Most exotic animals seen on the pet trade

birdsandbats said:
Except that there is no evidence that there is no evidence of Monk Parakeets having any negative effect on the ecosystem (at least not for the Illinois/Indiana population). They likely occupy a unique niche within urban environments.
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Can’t the still damage agriculture?
 
ZooBinh said:
I'm not sure about agriculture, but a quick google search shows that Monk Parakeets are an invasive species (specifically in Florida).

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/reports/Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series/Monk-Parakeet.pdf

I'd assume they could have similar impacts elsewhere.
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In Florida and Texas the species is known to have an environmental impact. In that post I was specifically referring to the Illinois/Indiana population, which is not known to have any negative environmental impact.
 
birdsandbats said:
Except that there is no evidence that there is no evidence of Monk Parakeets having any negative effect on the ecosystem (at least not for the Illinois/Indiana population). They likely occupy a unique niche within urban environments.
Click to expand...

They're cute, so I don't mind. I don't plan on purchasing the majority of my birds (non-native owls and pied crows may be the only species I purchase), so I'll just take whoever is in need of a new home.
 
While it does not refer to exotic animals I have seen in the pet trade, I thought this was interesting enough to warrant sharing. I was leafing through my copy of the 'West African Nature Handbook: Small Mammals of West Africa' by A.H. Booth, published in 1960. The book repeatedly talks about the suitability of some of the mammals, particularly the primates, as pets - which is something I have seen in no field guide before. Here are all the major examples in the book, all with quotes taken directly from the book:

West African hedgehog: 'Hedgehogs very soon die if confined.'
Straw-coloured fruit bat: 'Most fruit bats can be kept in captivity. They do not need room to fly, and are content to make crawling down to feed their only daily exercise. Indian fruit bats have even bred under these conditions.'
Bosman's potto: 'Young pottos are attractive pets, despite their almost constant grumbling. But handle with care!'
Demidoff's bushbaby: 'The most pleasing and convenient way to keep bush babies is in a chicken-wire cage on a verandah. A light placed above the cage will attract insects, some of which will find their way into the cage and thence into the bush baby's stomach. A small sleeping-box should be put inside the cage.'
Red colobus monkey: 'The young are considered impossible to rear in captivity.'
Olive colobus monkey: 'If anything, the olive colobus's record in captivity is even worse than that of the red.'
Black colobus monkey (this species is listed as Colobus polykomos and the illustration is of a white-thighed colobus): 'In West Africa, black colobus monkeys are not difficult to keep in captivity. Milk and leaves are a complete diet for the youngsters. Beware of giving them fruit, which they will eat, but which is bad for their digestion. They are friendly and intelligent pets.'
Green monkey: 'They are the easiest monkeys to keep in captivity, for they can tolerate a monotonous diet. Males very often become dangerous as they grow, and should not be allowed near children.'
Mona monkey: 'The mona monkeys are in captivity quite the liveliest, most charming and most affectionate of all.'
Diana monkey: 'The diana also vies with the mona as a pet. Lively, affectionate and very decorative, it suffers only from being rather harder to keep. Care must be taken to provide sufficient variety in diet. It does not seem to do so well when caged in company with other monkeys, and greatly appreciates individual attention. The males may become dangerous when about four or five years old.'
Spot-nosed and putty-nosed monkeys: 'In captivity, both groups are easy to keep, but they are quieter and less attractive than monas, although undoubtedly superior to the green monkeys as pets.'
Red patas monkey: 'The voice is normally harsh, but they are capable of uttering an eerie moaning sound, which can be very wearing if you have one about the house.;
Mangabey: 'They are certainly most sympathetic towards a human being. Unfortunately, they suffer from an irresistible tendency to mischief, and from being rather large, and not particularly decorative.'
Olive baboon: 'Baboons are not recommended as pets.'
Brush-tailed porcupine: 'They can be tamed very easily, and become most friendly and confiding, though scarcely decorative pets.'
West African mole rat: 'When caught alive, they do little but grumble and fight, but it is possible to keep them in captivity. They seem to do quite well in a box of loose earth, with yam for food.'
African civet: 'In spite of the unprepossessing character of wild adults, and of many tame ones, the kittens are most charming pets. They are easily tamed (if that is the right word) and become absolutely fearless indoors. They growl at dogs, bite at bare ankles, sleep on the best cushions, or trot about the house clucking to themselves on an endless search for something to eat. When overfed, they may even be affectionate for a short time.'
Genets: 'Like the African and palm civets, they are easy to rear in captivity, and are often tame and tractable till almost fully grown.'
Cusimanse: 'It is a most engaging pet, clean, endlessly inquisitive and quite fearless.'
Slender mongoose (referred to as dwarf mongoose in the book): 'To keep it as a pet would be asking for trouble.'
Egyptian mongoose: 'It makes a good pet.'
 
I'm just wondering how they can store dolphins without being noticed.

Then again, I've seen ads for hippos and snow leopards and stuff so maybe I'm underestimating what wildlife sellers can hide.
 
dinosauria said:
I'm just wondering how they can store dolphins without being noticed.

Then again, I've seen ads for hippos and snow leopards and stuff so maybe I'm underestimating what wildlife sellers can hide.
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Hippos and snow leopard are legal, though.
 
