You might not be able to take a lizard or hedgehog out for a walk, or cuddle on the couch with a reptile or bird, but exotic animals still have plenty to offer as household pets.
“There’s always things you can learn by watching these animals interact with their environment,” says Shane Rippey, who grew up caring for unusual animals. “I had as many oddball pets as I could find — snakes, lizards and arachnids.” He received his B.S. in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University and today educates people on the care of exotic pets as general manager of Fin & Feather Pet Center in Lakeside.
Experts say the No. 1 most important thing is to do your research before adopting an exotic pet. Knowing an animal’s habits, their dietary and temperature requirements, the environment from which they came, and their health needs are all key.
“If you’re looking for an exotic animal, you’re going to need to know all of the long-term commitments that go along with that,” Rippey says. “You have to be able to take care of [the animal] for its entire life, not just when it’s a baby.”
We talked to some pet owners about their unique animals and what it’s like to live with an exotic pet.
Scott and Susan Spencer’s umbrella cockatoo, Coconut (Photo by April Greer)
Feathered Friends
Two colorful birds contentedly engage with Scott and Susan Spencer in their Henrico County living room. Tangerine, an orange-breasted harlequin macaw, and Coconut, an umbrella cockatoo, suffered from abuse and neglect before the Spencers saved them through their rescue organization, Parrots of Paradise.
The Spencers devoted endless hours to caring for and building trust with the birds. “It fills your heart with joy to see the healing process,” says Susan, a retired therapist.
Tangerine and Coconut now visit day cares, nursing homes and community events with Scott, a retired veteran who volunteers to offer the emotional boost that positive interaction with the birds provides.
The Spencers give the birds about four hours of socialization each day. “We’re talking about out of the cage, one-on-one,” Scott says. “Not just walking by saying, ‘Hi, birdie.’ ”
“It’s a lot of work,” Susan adds. Birds can live more than 50 years, “so you have a lifetime pet.” Because birds may outlive their humans, Susan says that you need to include plans for their care in your will. She estimates that Tangerine is between 25 and 28 years old; Coconut is 14.
Birds require diligence. “If they escape, they’re not going to make it,” Susan says. There are indoor hazards, too. “For example, nonstick cookware emits a toxin that can harm the birds,” she says. “Certain foods can kill them, so you need to know the proper diet.”
And just like other pets, cleaning up is required. When the birds eat, it can make a mess. “We go through two or three vacuums a year,” the Spencers say.
Cooper Sallade with one of his two crocodile monitors (Photo by April Greer)
Spot and Dimples
When Cooper Sallade was a young boy, he would catch snakes in his backyard and keep them in jars under his bed. “Keeping animals as pets that didn’t align with my friends’ pets like dogs and cats was always something I was drawn to,” he says. Today, Sallade keeps two crocodile monitors, Spot and Dimples, as pets.
Native to Papua New Guinea, these carnivorous lizards average about 6 feet long in captivity. “The thing that draws me to crocodile monitors is how intelligent they are,” Sallade says. “In some ways they act a lot more like a dog than a lizard. I can call it across the room, and it will come to me; I can throw it food, and it will catch it in its mouth.”
For those interested in keeping a reptile as a pet, Sallade recommends starting small. “Starting with a crocodile monitor would be very, very difficult,” he says. “It’s one of the hardest species to keep … start with something like a leopard gecko or bearded dragon, and then eventually, if you wanted to get into something bigger, work your way up to something like a savannah monitor or [other] monitor lizard species that make fantastic pets.”
Sallade keeps each crocodile monitor in a separate large cage and says each has a distinct personality. Spot, the male, is shy. “It took me a long time to earn his trust,” Sallade says. “He wouldn’t eat off of tweezers — that’s what I feed them with — for a very long time. I had to leave his food in the bowl.” Dimples, a female, is much more outgoing. “She ran up onto my arm and ate out of my hand immediately,” Sallade says. “She’s very food-driven.”
He feeds these strict carnivores chopped chicken, ground turkey, fish and the occasional dead rodent. “If I had more time, I’d probably have a dog or cat, because I love them,” he says, “but honestly with traveling and not being at home most of the day, a reptile really makes sense to me.”
Bindi the hedgehog (Photo by Jay Paul)
Hedgehogs 101
Despite the thousands of quills on her back, Bindi, a friendly African pygmy hedgehog, feels like a soft hairbrush.
