The main thing is not to forget to trim its claws regularly, they are huge, sharp and grow quickly, because in the wild the animal needs to dig out anthills and termite mounds for food. At home, such a “tool” is not useful, and the anteater can be fed with grated vegetables, fruits and ground beef.

4. The smell is not a hindrance - a skunk at home

Residents of the United States of America are increasingly bringing skunks into their homes. If their anal glands, which secrete an odorous secretion, are removed, then they are quite suitable for the role of a pet. Their size is no larger than an ordinary cat, they are friendly, playful and very fond of their owner’s attention, and they know how to persistently demand it.

5. Hippopotamus or favorite hippopotamus

Despite the fact that statistics show that hippopotamuses kill the most people in Africa, as they are very aggressive, one South African family, the Gibberts, dared to get themselves a hippopotamus named Jessica, who lives peacefully in their backyard and is friends with bull terriers.

6. Bison in the house is a reality

An elderly Canadian couple, Jim and Linda Sautner, brought a real bison into their home. Such a colossus in its prime can weigh more than a ton, but for the Sautners it is the most beloved pet. He runs around the house, drives the car and loves to suck Jim's hand. And a family from Texas went even further; they have two bison - Savage and his girlfriend Bullet.

7. Dangerous amphibian - crocodile

Anyone a person is itching to have: frogs, pythons, newts and chameleons, but no one can be surprised by them, so some people, wanting to somehow stand out, get themselves crocodiles. The trouble is that they acquire such pets almost in infancy, small and cute. But this animal grows quite quickly and can reach several meters in length. And then a serious question arises about a place to keep it. In addition, the larger the animal becomes, the more danger it poses to both the owner and the people around him. Therefore, when there is no suitable place or a person’s fear of a grown-up pet begins to prevail, the unfortunate animals are, at best, sent to a farm, and at worst, they are euthanized, or released into the nearest fresh water body, thereby endangering a large number of people and animals. A crocodile will never be domesticated, it is a ferocious, wild animal, which, having lived half its life with a person, very quickly adapts in the wild and will not even remember its “master”, especially if such a favorite is hungry, it will devour it without blinking an eye. and the owner himself.

8. African hedgehog instead of a cat

Pygmy hedgehogs are not uncommon among pets, but they appeared in our latitudes relatively recently. The tiny spiny animal is a dear friend that does not hibernate, unlike ordinary forest hedgehogs. Well, feeding him is as easy as shelling pears – even cat food will do.

9. Wild fox

If such an unusual animal appears in the house, you should keep your eyes open. Foxes are dangerous animals and you have to take special care of them. Even on a walk you can’t relax, because a leash is a leash, and a fox is not a dog. Although often they, like their usual dog friends, can be trained. All that remains is to find a good dog handler.

10. The beautiful lama is the owner of the home sofa

This is exactly the animal that lives in one of the apartments in Moscow. For the owners, she is a true friend, a faithful, obedient pet. The llama quickly adapted to living conditions in the apartment. Even a car for a graceful beauty is not a luxury, but a means of transportation, because the animal often rides with its owner around the city.

For lovers of everything unusual, I suggest you familiarize yourself with several types of animals that can become an alternative to domestic cats, dogs and parrots.

1. Monkey

As a child, I dreamed of having a little monkey at home. I imagined how interesting and fun it would be for us to play with a living, shaggy “doll.” Later I found out that they are not as cute and harmless as they might seem at first glance. Keeping a small chimpanzee at home can be quite a hassle. Unlike a dog, which once and unconditionally recognizes you as the Master, a monkey will constantly have to be reminded who is in charge in your “pack”. That is why they can often attack members of their household without warning, thereby checking whether they already have enough strength to take the place of leader. To keep a monkey at home relatively safe for all family members, it will have to be kept in a cage most of the time, allowing it to roam freely around the house only under supervision.

2. Mini pigs

Mini-pigs began to be bred in Germany about fifty years ago, and they moved into apartment conditions only recently. The ancestors of dwarf pigs are the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and the small wild boar. Mini pigs grow no more than one meter in length and their maximum weight is 30 kg. Even raised in a home environment, an animal can be very capricious, because the blood of a wild boar flows in it. However, mini pigs are easy to train if you take care of this issue in time. Having become accustomed to a person, the animal even allows itself to be scratched and stroked, and can itself ask for affection. Despite their unpleasant reputation, domestic pigs are very neat animals if they are taught to be clean from childhood.

