i was thinking of getting a fruit bat, vampire bat, or a sugar glider any one own any of them or any other kind of exotic mammal?

I had a friend who had a sugar glider when we were growing up. Its a nocturnal mammal, as you probably already know, but when they do come out at night they can be quite loud. I wouldn't suggest one as a beginner exotic animal, because i've heard they are hard to care for. But i've never had one personally.

I have owned exotic mammals in the past. My favorite was my hedgehog. They are really full of personality and make great pets. I suggest trying one of those.

I have also owned sugar gliders, and though they are cute and fuzzy, they have some very strict requirements. So I would look more into something simpler first.

i dont know why but apparently the hedgehog is illegal in the pennsylvania lol but ya ive herd sugar gliders are quite a handfull but im pretty sure i can provide good care and i have a big house and my basements dedicated to pets so i dont think i would mind the noise but my other pets might the sugar glider would be my last choice tho my girlfriend has a ferret im not sure if that counts as an exotic there pretty common these days but hes pretty cool

most exotic ive ever had was a bunny. im planning on getting a fennec fox one day. my favorite animals in the world, but i still have alot more research to do before i get one

i think i might get my girlfriend one of those bunnys that get the size of dogs theres one at out local pet store for show and she loves it. it is HUGE! i forget there name german giants or something i dont know if i would personally like it ive owned a rabbit befor when i was younger and i just cant imagin cleaning up tons of giant bunny turds lol i really want a fruit bat there pretty cool and at least there poop can be used for great fertilizer that fennec fox sounds pretty cool i might look into it love your leo pic

Flemish giants are the rabbits you are thinking of. Sugar gliders are good since they stay small and are known to do well in captivity. So are other small mammals such as degus and chinchillas. But for the most part, exotic mammals do not work in captivity and end up at rescue centers or trying to be brought to zoos. They just aren't suited for being in homes and in cages - they are not domesticated. I saw you mentioned bats, so I got this link so you'll reconsider them http://www.batworld.org/main/bats_pets.html

Wild animals should remain wild.

That's rather ironic that you mention that, considering all the reptiles we own were wild at one time. Somebody had to catch a wild one and breed them, so you're contradicting yourself there.

I owned 3 sugar gliders at one time. They are very adorable and sweet. Just very noisy and run all over the place. Not to mention they can be rather stinky. I wasn't getting any sleep with them, so I decided to sell them and bought myself some more reptiles.

Don't worry, I'm not contradicting. None of my reptiles were purchased. ALL were adoptions and/or rescues. I personally would never purchase one otherwise. I don't think people that buy pets are doing a horrible thing, as long as the species is known to thrive in a captive setting. I can't change that some species are already captive bred in the pet trade but I don't think others should end up that way.

some exotic mammals are bred just for the pet trade, like foxes. i think its ok to own an exotic mammal as long as people do their research beforehand. i think thats why so many end up abandoned, people just see cute and fluffy and dont do the research needed. alot of people dont realize the special needs of these animals and assume its will be like owning a dog or a cat.

Yeah Shanna, I agree that a lot research needs to be done before people should get these exotic species (or any pet for that matter) because they aren't just like dogs or cats. And that is a big part of the problem, ignorance. But I think the line should be drawn somewhere. Like with the fruit bats since they suffer in captivity or with big cats (e.g. tigers, lions, etc) because those are never gonna work in a house setting.

Im not 100% sure but I think suger gliders are illegal in Pa now. They have disappeared from craigslist listing and from petstores. I remember seeing hedge hogs in pet stores long ago then they disappeared as well. People with these laws are getting out of had. They wont be happy until cats and dogs are the only pets allowed to be owned. I'd love to have a racoon or a possum. They are very cool but I don't know what Pa laws conserning mammals would be.

im not really big into many mammals other than cats and dogs reptiles are my favorits getting an exotic was just a thought that i might follow down the road just wanted to hear other peoples experenses with them and all animals were wild at somepoint whos to say what should and shouldent be kept captive ( excludeing endangered species) as long as the keeper can provide good care and not disturbe them frequently they should do fine in captivity

Animal rights groups intention is to remove all animals from our homes and our dependency on them. (ie, make everyone vegan) Dogs, cats, cattle, it doesn't matter - they start with laws concerning reptiles, birds, exotics, and how many animals you can have.

bodom85: I work with raccoons and opossums all the time in wildlife rehabilitation and they never make good pets. Ever. I've raised eyes-closed baby coons 'til they were months old and then a switch goes off in them, and they become wild. They want nothing to do with the person that was their "mom" and start snarling and biting. Then they get into everything because they are naturally curious, but that behavior doesn't fit into our lifestyle. So we cage them? That is not fair to them.

DeadByDesign: Its not who is to say what should and shouldn't be captive. Its a matter of the quality of life for the animal. No matter what kind of care a person could possibly provide, it is not the space and nutrition and enrichment it gets in the wild. And even if we could provide what is "best", what is the point then? Just so we can say we own it?

I don't want to remove pets, I really don't. There are certain ones that are captive bred that can thrive in captivity and those I don't have an issue with. Its when animals that aren't domesticated end up suffering with a horrible quality of life because people want to put them in cages and could never begin to give them what their habitat naturally provides. That isn't right.

well true, some animals should never be taken into a normal household. but with big cats, ive seen a couple that turned out really nicely because the owner had a huge amount of land close to their natural habitat. but i understand what your saying. how much i would love a tiger one day i know that is something i could never care for, or have the room for. plus i own housecats so i can imagine how a tiger could rip me up without meaning to.
im not too sure about bats in a house as a pet. i dont think i would want one because ive heard that they poop on people they like.

but with your reply to deadbydesign, couldnt we say the same thing about the reptiles we keep?

im not saying my house is the best place to keep a exotic but it sure wont be detrimental to there health i have a 3 bedroom house with a basement and attic couple acers of property for only 2 people so i could devote a whole room to one pet if i needed to i really want to work with animals in some level as a profession ive just been takeing alot of biology entill i figuer it out

Shanna, most reptiles will survive and live long lives in captivity, so I don't see those as being a problem (assuming they are captive bred. I'm not a fan of ripping animals out of the wild to sell).

DeadByDesign, working with these exotics as a profession such as rehabilitation or setting up a sanctuary or using unreleasables for educational purposes, to me, is a lot different than just wanting one for a pet. Using the space you have for things like that connected to the right organizations would be awesome. I too want to work with such wild species in my profession and my long term goal is species conservation and / or rehabilitation.

oh of course, im also against taking animals from the wild, but some of these exotic animals are bred to be pets. not all exotic animals, but some. im not sure if bats are one of those or not, but with the type of fox i want they breed them, thats the only reason i feel its ok to have one

Off topic, because I don't want to get into a fight....

However, I cannot believe that in PA you can keep alligators, venomous reptiles, and other extremely dangerous animals, but you can't keep a hedgehog... I just find that ridiculous.

But yea guys, it is good that we have these kinds of discussions and debates, but keep it calm on the hostility. I don't like seeing people mad at each other.