Bindi’s owner, Erica Cole, became interested in hedgehogs while she was a student at William & Mary. “[I was] living in an apartment that didn’t allow cats and dogs,” she says. “I wanted a little companion to hang out with me while I was studying.” Cole researched hedgehogs, found a breeder and got her first hedgehog, Hannah.
“They’re nocturnal, so Hannah would sleep in the day while I was at classes, and she would be awake at night while I was doing homework,” she explains. “I would take her to the computer lab with me, and everybody loved her.”
Today, in addition to her full-time job as a software developer, Cole is a USDA-licensed hedgehog breeder with Needlework Hedgehogs in Petersburg.
“I wanted to share my love of hedgehogs and educate people on their care when they adopt from me,” she says.
Cole usually has about 50 hedgehogs available for adoption throughout the year, with an average litter of three to four animals. Baby hedgehogs cost $250 to adopt.
Hedgehogs need a clean cage with 4 square feet of space and bedding, and an igloo or other place for them to sleep. They also need a 12-inch running wheel. “They are extremely active at night and can run 1 to 3 miles on their wheels,” Cole says. The temperature of their cages must be kept between 75 degrees and 80 degrees at all times. She advises a diet of high-quality cat food with treats of insects, meat, veggies and fruit.
Although hedgehogs are solitary in nature and should be housed alone, Cole says quality time with their owners is important. “Unfortunately, people see the cute pictures on Instagram, and they don’t realize that you can’t leave it in a cage and expect it to be OK,” she says. “It needs daily socialization.
“Bindi’s favorite thing to do is lay in her cuddle sack, a cloth fabric pouch that makes [her] feel safe and protected. With her head just peeking out and staring at me with her eyes half open, she will even let me rub her face. … To earn the trust and love of a hedgehog, it’s a rewarding experience.”
Jessica Reinke’s daughter Olivia holds one of their Holland Lops. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Breeding Like Rabbits
Jessica Reinke’s maiden name is Easterday. That could be one reason she loves rabbits. Reinke always wanted a pet bunny when she was a child. Now, she keeps and breeds dozens on her small Powhatan farm, Sweet Clover Rabbitry, where rabbits can be seen hopping everywhere, even inside her home.
“I have young children, and I wanted to get them something they could hold and cuddle,” Reinke says. She fell in love with Holland Lops, a rabbit breed known for their floppy ears. They are good with children, stay small and are easy to train, she says.
Reinke’s first rabbits — a male, Dexter, and a female, Phoebe — did what rabbits are known for. “I had a litter of bunnies and loved it,” she says. A stay-at-home mom, she began raising rabbits as a side business.
The number of rabbits on site fluctuates, but usually there are about 30 adults and anywhere from 30 to 50 baby bunnies at a time, Reinke says. “I’ve had litters as little as just one baby to as many as 13.” Reinke breeds about every 10 to 12 weeks and charges $60 for baby bunnies; adults are $30 each.
“It’s important to give them a clean area to live in and make sure they’re protected from the elements, especially the heat, and from other animals,” she says.
Exotic Pet Tips
Veterinarian Lucy Haile
On any given day, Dr. Lucy Haile’s schedule may include surgery on a rabbit, dental work on a guinea pig, a wellness checkup on a ferret or bird, or treating a sick bearded dragon. We asked Haile, a veterinarian at Wellesley Animal Hospital in Short Pump, for advice on caring for exotic pets.
1. Find a vet who specializes in caring for exotic pets and your particular animal. See that vet within a few weeks of purchase to make sure you’re providing the best care for your pet, including vaccines if needed.
2. Research the daily and long-term care your animal needs. Different animals have unique husbandry needs, including special cages, lighting, heat support, etc.
3. Research your pet’s diet. Are you OK with having live insects in your house, and are you able to feed them to your lizard? A lot of reptiles require special supplements — do you have the right ones, and are you able to balance your reptile’s diet?
4. Make sure your lifestyle is compatible with your exotic pet’s needs. Parrots require a lot of interaction and training. If you aren’t home for long periods of time, your parrot may get bored and start expressing unwanted behaviors, such as feather picking or even screaming for attention.
5. Research an animal’s average lifespan. Exotic pets can live for a long time. Some parrots can live more than 50 years, and some reptiles more than 70 years. Do you have a long-term plan in place for your pet?
