The US & Russia. I’ll try to update this answer later to give more specific examples, but the exotic pet industry is booming in both of these countries, mostly with the wealthy.

As far as the US goes, I’ll give examples that I know of personally - One of the owners of the veterinary hospital I worked in as a tech would make house calls from time to time after he “retired” but was still able to practice. During an orthopedic surgery I was assisting him on, he started talking about some of the animals he’d seen or been requested to see. In the small town I went to high school in, a guy had called him to come take a look at his Gaboon viper. He said he seriously wanted to do it until his wife put her foot down & told him no. I asked him “Dr F, what would you have even done for it, especially in the guy’s home? You couldn’t handle it, anesthetize it, or really even get a decent enough look at it to diagnose much.” He said the request blew his mind so bad that he just had to see it & would’ve had he not been a subscriber to “happy wife, happy life.” When I said “Why tf would someone even have a snake like that as a pet!?” Dr F tried to tactfully say “Well, you know how some guys have reeeeally big trucks?” basically implying the viper’s owner had A LOT to compensate for.

Another of the animals Dr F was requested to come look at was from a friend of one of the veterinary staff at our sister hospital. He’d been asked to come see a girl’s pet mandrill. In case you’re not familiar with a mandrill, that’s what Rafiki was in “The Lion King.” They are huge & look like this in real life:

When I asked Dr F why he didn’t go see that one, he said “Hell no! Those things shouldn’t be outside their natural habitat, a wildlife reserve, or zoo! They not only could tear you limb from limb, they carry diseases that could kill us before they ever showed a symptom!”

I have friends who work for the only wildlife rehabilitation in the state, so seeing someone handling bears, coyotes, foxes, etc isn’t that surprising to me. Hearing of the unqualified public having some of the most dangerous animals on the planet as personal pets gives me chills though.

This is Beans.

This is Beans right-side up.

This is Beans on my bed a few weeks ago, suckling on his bunny:

He still suckles on his bunny because he didn't get to nurse long enough as a baby. I found him in a gas station garbage can when he was perhaps two weeks old. Here he is the day we found him, far too young to be taken from his mother:

Here he is a week later. That's a 3″ by 5″ notebook beside him for a size comparison:

Here's Beanie the day he went to the vet for his vaccinations four weeks later, at about six weeks old:

And here he is in matching t-shirts saying “Sunday Funday”, watching football with Bubby and Maggie, about a month ago:

If saving my beloved Beanie from a garbage can was wrong, I damned well don't care to be right.

Anna is correct. The best friend you can find by allowing them to chose you. And if animal chose you - you will never be able to resist. This is their power.

You can go into the shelter and just walk around. If a being chooses you - you will be right away drawn to that animal person. Shelter is not necessary though.

Once my mother wanted a kitten. My sister took her to the farm where she worked and her boss’s cat gave birth about 6 weeks ago. There were kittens to chose from.

So, mom wanted the chestnut one who was super-cute, but there was a grey tabby who ran to my mom sitting there and jumped to her lap. So, that was it. Love for life time no matter how short. Unfortunately her cat has been killed when he was only around 4 years of age. My mom died yesterday, and the framed pictures of her cat is still in her room. Her last will was to put her ashes into her cat’s grave. Now she is with him. I would say that this was the strongest bond ever between right human and right feline.

My sister and I have three kitties, and like most cats, they all have their own ways of entertaining themselves.

Right now our male cat, Puddin’ Head, is furiously trying to dig a hole in the living room floor. Of course he can’t get through the wood floor, but that certainly doesn’t stop him from trying.

Over

and

over

again.

He does this at least once a day, always with the same results. Perhaps he thinks it’s the journey and not the destination that counts. Or something profound like that.

Or maybe he’s just being a Puddin’ Head.

Our little female kitty, Princess Bijou, is sitting right next to my computer, staring at me intently. Probably wondering why I’m messing around with Quora, when I have tons of real work to do.

Or…

Perhaps Princess Bijou is wondering why exactly my sister is in the backyard.

Dancing alone in the darkness.

Or….

Mayhaps Princess Bijou would like to write a paragraph or two, complaining about how Ol’ Two Legs, doesn’t spend nearly enough time pampering her, and how I desperately need to spend far more time telling her how beautiful she is.

And…

Our other female kitty, Gersemi, is being really creepy, and is slowing walking through the house looking at something.

At least it looks like she’s looking at something.

Or perhaps stalking and hunting something.

But since I’m a pathetic and stupid Two Legs,

I can’t even imagine,

What that something,

might be.

