Rats, Ferrets, Snakes, other exotic animals.

[Bex]

Haha well either way, it stills sounds interesting x3

 

ETA: I want to start keeping reptiles; what should I start out with?

It depends on what you like! There are tons of places to start because there are tons of different types of reptiles.

 

If you want a reptiles that is very easy and less hands-on but still handleable, you could try a snake like a ball python, corn snake, or rosy boa. They do not require much maintenance, are calm enough for handling, but don't tend to loose their socialness if you don't handle them every day. They also don't need huge enclosures. A 40 gallon tank would be plenty big enough.

 

If you want something more hands-on, you could try a bearded dragon or a chinese water dragon. They tend to be more personable than snakes, but need more handling to stay friendly and require more maintenance. They need veggies and meats, which requires some daily prep for their food. They also get larger and will need larger enclosures.

 

There are always iguanas, which are small and cheap initially, but they get very large, live a long time, will need very large enclosures (think small closet) and need constant handling to stay social, especially males.

 

If you're willing to make a lifelong commitment, a tortoise is always an option. They don't tend to be difficult, but make sure to research your species as some get large enough to require outdoor pens.

 

If you have a specific type of herp in mind, let me know so I can give you more specific information. <3

[Lila]

snippy~

I'm most partial to snakes, but I don't have too much knowledge about different breeds. I mean I could always look that up, but personal opinions are more impressionable.

[Amazing_Grace]

A close friend of mine has several opossums. I'm stuck with the usual menagerie of dogs, cats, goats, and horses. I would love an armadillo, a raccoon, a skunk, a fix, or an opossum.

[Bex]

I'm most partial to snakes, but I don't have too much knowledge about different breeds. I mean I could always look that up, but personal opinions are more impressionable.

Well, ball pythons are always popular. Unlike red-tail boas or burmese pythons, they stay smallish (5-6") and can be fed mice their whole lives rather than having to graduate to rats like some of the bigger snakes. They also tend to be very forgiving, which means they aren't likely to get sick or stubborn on you. They tend to be rather calm and not likely to bite you at the slightest offence. Ball pythons also come in a myriad of different colours and patterns, so you don't have to get something sensitive or aggressive in order to get something that looks pretty.

 

I am also very fond of kenyan sand boas. They stay small, look cool (to me) and are fairly friendly. They have special habitat requirements (sand vs. bark mulch), but are good for beginners.

 

There are also rosy boas, also small (yet sturdy), can be a bit more stubborn, but are very beautiful. They tend to be more expensive to purchase.

 

A lot of people gravitate towards corn snakes and rat snakes because of their colours and cheap cost, but I find these snakes to be a bit too flighty and they have a big tendency to poop on you when you handle them.

 

Kingsnakes and milksnakes are even smaller and come in pretty colours but I have found them to be rather stubborn eaters and slightly fragile.

 

There are more advanced snakes, such as emerald tree boas or blood pythons and such, but they can be more aggressive or sensitive. I would not recommend them, or any venomous (also called hot) snakes until you have had a lot of experience.

[Lila]

Kingsnakes and milksnakes are even smaller and come in pretty colours but I have found them to be rather stubborn eaters and slightly fragile.

 

There are more advanced snakes, such as emerald tree boas or blood pythons and such, but they can be more aggressive or sensitive. I would not recommend them, or any venomous (also called hot) snakes until you have had a lot of experience.

I really would like a kingsnake, to be completely honest, but I don't want to get something I can't properly care for. I'll do some research on it and think about it. I have a few months before I can get one anyway. Are there any specific resources you like? lol sorry I have so many broad questions

[Draco Knight]

Welcome to the very unfortunate life of a pet fox. How very sad.

 

 

All this reptile talk is so very interesting.

[Textris]

My husband and I really want to get a sugar glider.

We've actually been looking around for places to get one for after we move into our own place. n_n

 

[Lila]

Welcome to the very unfortunate life of a pet fox. How very sad.

 

 

All this reptile talk is so very interesting.

