Exotic pet supplies and where to find them
It used to be the case that animal lovers were almost universally labeled by one of two categories. You were either a dog person or a cat person, depending which house pet you preferred. But today that approach is much too overly simplistic, especially when you think about all the people who keep such exotic pets as pot-bellied pigs, Capuchin monkeys, hedgehogs and other strange animals as pets.
It seems there’s always something in the news about some animal escaping the house or someone else caught trying to smuggle protected birds into the country by stuffing them down their pants. Apparently, it seems dealing in rare pets is very big business these days, which probably goes some way to explaining the recent rise in the availability of exotic pet supplies.
I always wondered how people manage to feed and take care of rare animals. I mean, a pig probably eats just about anything, but what on earth do you feed to a chinchilla? Does a raccoon need to be groomed regularly? Does anyone make toys for genets? You can’t just nip out and find exotic pet supplies along with the dog food and catnip at the corner store, so where does all the exotic stuff come from? The place where you can find everything, of course.. the internet!
It’s true, if you’re in the market for exotic pet supplies, your best bet is to go online and search for specific products for whatever critter, reptile, or bird you happen to own. Someone from Iowa might have to order a hedgehog habitat or food mix from a web retailer based in Florida. A Kansas resident who’s raising a wallaroo might have to grow specialized grasses or brush from seeds specially ordered in Australia. Regardless of what kind of item you’re shopping for, it’s a heck of a lot easier to find exotic pet supplies online than to try to rustle up the same products from stores near your home.
But just because exotic pet supplies are widely available online, it doesn’t mean you should run right out and try to adopt one of the exotics that I mentioned above. There are still a number of other things to consider first, such as your state laws. Many states expressly prohibit keeping animals like pot-bellied pigs or monkeys in residential areas, and trying to circumvent the law could land you in jail and your beloved companion confiscated by authorities.
And not only that, you have to give serious thought to veterinary care. Your animal will definitely need routine checkups, and might even need emergency care if something awful should happen. Not every vet is capable of handling exotics, so you could end up with a very sick animal on your hands at some point.
The bottom line is that finding a place to purchase discount exotic pet supplies is just part of the equation. Before you rush into any decisions about buying a rare animal as a pet, please do yourself a favor by carefully considering whether or not you have the resources to care for one of these pets.