trying to pry Priscilla of the computer keyboard for the thousandth time, where she just has to sit because she cannot bear to be away from me for one minute, wondering about these “aloof” cats I keep hearing so much about
Just to make everybody else go ‘huh?’-
I’ve always wanted a bat. No really. Bats are cool. They’re social. They’re intelligent. And hey, can your dog fly?
A neighbor had a Blue and gold Macaw that made me go “OW!”
Worst case I’ve seen is when people want to keep Screech-Owls :eek: as pets. The real ones. Small and cute, but nasty attitudes.*
Binturongs (‘bearcats’) smell like popcorn. Our raptor exhibit at the wildlife festival was right next to the wild cat exhibit. Apart from being hungry all afternoon, at least we got a lot of overflow visitors from the people who followed the smell, thinking it was from a food court.
Story in the paper yesterday is that someone in one of the upscale housing developments in south Orange County has a leopard as a pet (interview with a professional pet sitter). Imagine finding out your neighbor has a pet that could rip your face off in one swipe**?
*[sub]unlike yours truly[/sub]
**[sub]again, unlike yours truly[/sub]
Okay, people, I work in Entomology, I like spiders, snakes and rats, but this is just **FREAKY!*.
We have an Insect House/Zoo and these things just creep me out!
Leave it to Tennessee. 
Aloof? The cats that follow me around like a dog, sleep all over us at night, and have to be everyplace we are? Those aloof cats? Stereotypes, my friend, stereotypes! 
My vote for strangest pet: any large predator (wolves [much different than a dog], large cats, anything you have to buy food from the freakin’ butcher!). Oh, plus anything you have to feed live animals or insects. Ick.
My wife said that if she went to the effort of starting up a salt-water fish tank, she’d want to get a lionfish, which, in addition to being beautiful, just happens to be painfully (but not lethally) poisonous…
What’s the problem? It’s a fish; it’s not like you’re going to be touching it.
And how about squirrels? I’ve seen references to people keeping squirrels as pets, but I have no idea where you would get one.
I also once saw a pair of prairie dogs for sale in a pet store.
I’m totally against all this…
Had a friend who had a “pet” raccoon. They kept him in a cage in the backyard and occasionally would let him into the house. 'Coons can be pretty nasty when threatened – this one was just destructive. He’d tear through the house, trashing things until they’d finally catch him and back in the cage he went. Point of this, I’ll never know.
I work with someone who owned a Prairie Dog. Also kept in a cage in the backyard. Also was let into the house. This is in Florida, where there are no prairies. She had a baby so they found a wildlife rehab place to take the Prairie Dog and the Goddess only knows what happened to him after that.
In South Florida, you see a lot of people who acquire tropical pets such as parrots, alligators (yes, they are kinda cute before they get to be 12 feet long!), and all sorts of reptiles. Typically, people would just let 'em go after the animal grew up, leaving them to fend for themselves. Hence, there are now non-native wild beasts flying (and creeping in the case of the lizards) all over West Palm - Miami.
Stop it, people. Stick with dogs, cats and hamsters, please!
[quote]
My wife said that if she went to the effort of starting up a salt-water fish tank, she’d want to get a lionfish, which, in addition to being beautiful, just happens to be painfully (but not lethally) poisonous…
[quote]
I did have a lionfish once, and a wolf eel. They were both really cool, and had lots o’ personality. An ex-boyfriend had a blue and gold that I adored. After we split, I got my revenge. The bird called my name, quite loudly, whenever the “other woman” entered the room. Good bird! I did have a domestic skunk for about 7 years. He was neat, kinda like a cat. Had a ferrett too, nasty thing.
Eh, RoboDude, you have to stick your hands in the tank to clean it occasionally, to scrape algae off the walls and move the decorations around and siphon the crud off the bottom.
I wouldn’t want to do that in a lionfish tank, either.
Some unusual “pet” stories:
Ferrets: My stepson wanted one, so we got a female ferret-the damn thing would climb into the walls, and walk around inside the dropped ceiling in the basement all nights. It was as dumb as a rock-it would disappear for days, and then emerge from some crack in the wall. Also, it would nip you. I was never happier when the damn thing left the yard one day and never returned.
Raccoons: when I was a kid, I was friendly with a family up the street, whose father was a bowhunter. One day he was in the woods out hunting, and came upon two orphaned raccoon cubs. He took them home, and they were the most hilarious pets-except until one day, they were left in the house alone. They got into the china cabinet, and tossed all the dished onto the floor! Strangely, they were not seen after this incident!
Monitor lizard: a few years back, the police were called to a guy’s apartment in Providence, RI. The man’s pet (a 6’ monitor lizard) had fastened its jaws around his head. The police had to use stun guns to make it let go! I could never figure reptiles as pets-to a monitor lizard, you are lunch!
When I was growing up, my friend’s mother volunteered for a local animal rescue group. They regularly had baby squirrels and raccoons that had been rescued from fires, etc. They were bottle-fed, which I got to do every once in awhile. Pretty cool. One of the raccoons didn’t get the hang of the living in the wild thing (which was the whole purpose of the animal rescue) and ended up being a family pet. He was pretty cool…used to sit on the couch like a person and watch t.v.
I would never keep a wild animal, but I always thought it would be kind of cool to have a wombat.
I’m sorry for your loss, kferr, but I couldn’t help giggling a little at the visual:
I’m just picturing this huge turtle lumbering along with you chasing frantically after it. I’m sorry.
In a previous thread on the subject of exotic pets, one of the more exotic animals mentioned was a mammal called a bush baby.
Yeah, where can one obtain these “aloof” cats…that don’t wake you up at night demanding attention?
Oh, and here’s a bush baby, in case you were wondering what one looked like:
http://petoftheday.com/archive/2000/August/01.html
And a pet flying squirrel:
http://petoftheday.com/archive/2000/July/25.html
Another flying squirrel:
http://petoftheday.com/archive/2000/June/13.html
…about the monitor lizard with jaws around his owner’s head. You said that the police used a stun gun to get him off. Wouldn’t the owner be stunned as well?
I’m surprised nobody mentioned monkeys yet. Is there anyone who has had a close encounter with someone’s monkey?
I love sugar gliders! When I finally build my dream house (don’t laugh, my whole family eventually all build their houses from scratch) I’m gonna have an atrium in the middle with trees and shrubs and flowers… At that point I will get a pair of sugar gliders. They’d have the run of the atrium, which is pretty much like their natural habitat (they’re arboreal) in addition to being in the rest of the house when supervised.
I’ve had ferrets and they’re great pets but they do nip. We had to give ours away when Nicky was born because she’d chew on his toes. I’ve never given a pet away before, and never plan to again, but the only other option was restricting her to a cage, which I just won’t do.
I think that’s private, don’t you?
I saw the picture…the sugar gliders are sooo cute! But I’ll stick with my kitties.
When I was twelve, I wanted a lemur. I’d keep it in a huge cage in my living room, complete with a euchalyptus (or whatever tree they like) and a sun roof that’ll keep him warm.
When we were growing up, my older brothers had black widows as “pets”. Also terantulas and snakes including rattlers. I have always thought that was eeewwww.
I will stick to my kitty.
LLAMAS!
I think I’d rather be stunned than be Lizard Chow.