ExNOTic: Should We Be Keeping Exotic Pets?

Abstract

There has been a recent trend towards keeping non-traditional companion animals, also known as exotic pets. These pets include parrots, reptiles, amphibians and rabbits, as well as small species of rodent such as degus and guinea pigs. Many of these exotic pet species are not domesticated, and often have special requirements in captivity, which many owners do not have the facilities or knowledge to provide. Keeping animals in settings to which they are poorly adapted is a threat to their welfare. Additionally, owner satisfaction with the animal may be poor due to a misalignment of expectations, which further impacts on welfare, as it may lead to repeated rehoming or neglect. We investigate a range of commonly kept exotic species in terms of their suitability as companion animals from the point of view of animal welfare and owner satisfaction, and make recommendations on the suitability of various species as pets.

Implications for Conservation of Collection of Mediterranean Spur-Thighed Tortoise as Pets in Morocco: Residents’ Perceptions, Habits, and Knowledge

“…In our study, tortoise owners rarely make use of available sources of information (e.g., books, the Internet, or a vet's assessment) to familiarize themselves with the species' habits and requirements, which may explain their limited knowledge of the species. This scarcity of owners' knowledge regarding a basic understanding of their pets and their welfare has also been observed in studies developed in the USA and Canada with other pet reptile species [42,[57][58][59]. In our study, most people did not know about tortoises' reproduction habits, and even acknowledged difficulties in identifying the gender of the tortoise kept at home.…”

Popularity of pet otters on YouTube: evidence of an emerging trade threat

“…People have been domesticating wild animals (Driscoll and Macdonald 2010) and keeping exotic species for centuries (Mitchell 2009;Grigson 2016); but recent decades have seen a notable increase in the keeping of exotic (non-domesticated) companion animals (Grant et al 2017) and global demand for these species is a significant driver of contemporary wildlife trade, accounting for almost a fifth of recent wildlife trade reports (Baker et al 2013). Animals kept as pets range from parrots, songbirds and falcons, to turtles, lizards, snakes and fish, to small primates and big cats (Bush et al 2014;Gallagher 2017), and involve vertebrate and invertebrate taxa (e.g.…”

“…data; trade.cites.org). Exotic pets have special requirements in captivity, which owners may not be aware of, or are unable to provide (Grant et al 2017;Warwick et al 2018); consequently, exotic pets often end up abandoned or in rescue centres (e.g. Cheyne 2009).…”

Guidelines for Inspection of Companion and Commercial Animal Establishments

“…This diversity of species introduces significant inspection and husbandry problems, for example, difficulties in identifying species and their legality, risk to human health and safety, and biological needs. Welfare of captive animals (notably exotics) is frequently and inherently compromised by captive conditions, for example, inability to exhibit natural behavior such as climbing, flying, and burrowing or to roam freely over large distances, as well as imposed abnormal conditions such as transparent boundaries that are not accepted psychologically by some species ( 5 – 8 ). In addition, there are important animal and human health issues that require appreciable understanding of risk prevention and zoonotic disease control ( 9 – 14 ).…”