10 Dangerous Exotic Pets
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Most countries have laws against them. In most places around the globe it is illegal to capture, breed, or sell them. Yet world wide there is a fascination with owning wild, bizarre, exotic, and most of the time dangerous pets. What are this fascination with being different and the need to own something illegal and dangerous? Who owns these animals? And, what are these animals that are owned, sold, and traded worldwide regardless of the consequences?
The United With Animal Protection Institute issued a report of incidents involving captive held animals, which provided an interesting background report to base the list upon. There are also stories like this in papers around the world concerning the practice of keeping dangerous and exotic pets.
10. Turtles
A turtle may seem harmless enough, but did you know that they actually carry salmonella? It seems that the main concern is the baby turtles. It is not that the little guys have more cases of salmonella, it’s that the smaller they are the more attracted little kids are to them. And we all know how little kids can be; they will stick just about anything in their mouth – including their fingers after touching the turtles and the turtles themselves.
9. Constrictors
This is pretty much an obvious one. Sure that red tailed boa at the pet store seems harmless and kind of cute. But they grow quite rapidly; can get up to several feet in length, and speaking from a neighborhood experience, they have been known to escape. Lets just say if you feed them rabbits, they would have no problem with getting themselves around a dog or a cat even. One of the main concerns with owning constrictors is that once they start to get large, some people actually just let them go and return them to the wild. Watch out for Fido!
8. Scorpions
Did you know that there is a guy that as a performance and a world record chaser, he actually puts live Scorpions in his mouth? If you ask me, that’s not one of the best ideas I have heard of. Seeing the little ones when I lived in the southern US was enough for me. These little guys can pack quite a punch with their venomous sting!
7. Camels
Camels are known to be pretty temperamental guys. According to a report on Fox News when a local TV news crew was out filming exotic animal farms, an 1800 lb camel named Polo must have decided that they were not shooting his best side. When Polo became agitated he attacked his owner, kicking her and sitting on her. Ouch. Oh, and if you didn’t know, camels like to spit too. And it’s pretty gross.
6. Ostriches
Sure they seem cute and awkward looking. They hide their heads in the ground right. But apparently these guys will also chase you and they run pretty darn fast. Getting in the middle of an ostrich stampede just doesn’t sound like my idea of a really good time.
5. Chimps and Monkeys
They are adorable. The human resemblance is amazing. They are also known to bite and attack humans and animals alike. I once saw the damage that a monkey caused when it attacked a dog in India and let’s just say those puncture wounds weren’t pretty. The dog also lost an ear and an eye in the process. Sometimes cute is pretty deceptive.
4. Venomous Snakes
Again I go back to my comments about the scorpions. They are snakes. They are poisonous. They bite. None of this is a good combination. In Cincinnati a man was bitten by his rhinoceros viper snake, which is one of the world’s deadliest snakes. He did receive anti-venom and survived. But who really wants to take that risk?
3. Crocodiles and Alligators
Often people get crocs and alligators when they are little and cute and look like happy little lizards. Have you seen the jaws on those things? They didn’t make an entire TV show around hunting them out if there wasn’t some sort of risk and danger there. So keeping one in a kiddie pool in the back yard may not be the best idea. Just ask anyone who has lived in Florida and found one under their car.
2. Big Cats
Again it’s these cute ones that you have to worry about. When these guys are babies, who could resist? But no matter how young they are or how well trained they are, they can turn on you in a second. They feed them raw steak for goodness sake, shouldn’t that be a sign?
1. Kinkajou
Ok, so I had no Idea what a Kinkajou even was. But when I looked it up I couldn’t resist its adorable little furry bodies and those big buggy eyes. A kinkajou, also known as a sugar bear, looks like a cross between a squirrel, a hamster, and a chinchilla. They are pretty darn cute. But again it’s the cute ones. Paris Hilton has a pet kinkajou named Baby Luv. In 2005 she took it shopping with her and was attacked by the thing and it clawed up her face. The brilliance of this is that again in 2006 Baby Luv sent Hilton to the emergency room after she was bitten by that cute Baby Luv on the arm. And that is why this guy is number one on my list of dangerous pets…. Come on, cute rainforest animal that attacks Paris Hilton numerous times. You got to put that one at the top of the list just because.