I've always wanted a fox too, but I'm waiting until I have my own place so that I can provide for it properly

 

But by far, I don't think any "exotic" pet could beat mice imo. I have two females, Lucca and Marle, who I adopted from a pet rescue, and they are just the most precious things ever! Lucca tucks her head into wrinkles on your clothes, and Marle likes to climb in your sleeves or cuddle up in the crook of your elbow. I'll post pictures here eventually, but I adore them. The last mouse I had, Clementine, I bought from Petsmart. She was a fancy mouse, but she wasn't tame at ALL. I think she never grew out of her "jumper" phase, and in addition to that, she had a brain tumor that I didn't realize was there until she was close to death because she was so fearful of me. She's the only mouse I've ever owned that actually broke the skin biting me. So now my rule is adopt or buy from breeders, and handle FIRST.

 

But I really like owning mice. They're sweet and cuter than a puppy butt.

[Draco Knight]

It's good you've decided to wait, foxes do best with a routine. I couldn't imagine having Tribble in a place I rent, or if I was a full time student(which I will be soon now that she's an adult fox).

 

Mice are super cute! I've never had one, but yours sound so nice.

 

Have you ever considered rats? I'm not a huge rodent fan, but they have always struck me as wonderful pets to have.

[Omen]

Welcome to the very unfortunate life of a pet fox. How very sad.

 

 

All this reptile talk is so very interesting.

Her dinner looks amazing.

 

Did you find it at all difficult to get her used to walking on a lead? Our cat walks (in the yard) with a harness, although she took to it readily. Unlike our last cat who is no longer with us, she took a lot effort to get her to wear a harness, let alone walk anywhere with one on.

 

-Snip-

I just want to say this, from a view point of someone who keeps snakes themselves, your information is very clear and concise, thank you for the post!

 

--

 

I'm starting to think our Astro is really an Astroette, as he/she behaves remarkably different from both Gizmo and Ninja. Gizmo's reserved, as is Ninja, although Gizmo's more open to handling than Ninja is given the fact that he's used to being handled. Doesn't enjoy it clearly, but does not bite or carry on when being held unless I'm silly enough to hold a blueberry nearby, that's asking for a nip, as blueberries are Gizmo's favourite treat aside from the scrumdiddlyumptious snails he loves to devour.

 

Astro on the other hand? Basks daily, doesn't give a flying blueberry on who is watching. Repeatedly climbs the walls and hide when s/he's hungry and can smell cat food, it's all endearing behaviour really. It's just so very different to how the other two behave! They have to be shown food to realise it's there, Astro on the other hand? Will go to the other side of the enclosure for a meal as soon as it's placed in there. Little bugger is still the lightest out of the three, even if s/he eats more in one sitting than Gizmo who's easily a hundred or more grams heavier!

 

I know Gizmo is male, and have some suspicions on Ninja's gender being male too, but Astro is pretty hard for me to guess, never mind being accurate about it. If both of the newbies turn out to be male, well our house is full of male reptiles then, haha.

[Draco Knight]

Her dinner looks amazing.

 

Did you find it at all difficult to get her used to walking on a lead? Our cat walks (in the yard) with a harness, although she took to it readily. Unlike our last cat who is no longer with us, she took a lot effort to get her to wear a harness, let alone walk anywhere with one on.

 

--snip--

I'm pretty sure Tribble eats better than I do.

 

She took to her lead fairly quickly, but she can't go for walks outside the backyard or if there are people besides me around; she's painfully shy and gets scared easily. So if it's just me and my dog outside, she loves her harness; but if anyone else is around she NOPES the heck back to her enclosure.

 

I really, really hope Astro is a female!

[Bex]

I just want to say this, from a view point of someone who keeps snakes themselves, your information is very clear and concise, thank you for the post!

 

Aw! Well shucks, it's nice to be appreciated. I have had some experience with herps but they have never really been my forte. I prefer mammals and birds.

 

I'm fascinated by Draco's fox. Foxes are illegal where I live (Texas) due to concerns with rabies so the only real experience I have had with them was with fennec foxes, which are omg adorable!

 

I have heard that foxes are not tame enough to be trusted loose indoors and that their urine has a pretty offensive odour. Is that true? Is that why most fox owners seem to keep them in large outdoor habitats?