<3 <3

Having lived with felines, there are a few things about them, that make me more fond of cats, though I love dogs too.

1. Intelligence : They are intelligent in all ways, threat detected once is always remembered.
2. Personality :Like a moody friend you have.
3. Ego: You feel its a human companion, that if you have scolded them they wouldn't come to you without continuous assurance from your end.
4. Cleanliness: Half of awake time( otherwise asleep )spent on bathing maintenance and they smell great after that.
5. Independent: Don't need us to be around all the time. Knows to spend time alone.
6. Beauty : Most beautiful creatures.

“Cattitude is everything “

My guess is that it’s because they look cute and cuddly, and people don’t really know the reality of what caring well for chinchillas takes before they get one.

Chinchillas are not cuddly. Some will never even like you to touch them. They can live for up to 20 years. They’re nocturnal. Unlike an animal like a cat, who will just stroll up to you when they want to, chinchillas need planned, focused, supervised play time every day. Daily cleaning up after messes of hay, poop, and very very fine dust that gets everywhere. Regular cage cleaning (way more than dealing with kitty litter). Lots of space. Protection of that space from their desire to chew up EVERYTHING or dealing with chewed up floors, baseboards, drywall, rugs, shoes and socks, and literally anything else they can get their teeth into. Difficulties finding a good vet and the expense of seeing that vet when you have to. Difficulty finding a reliable pet sitter. ETC. These are all things (and there are more) that are often difficult for people.

They are popular pets to buy, unfortunately, but not to keep. I see countless instances of people trying to “re-home” chinchillas when they are 1–2 years old. Rarely older than that. That’s enough time for them to figure out that chinchillas are not really the pet they were hoping for.

High quality and a user friendly experience.

It is now very common to have human-grade ingredients in pet food. People are treating their pets as part of the family and are expecting the nutritional levels to be equal to what they would feed their own kids.

A trend I don’t like is that they advertise things as Grain-free. It’s an advertising sham that’s ultimately caught on and will drive the price of high quality pet food up.

The other is the claim a food is “Organic”. There are only one or two truly organic pet foods out there. It’s just too expensive to produce. So even responsible companies like Newman’s Own are mis-labeling food. They may have an organic main ingredient or primary protein but the whole diet is not organic.

On the consumer experience side there are companies like Ya Doggie arriving to offer such things as home delivery subscriptions and an electronic scoop that helps measure a pet’s meal as well as sends a message to all members of a house that the pet has been fed so there’s no doubling up.

Sadly the trend toward getting “unusual (exotic) pets” is the byproduct of two things: commercialism and the desire to be “cool” (enhance one’s image in the eyes of others).

I love parrots for example and know that they are for those who’re willing to go through a lot in order to buy some species and care for them as they need and deserve. But I also know that people who live in the lands where these species do also may be motivated by their poor economic status to unprofessionally “harvest” and ship these living creatures under cruel and too-often fatal circumstance. The “spoilage” is written of and is compensated for by simply harvesting more birds to make up for the loss.

As an example, there’re rare parrot species which, to the casual observer, have many desirable qualities for pet owners. So the low income person who has a nearby supply of them will capture as many as they can and ship them by “the most efficient” means to those in the United States who’re also most interested in getting paid large sums for “hard to find” parrot species.

And even the lowest cost parrots, the Australian parakeet (aka, budgies) suffer because (a) they’re common and can be “mass market” pets and (b) by being “valued less” their lives and comfort are of little concern. This is a clear invitation to “mass produce” at the expense of thousands of individual birds. Parakeets are the third most popular pets, not exotic at all. But all pets must be handled with care by ethical treatment all the way from egg hatching to final sales at retail pet stores.

Exotic pets of any kind are not good for the buyers, either. Some are bought because they’re dangerous wild predators (pet wildcats including tigers). They’re dangerous: period. Pythons and boa constrictors are “common” but at the same time exotic. Both end up becoming of unmanageable size and have been released by their owners into environments where they wreak damage on the native species. There have been instances where “pet” pythons and boas have suffocated infants in their cribs. That’s insanely thoughtless of the “owner” who is also a parent of the dead child.

Do you have several hours? That’s how much time goes into answering this question, so I’ll just say that you have to examine yourself to determine the amount of time that you have to devote to a pet, how much you can afford to spend on care, from food to medical needs — and what kind of experience that you want over a long time period.

