Exotic Pets: Tigers

Tigers are felines which are extremely popular among pet lovers who have immense passion for exotic animals. At the same time they are also probably the most dangerous of all the exotic pets. In the first place, it is really troublesome to get a permit for them to be kept as pets. And even if the owner gets the permit, they have to face other issues like finance, accountability, threats, and regulatory issues so much so that even the local inspector drops by now and again to inspect the animal and the dwelling circumstances offered by the owner. Although owing a tiger sounds impressive but it is more like building castle on clouds.

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

Cubs usually 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 gained’t complain if the house owners keep other pets along with them. Tigers prefer to play wild games around the house. They attack a piece of furniture multiple times and drag them from one corner to other, because of their wild instincts of hunting. They will get companionship and would get pleasure from enjoying with each other, inside the house as well as outside. Problem 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 in addition will require a bigger cage, if a smaller cage was built earlier. The expense for building a larger cage can be huge. Once they grow, they need to be shifted to a cage which is at least eighty-seven feet long and thirty-toes tall. A small swimming pool also needs to be built for them, which they’ll get pleasure from in the scorching sun.

But once they grow, they become very heavy and the owner finds it troublesome to take it outdoors for a walk as he will find it impossible to manage the leash with the animalÂ’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 wonÂ’t last for long and should be replaced by new ones frequently. They even throw the toys outside 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 within the cage. There are chances that they will break open and attack humans in the neighborhood.

After the passage of eighteen months, tigers shed their baby teeth and grow four inches canines. ThatÂ’s when a lot of the house owners 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 ought to be taken to make sure the protection of people not solely in the house, but around the house as well.

One of the vital hectic parts is cage keeping. There are probabilities of algae progress which requires lot of scrubbing and water. The outdated hay needs to be thrown out, which makes actually massive pile and not to neglect animal waste. The water within the swimming pools also needs to get replaced often. As they’re fed with whole animals, the stays accumulate which must be cleaned as they may begin decaying. Particularly throughout the summers, maggots develop quickly if even one cage cleansing schedule is missed.

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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 almost two thousand and eight hundred species throughout the Phasmatodean family. The striking function 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 stored 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 probably 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 much like that of their native surrounding. The temperature and humidity should match nearly exactly with their unique habitat.

Also the food resources 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. Aside from that, they can be given raspberry, ivy, oak, privet, oak and hawthorn. These insects can be stored in a vivarium or circular jar, which has some holes on the top. The length of the jar should be three times 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 extra careful, a web could be placed over the holes, to fully forestall them from escaping. The vivarium can be filled with ivy, bramble and privet.

The temperature within the jar should be maintained around seventy to seventy-five degree Fahrenheit. At night the temperatures may be lowered to sixties. The humidity within the vivarium should be moderate. Stick insects are very fragile insects and should be handled with additional care. A coated 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. Homeowners that are interested in breeding can spray water on the eggs and wait till they hatch. After eggs are hatched, offspring may be managed with the help of paintbrushes. Sometimes the tail has some remains of the egg, which will be gently dismissed with the help of the paintbrush. Also, care should be taken to not to leave pools of water as there could be a chance of bugs drowning in them and dying. And owners that arenÂ’t all for breeding should completely destroy the eggs by boiling, burning, or crushing them.

These insects should not be not noted in the wild, from captivity. Since they do not belong to the environment, there is a chance that they’ll harm the ecosystem by reproducing young ones. Insects, which dwell in environments apart from their natural habitats are generally known as pests. In United States, Indian walking stick insects are speculated to be plant pest. A particular allow is needed to import them.

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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 energetic during the day and are very shy animals.

They are very fascinating animals, but their dietary habits are completely different than others. 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 saved inside totally. But this can be a big downside if the tortoises are big in size. Some species also hibernate during winter. This can be really stressful for the animal as well as the owners. The owners should provide the pet with special provision for hibernation otherwise the pet will endure with stress.

