Exotic Pets™

#273: Avian expert Dr. Jennifer Graham tells you all the ways that your bird’s droppings are a treasure trove of information.

#273: Dr. Doug wants people to know about — but not be frightened by — the many illnesses exotic animals can transmit to people, especially those who are immunocompromised, elderly or young children whose immune systems are “not yet confident.”

#272: Tracie raises this question with the namesake of Jungle Bob’s Reptile World on Long Island, who goes into schools to put reptiles in a positive light and teach about what he calls “the Unloved, Unusual and Unknown” pets, to which many children are drawn. 

#271: Dr. Micah points out that parakeets — also known as budgies — and cockatiels can live 8-10 years. It’s a responsibility and commitment. They need 65-75 degrees and 50% humidity. Nutrition matters, with Zupreem & Harrison food being the best.  

#270: Dr. Doug says people buy a five INCH pet that becomes a five FOOT creature requiring 80% humidity and 80 degrees. In adolescence, when “in rut,” they can viciously attack their owners.

#269: Dr. Kohles says that a decrease in appetite in a small mammal can be a big deal. They are a prey animal and keep problems to themselves for survival. Ask everyone in the household to pay attention to changes in appetite and behavior.

#268: Dr. Stacey Wilkinson teaches us that we don’t know as much as we think we do about Beardies, America’s most popular exotic pet! 

#267: Dr. Karen Rosenthal describes the proper feeding of a bunny, which means getting the right hay from Oxbow Health and good quality pellets from Zupreem, to supply the fiber and grit necessary in a rabbit’s diet.

#266: Dr. Micah Kohles suggests establishing a target weight for your small mammal, then getting a baby scale (even at a yard sale or on Craigslist) so you can tell if they are underweight or overweight.  

#265: Savannah is the resident Crocodilian at Gatorland in Orlando, with fascinating tales about crocs, especially the “albino” baby.

#264: A tarantula! Dr. Doug Mader talks about the fascination of having 8 legs and 8 eyes peering out at you from behind the terrarium glass. These spiders can live 20-25 years!

#263: Dr. Micah talks about practicing beforehand if you're planning on a trip with your exotic, especially get them used to the carrier by putting familiar objects in it. [Don’t use a soft-sided carrier because they will chew right through it!] 

#262: Dr. Doug Mader extols the virtues of geckos as perfect first reptiles because they can be as cute in real life as the Geico gecko on TV, with expressive faces (with eyelids) and charming personalities. Plus they can live 10 to 20 years!  

#261: Dr. Micah Kohles talks about how to add a 2nd bunny to your home. Slowly! Go to a shelter for a “bunny speed dating event” but still expect to spend months introducing them slowly. Once they are ready for a face-to-face introduction, the bathtub works great as a neutral territory [and it’s too slippery to get good traction to beat up the other bunny!] 

#260: Starting with a love for dinosaurs as a child, Dayyan evolved into one of the most watched entertaining educators about “herp culture,”  explaining fascinating phenomena like “obligate egg eater frogs!”

#259: Dr. Micah Kohles talks about the importance of "keeping things moving along in your bunny’s G.I. tract" by feeding a variety of fibers, like different hay and grasses and dark leafy greens to avoid shutting down the G.I. tract and causing a serious problem.

#258: Dr. Karen talks about how to choose a pet snake. Corn, King, Milk, and Ball Pythons are all docile snakes costing from $50 to $200. Dr. Karen recommends going to a “reptile expo” to learn about good breeders, veterinary needs, and to join a reptile enthusiast club to learn from those who are passionate.

#256: Annie Petersen speaks about her fascination and love for guinea pigs and how she founded the Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies particularly to promote small animals in classrooms (and in homes like her own!)

#255: Dr. Doug Mader talks about the value of vaccinations for exotic pets, urging people not to be afraid of vaccines, especially rabies which all mammals can get. Ferrets can also get canine distemper which can be deadly — but it is essential that it be the killed vaccine for them, never the live distemper vaccine.

#257: Chris Leone of Garden State Tortoise on the South Shore of New Jersey, tells how he and his wife Casey bonded over a shared love of turtles and now create social media content every day to educate and delight over 2 millions followers, while raising and selling tortoises to pre-approved homes.

#254: Dr. Karen Rosenthal gives an overview of Ferrets as pets — the highly friendly, social, playful little pets who remain kittenish and will give you years of loving companionship. They use a litter box immediately: just put a litter box in a corner (their preferred location to relieve themselves) and cover the bottom with Dr. Elsey’s Touch of the Outdoors litter.

#253: Dr. Doug Mader explains how important dental care is for all rabbits and what happens when it is neglected. He answers Tracie's question about whether her childhood veterinarian really did suggest braces for one of her rabbits with buck teeth.

#252: Doug talks turtles — and the differences between turtles, tortoises and terrapins. Doug and Tracie reminisce about the “penny turtles” [red eared sliders] they had as kids, and how far we have come with environments designed by ZooMed instead of the little  green plastic dishes with a plastic palm tree.

#251: Dr. Doug rarely says "don't" about exotic pet ownership if you're ready to provide the right environment. But in the case of monkeys, he explains all the reasons why it is impossible to create what a monkey needs at home. He makes clear it is simply wrong on so many levels to have a pet monkey. DON'T DO IT!

#250: Leading avian and exotic pet veterinarian Dr Laurie Hess raises the ethical question of whether people should have birds as pets at all.  Are you giving them a good life? Taking your bird in the shower with you? Playing TV and music he likes? Providing social interaction, UV light, something safe and satisfying to chew on all the time? And can you continue to do that for the 40 years that so...