# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/81 "2004-11-24T07:46:20Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > thanks, that’s going to be with me ALL WEEKEND now! grr…I have to fly tomorrow, which means I’ll be bored, which means that this song will come popping into my head at random intervals… > > Not that I’d object to anyone who wants to send me a hippo, they’re so cute, like giant pigs. But I could train it to attack, so it would be my watch-hippo, and I’d have “Beware of Hippo” signs everywhere. People wouldn’t take them seriously, but when the hippo attacked, the couldn’t sue, because I did warn them! 🙂 > > It’s all part of my master plan to rule the world, starting with the cute and fuzzies and working my way up…but don’t tell anyone, ok? But… but… I DO want a hippopotamus. More accurately one of THESE [http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/kids/animalfacts/Pygmyhippo/Pygmyhippo.htm](http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/kids/animalfacts/Pygmyhippo/Pygmyhippo.htm) Oh Yes, pygmy hippos. Rock. BTW to the person who wanted a mini rhino, google “Sumatran Rhinoceros” :\> ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/82 "2004-11-24T08:38:15Z")
Ooohhh, I’ve wanted a kinkajou for a pet since I was a little kid. There was at least one up for sale on the link Shagnasty posted, and it makes me wish I had an extra $2000 lying around. Or, failing that, I’d settle for a monkey or a chimpanzee. Or a dolphin. ---
**Author:** ![yastobaal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/258eb7/32.png) [@yastobaal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yastobaal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/83 "2004-11-24T15:53:00Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Armadillo. Kinda like a cat crossed with Mad Max. I love this discription. Anyways to the OP. Meercats are cute so I would not say no to one but what I really want would be a cuddly tiger or a cute wolf with the softest fur. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/84 "2004-11-24T22:11:59Z")
I found another animal I would like to have: [A male Liger](http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/cross02a.htm) It looks so cool, with the lion’s mane and tiger stripes… ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/85 "2004-11-25T04:36:06Z")
Just thought of something. Get a pet raccoon, and train it to smoke a corn cob pipe. Teach it to fill the bowl, light it with a lighter or matches, and blow smoke rings. Trotting around the house trailing the aroma of vanilla. Oh, PETA will be after my ass now. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/86 "2004-11-25T07:56:59Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > [A male Liger](http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/cross02a.htm) It looks so cool, with the lion’s mane and tiger stripes… Holy shit! I had heard of crossbreeds between tigers and lions, but never seen pics of them. In \*\*Anne Neville’s \*\* link there’s a pic of such a hybrid (with Seigfried and Roy?) and it shows how _freakingly_ large it is. Scary! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/87 "2004-11-25T08:12:43Z")
I always wanted a pet ourangutan. I’d train him to be a butler-personal servant. He wouldmix drinks for me and take out the garbage. Also, with those humugous arms, he’ would be great on construction work. Lastly, I’d take him to bars…imagine how pissed the local bodybuilders would be, trying to arm wrestle him! Are ourangutans ahppy living with humans? Do they get along in clothes? ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/88 "2004-11-25T11:39:53Z")
[For those wanting exotic cats.](http://www.junglemtnexotics.com/) I always wanted a crow. Dad had one when he was a kid, and he said the thing would follow you around like a dog. They can learn to talk, too, I’m told. Raccoons make fascinating pets if you hand raise them from babies. We rescued more than a few from the side of the road over the years. Females are recommended. ---
**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 25, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/89 "2004-11-25T20:29:29Z")
Okay, if pure fantasy is allowed… I’d like a dragon. A tiny one, about the size of a rat. To light my cigarettes ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/90 "2004-11-26T01:26:40Z")
Wow, where do I start? I want a monkey. Or an ape small enough to sit on my shoulder. I want a squirrel. I want a leopard to slink along beside me as I walk. Or a white tiger. I want an ostrich. They’re so cool. A little aggressive, but cool. I’d want a giraffe, but then I’d have to find a house with really tall ceilings, and that might be difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/91 "2004-11-30T16:15:18Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I’d want a [wombat.](http://www.tased.edu.au/tot/fauna/wombat.html) > They look so cuddly. Why, thank you! I’d enjoy a wombat as a pet, too, but not as much as I’d enjoy a mountain lion. The nature center in town has some, and I love watching them play with the keeper. The wolf-dog hybrid thing works very well. I used to have a timber wolf-malemute cross. He looked like he was 100% wolf. Extremely intelligent, very protective of the family (especially the kids). I’d love to get another one, but we’ve got too darned many dogs at the moment. I’ve had quite a few different critters over the years, most of which were obviously domesticated animals (e.g., cats, dogs, gerbils, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, rabbits, chickens…). Of the others, some have made pretty good pets (e.g., our iguana, Oscar and some very tame fish in our outdoor pond that would eat out of my hand and allow themselves to be petted), and some weren’t (e.g., the ill-tempered emerald tree boa and the short-lived rattlesnake). Looks like next on the list will be a llama. My wife wants one for Christmas “to keep the goats company.” Uh-huh. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/92 "2004-11-30T17:38:41Z")
