Exotic Pets

If you're not really into leopard gecko you probably didn't know that there are over 100 different color morphs and combos available in the pet trade.  Breeders have their morphs down to a science to get the desired combos and colors, some of which fetch several hundred dollars per gecko.  Read up on some of the Leopard Gecko Morphs that are out there.

The owner of Greenwood Pets in Warren, Michigan is being charged with animal cruelty after 160 animals were seized from his pet store in malnourished condition.  The Mayor of Warren, Jim Fouts, described the pet store as a "house of horrors for the pets."  The animals are currently in custody of two animal hospitals and an animal shelter and will either be up for adoption or placed in different pet stores to sell.

Savannah monitors aren't the only pet monitors out there.  There are Argus, Nile, and even Dumeril's monitors that are kept as pets in homes around the world.  Dumeril's are known to be pretty large lizards who enjoy eating crabs and go through quite the color change as they mature.  Learn more about Dumeril's monitors to see if this kind of monitor is right for you.

If you like terrestrial turtles and aquatic turtles you'll just adore Asian Box turtles.  These cute turtles are semi-aquatic so you get the best of both worlds in one turtle!

Asian Box turtles are long lived turtles that could make a great pet for you.  Read more about Asian Box turtles to find out if one may be suited for you.

Apparently you can only have one snake if you live in Cottonwood Heights, Utah unless you acquire an exotic pet permit.  A man in this city is being forced to find new homes for all but one of his 29 boas in seven days and has been ticketed by the police.

A man found to be housing a tiger, lynx, servals, bobcats, mountain lions, and skunks in deplorable conditions was arrested recently in Kansas, just outside Kansas City.  The man was also found with methamphetamines on his property.  Thankfully all the animals have found homes in sanctuaries in Texas, Florida, and Kansas.  I'm sure they'll have much better lives in their new homes than their previous!

A volunteer for the Arkansas Wildlife Rehabilitators recently had her pet mountain lion confiscated from her back yard.  City ordinances prohibit individuals from owning big cats in Elm Springs, Arkansas.

A neighbor reported the cat to officials after fearing it would harm her child.  The owner of the mountain lion reportedly has a "small game rehabilitation license" but the police referred to the cat as "wild game."  The Arkansas state exotic pet law says that large carnivores (i.e. tigers, lions and bears) are illegal to own.

I'm curious as to what will happen to this cat.

Heart disease is commonly seen in pet ferrets and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the less seen, but deadliest kinds.  HCM often produces sudden death, especially in ferrets whose owners have not noticed any of the symptoms that are sometimes seen before things get really bad.  Learn more about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in ferrets and see what you can do for your ferret's health.

Aquatic turtles are popular pets but if you are looking for a little less common water turtle than the Red eared slider or Yellow Bellied cooter you should check out the African Side-Neck turtle.  This turtle is named so because he cannot fully tuck his head into his shell, therefore he has to turn his head to the side.  Read about African Side-Neck turtles to see what other unique qualities they possess.

So you got a new hedgehog, or perhaps you've had one for some time already and you are considering getting it spayed or neutered.  There are definite risks involved with any surgery and hedgehogs but there are also major benefits associated with altering your pet.  For a run down of pros and cons regarding spaying and neutering hedgehogs check out this article.