Do Animal Shelters Have Exotic Pets For Adoption

If you are looking to adopt an exotic pet you should check your local animal shelter first.  Animal shelters often have exotic pets up for adoption at prices much lower than they would be sold for in pet stores.

An exotic pet is anything other than a cat, dog, fish, or livestock.  In some areas all birds are considered as exotic pets, while in other areas budgies and finches are not "exotic" but parrots and toucans (for example) are.  Either way animal shelters are likely to have exotic pets for adoption, especially in larger cities where exotic pets are more common.

Rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs, are the most common exotic pets for a shelter to receive on a regular basis.  Depending on where you live you might also find ferrets, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, chinchillas, pot bellied pigs, as well as lizards and reptiles.

two bunnies, photo by author

Do not expect to find pet wolves or pet tigers for adoption at a local animal shelter, these larger predators usually go to special rescue centers just for those species.

Some animal shelters also deal with livestock.  Many rescue horses and have horses for adoption, or worth with another group who has these other animals for adoption.

One of the benefits of adopting an exotic pet from an animal shelter is that the price is considerably lower than if buying the same pet from a pet store.

Additionally the exotic pets that are at the animal shelter for adoption often come with their cage and supplies if these were brought in by the owner who was surrendering their pet.

If you are looking for an exotic pet check your local animal shelter's website, but note these are not updated regularly so you should really try to call or visit and see what pets they have for adoption.  Petfinder is a good site to use if you are in Canada, the USA, or Mexico and are looking for an exotic pet to adopt but not every animal shelter lists with them.

Cheetahs as Exotic Pets

Recently in the United Arab Emerates there have been some stories of Cheetahs suffering as exotic pets.  These tales should serve as a warning for anyone considering getting such a wild cat for a pet.

In the UAE, Cheetahs, and other exotic pets, are often kept on the rooftops of buildings, often on chains.  In a recent story which made news May 29, 2011, a Cheetah cub, about seven months old, was found wandering the streets with an injured front paw.  The Al Rahma Animal Welfare and Resuce Society speculates that the big cat's paw was injured in a fall, or jump, from its roof top home.  Additionally it had a metal chain around its neck.  Very likely the cat had been on a chain, which may have broken, or been cut, when the animal fell, or broke some other way.

At any rate the cheetah cub was found in the Karama district of Abu Dhabi, and later sent to a wildlife rescue place.

This cheetah was not the first exotic pet, or big cat, to make news in the area, sadly it is only one of many, including cases where smugglers have been caught with kittens, and and even worse recent case where officials saved two lions from a home where both were suffering in horrid condition as the result of neglect, and abuse.  Both lions had been declawed, as well their teeth had been filed down and had become infected.

Read More on the Cheetah's Rescue and see a Picture.
Al Rahma Animal Rescue in Abu Dhabi - Facebook Page

Over all if you are thinking that a big cat is a good pet... think again.  These cats require a lot of meat, they need a lot of space, and they are dangerous.  Even if well handled they have a potential to harm, as well the human lifestyle is not at all natural for such an animal.  Cheetahs, need to run, they were made to stretch their limbs and run.  They are not status symbols.  A far more suitable pet would be a greyhound, or Bengal Cat.

Tigers as Pets

Drawing by Brenda Nelson.©

More Tigers are kept as pets than there are in the wild. Sadly many of these pets do not have ideal, or even marginally good, lives and living conditions. Not only are Tigers an “extreme” exotic pet, they are one that requires a high standard of care, often not met due to the cost and work involved. Tigers are not a house pet, although some people do keep them as such.

Most areas that allow tigers as pets require the owner to have a permit. Sadly having a permit does not account for much in some areas. The high cost of meat means many “Pet” Tigers are malnourished. Tigers are frequently found in bad condition, or not found at all... (the market for Tiger bones is huge in China, but USA has the second largest demand for this commodity).

In some cases people try to breed Tigers specifically for color (to produce “White” Tigers) and this results in inbred animals that have loads of health problems, leaving them in pain, for shortened lifespans.  As well many tiger cubs who are born in effort to produce the rarer white tigers, are killed if they do not have the correct color.

Painting by Brenda Nelson ©  I am Not Tony - on Raven House Publishing

Many people grow up dreaming of one day owning an exotic pet, such as a Tiger, but in truth big cats, such as Tigers, are not “Pets” as we know them. They are wild animals, not domesticated to the level of being considered a “pet”. Many people who own Tigers do so for selfish reasons (to be “cool” or to impress others), as opposed to owning them for the “right” reasons (because they can afford to care for it, provide it with a good life, and because it needs a safe place to live).

The facts are alarming, according to Big Cat Rescue, (the world's largest rescue group for large cats) over 1000 big cats were listed as “unwanted” by their owners over a 10 year period (1999 -2009). The rescue saved 79 of these, while only 19 found other homes.

The same site also mentions that 98% of exotic pets die within 2 years of being brought home as pets. Their site offers more alarming stats on Tigers and other Big Cats.  Here is their page on Wild Tiger information.



Other Links

Facts Regarding Owning Pet Tigers
Other Ways of Having a Pet Tiger

True Stories - Raising an Abandoned Lamb

It is story time at the Cabin.  As you may know we keep some pet sheep around to keep the pasture down (tall dry grass can be a fire hazard).  One year one of the ewes gave birth in the middle of winter, the lambs faced certain death as the temperatures were well below freezing.  It was a very lucky thing they were found, still wet, and one in its sack.

Raising a lamb is not an easy thing, but if they were to live we had to act fast. 

Read the Full Story, complete with pictures, on this Lucky Lamb and her Sister, click here.

If you are interested in sheep, you may want to check out our other Blog, all about sheep - click here.