Well, after my roommates and I recent ordeal with mice in our house. We have decided that we need a new pet, and not just ordinary cat or dog. We want something intersting...

We want something a little unique: an iguana, a snake, etc. We pretty much narrowed it down to a reptile of some sort, we dont want a ferret or something.

So what u guys got, i know ive seen alot of snake for sale, but whats still avaliable?
-Ben

Also some cool fish wouldnt be out of the question. Probably salt water though.

1/31/2006 1:28:48 AM

PLEASE do your research. Too many pets are neglected due to unknowledgeable owners. With that said, look into getting a bearded dragon. From my understanding, they are terrific reptilian starter pets.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 1:49 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2006 1:45:17 AM

^ i want to see whats avaliable before i do extensive research, but i have already begun. I looked at some bearded dragons today, and there def a possiblity, but we would prefer something that could be out of its cage for a little longer. I hear they are fragile when it comes to heat.

I know they're illegal but if someone got the hookup on an ALLIGATOR, that would be ideal.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 1:50 AM. Reason : k]

1/31/2006 1:48:50 AM

1/31/2006 1:49:22 AM

good luck!

1/31/2006 1:49:37 AM

WTF is going on in here

what are you thinkin ben, a alligator...Chuck Norris wont even keep an alligator.

get a monkey, that would be smooth

1/31/2006 2:44:47 AM

^^^ WINNAR

1/31/2006 7:31:29 AM

I've got a 10 gallon w/ screen lid for a reptile starter tank for $10

1/31/2006 10:26:21 AM

you're kidding right?
AN ALLIGATOR?
you'd have to provide an adult alligator with an environment the size of a basement

unless you have extensive experience dealing with animals (domestics to begin with) and do a ton of research, and know for certain that you can provide an exotic animal with an appropiate habitat, food, enrichment, socialization,etc... then you should not be considering this.
only those qualified should own exotics. why? money, danger, time, vet care, they are not domesticated...


for example
a full grown green iguana reaches up and over 5 ft in length. up to around 6-8 inches in diameter. unhandled iggys can become very aggressive. they live up to around 15+ yrs in captivity.
an adult needs a 9x6x4 FOOT enclosure. do you have the room in your house/apartment to build a cage like that? my iggys cage takes up half of a room. they have specific requirements for lighting, humidity, and diet.
if you're set on an iggy you are welcome to come over and see my setup and big boy.
i recommend "iguanas for dummies" and "green iguana - the ultimate owners manual" as 2 great books.

some did mention bearded dragons. they are great reptiles. most are easy keepers. they will still need a good sized cage as an adult. i think mine formy pair is 3.5 ft by 2 ft...
once again - make sure you research the housing, lighting, and diet requirements.
another good reptile for you might be a leopard or fat tail gecko.


now a salt water tank would be fun. expensive to start up but fun. check and make sure the fish aren't wild caught. the practices used to capture them is pretty f***ed up.

i apologize if i came across as preachy. too many people get caught up in the romantic ideas of owning an exotic animal.. and too often the animal suffers. and its usually not the owners intention to do so... many thin kof an exotic as a status symbol. think its cool and will get them attention
i do keep herps. they've all been education animals in classrooms. i work with exotic cats (large and small).
it is a judgement call with a lot of gray areas.

check out

http://www.api4animals.org/a3b_exotic_pets.php
and http://www.api4animals.org/b4a2_exotic-animals-ords.php
state, county and city laws

if you have any questions and/or are serious about owning an exotic. pm me. i have a library full of reference materials and can lead you in the right direction.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 10:34 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2006 10:31:19 AM

^ thanks man, and i was just kiddin about the aligator, and once we pick out what we want, belive me lots of research will be done.

1/31/2006 10:35:14 AM

bearded dragons make awesome pets - fairly easy to take care of, fairly clean, not all that stinky (though with the RIGHT diet their poo can stink sometimes)

if you want a beardie, realize that you MUST cut up a wide variety of vegetables every day (leafy greens with the right calcium/phosphate ratio, carrots, green beans, etc)...additionally, you will need crickets (i don't suggest meal worms because of the amount of chitin which can cause impaction)...if you go live, you really ought to try gut-loading, otherwise buy the freeze-dried gut-loaded crickets (though my beardie always preferred live, for obvious reasons )

a snake (particularly a corn) would be your best bet...SUPER easy to take care of...i have a few available if you're interested, but i refuse to give them to people who can't demonstrate that they can take GOOD care of them...also, if you smoke, do your pets and favor and quit

1/31/2006 11:21:16 AM

I'm gonna be a bitch and say you only want an exotic because of the shock factor. You know nothing of any of those species outside of the fact that you want one. Do you know how much these animals cost? Or how much they will cost if they get sick? You could have a small fortune on your hands, are you ready for that?

