If a poll were conducted on how many people love pets, there’s bound to be an overwhelming number of people answering ‘yes.’ What’s not to love about them? They are cute, and they can be quite entertaining from time to time. Even if you’re not a dog or cat person, there’s bound to be an animal that you love. Some people fall exactly in this category, and prefer exotic pets like red-tailed sharks to more local ones like hamsters.
Although, if you are a dog lover, here you can find everything that you’ll need if you decide to have a dog.
source:reef2rainforest.com
The only problem with having an exotic pet is that you may not know how to care for it. Beyond essentials like feeding, exotic pets are special pets, and they often have special needs. This post highlights some of these needs, and how you can go about caring for your exotic pets.
source:reef2rainforest.com
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Get the habitat right
source:BBC.com
With dogs and cats, you don’t have to worry much about this. Since most of them are domesticated, they are already pretty used to the weather and conditions in your area and will have no problems adapting to your home. Exotic pets like Burmese pythons, on the other hand, have special needs that you should address if you want to keep them right. Snakes can’t regulate their own body temperatures, and thus need a heating lamp to help them stay warm. On the other hand, a red-tailed shark will need an aquarium like the ones made by Titan Aquatic Exhibits. Care for your exotic pets begins with getting the habitat right.
Find out what they eat
source:smithsonianmag.com
You may get away with feeding your exotic pets normal pet food and maybe even leftovers, but you’d be surprised what ‘home-grown’ food can do for them. For example, even though freshwater sharks can eat fish pellets and all the other things you’d feed a goldfish, they love mealworms. Not only is it full of all the things they need, but they are also important because they give the fishes a sense of home. You have to remember that most of these pets weren’t bred for captivity.
Give them freedom and lots of activities
source:thesprucepets.com
Here’s another point that illustrates how you have to take your pet’s natural environment into consideration. Just like with regular pets like cats and dogs, activities are vital for exotic pets. Sometimes, dogs will race out of the house the first chance they get because they’ve not had enough exercise and freedom. That’s why pet owners have pet flaps installed in their doors. Depending on the kind of pet you have, this may not even be an option for you. For example, if you have a Burmese python, you can’t exactly take them to the park and let them wander. However, for pets like servals, you can let them out to play. You just have to make sure they don’t scare your neighbors since they look a lot like leopards.
Shower them with love
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Whether you have exotic pets from Africa, or you got yours at the pet store, the one thing that all pets have in common is that they need love – lots and lots of love. Let’s face it. That’s why we get pets in the first place. With a little bit of attention and care and a whole lot of love, your pets will be just fine.
