Does anyone here have an unusual pet?

I've always wanted to know someone who had a crazy animal like a cheetah or a chimpanzee for a pet. Chimps in particular seem like they'd be fun to play with.

 

I guess that's fairly unusual. I hate rats I must say. They gross me out. What made you want to keep rats for pets?

 

I've read that baby chimps are friendly and fun, but adults want to fight humans for dominance and become dangerous. Cleveland Amory reminisced about acquiring Nim Chimpsky, who had learned sign language but then turned against humans, at his Ranch of Dreams....

 

Yikes!

 

Depends on what you call pets. I live with a lot of animals that become familiar, semi-tame, but not cuddly pets.

As discussed in the blog post, Northern Paper Wasps are my non-cuddly house pets. No fly or mosquito problems with them around, and they're easy to live with if you respect them. White-Faced Hornets are friends I encouraged to move away from the house.

Also, the house came with a resident snake who's been shedding a slightly longer skin every year. I call Gulegi "he" because the snake eggs always used to turn up under a neighbor's porch, never ours. Other snakes are not a problem. Gulegi eats them for breakfast and eats mice as snacks...and if anyone tried to pet him he could probably crack a finger bone. He generally avoids humans as much as possible, and we avoid him...but it's nice having him in the attic.

For several years House Wrens used to nest on the porch. Then my ex-brother-in-law tried to poison my paper wasps, failed to do that, but succeeded in killing the wrens.

Cardinals, however, have lived at the house longer than I have. No, the cats don't seem to bother the family; very rarely can a cat catch a healthy adult bird, and kittens who seem interested in trying do not become resident cats--some kittens have been placed in other homes ahead of schedule for that reason. They moved their nest site to a taller tree after cats became permanent residents, but still eat rose hips and suchlike in the yard, and sing "Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!" at us, all winter.

My first permanent resident cat (the one my cat picture looks like, although digital pictures weren't invented during her lifetime) was the first really social cat I'd ever seen or heard of. She made pets of other cats, and of dogs, and of possums. She even trained the possums to come and go on cue, with food treats. Since then the house seems to have had a resident possum in the cellar each winter. Some of them have come when I called "kitty, kitty," and last winter's resident, Pally Possum, came and rubbed up against my leg like a cat. Not so cute in view of what it eats.

For some years the cats and I were on good terms with a big Hognose Skunk I called Pepe and a little Striped Skunk I called Hepzibah...definitely not cuddly pets, though. I don't know whether either of them left an heir.

Also, for a few years we offered "sanctuary" to a terrified little "Rackety Coon," but when Rackety grew up and had babies she decided to enforce population control on the kittens, so she and her babies had to go.

The weirdest "pet" I ever had was a moth--a big one, Eacles imperialis. He certainly didn't cuddle, but he did accept an empty vase in a closet as the safe place where he slept all day. He would go to a window at night to be let out, and come back in the morning to be let in.

 

I don't have any exotic pets. I've always been interested in the Siberian Tiger! Currently own a Shiba Inu and I am in love with it. It is like a chinese husky.

 

I always had only dogs, so I wouldn't fit into this team... In relation to this aspect, I can say that I am "normal" . But I have two friends who have unusual animals: one has a pig (who is almost 2 years old) and the other has an owl (who is already 3 years old).

Both animals are well trained. It's kinda fun to see those animals obeying them so faithfully.

 

An owl would be interesting! I read an allegedly true memoir by someone who lived with a pet owl for many years. I knew someone in real life who had adopted an owl for a few months, then killed it when it locked its talons around his arm and refused to let go. (He never had any idea why.) Does your friend with the owl wear padded leather gloves?

 

Raccoon, over the years three.
Found abandoned by momma or momma went to Raccoon heaven.
They are intelligent, lovable, and very ornery.
When I had to leave one home I'd put it in a large pet cage.
He opened the door, got into kitchen cupboards and ate him self silly.
The kitchen was an unholy mess and l'il 'coon was passed out on the floor with a really big belly!

Since they were never "fixed" they got mean as they matured and would bite.
HARD! and draw blood so I'd let 'em go.
I live in the country with woods all around.

I recall one that I released out back.
A month later it came home.
My ex was on the phone with her feet on a desk and was wearing shorts.
L'il coon opened the sliding glass door and walked right in and bit her right in the butt cheek!

She screamed, 'coon ran out, I took her to the e.r. where she had to have rabies shots.
That was 30 years ago and it cost me $400 bucks!
Only one dose of vaccine in the whole of n.e. Ohio.
Had to fly it in from Columbus 125 miles south of the e.r.
She was soooooooooooooooooooooooo pissed.

I always did think the raccoon should have gotten the shots as she was one rabid beeaatch!

 

Yes, whenever it is necessary he wears special gloves. I confess that I was really surprised at how much his owl obeys him.

I never imagined that an owl could be so well tamed. He told me that it took around 3 to 4 months to achieve this goal with a specific type of trainer (a very expensive trainer, but the investment was worth it).

 

Cool! I know many birds learn to understand words more easily than dogs and cats do, but...an owl! Neat!

 

Accidentally caught a red tail hawk in a raccoon trap.
It wasn't injured really and I released it.
It was ticked off but o.k.
Caught a beaver in a size "0" muskrat trap by a toe nail.
I carefully let that one go also.

 

A bear? wow. I saw a couple in the wilderness from afar and they looked so glorious. I'm not sure if I'd dare to come near it though.

I don't know if this is an unusual pet but when I was younger I had a ChinChilla. It was so cute and actually very smart. You'd be surprised how much energy it has. Also had red-necked turtles, 3 of them. I got them from a pet shop and initially, they were so, so tiny... then few months forward they were HUGE. They grow like crazy. We gave them to one of the local aquarium because we didn't have enough space anymore, was sad.

 

I had a full blood timber Wolf raised him like a dog he was really good he even breed a jack Russel terrier I put him on a slider chain when some of the dogs came in heat and he got strangled by the chain his name was bandit and I will never put any animal on a chain again.

 

A timber wolf! Wow that's special.

 

Sometimes it's temporarily necessary, but isn't the consensus among dog people that keeping any dog on a chain all the time makes it vicious? I'd be afraid to leave a big dog on a chain very long--much less a wolf.

 

Did not leave him on a chain all the time just two days on the second day is when it happened he ran around free all the time

 

Good to know!