Edited January 10, 2014 by Drache

[Draco Knight]

I don't think not tame enough is the best way to phrase that. It's not that foxes aren't tame enough, it's that their natural behaviors lend them toward destructivness. A fox can be very docile and loving, but also destroy your drywall when you're not looking. This seems to be a red and arctic fox trait, as I know a few people that successfully keep swifts and corsacs inside, and if it wasn't for Tribble's marking, she'd be pretty good indoors too.

 

As to odor, it depends on species. Reds and arctics have very offensive smelling urine(skunky). Tribble's urine is on par with a dog, so not all that bad except she peed EVERYWHERE. Not sure about other species.

[Lila]

Have you ever considered rats? I'm not a huge rodent fan, but they have always struck me as wonderful pets to have.

I have, and I do like them, but I think I'm more of a mouse person at the moment lol. Mice are pretty hands-off, so they work well for me, since I'm not always able to provide them with outside play for longer than 10-15 mins a day, and they're a lot more affordable and easy to care for.

[Omen]

Aw!   Well shucks, it's nice to be appreciated. I have had some experience with herps but they have never really been my forte. I prefer mammals and birds.

Despite that, it's evident that you are passionate about animals. To see just one person every now and then who does not think reptiles are completely gross or nasty brings a smile to my face.

 

Birds are pretty cool, a bit noisy for my liking now, although some have a fantastic capacity for companionship. Even small birds like Budgerigars or Parakeets can show affection. I loved keeping them as a kid, never did get one to talk, but for a kid like me at the time, they were fantastic animals. My Nanna took in my Budgerigars when I moved south and wasn't able to take them with me, one of them, George is going on his eighth, maybe ninth year now. Whistles tunes but otherwise doesn't talk or like to be handled (even though I tried to tame him when he was young, just something not every bird likes I suppose). He was the only one I purchased from a breeder, he's still going strong last I heard about him.

 

@Draco Knight,

 

So do I! The lil bugger is probably the craziest of the lot. I haven't seen much of Ninja even though he's in the enclosure next to my desk, Astro on the other hand, spends most of the day out and about. Astro's developed a new behaviour, where s/he climbs the hide, the walls, and the background when hungry, tongue poking out of his/her mouth more often than not. Had me worried sick the first time I saw it, even asked about it on another forum. Turns out some a just a bit silly like that! It's super adorable, and s/he doesn't mind being handled at all now. Gizmo get's huffy now and then and Ninja's still a stick in the mud when it comes to handling, but otherwise his personality is showing through, just not often.

 

The snakes and Gizmo are coming into another round of shedding, funny how they are synchronized, though that's probably because they get fed the same day (the snakes that is, Gizmo get's fed more often than once every ten days ). Can't wait to see how they look in their new suits, especially Jancsi, he started out as an orange glow stick!

Edited January 11, 2014 by VampiricOmen

[Ramica]

I used to own quite a number of reptiles.

 

Leopard Geckos, Iguanas, Rainbow Swift, Anoles, King Snake, Corn Snake, Boa, red eared sliders and an Eastern Box turtle. I loved my reptiles enjoyed them they all lived a long time.

 

I sold my corn and King snake kept my boa until she died of old age. The only reptile I have left now is my Box Turtle Ludo.

 

In what was once my Boa's cage now lives a chinchilla.

[TCA]

But by far, I don't think any "exotic" pet could beat mice imo. I have two females, Lucca and Marle, who I adopted from a pet rescue, and they are just the most precious things ever!

...Did you name them after Chrono Trigger characters? That's kind of fantastic.

[McGable]

I keep a small collecting of reptiles.

 

A Chinese Water Dragon, a Ball Python, a Corn Snake, a Leopard Gecko, and an Axolotl.

 

Right now I've hit my "cage limit" for where I live, but I'm hoping to extend my collection once I get my own place, and maybe work on some breeding plans in the meantime.

[5icky]

I know people who live feed their ferrets, it's not a common thing to see but it does happen... Personally if i did live feed, i know how to complete a cervical dislocation had the ferret not killed it within seconds, i couldn't stand seeing it in pain...

