The Dangers of Atypical Pets

Great article from a guest blogger -

The Dangers Of Atypical Pets


By Ashley Warner

When it comes to buying pets, most people still aim for dogs and cats, while others opt for small pets like lizards, birds and fish. However, a growing number of people are opting to own more unusual pets. While most animal advocates and people who have studied animal behavior, such as those with online biology degrees, disapprove of this practice, some people see animals like monkeys, reptiles and large cats on television and think it would be great to have one. Yet more often than not, people don't have a full grasp on the responsibility of owning an exotic pet before they purchase one. This can lead to a lot of problems. Having an atypical pet in your home is not only often detrimental to the animal, but it also can put your life risk.

Agencies such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are vehemently against the ownership of strange and exotic pets, particularly those that need to be imported. As such, people often obtain these pets illegally. In fact, there are many Web sites that provide people with the ability to purchase atypical pets, which can lead to a lot of legal problems. For instance, there are state, local and federal laws to consider when it comes to owning an exotic pet. However, the legal issues are just the tip of the iceberg.

By owning an atypical pet, you pose a serious risk to your own health and well-being. These animals are often extremely dangerous. When you bring one of them home, odds are you cannot provide them with the extensive care they need such as special diets, as well as a secured and comfortable habitat. The most common risk to public safety is when one of these animals escapes as a result of an enclosure that is too small or poorly constructed. There have been dozens of cases in the news about large snakes, tigers and even monkeys killing animals or attacking people. It is important to remember that wild animals aren't easily tamed like dogs and cats. As a result, they are quick to exhibit aggressive behavior in lieu of a proper habitat or improper feeding. This often leads to unfortunate cases in which an animal lashes out at its owner or other people.

Aside from the behavioral risks, atypical pets also pose health risks. Many strange pets are carriers of disease: most snakes release salmonella. many monkeys carry Herpes-B, and even seemingly harmless prairie dogs often carry the bubonic plague. Most often, these diseases don't harm the animals, but they can prove fatal to humans. By purchasing one of these pets, you are putting yourself at risk to catch a potentially lethal illness. You could also put your family, friends and neighbors at risk.

In addition to putting yourself at risk, you also put the animals at risk. Many people can't get proper veterinary care for odd pets or provide them with proper food. Eventually, most people who buy exotic pets give up on them because they can't take care of the animal properly. In fact, the ecosystem in the Everglades has been devastated by people releasing pythons in to the wild because they have gotten too big to keep in a cage. No matter how well meaning they may be, most people cannot provide the necessary care for an exotic pet.

Ultimately it is best to avoid purchasing an exotic pet, but if you must do so, make sure you understand all of the pet's needs and the risks involved with its care. It is also crucial that you need to know the legal implications as well as the health concerns of having such a pet in your home. If you don't go in to the situation with complete knowledge, you will may find yourself in a terrible situation.

By-line:

Ashley Warner is a graduate student working toward her Masters in Conservation Biology and is a content creator for Online Biology Degree. She currently resides in Washington state

The Exotic Pet Challenge

Retailers that deal in exotic pets must navigat through a jungle of regulations. Here is an interesting article from Pet Business magazine in regards to the many challenges facing the exotic pet industry

Check out the article Exotic Challenge

How Spaying Helps Your Dog Stay Healthy

Here are some tips from the Dog Age website about the health factors in spaying your dog:

If you could do one thing to help your precious little Lucy stay healthy, you'd do it in a heartbeat, right? So if you haven't done so already, ask your vet about spaying your pet.

Here are the ways it could help your pup's well-being and give you some peace of mind:

* No worries about reproductive cancers. Since the ovaries and uterus are surgically removed, there's no chance of tumors growing in the reproductive tract.
* Your dog won't be in heat. "Heat," or estrus, is a female dog's mating period. During this time, which occurs every 3 to 6 months and lasts up to 4 weeks, dogs will have vaginal bleeding -- that's something you'll have to deal with. And because your pet wants a ready-and-willing male, she may wander off in the neighborhood to find one. If the thought of your pooch on the prowl makes you squirm, picture frisky hounds howling at your door!
* A much lower risk of breast cancer. Animals spayed before their first heat cycle (usually at 6 to 9 months of age) have substantially lower odds of developing breast cancer.
* No uterine infections. Spaying a dog at any age eliminates infections of the uterus, which can be quite serious.

Spaying also helps to reduce pet overpopulation.

Sugar Glider

Anytime I see a unique pet, I'm always intrigued...usually to the point of wanting one. At a recent pet expo, I came across a dealer selling Sugar Gliders. What are Sugar Gliders? According to Pocket Pets of Dallas, Sugar Gliders are small, aboreal marsupials which originate primarily from Indonesia and Southern Australia. As their common name implies, they possess a gliding membrane (similar to that of the flying squirrels) that stretches from their wrists to their ankles and allows them to 'glide' from tree to tree. As with all marsupials, female sugar gliders also possess a pouch, in which they raise their young. Sugar gliders are nocturnal animals, which spend almost their entire life in trees.

Sugar Gliders can make excellent pets. They adapt very readily to captivity and can develop very strong relationships with their human keepers. They are small in size, and are very intelligent and love to play. They are very smart and have a long life span, most living to be 10 years or older if taken care of properly. Although nocturnal, it can be a benefit, in that they want to play in the evening when you are at home, and if you take them with you in the daytime, they are content to sleep in your pocket or pouch. Most gliders, if handled well and given time, learn their owner(s) scent(s) and have absolutely no fear of them.

Their diet consists of fruit, fresh vegetables, wholemeal bread, yogurt, peanuts, high protein dry food, and supplemented occasionally with mealworms, meatmeal or hard-boiled eggs.

According to the company, they get along well with other household pets...though I'm worried my dogs might think of them as another new toy.

Potbellied Pigs: An Allergy-free Pet

Ok, I didn't write this myself, but found an interesting article about an allergy free pet alternative. I know....it's a pig....but the article makes me want to get one.

http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/potbelliedpigsanallergyfreepet

Salmonella from pet turtles sickens 103 in '07

Ok, so I've wanted a turtle for some time now. But Mrs. Pet Haven always cautioned me that you could get diseases from turtles. I never really knew if she was making that up, but as it turns out, she's right. According to a recent report, contact with small pet turtles was to blame for 103 Salmonella infections that occurred in 33 states between May and December 2007, according to federal health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.

Salmonella infections can be severe, leading to hospitalization and, in some cases, death, the CDC notes.

Turtles and other reptiles are well-known reservoirs for Salmonella and while the sale and distribution of small turtles — measuring less than 4 inches — was officially outlawed in the U.S. in 1975, cases of turtle-associated Salmonella infection continue to occur.

Roughly half of the Salmonella infections documented in the 2007 outbreak occurred in young children, who are at greater risk for severe illness from Salmonella infection.

The CDC's investigation into the outbreak also revealed that in a subset of 60 infected individuals interviewed, only one fifth were aware of the link between Salmonella infection and contact with reptiles.

According to the CDC, direct or indirect contact with reptiles causes an estimated 6 percent of all human Salmonella infections in the U.S. People who come in contact with reptiles, reptile habitats, or surfaces contaminated with reptile feces need to remember that they risk Salmonella infection, CDC officials caution.