Where to Find Exotic Pets For Sale for Cheap

Exotic pets are sometimes available for cheap, or even for free, if you know where to look.  Sometimes they even come with a free cage and/or supplies.  An exotic pet is any pet other than a cat, dog, fish, or livestock.   Birds are also often considered as exotic pets too.  As such an exotic pet may be anything from a hamster to a wolf.  Clearly it will be easier to find a free hamster than a free pet wolf.

Some exotic pets are far easier to find than others and are often available for free.  If you use Facebook look for a local "group" as somebody may be giving away a pet there, or selling it for a low price.  In Canada the website kijiji is well known for hosting ads for pets for sale, and Craigslist is another place to look too.  Check the bulletin boards at local stores, veterinarian offices, and livestock feed stores in particular. 

Our pet Reeve's Turtle

Pet stores rarely give animals away for free, or sell them cheap.  Pet stores are in the business of making a profit so if they have a cheap (or free) pet it is possibly unhealthy, or one they need to get rid of quick for some reason or another.

Animal shelters, on the other hand, typically have exotic pets for adoption at a price far lower than you would find the same animal available for in a pet store.  In some cases these animals were surrendered to the shelter with their cage and supplies and as such the shelter may give these away free with the pet adoption.  Many animal shelters (SPCA, Humane Society, etc.) list some of their adoptable pets online but you should also check the shelter themselves to see what they have for adoption.

In some areas (such as where I am in Alberta) there are livestock auction markets that hold odd and unusual livestock and pet auctions in the spring and fall.

Before you get any exotic pet make sure you understand the proper care requirements for that animal.  Make sure you can provide the right kind of environment and food.  Make sure you can pay for any medical needs (ask your vet if they care for exotic pets). 

Where can you Get Real Veterinarian Advice Online

I have always warned people against getting free veterinarian advice online, you simply do not know who is answering.

On forums and other question and answer sites are loaded with people who may claim to be vets but are not. Sure you might get some help from people based on their experiences but sometimes there is more to it than that, and at any rate a common answer in forums is simply “Take your pet to the vet”.

I have seen terrible advice given out by well meaning people but people who simply do not know the facts. For example I have seen a person ask if they can give aspirin to a cat and they were told “Sure, I gave it to my dog so I do not see why you cannot give it to your cat”. Of course the truth is that aspirin is somewhat risky for dogs (although if carefully dosed it is fine) but very dangerous to cats and even a small amount can be fatal.

PetMD.com is one of the few places where pet owners can turn and find real information from real veterinarians. They have a place where users can ask questions about their pet or other concerns. These questions are answered as quickly as possible by the vets who are online at any given time.

What is really great about the question section for vets on PetMD is that it is not just limited to questions about cats and dogs either. PetMD allows you to ask questions about birds, horses, reptiles, or other exotic pets.

The PetMD website itself has loads of links with information on all different types of pets and is a good resource in itself.  Click on the logo above to give it a shot and ask a veterinarian your pet questions today!

As part of the Pet 360 family PetMD is affiliated with PetFoodDirect.  They also have a symptom checker.

Does your pet have suspicious symptoms? Visit petMD's Pet Symptom Checker today for informative, helpful, veterinarian approved articles.

If you have a pet emergency it is best to contact your veterinarian. Most vets do have 24 hour services and are available even when their office is closed. For non-emergency situations or times when you just have a simple question, try asking a veterinarian on PetMD.com