What makes animals exotic

Guinea Pigs. Birds In Cages. Rabbits are small mammals found naturally in several parts of the world. Rabbit habitats include woods, meadows, grasslands, deserts and wetlands. These intelligent, social animals live in groups, and the best known species, the European rabbit, lives in underground burrows, or rabbit holes.

Rabbits are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk. Rabbits are herbivores who feed on grass, nuts and berries, vegetables and fruit. They dig burrows to hide and store food. Their large ears allow them to easily detect predators. Fish in Tanks. Help Save Exotic Animals. Exotic Pets Many people appreciate the mystic and beauty of exotic animals such as reptiles, amphibians, birds or mammals of non-native species or individuals of native species that have been raised in captivity.

They succumb to the temptation of purchasing critters, reptiles, amphibians and other exotic animals, often on impulse. Too often little thought is put into the care and commitment necessary to properly provide for these animals.

Parents frequently purchase the animals as learning aids or entertainment for their children who are far too young to be responsible for an intelligent, emotional, living being. Most critters, reptiles, amphibians and exotic animals are mass produced by the pet trade They are viewed by the pet trade businesses as money making objects.

Profit is placed above their welfare. They are denied veterinary care, exercise and socialization. Many are captured from the wild and transported long distances. They are packed into crates and trucked or flown hundreds of miles to brokers and pet stores Life in captivity for these animals often leads to neglect, pain, emotional distress and death.

Many suffer from malnutrition, unnatural and uncomfortable environments and extreme stress from confinement. While they may look cute and cuddly, wild animals are wild and have very special husbandry requirements.

Trauma and injuries are common, and they are tossed aside when their novelty fades. Pet shops treat animals as if they are no different than pet supplies or bags of animal food. They have no standards for whom they peddle the animals to. Internet businesses ship live animals to anyone with a credit card. Although some of us may treat our companion animals well, many are treated poorly and neglected.

Most spend only a short time in a home before they are dumped at a pound, given away or released into the wild. Selling these animals denies homes to millions of homeless and unwanted animals who await adoption in animal shelters. An outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease END , which resulted in the deaths of 12 million birds in the U. Many countries also prohibit domestic sales or possession of certain animals.

In the U. In addition, nonprofits around the world have been trying to shut down the exotic pet trade by educating people about the harms of owning these animals. Research conducted by the World Animal Protection, a U. All rights reserved.

Booming demand People have kept exotic pets throughout history, but demand for unique creatures has exploded in recent years. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.

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LinkedIn Twitter Facebook. What's wrong with having a wild animal as a pet? You can't provide the right home for them. Apes are a special concern. You could get hurt. You could get sick.

It would probably be illegal. Many state, county and city ordinances prohibit the ownership of wild animals as pets. What types of animals do make good pets? Responsibly captive-bred parakeets, canaries, cockatiels, doves, and pigeons. Visit a shelter Millions of dogs and cats are destroyed each year because they don't have homes.