Some people simply aren’t happy with following the norm and getting a dog or cat as a pet. There are those who are eager to break convention and own an outlandish creature that should almost certainly be left to live in the wild. But some of these smaller pets are just pretty cool and perfectly happy to chill out in well kept homes. Here are 6 pets you won’t believe you’re legally allowed to own.
Emperor Scorpions
Regardless of how terrifying and evil this particular breed of scorpion looks, they’re actually the most commonly owned type of scorpions kept as pets. Originating from the West African rain-forests, are black and shiny with some impressively intimidating front claws. Believe it or not, though, people keep them as pets because they’re actually known to be pretty docile and the venom they carry is pretty mild. Still, proceed with caution because if you’re on the receiving end of one of their pinches, you’re definitely going to feel it!
WallabiesÂ
While not as a big as a kangaroo, Wallaby’s can still grow up to 41 inches and weigh around 55 pounds. They love jumping around outdoors and are considered to be super social, but they live and outside and a regular sized garden just isn’t going to cut it. They bounce around incredibly fast and need a bunch of space to explore and are kept in large sheltered pens. People who own them also have to build at least five feet fencing, because as a cousin of the kangaroo, Wallabies are capable of some extremely fast and high jumping. If you’re not looking to make such a ridiculously huge commitment, we suggest you get yourself a hamster.
Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons are undeniably awesome. My friend has one and it’s one of the most calm and relaxed creatures I’ve ever witnessed. It just sits all day with it’s head held high, enjoying the rays from its special heated light in a roomy case. They’re called bearded dragons because the spikes and scales around their heads look like some very well kept hipster facial hair.They start out small, but can grown to between 12 and 24 inches, depending on the particular breed.
You’ll find them in most general pet stores, as well as boxes of live critics that they quickly hunt down one by one after you release the poor insects into their domain.
Serval Cats
This is certainly not your average cat for the house. Hailing from central and Southern Africa, Serval’s weigh up to 40 pounds and usually stand at almost 2 feet tall. They have a lifespan of up to 19 years and are becoming more and more popular in the exotic pet industry. Hailing from the wild, they’re born with predator like attitudes, but that hasn’t stopped many people from raising Serval cats from birth. If you’re suffering a mouse infestation in your home, you might want to call on one of these exotic cats to quickly set things straight in the house, without any cheese or Tom and Jerry traps.
Skunks
Why anybody would want to own this stinky creature was beyond us until we did a little research of our own. Farmers used to keep skunks to scare pesky rodents away from their crops and livelihood. But now people buy them as pets and actually have their scent glands removed so that they can avoid the piercing and pungent smell of their spray. With that being said, skunks will still use their spray as a defence mechanism and it can travel up to 10 feet.
On the plus side, though, skunks are known to be very affectionate, curious, clever and loves to be played with a lot.
Squirrel Monkeys
Exotic pet owners spend upwards of $8000 for baby squirrel monkeys because they only usually weigh around two pounds and are incredibly playful, affectionate and full of energy. They also reportedly have the largest brain out of all primates, meaning that they can be house trained pretty quickly and efficiently for owners. On the not so great side, squirrel monkeys do spread their urine all over their bodies in order to mark their territory. Not to mention the fact that owners dedicate a huge amount of time to them as they require endless hours of attention to stay relaxed.
