Getting started with an exotic pet

🌱 Is this your first exotic pet?

Is this your first exotic pet?

If you would like to adopt an exotic pet for the first time, you will find help here on the essentials to know before adoption, setting up the cage or terrarium, the legislation, then how to feed your exotic pet and care for it in general.

Also think about your expectations, your wish to stroke or hold the animal, how much space you can share and how much time you are around.

Some exotic pets are better suited than others to a first experience of living together, and within each group there are species that are "easier" to keep. Essential: do thorough research first! You will find a test on "How to get started?".

A few examples of animals often considered common and easy:

• Rodents: Rat, guinea pig, gerbil,  
• Reptiles/amphibians: Elaphe guttata (corn snake), Pogona vitticeps (bearded dragon), Testudo hermanni (Hermann's tortoise), stick insects, fish
• Birds: Canaries, lovebirds, budgerigars, finches 

Remember that, even if you have known people who owned the exotic pet you dream of (parents, flatmates, etc.), their experience will not be the same as yours, and this time the responsibility will rest entirely with you:

• Organising the supply and storage of food, bedding or substrate
• Regularly checking the terrarium's parameters (reptiles)
• Holidays? Time off? Who will look after it?
• Care to provide and visits to the vet
• Financial costs 
• Interactions, time out of the cage
• Current legislation in your region

Underage children cannot be held responsible for their exotic pets; that responsibility falls to the parents. Children can, however, be involved in the various care tasks.

This service is provided by the Aufuret veterinary practice. Exotic-pet specialist. Veterinarian. Danielle Frei Perrin CH-1112 Echichens VD 

🌿 You have already lived with an exotic pet

Already lived with an exotic pet?

You have previously adopted an exotic pet, the experience was positive, and you may now wish to adopt another species that either lives longer or requires more specialised care.

Thorough research beforehand remains essential! 

You feel comfortable keeping exotic pets and are looking for examples of more demanding animals that need more space, live longer, bite more readily or are more delicate. These lists are not exhaustive!:

• Ferret
• Rabbits
• Rodents: Degus, Korean chipmunk, prairie dog (not found in CH), chinchilla
• Reptiles/amphibians: a long list, larger snakes such as boids, more sensitive; more challenging lizards, or land tortoises such as the Greek tortoise, or Aquatic turtles with a pleasant temperament. Axolotl, frogs.
• Birds: hill myna, cockatiels, quail, hens

🌳 Experienced keepers

Expert knowledge? 

You have shared your life with exotic pets for decades, you already hold a legal permit to keep animals regarded as dangerous or difficult to manage, and you are not looking for advice but rather to exchange experiences.   

We warmly encourage you to send us links to useful contacts!

 You can find very delicate species that are not necessarily dangerous and may suit you. We actually tend to favour this kind of choice, since the risk to others and your liability are inevitably very different. 

Some animals are difficult because of temperament + longevity. The combination of several difficulty factors is why we have chosen to include them in this group: 

-Parrots, python reticulated

A few examples of dangerous animals:

-Crocodiles, venomous snakes and lizards, poison dart frogs

Still a non-exhaustive list!

🧭 Tests and quizzes to help you choose

The following tests are aimed at children or young people, but they have the merit of asking essential questions of adults too. 

However, the questions cover all pets, so dogs and cats are included too.

Which animal is right for me?
This test helps you discover which animals will feel at ease with you. 

Make an agreement with your family
Once you have found the animal you like, talk to your family about it. Together you can then draw up an agreement setting out who does what for your animal.