Once you have a clear picture of these things, do tons of research to find out what type of pet will fit in with your life. If you’re very busy, then a goldfish or robotic pet may be the best fit. If you’re willing to devote the time needed to bond with and train an animal, then consider a cat or dog. But, don’t forget that, particularly with dogs, breeds can make a difference. Of course, you also have to decide if you want a puppy (not my personal choice), or an older dog, which is often already potty trained.

I’ve always been a sucker for terriers, even though they are typically head-strong, and require lots of consistency and training before they become amazing pets. My first dog was an over-sized Westie. I adopted him from a woman who would rescue dogs, train them (very well), and then sell them. In other words, I cheated by letting someone else do the work that I didn’t yet know how to do properly. We spent 15 years together, so I guess I chose wisely.

I chose a Cairn Terrier as my second dog, thinking that I wanted a dog that was smaller than my first one. I called Cairn Terrier Rescue, and told them my general requirements, but, rather than allowing me to see all the dogs, they chose my dog for me. When I got there, he was outside in a crate, glowing in the sunshine … and even more over-sized than Duffy was! Still, I took him home, named him Monty, and after going through some initial behavioral challenges, I had another 15 years of dog-loving bliss.

I picked my current dog, Charlie, a Jacktese, from a picture on a rescue’s website, after making sure that he was really small dog because it’s getting hard to lift big dogs into the tub. When I got there, he looked just like his picture, but weighing in at only 7.5 pounds, his legs seemed 10 miles long. Coming from a hoarding situation, he was the most terrified dog that I have ever seen. But, since I work from home now, I felt that I was in the best position to bring him out of his shell and give him some confidence. He’s now 15 pounds, so his legs only look to be about 5 miles long, and he’s still timid, but happy and devoted to me. He still hides when people stop by, but his curiosity brings him out in less than a minute. Visitors always give treats, you know.

Hopefully, these stories will give you some ideas about what adopting a dog can be like. I hope that you can write similar stories once you have chosen your pet. Here’s Charlie standing on a stair while modeling his beautiful long legs, an adorable curly tail, and the snappy Mohawk hairstyle that develops when I let his fur grow out for winter.

I am allowing my cats to write this response:

Dear OP.

You don’t know me, but I am a Xena. I wasn’t always a pet. Once I was a stray in West Virginia. It seemed like there was only hunger and cold and lonliness, and no hope for anything better. I got pregnant when I was less than a year old. It was a rough time, particularly in winter. When a local rescue picked me up I was skin and bones. I had lost most of my kittens. I wouldn’t have made it much longer. Then some people brought me to a shelter, and a lady from DC brought me back to DC because she thought I could find a home there. Finally Celia’s brother saw me in a Petsmart and called her, because he thought I was the perfect cat for her. Now I live in a three story townhouse with plenty of room to run and play, and a friend named Bella to wrestle with. Today the weather was nice so we got to go out into the fenced garden, where we chased insects and lounged in the sun. Probably if I had stayed in West Virginia I would have been dead by now, along with my kittens. Instead I am so happy, and I know that as long as I live, I will never be cold or hungry again.

Dear OP:

Hi, I’m Bella. Some locals found me during the great ice storm a few years back, shivering under a frozen bush. I was only a kitten. I don’t know where my mother was, but I surely would not have made it through the night. I had a deformed eye that never opened, and the area was badly infected, so I was not exactly the cutest kitten, but I tried to show how grateful I was.

A rescue organization took me in and got me surgery to open my eyelid, then they treated my infected eye. They specialize in finding homes for cats that aren’t perfectly pretty. One day Celia asked them to recommend a playmate for Xena and they chose me. Yay! Now I am warm and happy and safe and I have a playmate to race around the house with. We love to chase each other up and down the cat trees. I love going out on the deck to watch the birds, but if there is one drop of snow I stay inside. I never ever EVER want to go back to where I was before, all cold and hungry and scared. Only a human who has never known that kind of misery could suggest that was better than what I have now.

Sincerely,

Xena and Bella

Xena the Warrior Princess

Baby Belladonna

This is the good life!

Today there is a wide range of animals kept at home, starting from classic dogs or cats to various exotic ones, like lizards or snakes. Let’s review the most popular of them.

1. Cats

Cats are independent pets and will often spend more time roaming outside than in the home. However, some cats may be kept indoors due to age or illness so you should not automatically exclude cats from flats.

2. Dogs

They are the most popular among pets. They are highly sociable animals so should not be left alone for long periods of time. Dogs that are left alone are more likely to bark or cause damage to the property.

