Small Exotic Pets Quiz

Exotic pets are rare or unusual pets that are not commonly kept as domesticated animals. The definition of exotic varies by culture, location, and over time. The definition can include both non-native and native species. Private zoos or menageries can range in size from a few acres to hundreds of acres and can have as many as a few to hundreds of exotic animals. Private zoos can be used as a status symbol for the wealthy and can be used by crime bosses/drug lords to show their power and wealth. The ownership of exotic pets and private zoos is both ethical and beneficial to wildlife according to some advocacy groups, but such claims are considered controversial. Illegally transporting exotic pets is known as wildlife smuggling and generates an estimated $7 to $23 billion (USD) each year. Veterinary costs for treatment of exotic animals may be significantly higher than for a more conventional pet. Exotic animals can pose a risk to humans and retain their unpredictable wild nature. Primates are the most likely exotic pets to injure or kill humans, and many professionals discourage their keeping as pets. Small exotic pets include marsupials, ferrets, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and flying squirrels. Ferrets are carnivorous and require a high protein intake. Sugar gliders are social animals that communicate through vocalization and chemical odors.Comparing Gliders and Hedgehogs

Sugar Gliders:

• Gliders can eat arthropods, sap, honeydew, and nectar from plants.
• Sugar gliders eat around 11 grams of food a day, 10 percent of their body weight.

Hedgehogs:

• Seventeen species of hedgehog exist worldwide.
• Hedgehogs are native in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and central Asia.
• Hedgehogs were introduced to New Zealand by England and quickly became an invasive species.
• Hedgehogs are omnivorous and threaten insect, snail, lizard, and bird populations due to a lack of natural predators in New Zealand.
• Hedgehogs may tighten the orbicularis muscle on their back to hide their head, legs, and belly in a coat of prickly erect spines.
• Hedgehogs typically take refuge in the empty burrow of another small animal, or a burrow they dug themselves.
• Hedgehogs tend to be solitary, though not to the extent of hamsters.
• Hedgehogs have been known to eat bugs, slugs, frogs, fish, worms, small mice, small snakes, and even fruits and vegetables.
• A hedgehog's diet should be very high in protein.
• Hedgehogs have a gestation period of about 35 days, and give birth to, on average, 4 deaf and blind young hoglets.
• Hedgehogs require a large cage with bedding and plenty of furniture to hide in and explore.
• At three to five weeks old the young leave the nest for the first time to go hunting on their own.