What compels U.S. citizens( like Paris Hilton,for instance,who was bitten) to have exotic animals as pets?

Question

Many carry harmful diseases and from what I've read,there are many that aren't fully tested for them.

Answer 1

Hi there...unfortunately, many people think it's alright to take exotics as pets without properly educating themselves far in advance on the animal's nature. We rescue so many of these exotic pets (mostly exotic cats) because people discover they cannot provide adequate housing, mental stimulation, appropriate dietary requirements, socialization if they are social animals, acquired illegally, discover they can't legally keep the animal in their community because it's illegal, display the animals to the public illegally without permits like this woman probably did by endangering the public with this action... and so much more. So much goes into the care of a captive animal and exotics are not for the inexperienced. Domestic pets are different as they've been bred for many generations that they do not survive without the means for man to provide. People believe if the take a wild animal while they're very young they can remove the wildness in them, but that's never true. It only makes the animal dependent on humans for survival, nothing more. They are wild through and through, but haven't "learned" to hunt because humans removed that opportunity. That's why exotics born in captivity are not suitable to be released into the wild since they have learned what their parents learned...people feed us.

Here's a website that talks about exotic pets in further detail with photos:
A Life Sentence: The Sad and Dangerous Realities of Exotic Animals in Private Hands
http://www.api4animals.org/a3b_exotic_pets.php

Answer 2

It depends on what you consider 'exotic' like i have a ferret, and am looking into gettin a hedgehog and eventually a sugar glider, but my reasoning for wanting these animals is so that i can expand my horizon and my knowledge of all types of animals because i plan on becoming a vet. But i guess the reason for people like Paris to get one would be simply because she could afford it. And i personally don't think that that is a good enough reason.

Answer 3

First of all, Paris Hilton? She has the intelligence of a tree stump. Secondly, I don't think this type of behavior is limited to US Citizens.

Answer 4

well....what compells all people: stupidity.
At my zoo we recently got a serval (african cat) that someone had as a pet. They fed it chicken because they could not afford red meat for it. It also tried to attack them (go figure?) and when we got it, it took months to get it back to good nutrition and eating red meat.

Answer 5

They want to be noted for something odd. So they carry cool pets so they can get attention

Answer 6

Umm... paris hilton... Has the IQ of a rock... lol

Answer 7

Having more money than brains.

Answer 8

Just to be different. To try an be a trend setter.