3. Ferret

Ferrets as pets are only slightly inferior in popularity to the dogs and cats we are used to. The ferret (the domestic species of these animals) is a friendly and playful creature when it is not sleeping. Ferrets love to sleep. Twenty hours of sleep a day is common for them. Their inquisitive nature and the fact that in the wild, ferrets live in burrows can cause some trouble for the owners of these cute animals. If you have lost any small item in the apartment, ask your pet. Most likely, he safely dragged her into his hole (read: a gap under the bathroom).

4. Sugar glider

Australian flying squirrels are another type of unusual pet. These are funny animals that lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Once in a new place, the animal exudes a specific aroma, which disappears over time. They make funny hissing and rattling sounds. Apart from zoophobus insects, the diet of sugar gliders can be called vegetarian. They happily gobble up fruits, baby formula, yoghurts, honey, chicken and quail eggs. To prevent the animal from getting bored during your absence, it is better to keep possums in pairs. To keep them you need a spacious enclosure. It is advisable to periodically release them from the cage or enclosure to give the possum the opportunity to straighten its membrane and fly to its heart’s content.

5. Achatina snail

One of my always busy friends lives with a huge Achatina snail named Zhorik. The unpretentious creature does not experience the pangs of loneliness while Angela disappears at work, and does not faint from hunger if there is no one to feed him all day. By the way, adult Achatina is fed only twice a week. Almost anything will do - fruits, vegetables (especially cucumbers), cereals, fish, meat and even mushrooms. An omnivore, however, will not eat foods that are not suitable for it or that could poison it. He is also not at risk of overeating. The snail will eat exactly as much as it needs to be satisfied. Achatina, like the products of its vital activity, has absolutely no odor, which is another advantage in its content. The undoubted advantage of this type of pet is that you can safely leave them unattended when going on vacation. Left without a source of food and drink, the snail simply falls asleep and can remain in this state for up to two months! When you return from vacation, do not forget to wake the snail under running warm water and feed it immediately. Achatina at home live on average 7-10 years, are able to recognize their owners, do not emit sounds or smells, are completely undemanding in care, and do not cause allergies.

6. Meerkat

Originally from the Republic of South Africa, where they can be found quite often as pets, meerkats appeared in our country quite recently. The cute animals, weighing just over one kilogram, are very sociable and do not tolerate loneliness. If there are already any animals in the house, the meerkat will definitely make friends with them. Their behavior is more reminiscent of domestic cats - just as playful and affectionate. A cat litter box and house, preferably of an oblong shape, are also suitable for keeping, since in nature meerkats live in burrows. When walking outdoors, it is mandatory to use a leash, since an escaped pet on the street is completely helpless and may die.

7. Iguana

One of the most commercially available reptiles, the iguana is becoming an increasingly popular pet. However, lovers of exotic animals should be aware that keeping these animals is not as easy as pet traders promise, and not at all cheap. It is for this reason that an adult iguana is quite rare. Before you decide to buy an original pet, you need to carefully study the rules of caring for it. And only if you can provide the iguana with all the conditions it needs, bring it into your home.

8. Tarantula Spider

One thing I will definitely never have is a spider. But if you are not an arachnophobe and love extreme sports, perhaps this is just your option. Tarantula spiders got their name because in the wild they can easily kill a chick. In captivity, they are content with eating cockroaches. The largest tarantulas can reach sizes of over 10 centimeters. To keep them, they need a terrarium and an air temperature from 23 to 28C. Having eaten mice and cockroaches, the spider “throws away its legs” and can lie motionless for several days, digesting its food. Loves to sit on the palm of your hand and enjoy the warmth of the human body. Simply cute.

The fashion of keeping wild animals at home has existed for a long time. True, they try not to keep bloodthirsty animals at home that are life-threatening. But people love strange animals. And this is already a new fashion trend. The trendsetters here, as elsewhere, are the stars. Surely everyone has heard about Leonardo DiCaprio's huge turtle, George Clooney's pig, Parris Hilton's Kinkajou raccoon, and Ruppert Greene's mini-pig.

Mini pig

It is believed that if you start training a mini-pig in time, it can turn out to be a moderately well-mannered piglet. Although, with a weight of 30 kilograms and a length of 1 meter, it is quite difficult to imagine it in an apartment. It should be noted that mini-pigs began to be kept at home not so long ago, although they have been bred in Germany for more than 50 years.

