# non-domesticated animals you'd like as a pet **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148 "2004-11-22T18:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/41 "2004-11-23T00:49:45Z")
A raccoon. A few months ago, a mother raccoon discovered our big, self feeding cat food dispenser on our front porch. She’s reared seven babies from our feeder and they are the cutest things! We love to peek through the blinds and watch them wash up before and after their meal. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/42 "2004-11-23T00:50:43Z")
A Beaver ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/43 "2004-11-23T01:47:11Z")
I’ve posted before about my sister’s bobcat. It’s farm-raised and tame, and a gorgeous kitty. Me, I’d like a big tank of jellyfish. Or failing that, a couple of those dogs with bees in their mouths. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/44 "2004-11-23T02:20:52Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > I forgot, I want a hedgehog too. Legal in many juristicions, and they make good pets. There are products and magazines and all. Wolves- try a wolf-dog hybrid. Small cats? Try a Serengeti (a serval mix) or a Bengal (an Asian leopard cat mix) and there is a Lynx mix too, I have heard. I dunno about Alpacas- but a Llama is certainly possible. There are lots of exotic pets out there- mostly legally (like ferrets in CA, for an example of 'sort of" legally) and many exotic cross breeds. ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/45 "2004-11-23T02:25:13Z")
> [@The Devil's Grandmother](#): > > I want a bat, a cute little fruit bat as much as **Jennyrosity** wants a Meerkat. I’m just too lazy to type that much. I am messy, difficult to train and impossibly lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/46 "2004-11-23T02:25:43Z")
I wanna dragon an’ a tiger an’ a wolf an’ a spider monkey an’ a [white fox](http://www.wolfpark.org/images/LOP/Basil.jpg) an’ a squirrel monkey an’ a snow leopard an’ a grizzly bear. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/47 "2004-11-23T02:30:42Z")
Yeah I’m surprised to that **wolf** didn’t show up until 3 dozen postings. I think a **Great Horned Owl** would be nice to have. Really a beautiful bird. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/48 "2004-11-23T02:32:07Z")
[A lot of the things that you all list are for sale](http://www.gotpetsonline.com/cgi-bin/Eware/view_ads.cgi) so quit talking and start shopping. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/49 "2004-11-23T02:42:47Z")
I’d like a little House Sparrow, or two. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/50 "2004-11-23T02:54:17Z")
So, uh, I guess **Jenny** wants a meerkat. They are durn cute lil’ buggers, aren’t they. Anyhoo, I don’t want these as pets, but rather friends: Bonobos, chimps, and/or dolphins, in no particular order (other than alphabetical). Why? Cause they’re smart, social, and I think it would be most excellent to be “adopted” by some. How cool would it be to have a tribe of chimps or a pod of dolphins sort of invite you into the community, y’know? So now and then I could wander off into the jungle, or put on my wetsuit, and we could play or pick nits or do whatever it is you do with these creatures for fun, and I’d learn about them, and them about me, as part of a mutually interesting and enjoyable arrangement. I really wouldn’t have it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/51 "2004-11-23T03:07:31Z")
A monkey. A _girl_ monkey. 😉 JUST KIDDING!!! I just couldn’t resist. Actually, I haven’t really thought about non-doestic pets. A woman I worked with said she had a skunk when she was a kid. That sounds cool… Skunks are so cute! But I think it would be fun to have a magical creature. Or a cat as intelligent as a human, who could sign up on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/52 "2004-11-23T03:17:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Wolves- try a wolf-dog hybrid. Anything that is part wolf is part wild (as wolves are meant to be). I know that some people have domesticated such half-breeds, but for every success story I’ve heard of I’ve also heard of a failure. And don’t get me started on the morons who try to domesticate actual wolves. . . Besides, a wolf-dog hybrid is NOT a wolf. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/53 "2004-11-23T03:30:35Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > [A lot of the things that you all list are for sale](http://www.gotpetsonline.com/cgi-bin/Eware/view_ads.cgi) so quit talking and start shopping. Dang, there are a couple of scary ads there, especially the “I want a grizzly bear!!!1111!!!” one. “Grizzly bear eats teenager. News at 11.” ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/54 "2004-11-23T08:15:28Z")