3. Exotic pets

Exotic pets, such as tortoises, lizards, spiders and snakes, have become increasingly popular in recent years. Like all animals, exotic pets require adequate space to live and grow, as well as a rich, natural environment. Some exotic pets, such as snakes and iguanas, grow very big and will need to be housed in large vivariums.

4. Birds

A wide range of birds are kept as pets from small finches to large parrots. Budgerigars are the most popular pet bird in the UK, particularly among older people. Birds are intelligent animals and need stimulation, such as toys and mirrors in their cages. They also need time to fly and stretch their wings each day.

I described only some of the popular pets but you can click here and read more, if you like.

On social media- I am waaaay more popular when I post pictures of my pets. If I answer a question on quora, and include pics- I can get anywhere from 10–1000 thumbs up. If I don’t include pics- I may get one or 2.

heres lucky

mercury

Tilly ( technically a foster, but…)

Ned

Tabby- our 15 year old that we adopted a year ago ❤️

I gave chinchillas and here are some reasons why: (personally I think they are wildly underrated for such an original and cool pet and also for the reasons below)

1. They may seem money consuming, but it’s only expensive in the beginning because of the cage and actual chinchillas (about R4000 in total, which I know is a lot but if gets better). Once you’ve gotten started, it’s about R200 a month for new food considering they barely eat anything, and maybe a little bit more to buy more hay. There are of course more unnecessary accessories for your chins, such as wheels or “chin spins” but they aren’t essential to the happy well being of the chins.
2. They aren’t noisy if you buy a noise free wheel and grease it if it gets squeaky (if of course you decide to buy one, and I would say it’s worth it because it’s the only exercise they can really get excluding the playtime outside the cage)
3. They are fluffy, and although not very affection, they love to climb and are super playful.
4. By fluffy, I mean the softest animal in the world. Humans have 1 hair per follicle (that’s all those little dots on your head and arms that you can’t really see and your hair grows out of them) and chinchillas have 60 per follicle. They are insanely soft, I know from experience, but please don’t make a coat out of them. It takes 20 chins to make a coat and it’s unnecessary.
5. Very friendly (unless you get a badly bred or badly raised one) and even when they do get aggressive (which is usually the owners fault), they only nip a little bit. In my last two years I’ve been bitten twice and only once did it mildly break the skin (barely painful at all and both times were my fault)

so all pros and cons considered, a chinchilla may be the perfect pet for you if the points listed above sound appealing :)

I honestly don't know. When I traveled to Israel the people there treated stray cats very humanely. In Guatemala and Mexico. My heart broke for the poor starving dogs*( I just attended Day of the Horse December 14th in my City. Horses are loved and respected where I live

Tend to his needs bring him out consistently,teach him to sit where by when ur dog is still a pup put his bum down on the floor & say the word Sit do this very often & when in that position say paw & reach for his paw,teach him high fives,direct him to his bed often so he understands where he goes when u give him that command.Bring him on walks & then in time he will learn that ok outside is where u go bathroom & also leave pee matts around so he learns when not outside this is where i go,use less matts as time goes on ,where u only have 1 in the house but Enjoy doing these things with ur dog & reward him for doing them & the benefits of that is ur dog will obey u.Happy training🐶♥️🐶It is a process doe

BELIEVE me

I really don’t know except when we left the UK for N.America in the early 1970s, they were pretty much unknown amongst the general public. Much as there have always been ways to contain/confine animals. When reaching N.America where there are very few, if any, benched shows, unlike in the UK where most Ch. shows and quite a lot of lower shows are, we saw crates being used. It seemed sensible so we bought our first. Both for shows, and for car travel.

Unfortunately the original reason for using crates has been altered to the point that far too many dogs are spending far too much time in a crate. They are pretty much essential with a puppy, to keep him out of mischief or danger (especially) when supervision can’t be done.

📈 Economic growth has slowed down, and the growth rate of the pet industry has slowed down, but the trend of anthropomorphic pet keeping has not diminished, and the market potential is huge.

🧩 Consumption of pet food, supplies, medical care, and services has grown across the board, and functional food and intelligent supplies have become new favorites.

🏡 The pet-keeping population is getting younger, and the proportion of pet-keeping population in first-tier and new first-tier cities has declined, and the market has sunk to second-tier and lower cities.

🐱🐶 The number of dogs and cats has grown steadily, and the cat economy is particularly prominent. Small dogs and cats have become the new focus of the market.

🛍️ Online channels continue to dominate, offline retail has rebounded, the number of pet stores and hospitals has surged, and services have diversified.