Ferret

2

Recently, lovers of unusual pets have fallen in love with ferrets. By the way, ferrets are not much inferior in popularity to other pets. The ferret, the so-called domestic species of ferret, is a friendly animal that loves to play, for example, by hiding small things of its owners in “burrows”: under the sofa, bathtub, behind the closet.

Monkey

3

Considering that this herd animal in the wild is constantly in the fight for the place of leader, anyone who intends to keep a monkey at home will often have to remind it who is boss. There have been cases of monkeys attacking their owners.

Achatina snail

4

Achatina snails are convenient because they are omnivores (they will not die of hunger), do not need walks, and, in addition, left without food and the supervision of the owner, these huge snails simply fall asleep and spend a couple of months in hibernation. The intelligence of these animals allows them to recognize the owner, they are even prone to addiction. Achatina snails live for about 7-10 years.

Tarantula spider

5

But if you decide to get a tarantula spider, make sure that all kinds of small songbirds and parrots leave your home. In their absence, these spiders will have enough of cockroaches and mice. Usually these spiders, which reach 10 centimeters in length, are kept in terrariums, but they also love to bask in the palm of their owner.

Iguana

6

Recently, the popularity of the iguana has increased among lovers of unusual animals. This reptile can easily injure an adult with its sharp claws, and its maintenance is quite expensive.

Ant-eater

7

The anteater is also growing in popularity. Justified. These clean, funny animals are unpretentious in food, behave quite calmly, and do not cause any special problems for their owners. It is said that the popularity of the anteater in the United States has increased since Americans saw Salvador Dali walking through city streets with his pet on a leash.

The strangest pet

8

We have already discussed the oddities of lovers of anteaters and mini-pig kangaroos. It's time for lovers of even stranger animals - hippos - to start exploring. For example, a small hippo they rescued during a flood was “adopted” by a husband and wife living in South Africa. Grateful, Jessica is said to refuse to leave her rescuers.

In today's world, it's hard to surprise anyone with anything. However, there are people who keep wild animals at home, trying to adhere to fashion. There are absolutely strange pets.

Fashion for unusual pets

In recent years, people are increasingly adopting as a pet not a budgerigar, puppy, hamster or kitten, but an exotic unusual animal. The fashion for rare breeds of dogs is a thing of the past; no one will be surprised by an extremely expensive purebred cat or a huge talking parrot. Now completely different pets are in fashion, which are difficult to imagine in the same home with a person. In many ways, the fashion for having non-standard pets has been influenced by celebrities. We know about Leonardo DiCaprio's seventeen-kilogram turtle, George Clooney's big pig, Parris Hilton's Kinkajou raccoon, and Ruppert Greene's mini-pig.

Mini pig

Breeding mini-pigs began in Germany half a century ago, but they became pets living in apartments only recently. The weight of an adult mini-pig does not exceed thirty kilograms, and the length is one meter. Exotic mini-pigs can be trained If training is started in time, a mini-pig can become a completely “well-mannered” piglet. These are neat creatures, especially if they are taught to be clean from childhood.

Ferret

Ferrets are extremely popular among those who want to have an unusual pet. Surprisingly, in popularity they are quite a bit inferior to cats and dogs. The domestic type of ferret is the ferret. The animal is distinguished by its friendliness and love of games while awake. It should be noted that they are awake a little - no more than four hours a day. Ferrets become habitual pets Since the ferret is a burrowing creature, many small things of the owners disappear and end up somewhere under the bathtub or behind the sofa. This quality, as well as the inquisitive nature of ferrets, causes some trouble for owners.

Monkey

Keeping a monkey at home is not easy. It is difficult for this animal to recognize its owner as a leader. She will have to be reminded quite often about who is in charge in the family. From time to time, this animal may attack members of the household, wanting to take the place of leader. Some people prefer to keep monkeys in the house. A monkey that is kept as a pet spends most of its time in a cage. She walks freely around the house only under supervision.

Achatina snail

Huge snails can also be pets. They are unpretentious, never get bored, do not need walking, and only need to be fed twice a week. The animal is omnivorous and is ready to eat fruits, fish, porridge, meat and mushrooms. Unpretentious domestic snails - Achatina When wanting to go on vacation, the owner of a huge snail does not have to worry about it, since, left without food, Achatina simply falls asleep and can sleep for about two months. The Achatina snail gets used to its owner and recognizes him. The lifespan of this creature is from seven to ten years.

