Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Setting The Stage for Your Exotic Pet

While it’s fabulous to be able to show off your exotic pet, the cost of maintaining one is really considerable. One of the more expensive things you have to note is simulating the proper environment for your exotic pet, aside from insurance, food costs and veterinary maintenance checks. 

A rule of thumb of simulating the proper environment is to put it in a place where it will feel most at home, or close to home. This is very challenging, especially since the said exotic pet is never originally designed for domestication. And another thing is that you won't find your neighbor having the same exotic pet to run to just in case you encounter problems with it. 

This is also another good reminder you must not forget: you may be the only one within your home who can actually care for and maintain that exotic pet, since some people might be iffy to the idea of feeding your pet ferret while you are away. You have to give a considerable amount of availability for your pet. Make sure that the pet cage is positioned in a place where you can frequently monitor it. 

Some elements of proper environment for your exotic pet include ventilation or lighting, available resources for your pet to “play” in (depending on what constitutes safe play as far as your selected exotic pet is concerned), easy accessibility to food and the like. 

Constant communication with breeders will further help expand your knowledge on how to properly care for your exotic pet. In case anything happens, post a list of contact numbers near your exotic pet’s area for easy access. But proper and meticulously done research on your exotic pet prior to building the environment already takes care of pretty much everything. 

For other people’s safety, you might want to put your exotic pet in a slightly isolated area, far from children who may be better off not mingling with them. Keep the exotic pet distant but still viewable. 

Some exotic pets don't exactly welcome the idea of being fawned over by strangers. It might even take more time and considerable training for it to warm up to you, much more with other people. Keeping it out of your sight too much may cause it to escape and wreak havoc on somebody else’s home. 

Make sure that you have the environment completely under control. Set boundaries with alarm systems that will alert you if your pet is going where it’s not supposed to go.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Being An Exotic Pet Breeder

Are you fond of taking care of exotic pets? Do you have an intensive knowledge of animals and breeding it? If you do, you can consider being an exotic pet breeder. There are many advantages you can get from it.

Being an exotic pet breeder would give you these benefits.

  1. It could be an added source of income for you. Imagine earning from your hobby. You can get profits from something you like doing. You can choose to sell the breed of animals that you produce to other people.

  2. Breeding can save you on buying pets. Even if you don't intend to sell your pets, you can save a lot from breeding, because you don't have to buy the animals to add to your existing collection, if you are really a pet lover.

  3. You have ready gifts to friends. If there are equally pet lover people you know of, you can give a pet to them as a gift. You can very well do that as a breeder. No need to find an expensive and interesting present, as you have the right one at your disposal.

  4. You can help in preserving the species. Although it is illegal to take an endangered animal as a pet, you can help the environment by taking care and expanding the breed of the ones you own. That way, they will be further away from the possibility of extinction.

  5. You will be able to enrich your animal knowledge. Being a breeder gives you the chance to know many things about animals, even if you didn't take zoology in college. Paying close attention to your pets will surely teach you a different thing or two everyday.

  6. You can contribute to nature. Being a breeder enables you to contribute to the environment by propagating the species, or even experimenting on new breeds when applicable. These are really good roles to take on.

Being a breeder isn't simple. You can't become a breeder overnight. It takes knowledge, experience, and patience. You also may need to consult with an expert breeder or a veterinarian to help you out. 

And it also entails responsibility. You might need to apply for a permit especially for that reason too. Of course, you have to follow all the legalities surrounding the transport of exotic pets for breeding purposes.

If you have dreams of becoming an exotic pet breeder, start today. Gather all relevant information about your pet. And learn everything you have to learn. Soon enough, you might just realize your goals.


Monday, October 13, 2008

Tips to Domesticate an Exotic Pet

Loving an exotic animal will come naturally to those who are attracted to the wild. These creatures have their unique charm and traits that make them very desirable to be owned.

Still, keeping an exotic pet doesn't have to entail making a jungle out of the household. It doesn't mean that the whole household shall conspire to give the animal everything. At this point, domesticating the exotic animal is a big necessity.

How to Domesticate an Exotic Pet?

Owning an exotic pet can entail wild encounters and hardships in maintenance. This is so because exotic pets, by their very nature, aren't accustomed to living with people, even more in the urban setting. They aren't like dogs and cats that have been tamed to live with people for thousands of years already.

This makes domesticating the exotic pets an imperative consideration. Here are some tips to properly domesticate the animal:

  1. Research

    If keeping a trained animal is important for you, better research first on the type of exotic creature to bring in the household. Some are high maintenance. Some are easy to tame. The ferret, for example, isn't a common household pet but it is easy to tame and very predictable.

    There are also specific behavior patterns that can be learned. These can very well make the animal more predictable. Even fierce snakes and big cats can be appeased and kept from their wild nature by understanding peculiar traits.

    Just know everything about the exotic animal and things will go smoothly.

  2. Tamed Breeds 

    There are exotic pets that are already bred and raised by humans. They are more familiar with people. Thus, domesticating them isn't difficult. Most of them too are trained already. They can be acquired through the proper pet trade.

  3. Young Animals

    Some animals too become tame to people who raised them. There can be some sort of familiarity and some amount of domestication when the exotic pet grows with the actual owners.

This can be done by bonding with the pet. Sometimes, even the behavior of the exotic pets will depend on how they are raised and cared for by the owners.