In this modern era, it's not rare for many people around the world to have an exotic pet in their home. These exotic pets include sugar gliders, tarantulas, monkeys, and fennec foxes which have taken the interest of animal lovers for a companion. Having wild animals as pets sounds extra cool and adventurous, but have you ever considered the disadvantages of having one? I'll be explaining the good and bad reasons for exotic pets in the following paragraphs that will answer whether it's a good idea to have an exotic pet.
Firstly, wild animals have been grown in the wild and we can't provide their natural home. They were born in an area closed off from humans and were raised by their species. This illustrates how their behaviors and habits are all adapted in the wild and not in a controlled habitat like a sheltered home for humans; Animals cannot easily adapt to new areas unlike humans who can get comfortable quickly. It takes a lot of time for them to understand and get used to their new place, living with humans. In the wild, they are free and able to travel everywhere without having anyone to stop them and seclude them. Most exotic pet foods are also exotic themselves which can be hard to find in human areas. Furthermore, our house is very different compared to their natural 'house' which shows how we can't give them their full freedom just as they were in the wild.
Secondly, we could get hurt. What does this mean? It means that since wild animals are raised in uncultivated areas, they are uneducated about what actions can harm or even make us happy. Not only that, exotic pets all have their defensive mechanisms which if activated around us, we can get injured by them. Examples are hedgehog back bodies covered with small spines and how when they get scared, they roll up into a prickly ball and touching them leads to us getting pricked. Wild animals like reptiles and some frogs contain poison and when we are exposed to it, it would be very painful to us and we'd have to get it healed from the hospital as fast as possible. This demonstrates that wild animals should be left alone and not live with humans at home.
However, besides all the disadvantages, they can teach us new things about themselves. Having them beside us daily will make the pets more comfortable with us and show behaviors that humanity may never speculate on; Their behavior will assist in new findings about their species leading to discoveries about their past before humans existed. To add this, they can teach us life lessons such as being brave, loyal, etc. Each animal has different personalities and they make us more open-minded. An example from an exotic pet: Spiders can give us tips on how to hunt prey quietly.
Secondly, we are helping with not endangering their species to extinction in the wild. Once in a while nowadays, we'd find news about an animal going extinct like pandas, leopards, etc. The International Union of Conservation Network's red list contains 150,388 plant and wildlife species globally. By adopting and taking care of an exotic pet, we will be able to stop them from going fully gone and can help them reproduce their species. With this, we can also raise awareness among others which can get them fascinated and support as well. After all, all wildlife is important for the ecosystem and helps balance the system.
In conclusion, Adopting wild animals will benefit lowering their chances of getting endangered and help us learn new things that we may not realize. However, we must keep in mind that they live in wildlife with a large space and are not educated like humans about behavior. In my opinion, it depends on whether you can protect yourself when your pet starts going out of control and being able to be active and motivated to take care of them. Having a pet, especially an exotic one is very time-consuming just like taking care of a baby. Â