1/31/2006 11:30:32 AM

^ yes, yes and yes. I understand that, ive looked into before, but now were ready...

1/31/2006 2:58:28 PM

Okay, well on that note just a heads up that snakes turn out to be incredibly boring.

1/31/2006 3:22:17 PM

The more and more i think about it, the idea of just a relatively simple salt water tank would be the best i think.

1/31/2006 3:26:09 PM

get a penguin

1/31/2006 3:49:34 PM

If you go the salt water route, maybe you can get some exotic fish or octopi

1/31/2006 3:49:54 PM

i have a cool ball python ill sell ya

1/31/2006 5:29:13 PM

Quote :

"check and make sure the fish aren't wild caught. the practices used to capture them is pretty f***ed up. "

howso?

1/31/2006 5:32:18 PM

a monkey would be the best exotic pet

1/31/2006 5:33:03 PM

^^ Dynamiting the reefs
netting the stunned fish and destroying the reef
or using small amounts of poison (cynadine)

not a very sustainable practice

just 2 references:
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/01-02/coral060402.html
http://www.marinebiology.org/coralreefs.htm

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 5:52 PM. Reason : d]

1/31/2006 5:50:28 PM

How can one tell is a fish is wild caught or farm raised?

1/31/2006 6:39:30 PM

Get a 55G SW tank with a dwarf lion or two and a snowflake moray...these fish aren't too hard to care for and are usually fairly hardy. They'll definately attract attention and are pretty cool to watch.

1/31/2006 7:02:13 PM

Quote :

"get a penguin"

http://www.penguinwarehouse.com/

1/31/2006 7:29:16 PM

this:

turns into this:

and eventually this:


[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 8:32 PM. Reason : ]

1/31/2006 8:32:01 PM

interested in a 5' red tailed boa??

1/31/2006 9:14:16 PM

there is some sort of monkey breeder in kinston, but since you don't want a ferret I doubt a monkey would be your ideal pet.

saltwater tanks kick ass. make sure you ask you landlord how much weight the floors can hold, and some places require renters insurance for bigger tanks. I *heart* my 44 gallon corner tank and hope to be getting a bigger one when I move. Don't go for a tank with wierd angles (like my pentagon tank) if you are like me and want to stare at the tank all the time, the strange angles along with the water make my eyes cross and give me headaches.

1/31/2006 10:18:56 PM

a monkey would be hott....dude get a chimp...u could teach it all kinds of stuff, even beer pong, how awesome....a fish cant do that...only a monkey, and name him Murphy

1/31/2006 10:37:18 PM

^^ a monkey would be crucial, but i think there probably way to expensive. The tank would be sitting in the basement (concrete floor)

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 10:45 PM. Reason : l]

1/31/2006 10:44:40 PM

^^^^^ is that a kit fox? (minus the 3rd pic..)

1/31/2006 10:59:30 PM

well, i have crested geckos for sale at the moment, which are actually really nice pets, if you handle them with care often enough, they become very tame. you just gotta be sure not to let the room/enclosure get above 80 degrees, which means no doors left open all day during the summer. also, they need to be kept humid, and dont take well to neglect.

seeing as you're taking peoples' suggestions on what to get and not doing your own research to narrow down a suitable pet, ill preach along with the choir. dont buy pets on impulse.

2/1/2006 1:26:34 AM

have you considered pirahanas? feeding time might be fun

2/1/2006 1:36:46 AM

those pics are of a fennec fox...yeah, the baby is a "kit". if u want one, call 281-997-3640 for more information. You'll need a deposit of $100.00. Get a hand-raised Fennec that was taken from its parents and bottle-fed. Fennecs raised by their parents are not tame. They're somewhat difficult to train with litter and they eat mealworms, french fries, raisins and fresh vegetables.

Price: $1500.00

I think you can get one at the New River Zoo in Fleetwood, NC as well.

2/1/2006 1:48:28 AM