Exotic Pets™

#348: Dr. Dan Johnson explains the appeal of African pygmy hedgehogs, noting their quiet nature, small size, low maintenance, lack of odor. He recommends scattering hedgehog kibble in a tray with ping-pong balls and other objects for foraging enrichment — along with small pieces of every imaginable fruit or vegetable.

#347: Cara Giaimo tells the story of many fascinating creatures in the sea, along with glorious illustrations of them, in her precious little book “Leaving the Ocean was a Mistake: Life Lessons from Sixty Sea Creatures” including the Vampire Squid, the Sea Mouse and the Blobfish. 

#346: Dr Dan Johnson sees more rabbits than any other untraditional pet at his Avian and Exotic Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina — and sees many every day, mostly for digestive problems caused by not feeding the right timothy hay.

#345: Meredith Tollison, an intuitive who professionally makes communication connections between people and their pets, has been called upon to find Riley the tortoise FOUR(!) times. As with many "lost" pets, Riley has given Meredith physical descriptions of where she is so that her people can come find and fetch her. 

#344: Paul Radice breeds rare turtles like Elizabeth the albino Chinese long neck water turtle, which is now extinct in China. Angel's Hatchery keeps 4 males for every 2 females to ensure fertilized eggs. One could say they are running a Turtle Brothel!

#343: Dr. Angela Lennox, owner of the Avian and Exotic Vet Clinic in Indianapolis, traces her concern for the welfare of animals back to the eight baby possums she rescued from a roadside as a girl, which morphed into a veterinary degree along with a double board certification in exotic animal care, pro bono work in wildlife rehabilitation — and now a non-profit called Rewilding Indiana.

 #342: Ariel Heinicke in Berkeley California created the Betta World for Bettas advocacy group to raise awareness about the harmful way these beautiful popular fish are warehoused and sold by the big box stores in small plastic "take out" containers. The group's goal is to educate and advocate for Betta's welfare and improved standards of care by those who sell and those who ac...

#341: Doug Mader reminds you that whether it’s a tortoise that lives many decades, or a mouse that only lives a short while, it is never a good idea to give anyone a living thing — other than a houseplant! 

#340: Paul Radice at Angels Hatchery and his wife Judith were the first breeders to create Albino tortoises — and enchanted Tracie by introducing her to Albert, the great grandson of their first breeder Norman, who is now 130 lbs and still lives with them.

#339: Jeff Beane is Herpetology Collections Manager for the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences where he has been documenting the shrinking populations since 1985. He talks about the Southern Hognose Snake in particular, which has lost 97% of its habitat and is on the "Threatened" list but without the environment it requires is unlikely to rebound (and is quite a different cr...

#338: Paul Radice and his wife Judith at Angels Hatchery first brought this hardy colorful fish from the 3 largest lakes in Africa 50 years ago and are still breeding the 45 most popular varieties.

#337: Python Huntress on Instagram, Amy Siewe leads guided hunts to kill invasive Burmese pythons, her biggest kill being a 17 foot snake. A “herper” who loves snakes and used to breed small ones, Amy has eliminated over 750 of these snakes that have decimated the mammals in the Everglades — one python even had a deer and two fawns inside it when they caught it. 

#336: Dr. Doug explains that scorpions — which are over 200 million years old, the oldest living animal on earth, — are unusual as an exotic pet. African Emperor scorpions — "ominous looking, yet fairly gentle with grasping pincers" — carry their young on their back like a taxi service.

#335: Avian specialist and house call parrot veterinarian Dr. Ann Bourke talks about having helped Sue & John with the development of the Beaktivity hanging parrot toy, which makes parrots happy because they can destroy a toy made with his physical and mental needs in mind. 

#334: Dr. Doug discusses mites on snakes — and the different mites that get on lizards — and how to treat them with an olive oil rub down, or the medication Provent-a-mite.  

#333: Dr. Doug Mader talks about his personal history with keeping fish as pets — feeling emotionally attached to them and their responsiveness to him as their caregiver. Another facet of the human-animal bond that is increasingly recognized in the pet keeping world.

#332: Dr Doug Mader talks about "the atypical human-animal bond" and how statistics are showing a new generation of fish and reptile owners who are forming bonds and interactions with their exotic pets. Tracie explains how Scratches, the new APP for atypical pet owners (that is a sponsor of EXOTIC PETS), allows enthusiasts of atypical pets to find each other for romance, friendship or ju...

#331: Exotic veterinarian Dr Jeff Jenkins in San Diego talks about doing surgery on "tiny things" like a Society Finch (that’s the species actual name, not an adjective!), spaying guinea pigs and neutering rats — all through surprising locations on their bodies. 

#330: Dr Don Harris really did have an octopus as a pet — in fact a series of them, as they don’t live very long, but are fascinating “companions.” Note: Octopuses are not actually pets for sale. You'd have to dive and find them as babies, as Dr Don did!

#329: Dr. Jeff Jenkins in San Diego talks about his 40+ years running an Exotic Specialty Practice — the early pioneers of exotic animal medicine on whose shoulders he stands —  and how he also enjoys the unusual humans who own unusual pets.

#328: Dr. Doug talks about the red tears and runny nose that look like blood — but are not actually blood, but a symptom of a lowered immune system in a stressed ratty. Most rats purchased from pet stores have dormant viruses that get triggered by stress — but there are SPF colonies of rats (Specific Pathogen Free) which do not carry these conditions and cause you the stress of treating these cond...

#327: Dr. Doug Mader describes the monthly process in which a snake slips out of his own skin, like taking off a sock, inside out — and the sorts of problems to be aware of and to avoid (like never handling a snake that is molting).

#326: Dr. Doug describes how to spot ear mites in your rabbit — a  common problem that is easily solved if caught early — and the challenge ahead of you if you’ve let the crusty result of ear mites clog up your rabbit’s ear opening, causing a great deal of discomfort to your bunny.

#325: Dr Rick LeCouteur describes the natural phenomenon in Australia of thousands of kinds of parrots flying free and loose all over the place, causing havoc with their destructive beaks, and delight with their beauty.

#324: Dr. Doug discusses what an “egg bound” reptile means and the various ways to prevent and manage a snake whose eggs are stuck inside her.