Written by Rene Edde
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I love these top tens
The information about turtles is wrong.
Coming from a turtle breeder,
Not ALL turtles carry samonella.
It’s actually an extremely small percentage of turtles who do.
Their bite is probably more dangerous than their risk of salmonella.
I dont know if you’ve ever been bitten by a tutle
But it freakin hurts.
Plus a tetnus shot after….
Not pretty
A great list! Realistically, not so much dangerous if you know how to raise and handle these animals. Education is the key, and with posts like these, it’ll certainly help.
I hope you don’t mind, but I found a myth within your article I’d like to point out:
“They hide their heads in the ground right.”
Ostriches don’t actually bury their head in the sand at all. It’s a mistaken perception from female behavior. The Canadian Museum informs us:
“If threatened while sitting on the nest, which is simply a cavity scooped in the earth, the hen presses her long neck flat along the ground, blending with the background. Ostriches, contrary to popular belief, do not bury their heads in the sand.”
Actually, the breeds of scorpions sold as pets are hardly dangerous. The most common I’ve seen are the emperor scorps, which, despite their huge size, have a very mild sting. They’re not lethal by any means, unless you happen to be allergic to scorpion stings for whatever reason, I guess.
Of course it’s not really supposed to be a pet you cuddle and play with anyway.
I wouldn’t call an animal that bites Paris Hilton “dangerous”. I actually applaud Baby Luv. She probably deserved getting bit and scratched up.
I think the sugar bear is getting a bad rap. first of all your only proof of it being dangerous, is based on a irresponsible little girl trying to look cute with her exotic pet in a mall. im not saying you have to take in off your list but at least not the number one. if you kept it a natural surrounding at home im sure that there would be no problem. you didnt list any diseases it carries, you only base it on a one girl that took “Baby Luv” into a highly stimulating mall and got what she deserved. im not hating on Paris… you just have to educate yourself about what you will be taking care of. It just seems like a personal opinion of your fears, use more facts!
Poisonous scorpions have a very large buffed up looking tail and very small delicate needle like claws. Scorpions show a preference toward subduing prey with either their stingers or their claws so there is an inverse relationship between the claws and the stinger. The smaller the claws, the larger the tail and therefore the more potent the venom is.
Emperor Scorps are the ones you will see at the pet store most commonly. If you look closely you will see that this species has enormous shield like claws. Not only is the Emperor scorpion’s sting very weak this species is not likely to even attempt to sting you.
Not a bad list, but with some of the pets a bit of education and maturity is all that is needed. For example, turtles are safe as long as you wash your hands after handling them. PROPERLY handle a scorpion, and they can’t sting you. I work at a zoo, and we handle them all the time.
I really liked the part about the cats. We tell the visitors at our zoo that almost all cat species act a lot alike the others when in captivity. It’s just that if your housecat turns on you or plays a bit too rough, all you get is a bit of a scratch. When a tiger plays a bit too rough, you’re dead.
The kinkajou is clearly meant to be funny, guys, and anybody who calls their animal ‘baby luv’ deserves to be scratched. Ick, poor fella.
I can think of ten animals off the top of my head that are more dangerous to own, like a grizzly or a moose.
Yeah, I agree with Petey.
A cat will do the same thing.
At home they’re perfectly nice pets, but try carrying one down the street and you’ll get scratched up pretty badly because it’s out of it’s own territory and feels threatened. Of course there’s the cat who will follow it’s owner for miles too. My neighbours cat was discovered entering McDonalds with him, which is quite a few blocks from their home.
