So a lot has been written about cats and dogs and rodents. Even a little about the ferrets and the lizards. While a couple of these may be a bit unusual, none of them lie on the extreme mend of the spectrum, the absolutely bizarre. The ones that make you go, whaaatt? You wonder why anybody would ever want these animals as pets, and what kind of strange people their owners must be to actually keep these animals as pets. The reasons for the oddities vary. Exorbitant upkeep costs, ghastly appearances, or the unnaturalness of the act of attempting to tame something that clearly belongs in the forest, and not a back yard, whatever the reason may be, the mere thought of keeping some of these animals as pets is inconceivable to most people. But maybe that’s what people thought when someone first tried to tame a dog for the first time. So will these animals one day be seen as common household pets, the alligators resting next to the rabbits? Probably nowhere in the near future.
So yes, alligators. The subject of many a thriller-horror film, alligators mostly get a bad reputation for being ferocious man-eaters. now we’re not suggesting you go and and attempt to play catch with one, but the reputation is greatly exaggerated. They do attack humans, however, with nearĀ a frequency as these movies will have you believe. Saltwater crocodiles, however, are a completely different different story, and deserve every bit of the bad press they get. However, we digress. Alligators are a lot more common as house pet in the US than you would imagine, however, and these used to be quite a fad at one time. As they are protected under CITES, you won’t be able to buy one in India though, not that we recommend it anyway. A lot of people who bought these reptiles because they thought it made them seem cool, very quickly realized that alligators grow at an alarming rate, and can be up to 13-15 feet in length. As a result, they ended up abandoning them. A few were rumoured to have been flushed down the toilet, leading to the urban legends about colonies of mutant alligators in the sewers, which are definitely untrue, although there was one alligator that was discovered in a New York sewer in 2010.
Apart from the whole very pointy teeth and an unpredictable temperament thing, alligators also need a large area to live in comfortably, fresh water, and plenty of sun bathing, being cold-blooded.
So if the thought of getting an alligator gave you the shivers, wait till we tell you about the Madagascar hissing cockroach. We’re not joking, these loud, huge, flying cockroaches are actually kept as pets. There was even a designer who came up with the concept of bejeweling them and attaching them to chains, to be worn as brooches. The pinnacle of the bizarre oddity that is modern fashion. These have been described as being ‘beautiful’ be some owners, but i feel that is a matter of personal taste. They need to be kept in terrariums that are properly sealed, because the young ones have a special knack for slipping through the most narrow cracks. They eat greens, rotting leaves, and fruit, and this specie is actually described as being very docile by owners party
Skunk. Yes, that’s right, skunks. Anybody who’s watched Looney Tunes will be familiar with the character of Pepe LePew, and the self defense system he employs whenever under attack or extreme duress. A skunk’s defense primarily consists of spraying the offending party with the most foul-smelling fluid, a smell so foul that it can make you gag, and one that stays on you for a very long time after the incidence.The gland responsible for this secretion is removed in skunks intended as pets, although this practice has been banned in the UK.
Skunks actually make perfect pets, by all accounts. They are highly intelligent, respond well, can be affectionate and loving. The are extremely curious, sticking their noses into things and exploring around the house all the time. They’re quite cute looking too. They’re not easy though. They need time, and effort, in order to bond with them successfully. But those who have experienced having them as pets claim the effort is worth it, as with skunks, you get what you give.
Remember the yesteryear villains?Quite a few of them had a shark living under their swivelling chairs that they would feed anybody who displeasured them in any way to. Turns out it’s not such a fanciful concept, and there are actually a lot of people who keep saltwater sharks as pets. I bet a lot of people are thinking, its just another fish after all. But if sharks were like other fish, salmon could have been the subject of the Jaws franchise.
Obviously, one needs to be very careful while dealing with sharks, you can’t stop it from chewing your hand off just because you’re the pone who feeds them everyday. Also, most people can’t afford sharks, not just because of the initial cost, but also because the upkeep is very high. They need huge tanks that they can move around in comfortable, and that is not something that most people have the space or the money for. Also, keeping other fish is also not recommended, because, you know, they’ll get eaten. If you want to buy a shark, make sure you trust the store completely, and that what is being sold to you has not been illegally sourced, or is not an endangered specie.