Tarantula spider

Extreme sports enthusiasts keep tarantula spiders in their homes. In the wild, they can easily cope with chicks, but when kept at home they are content with cockroaches and mice. Tarantulas are kept in terrariums. They love to sit in the palm of their owner. The length of these spiders is about ten centimeters. House tarantula spider

Iguana

Buying an iguana today is not difficult. This is an affordable reptile species that has recently become quite popular as a pet. Iguanas can also be kept at home. Keeping an iguana is not easy and not at all cheap. In addition, she has sharp claws that can easily injure humans. An iguana at home rarely survives to adulthood, as it dies if not kept properly.

Ant-eater

A popular pet in the USA is the anteater. Owners describe them as calm, unpretentious in food, clean and funny animals. Their popularity continues to grow. It is possible that this unusual animal became popular as a pet after Salvador Dali walked with his anteater on a leash through the city streets. In the USA it is fashionable to keep anteaters in the house

Kayote

Experts say that there are no more unpredictable animals than coyotes: “They will eat your pets, and then get to your face when you fall asleep.”

32-year-old writer and photographer Shreve Stockton, who has had a real coyote named Charlie for more than 2 years, will most likely disagree with this.

The unusual pet was given to the woman by her boyfriend Mike, who worked as a hunter for the US Department of Agriculture. His job was to shoot wild animals that strayed too close to residential areas. One day, Mike came across a hole in which there was a coyote abandoned by his parents, born just a few days ago. In such cases, it is prescribed to simply drown the puppies of wild animals, but Mark’s hand did not rise and he decided to give an unusual find to his lady of his heart. At first, Stockton thought it was an ordinary dog ​​puppy, and her gentleman did not dissuade the happy girl. A few months later, Stockton took her pet to the veterinarian, who told her that it was not a pikinese puppy at all, but a very wild coyote and suggested that she euthanize the dangerous animal, to which Shreve responded with a categorical refusal.

As experts predicted, Charlie devoured all of Shreve's pets; only one cat survived, which was nursing a coyote. The woman was afraid that the next time a predator would decide to feast on her face, she built an enclosure in her house, fenced with a lattice, to which electricity was supplied...

Skunks

Some people love pussies, others dogs, rats, pigs... we can go on and on, but it’s unlikely that there are many people in the world who adore skunks.

One of these strange lovers of these stinkers is 51-year-old Deborah Caprine, who professionally breeds these cute animals.

“Every morning I take my furbabies for a walk and I’m just disgusted to watch people turn their noses up at us, cross to the other side of the street or run away shouting “SKUNKS!!!”, says Deborah. “Despite their reputation, skunks are incredibly clean and use their defensive weapons only in exceptional cases.”

Every morning, Caprine gets up at 6 a.m. to feed her pets before leaving for work. The lady doesn’t know exactly how many skunks she has, but she says that there are at least 60 cages scattered around her house, which she washes of excrement every day, so that the number of animals can reach up to 80. In the morning, for two hours, the woman feeds the horde of hungry ones animals with frozen vegetables, and at night with dog food mixed with fresh vegetables, fruits, chicken, yogurt, cheese and oatmeal. Every month Caprine spends more than $700 on food for her pets.

“If you decide to get a skunk, you must feed it correctly, otherwise the animal begins to lose bone mass and will soon die,” Deborah Caprine instructs skunk lovers.

Fox

A 10-day-old fox cub was brought to one of the pet stores in Dichilling, England, and the store owner, Stephen Adinkton, liked it. The man felt sorry for the baby and decided to raise him and then release him into the forest. Stephen brought the wild, but so cute and defenseless animal home and soon the little fox became part of his small family.

Stephen and his wife Nola fell in love with the little fox, who was given the name Miss Snook (English snook - long nose), but when the time came, they released their pet into the forest. The married couple was never able to properly grieve, because... within a couple of hours Miss Snooks returned home. The Edinktons made several more attempts to return the fox to its native habitat, but the result was always the same - the devoted animal returned home.

“When Miss Snooks returned, she didn’t eat or play for several days, but just lay there, huddled in a corner, making it clear with her whole appearance that she was angry with us,” says Nora.

The owners say that the fox, in all its habits and behavior, is practically no different from an ordinary cat: she loves to sleep for a long time on a duvet, loves to be scratched behind her ears and sharpens her claws, peeling off wallpaper. Miss Snooks eats chicken, cat food and, oddly enough, coffee beans.