I really, tremendously doubt anyone in the US is selling these animals to just anybody. There seem to still be a handful of elephants circulating the private trade but those are on their way out and certainly not being imported into the country unnoticed. Some rhino species, warthogs, and ibex (or at least ibex hybrids) are pretty common in the private ranch/safari park trade, as many none AZA facilities breed them as well. This doesn't mean they're sold as household pets, though. Snow Leopards have been becoming more and more popular in non-AZA zoos in recent years due to increased breeding success at unaccredited zoos. Some nut keeping a Snow Leopard in his backyard is no more surprising than the already well-known Lions and tigers. Common Hippos seem to pop up randomly from time to time at roadside zoos (DeYoung, Capitol of Texas), but for the most part it seems their trade is also in the safari park circles, if anywhere. Pygmy Hippos are a bit different as there is a fairly huge population outside the AZA, but again these animals are not going to just anybody. Finally, you are not really seeing dolphins or Okapis for sale in the private trade. No one is privately keeping dolphins or Okapis, either due to America's strict cetacean laws or the fact that all captive Okapis are managed as one studbook and are accounted for.

~Thylo
 
DesertRhino150 said:
While it does not refer to exotic animals I have seen in the pet trade, I thought this was interesting enough to warrant sharing. I was leafing through my copy of the 'West African Nature Handbook: Small Mammals of West Africa' by A.H. Booth, published in 1960. The book repeatedly talks about the suitability of some of the mammals, particularly the primates, as pets - which is something I have seen in no field guide before. Here are all the major examples in the book, all with quotes taken directly from the book:

West African hedgehog: 'Hedgehogs very soon die if confined.'
Straw-coloured fruit bat: 'Most fruit bats can be kept in captivity. They do not need room to fly, and are content to make crawling down to feed their only daily exercise. Indian fruit bats have even bred under these conditions.'
Bosman's potto: 'Young pottos are attractive pets, despite their almost constant grumbling. But handle with care!'
Demidoff's bushbaby: 'The most pleasing and convenient way to keep bush babies is in a chicken-wire cage on a verandah. A light placed above the cage will attract insects, some of which will find their way into the cage and thence into the bush baby's stomach. A small sleeping-box should be put inside the cage.'
Red colobus monkey: 'The young are considered impossible to rear in captivity.'
Olive colobus monkey: 'If anything, the olive colobus's record in captivity is even worse than that of the red.'
Black colobus monkey (this species is listed as Colobus polykomos and the illustration is of a white-thighed colobus): 'In West Africa, black colobus monkeys are not difficult to keep in captivity. Milk and leaves are a complete diet for the youngsters. Beware of giving them fruit, which they will eat, but which is bad for their digestion. They are friendly and intelligent pets.'
Green monkey: 'They are the easiest monkeys to keep in captivity, for they can tolerate a monotonous diet. Males very often become dangerous as they grow, and should not be allowed near children.'
Mona monkey: 'The mona monkeys are in captivity quite the liveliest, most charming and most affectionate of all.'
Diana monkey: 'The diana also vies with the mona as a pet. Lively, affectionate and very decorative, it suffers only from being rather harder to keep. Care must be taken to provide sufficient variety in diet. It does not seem to do so well when caged in company with other monkeys, and greatly appreciates individual attention. The males may become dangerous when about four or five years old.'
Spot-nosed and putty-nosed monkeys: 'In captivity, both groups are easy to keep, but they are quieter and less attractive than monas, although undoubtedly superior to the green monkeys as pets.'
Red patas monkey: 'The voice is normally harsh, but they are capable of uttering an eerie moaning sound, which can be very wearing if you have one about the house.;
Mangabey: 'They are certainly most sympathetic towards a human being. Unfortunately, they suffer from an irresistible tendency to mischief, and from being rather large, and not particularly decorative.'
Olive baboon: 'Baboons are not recommended as pets.'
Brush-tailed porcupine: 'They can be tamed very easily, and become most friendly and confiding, though scarcely decorative pets.'
West African mole rat: 'When caught alive, they do little but grumble and fight, but it is possible to keep them in captivity. They seem to do quite well in a box of loose earth, with yam for food.'
African civet: 'In spite of the unprepossessing character of wild adults, and of many tame ones, the kittens are most charming pets. They are easily tamed (if that is the right word) and become absolutely fearless indoors. They growl at dogs, bite at bare ankles, sleep on the best cushions, or trot about the house clucking to themselves on an endless search for something to eat. When overfed, they may even be affectionate for a short time.'
Genets: 'Like the African and palm civets, they are easy to rear in captivity, and are often tame and tractable till almost fully grown.'
Cusimanse: 'It is a most engaging pet, clean, endlessly inquisitive and quite fearless.'
Slender mongoose (referred to as dwarf mongoose in the book): 'To keep it as a pet would be asking for trouble.'
Egyptian mongoose: 'It makes a good pet.'
Click to expand...
A.H. Booth: 'Baboons are not recommended as pets.'
US Private Trade:
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ThylacineAlive said:
I really, tremendously doubt anyone in the US is selling these animals to just anybody. There seem to still be a handful of elephants circulating the private trade but those are on their way out and certainly not being imported into the country unnoticed. Some rhino species, warthogs, and ibex (or at least ibex hybrids) are pretty common in the private ranch/safari park trade, as many none AZA facilities breed them as well. This doesn't mean they're sold as household pets, though. Snow Leopards have been becoming more and more popular in non-AZA zoos in recent years due to increased breeding success at unaccredited zoos. Some nut keeping a Snow Leopard in his backyard is no more surprising than the already well-known Lions and tigers. Common Hippos seem to pop up randomly from time to time at roadside zoos (DeYoung, Capitol of Texas), but for the most part it seems their trade is also in the safari park circles, if anywhere. Pygmy Hippos are a bit different as there is a fairly huge population outside the AZA, but again these animals are not going to just anybody. Finally, you are not really seeing dolphins or Okapis for sale in the private trade. No one is privately keeping dolphins or Okapis, either due to America's strict cetacean laws or the fact that all captive Okapis are managed as one studbook and are accounted for.

~Thylo
Click to expand...
DeYoung's hippo was imported from Indonesia, for what it's worth.
 
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