My ferrets catch house mice on occasion, no i do not like it but one cannot help an instinct... anyway, how about some pictures of the ferrets, hmm??

Leia is almost 11 now! March!

Standing oddly

Playing on the couch!

My Pretty Lydia

Being beautiful

Coda, my 7 Year old

Playing in the snow

Tubesock( In My Avatar)

Also being beautiful

and Stiv Bators, the one who started all this "ferret" business (heheh pun intended) and has Adrenal Disease, making his fur fall out..slowly..poor lad

couch fert

[Lila]

...Did you name them after Chrono Trigger characters? That's kind of fantastic.

Of course I did! Hehe

[Bex]

Aw! Ferrets <3

 

I've always loved them. When I was working with a ferret rescue at one point I had 14 ferrets while we were finding foster homes for them all. My oldest one lived to be 15 years but that's kind of rare these days. The biggest downside of ferrets if you live in the USA is that a vast majority of them originate at Marshall Farms, which is a huge ferret mill-breeding facility. Very sad. The inbreeding has led to a lot of genital defects.

 

@Draco Knight

 

Thanks for that information. I have cared for fennec foxes before and I really liked them. Their pee didn't seem too offensive but they are also really small and seem better suited to indoors than some of the bigger ones. Where did your fox come from?

 

As far as rats, I agree that they are fantastic! I used to own the Houston Rat Rescue and for a long time I was a big-time rodent rescue in the southern USA. Here is a fun pic of one of my past rat habitat:

 

Click!

 

 

[5icky]

Aw! Ferrets <3

 

I've always loved them. When I was working with a ferret rescue at one point I had 14 ferrets while we were finding foster homes for them all. My oldest one lived to be 15 years but that's kind of rare these days. The biggest downside of ferrets if you live in the USA is that a vast majority of them originate at Marshall Farms, which is a huge ferret mill-breeding facility. Very sad. The inbreeding has led to a lot of genital defects.

 

 

I know... I live in America, i volunteer at a ferret rescue called Greater Chicago Ferret Association. It's insane how many diseases the poor marshalls kids get, i have one non Marshall girl, Coda, and she's seven. Healthy as a horse and now growing in a gorgeous dark winter coat! But my first ferret, Stiv has adrenal disease, Insulinoma.. Leia has Insulinoma but she's ten, going on eleven inmarch. Tubesock has bad teeth and two mast cell tumors to be removed and Lydia has adrenal and Insulinoma.

I have had two other ferrets as well, Hagrid who i lost five says before Christmas to flu and lymphoma 2012, he was five.. And my handsome Rob who we lost two months after taking him home to aggressive juvenile lymphoma... He was a year and 2 months old. He had waardenburgs syndrome and was deaf with the big old sweet booboo eyes that accompanied it..

 

I hate Marshall farms with a passion, but i can't hate them completely because without them i wouldn't be involved with ferrets, our shelter wouldn't run.

By law, every five or some years now, they have to incorporate polecat genes because the poor breeders have such bad genes and the kits probably weren't surviving...sigh

[Bex]

 

I hate Marshall farms with a passion, but i can't hate them completely because without them i wouldn't be involved with ferrets, our shelter wouldn't run.

Coming from a rescue standpoint myself I find this attitude kind of disheartening. Even if unscrupulous mill-breeding didn't exist there would still be a need for animal rescue, so it's not really fair to say that without Marshall Farms you would never have gotten into ferrets. The ferrets would just come from a variety of sources rather than one large (horrible) one. I had a ferret who was imported from Europe at great cost, but that didn't stop his owner from needing to abandon him when her living situation became less than ideal.

 

Ever seen an orange ferret?

 

Link!

Link!

[5icky]

It's really sad isn't it... I mean mostly from what I've learned from it all...

 

That's a beautiful ferret! i thought by orange you meant unaltered albino because I WANT ooh... I love the Ferret smell, sorry!

Coda when she was younger was cinnamon, i mean ginger orange on her darkest parts, she molted that out and turned sandy.. Now she's getting an almost light chocolate coat this year it's odd how much they change... Especially silvers, I've never seen a champagne ferret change so much

[Lila]

What do you guys think about live feeding?