Nevertheless, I want a grizzly bear. We’d go a’roamin’ through the woods and meadows and catch salmon in the creeks and eat wild blueberries off the mountainsides. He’d be my bud and I’d be his. Failing that, I’d like crows and hummers and sparrows and blue jays that would come visit me in my house and not make a mess. Having dolphin friends would be cool too. ---
**Author:** ![Agonist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@Agonist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agonist)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/55 "2004-11-23T08:57:47Z")
I want a fire lizard. Gold, of course. From this world, though, I’d have to go with a pygmy marmoset, world’s smallest monkey. I’ve heard they’re legal in South America. ---
**Author:** ![Kkrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Kkrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kkrose)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/56 "2004-11-23T09:14:49Z")
I would love to own a river otter, or three. The are just so much fun to watch as they swim about and play with one another. Plus the are impossibly cute, and have you looked up close at their itty bitty little faces. Awwwwww. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hybrid\_dogfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/57 "2004-11-23T09:39:40Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > I’ve wanted a pet ocelot ever since I was a wee kiddie. This has only been reinforced by recent visits to an ocelot sanctuary where I got to enter their cages and interact with them (I even got a hug!) > > If it wasn’t illegal to own one (and probably pretty stupid unless you’ve got a lot of time and energy to invest) I’d love to have one as a pet. Damn you **I** want an ocelot! Anyway, since I can’t actually own an ocelot, let’s have some ocelot links: [ocelot](http://www.csdm.qc.ca/petite-bourgogne/tresor/images/5e/ocelot/ocelot.jpg) [ocelot](http://www.defenders.org/images/fws/ocelot.jpg) [ocelot](http://www.nps.gov/centralamerica/costarica/grafico/ocelot-cub2.jpg) [ocelot](http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/graphics/ocelot4.jpg) [ocelot](http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~ivogel/kwata/ocelot.jpg) [ocelot](http://www.sazoo-aq.org/02meet/02sublinks/02images/ocelot.jpg) [Iggy Pop’s Ocelot Shop](http://www.rathergood.com/ocelot) (Flash with sound) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/58 "2004-11-23T13:35:42Z")
> [@hybrid\_dogfish](#): > > Damn you **I** want an ocelot! Anyway, since I can’t actually own an ocelot, let’s have some ocelot links: > [ocelot](http://www.csdm.qc.ca/petite-bourgogne/tresor/images/5e/ocelot/ocelot.jpg) > [ocelot](http://www.defenders.org/images/fws/ocelot.jpg) > [ocelot](http://www.nps.gov/centralamerica/costarica/grafico/ocelot-cub2.jpg) > [ocelot](http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/graphics/ocelot4.jpg) > [ocelot](http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~ivogel/kwata/ocelot.jpg) > [ocelot](http://www.sazoo-aq.org/02meet/02sublinks/02images/ocelot.jpg) > [Iggy Pop’s Ocelot Shop](http://www.rathergood.com/ocelot) (Flash with sound) Would you settle for an oce **little**? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/59 "2004-11-23T17:00:15Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Anything that is part wolf is part wild (as wolves are meant to be). I know that some people have domesticated such half-breeds, but for every success story I’ve heard of I’ve also heard of a failure. And don’t get me started on the morons who try to domesticate actual wolves. . . > > Besides, a wolf-dog hybrid is NOT a wolf. 🙂 I already liked you after your first wolf post, but that one cinched it. 😉 Yes, in a fantasy world I would like a pet wolf too, but in the real world I prefer my wolves wild and free and not being chased down by armed men in airplanes. I’d also like a koala. And a duck-billed platypus because not one’s said that yet and I could train him to kick people I don’t like because they have venomous spurs on their hind legs. It would also be cool just to say to people, “hey you want to meet my platypus?” ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/60 "2004-11-23T18:57:59Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > I already liked you after your first wolf post, but that one cinched it. 😉 Thanks! 🙂 > [@](#): > > _And a duck-billed platypus because not one’s said that yet and I could train him to kick people I don’t like because they have venomous spurs on their hind legs. It would also be cool just to say to people, “hey you want to meet my platypus?”_ Any time I hear/see the word “platypus,” I think of the old Robin Williams routine about how you just _know_ God was stoned when he created them ([stoner voice]“Ok, so, it’s a mammal . . . _and_ it lays eggs!”[/stoner voice]). . . 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148.md?page=4)