JP,
This comment absolutely cracked me up, but it’s very true! “It’s just that if your housecat turns on you or plays a bit too rough, all you get is a bit of a scratch. When a tiger plays a bit too rough, you’re dead.”
I’d like to point out that those who release constrictors such as boas, aren’t returning them to the wild, unless the people live in the snake’s native habitat.
Also, the reason that ostriches are so dangerous is because their kick is so powerful, it can kill a grown man. Being chased doesn’t kill a person, unless they die from fright or exertion.
Lol I love JP’s comment about cats. Personally Crocs would be number 1 if I made this list
I think the alligator should be #1. Not the cute little kinkajoa shouldhave attackParis Hilton. She probably abused it.I heard on th e radio that her made found 10 dead cats shoved in her closet.That sounds like animal crulty to me.
Would like to know how to obtain a license to
own exotic pets such as monkeys, penquins, kangaroos etc?
Would like to know how to obtain a license to
own exotic pets such as monkeys, kangaroos and penquins?
I’m going to have to disagree with you on the scorpion fact. I will agree that a number of species appropriately puts them on the list, but the most popular of pet scorpion, the empire scorpion, is reliably harmless. It’s “venom” is no more potent than a mosquito bite, and is more for show than actual use. Same goes for it’s pinsers, large and flashy, but don’t really use except for catching prey.
snakes should be on the top of the list.
that’s dumb a kinkajou? just becuse it attacked paris hilton. shes retarded of course she would be the one to get hospitalized by a freaking rodent. in no way do i believe that is the most dangerous pet. there are way more dangerous pets out there then a kinkajou
Robert, the last pet, the Kinkajou was listed as a joke. How can anything related to Paris Hilton be take seriously, even her obnoxious pet.
Okay number 1, there is only one type of turtle that can give you salmonella and it is illegal to sell them so I do not trust any of thiss
C Dubbs – This link to the CDC says otherwise. Read more here: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/TurtlesSalmonella/. But I still wouldn’t trust any of this and I own the site.
After all, these list are purely for fun.
But back to the turtle discussion, I thought this was interesting from the CDC site. Who knew this was illegal?:
Since 1975, it has been illegal in the United States to sell or distribute turtles with shells that measure less than 4 inches in length. This size was chosen because small children are more likely to treat smaller turtles as toys and put them in their mouths. The ban by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has prevented an estimated 100,000 cases of salmonellosis each year in children. Despite this ban, such turtles are available from pet stores, flea markets, street vendors, and online stores. In addition, children still catch wild turtles and lizards and bring them home to keep as pets. Whether store-bought or caught in a friend’s backyard, a turtle can carry Salmonella and might not be the best choice of a pet for your family, especially if there are young children or immunocompromised persons in the household.
So, really any turtle can carry salmonella. Be careful.
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What I want to know is, how were these animals chosen to be on this “top ten list”? Is this just someone experessing their personal phobias of animals they don’t understand?
First of all, with regards to the scorpions, most of the species that are commonly kept (i.e emperor scorpions) may appear frightening but have a mild venom that is unlikely to give most people problems. It would essentially be no worse than a bee sting.
Secondly, constrictors should be much more narrowly defined here. Did you know corn snakes are constrictors? Or that the ball python are? Yet I have not heard of a single case of either killing and consuming a pet dog or cat. Some of the larger snakes such as Burms and Retics can get large and have been involved in incidents, but these are very rare. There are statistically more people who are killed or injured by dogs, and other domestic animals annually than by any reptiles. Yes, they sometimes escape, but so do dogs, cats, and even my neighbor’s pot bellied pig.
i like to have a pack of timerwolves complete with an alpha male
Of course dogs are far more dangerous than most of these, but they’re not exotic, so I won’t complain about the list. (Except to reiterate what Eric said that most of the constrictors raised as pets aren’t dangerous at all) House cats are also far more likely to give you an infection than reptiles, but again, not exotic, so…
in the past 70 years, out of a control sample of 280 something otriches, there was not one case of them sticking their heads in the ground XD