hmm, another aquatic pet i’d love to have is an octopus, maybe a Blue-Ring, yes, yes, i know, they’re potentially deadly and a bite has the potential to kill you (Blue Rings carry Tetradodtoxin (TTX) one of the most potent neurotoxins on the planet), but they are so creepy-cute and intelligent, a mollusk that can solve problems besides, i keep pufferfish (freshwater dwarfs and brackish green spotteds) and they also have TTX (in their flesh), and i’m still around, as long as you treat the animal with respect, and understand it’s needs, AND the fact you’re dealing with a wild animal that cannot be domesticated, you should be okay heck, i have a pet Chilean Rosehair tarantula (not the most exotic of tarantulas, but still…) and contrary to popular belief, most New World T’s will _not_ bite for no reason, they give you plenty of advance notice, Asian ornamentals, and some African strains on the other hand are quite skittish and _will_ deliver unprovoked bites, every T is different if your curious, the warning signs are; 1; RUN AWAY!!, a T would prefer to hide from an “attacker” and is it’s preferred course of action 2; raising up on the back legs and raising it’s first pair of walking legs and pedipalps (food handling legs near the fangs/chelicerae) to make itself look bigger and scarier, baring fangs may also occur on the more aggressive species 3; striking the attacker with it’s first pair of walking legs in an attempt to push the attacker away, from a distance this has similar motions to a bite 4; turn it’s back to the attacker and use it’s back legs to kick off it’s Utricating (irritating) hairs (think miniature porcupine quills) 5;if none of these “hints” have registered with the attacker, and the T has no way to escape, it may bite, if it does bite, there’s a 50/50 chance of it being a “dry” bite (no venom injected) or an envenomation (venom injected), spider venom is used to help them eat, and they’d rather not use it defensively as they have a limited supply on-hand (or should that be on-chelicerae? 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/93 "2004-11-30T18:13:44Z")
I just read about [Jaguarundi](http://lynx.uio.no/catfolk/yaguar01.htm) and think they sound pretty neat. A weird weasel-cat creature, they’re supposedly easily domesticated. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/94 "2004-11-30T21:22:02Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Looks like next on the list will be a llama. My wife wants one for Christmas “to keep the goats company.” Uh-huh. I know someone who acquired a pair of llamas after hearing that those South American critters would help protect her goats from coyotes. The plan didn’t really succeed, but the miniature donkeys my friend subsequently acquired seemed to do the job. I’ve never been a pet owner, but if I had land enough for a variety of habitats, I’d like to keep [thylacines](http://users.aristotle.net/~swarmack/thylacin.html), [quaggas](http://www.quaggaproject.org/), [ivory-billed woodpeckers](http://www.birdingamerica.com/Ivorybill/ivorybilledwoodpecker.htm), and other animals that would thus be conclusively proven to have avoided extinction. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/95 "2004-11-30T21:36:28Z")
I want a [Manul Cat](http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/images/petru03.jpg) right now. It can play with my other kitties and love them and be all fuzzy yes it can! Who’s a fuzzy fuzzy kitty? They make my brain explode. I also want a mini penguin, several meerkats, and a really tiny hippo- about one pound and ten inches high. It can live in the bathroom. I slo want someone else to do the litter and vacuuming. D’you think you can train a really mini hippo to use a litter box? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/96 "2004-11-30T21:49:37Z")
A Komodo dragon would be neat. Nobody would ever be able to break into my house. Well, I guess that they could still break in, but lets see them get out intact. Also, a deer from Nara-koen park would be cool. They bow when you offer them a cookie. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/97 "2004-11-30T22:05:31Z")
Total fantasy? Tyrannosaurus rex. Not so much cuddly, but certainly awesome. Of extant animals…I’d love a chimp, but I would treat 'em like a friend! A hairy, smelly, potentially dangerous friend. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/98 "2004-11-30T22:52:27Z")
A badger would be an amazingly cool pet, were they domesticated. **badbadrubberpiggy** , check into your local laws. Pet skunks are illegal in more states than they are legal. Call a vet and they can tell you. For more information, you can google “Jane Bone” who does a good FAQ on skunks as pets. But wouldn’t it be fun to have a “Beware of Skunk” sign? ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/99 "2004-12-01T04:29:22Z")
I really want a baby giraffe. It’d just be so cool. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148/100 "2004-12-01T05:01:23Z")
1. A coelacanth. I’d need a gigantic highly pressurized tank but I’d have the only coelacanth living in captivity so that would be totally awesome. Plus, coelacanths are inherently awesome. 2. One of those little otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Or maybe five of them. Yes, you are so cute yes YOU are so cute who’s cute? oh it’s you! 3. These baby white tigers I once saw when my 11th grade marine bio class went on a field trip to Marine World when it was closed in the winter. They were six weeks old at the time. Even the boys (11th and 12th grade boys!) were melting with the cuteness. It took my teacher about half an hour to get us back on track to see actual marine animals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-domesticated-animals-youd-like-as-a-pet/276148.md?page=6)