Mr Edington admits that caring for such an animal is a lot of work, but despite this, he is happy that the fox appeared in his life: “I think it was fate. She completely changed my life. Miss Snukki is the best pet, and most importantly incredibly loyal."

Crocodile

Check out this toothy beauty nestled so comfortably on her owner's lap. You won't believe it, but this is not just another new-fangled hairless cat breed, but a real crocodile. This predatory reptile's name is Johnny and he simply dotes on his owner Vicky Lowvin, who fulfills all the whims of her pet.

“He is very affectionate and constantly asks to sit on my lap,” says the owner of the pet monster. For some time now, Johnny began to have his teeth filed, because... in the heat of the game, he had already broken his mistress’s right hand several times.

As Vicki says, a crocodile crawled to her doorstep in 1996 and scared her very much: “I tried to drive him away, but he didn’t want to leave my porch. Today Johnny is 15 and I just adore him." Besides Johnny, Vicky also has two other crocodiles, a python, several lizards, a turtle and horses.

Vicki Lawlens, 53, lives with her teenage son in Melbourne, Australia.

Johnny loves fried chicken wings, bacon and frozen rats. “When you have a crocodile living at home, you have to be on alert all the time: if you accidentally step on it, it will attack instantly, which is why the lights are on in our house all the time. There were several occasions when he bit my legs badly and even broke my arm a couple of times. I understand that he did not do this out of malice - it’s just his nature. But after the last incident, my 16-year-old son Andrew made me file Joni's teeth.

Vicky says that Johnny appeared in their family a year after the birth of her son, and she very often left the toothy creature alone with the baby so that the “children” could get used to each other. “One day, I was preparing breakfast and heard Andrew scream, I went to his room... It turned out that Johnny ate his favorite little train,” - this is such a funny and quite everyday story with a smile on his face he tells, in all likelihood, not entirely adequate woman.

Raccoon

Raccoons are often kept as pets in America, where these animals are widespread. Charming bumpkins with a touching expression on their faces and tenacious fingers have won more than one heart. Raccoons are extremely intelligent creatures and are fun to interact with. In addition, they are soft and fluffy - and many consider these qualities to be almost the most important for pets. Raccoons are easily litter trained and are undemanding when it comes to food.

However, sometimes owners don’t like the intelligence of raccoons. These animals love to unscrew everything that falls into their paws. And rinsing various objects in water is the calling of a true raccoon. So you need to keep an eye on the pranksters. If you offend a raccoon, it behaves like a cat, that is, it takes revenge. For example, he tears off wallpaper on the walls. Raccoons can also bite and behave inappropriately, so it is better not to have them if you have children at home.

The strangest pet

It seems quite strange that a person would want to live next to an anteater, a kangaroo or a llama. No less strange is the fact that a person gets a tarantula spider, crocodile or skunk at home. But it is quite unusual for a person to have a hippopotamus as their pet. Pygmy domestic hippopotamus A couple living in South Africa got themselves such a pet. More than ten years ago, they rescued a baby hippopotamus during a flood. Since then, the grateful animal named Jessica does not want to leave her saviors. She has her own sleeping place - this is a mattress on the terrace of the house. However, it is not very often that wild animals are kept in the house. The website uznayvse.ru has an article about the most dangerous animals on Earth.

Difficulties of keeping exotic animals

Not all animals do well in captivity. If cats and dogs have lived next to humans for thousands of years and have become completely tame, this cannot be said about other pets. Some of them are not tamed at all. For example, it is impossible to tame an owl: although after the release of the books about Harry Potter, many began to have these birds, this fashion quickly passed away, since these birds did not at all want to be friends with their owners. Reptiles also cannot be tamed: you should not expect them to respond to affection or generally demonstrate love for their owner in any way.

Many exotic animals require special conditions, and in a city apartment they feel unwell, get sick and waste away. Medical care for unusual pets can also be difficult. Veterinarians who are experienced in treating canine and feline diseases may not have a good understanding of the diseases of capybaras, raccoons or alligators.

Finally, difficulties are possible with feeding. Most exotics require a special diet, foods that may not be easy to find far from the animals’ permanent habitat. Thus, even zoos refuse to keep koalas because they cannot provide them with suitable food. For private owners unusual animals it's even more difficult. Of course, not all animals are picky about food; many are happy with surrogates, but still, before purchasing an unusual pet, you should find out all the information about caring for it and evaluate your capabilities in this regard.