According to the American Pet Products Association, in 2013, 19.4 million households owned some type of exotic pet. 

If your kids have been begging you to get some kind of pet, you might want to change things up a little bit and get something fun and different. 

Here are some of the best exotic pets that you and your family will love!

1. Degu

If your family can’t decide between a hamster and a Guinea pig, you should get them a Degu! They look like a mix between both of those animals.

However, if you get one Degu, you should get another one. These are very social animals, and they need to have some company with them. However, don’t put two of the same gendered Degus in the same cage. The males will get aggressive and fight each other.

You don’t have to get a super fancy cage for them to live in; they can live in the same kind of cage a rat or a ferret might have. They will also play with the same kind of toys. 

These pets aren’t nocturnal, so if you want to play with them when you’re up, they’ll be more than happy to!

2. Tarantulas

Tarantulas aren’t for the faint of heart, but they can be very rewarding pets!

They come in all kinds of colors and shapes, and they’re very easy to find.

Most of them are very calm and won’t attack or hurt you. Their venom isn’t very toxic to humans, but you should still be careful when you’re handling them. Tarantulas are very delicate, and you could easily injure them. 

3. Fennec Fox

If you need something a little bit more energetic than a tarantula, a fennec fox will definitely bring some destructive energy to your home. 

They are carnivores who only eat meats like rabbits or chicken. 

If you get a fennec fox, you should have somewhere to let them live outside. When kept inside, they can tear apart your home. They are meant to explore the wild and move around, so give them a big, outside area to roam in. 

4. Stick Insect

Another interesting pet to adopt is the stick insect. You might remember seeing one of them in school, but they are fascinating creatures.

They can grow to about three or four inches long, and they can live for several years if you take care of them properly. 

They need somewhere tall to live because they will hang off of it. You should make sure that their enclosure is around room temperature and that you clean it often. They will molt their skin many times, so you’ll need to clean that out of the enclosure.

They’re omnivores, so you can feed them lettuce, bramble, or other leaves. Like the Degu, these insects need to be paired with another so that they don’t get lonely. 

5. Sugar Glider

Sugar gliders are part of the possum family, and they are originally native to Australia. 

They get their name because they have a special membrane that grows from their legs, which allows them to jump from tree to tree. If you watch them, it almost looks as if they’re gliding. 

When they’ve matured, they will only weigh about 3 ounces, and they’ll only be about 7 inches long. 

This animal is also happiest when it can socialize, so you won’t be able to get just one sugar glider. However, they can bond with people, so make sure that you spend time with them, especially when they’re young. 

They’ll learn to recognize you and realize that you’re taking care of them. 

If you are thinking about getting a sugar glider, make sure you check out this care guide. 

6. Axolotls

Many people also enjoy keeping lizards, but if you want one that most people won’t have, you should look into getting an axolotl. 

This is technically a salamander, and it comes from Mexico. They’re actually very cute, and since they’re becoming more popular, you might be able to find them in some pet stores as well.

If you’re new to handling exotic pets, this will be perfect for you. They aren’t difficult to care for at all, and they can live in just a 10-gallon tank. You’ll need a good filter on the tank, however, because they can get really messy.

They live in freshwater, and they eat all kinds of things like ground beef, shrimp, and bloodworms. 

7. Skunk

While this animal may be more familiar to you, owning it as a pet may come as a surprise to some. 

Your parents probably warned you when you were little to stay away from skunks so that you didn’t get sprayed with a nasty odor. However, skunks are actually very friendly and can be one of the best exotic animal pets. 

Most people who own a skunk as a pet have the scent glands removed from the skunk at a young age, which helps to make your home not smell.

However, they are still quite a difficult pet. They love digging, and you’ll need to keep them busy and occupied unless you want them digging up your furniture.

Discover More of the Best Exotic Pets

These are only a few of the best exotic pets out there, but there are many more that you could adopt. Before you adopt one, make sure that you look up your local laws to see if your state allows that pet.  

We know that adopting a new pet, exotic or not, can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help!

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