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

They should also be provided with water, but the water body should be shallow, so that the tortoise received’t drown in it. Other things which are sharp or which will be chewed and not digested by animal shouldn’t be kept in the pen. Steps must also be prevented within 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-about while building the pen. In truth, this factor should be considered when buying itself. Different species grow to totally different sizes; have completely different dietary habits, living circumstances, and temperature adaptability. Beginners should actually 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 will fall ailing and even die because of high levels of stress. Additionally such sorts of animals carry a wide range of parasites, which could be dangerous for the owner as well. When the potential owner thinks of buying a tortoise, it ought to get it thoroughly examined for parasites and different diseases from a vet.

Tortoises prefer to remain alone. They shouldnÂ’t be blended with different pets and no two male tortoises should be kept together as they will combat and injure one another very seriously. Tortoises have a very lengthy lifespan. They can live as much as hundred years. There can be chance of the pet outliving the owner, so the proprietor should have everything deliberate and will make a lifetime commitment.

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Exotic Pets: Snakes

Snakes are limbless, cold-blooded and scaly reptiles belonging to the order of Squamata. Maintaining snakes as pets will be easy only if their requirements are understood deeply. Their needs are completely different from other reptiles. Homeowners must also understand that some of them grow very massive and might turn into dangerous with the passage of time. There are several types of snakes available for pet homeowners with totally different preferences. Every snake has a different weight-reduction plan and want completely different environment to live in. Snakes, which are kept as exotic pets, range from widespread garter snake to pythons. Snakes sometimes also cross forty years of age; so potential house owners should pay attention to this truth and be ready to make lifetime commitment before pondering of maintaining 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 must 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 danger to its life.

Normally snakes which were bred in captivity are a wonderful choice as pets. Wild snakes carry a lot of illnesses and parasites with them, get really stressed with the transportation and are very difficult to be tamed. King snakes, ball pythons and corn snakes are common choices. Their diet and environmental needs arenÂ’t as sophisticated as other species of snakes. They are also small in size, but the king snakes can generally grow up to seven feet. Ball pythons have eating issues. They wish 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 useless prey readily or not.

The more difficult snakes that are kept, 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 robust snakes. They grow more than twenty ft and weigh more than two hundred pounds. Even red-tailed boas develop as much as ten toes and weigh more than fifty ponds. They are additionally tough to be managed by one person. All these species demand proper temperatures and humidity in their environment.

Reticulated pythons and anacondas are extraordinarily harmful exotic pets. Some strictly advocate in opposition to maintaining them as pets. Another selection that’s deadly is venomous snakes. They not solely are a menace to the owner and his relations but also to people in the neighborhood, if it escapes.

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

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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 normally on their ears and end of the tail. They are named sugar gliders as a result of they’re able to 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 plane 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 house owners 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 regular habits, the animal should be held firmly when it bites, so that it can’t move and gets bored with crabbing. Although this takes a long time the pet will eventually get over its natural instinct. The animal must submit to the owner and it shouldn’t be given the feeling it has won. He should also be released very slowly; otherwise it is going to chunk again and flee. Also, they can be fed with some food, to appreciate their discipline once they start learning. Additionally they become comfortable with humans, when they eat in front of them. Normally 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 principally hunting 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 energetic and want exercise. Their cage should be equipped 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 on occasion to forestall 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 will 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 grow to be sick but additionally the house can be filled with odor. Some precautions should be taken while cleaning the cage and in addition 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 by no means kept alone as pets, as it will adversely have an effect on their health. It additionally requires consideration from people round it. They cling onto each other after they sleep, so as to keep warm. They convey with each other by squeaking, crabbing, chirping and barking. They’ve a great reminiscence and might retain a grudge against a human after receiving hurt from him, even when it was brought on by accident.

Females have the power to beget offspring every seven to 10 months. They give delivery to a child sugar glider after sixteen days of being pregnant, which normally weighs only 0.2 grams. After the beginning, the infant shifts to the motherÂ’s pouch, the place it stays for seventy days and feeds on milk from the nipples. Each the mom and father have equal participation of citing their offspring.

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