I think I want an ocelot...

[Bobtheduck]

I think I want an ocelot. Well, if I had a lot of money and the time to take care of it properly and lived in a state where they were legal.

So, It's impossible for me to get one right now, but I think they would be cool. They sound like they're not that far off from house cats, just a little bigger and stronger (maybe faster.) It's not quite like people who get cougars or even Lynxes because it's not likely an ocelot would kill me...

I was looking over the exotic cats page, and I came across the ocelots (or, rather, I sought them out once I found the wildcatz page.) Those things look really cool, and the stories I read about owners, they're pretty much just like house cats... Well, one of the closer ones (bobcats are pretty close, too)

I also read up on bobcats, and it seems they are pretty easy to domesticate, but they bond for life, and they can't have a good life if they get put in another home.

So, this isn't a realistic desire for me... It's just something that struck me all of a sudden. I felt the same way about Iriomote cats after watching Azumanga Daioh.

Does anyone here own an exotic cat, or any exotic pets at all? Foxes or coyotes or wolves or monkies or skunks or parrots or anything?

[termyt]

Would you name it Bobcelot?

[Sheenar]

I hate to butt in and be negative, but wild animals do not make good pets. Exotic birds bred and raised in captivity, yes, but not ocelots, wolves, foxes, tigers, lions, etc.
I live in a state where there are many, many privately-owned wild animals (especially tigers). It's just that most people are not capable/willing to fully meet the enrichment and environmental needs of a wild animal.

Wild cats such as the ocelot, serval, and bobcat can be unpredictable (they are still wild animals even if they seem "tame") --and even though they can't kill you, cat bites can be very serious --they can cause very bad puncture wounds that get infected. (See this page on zoonotic diseases.)

American Veterinary Medical Association

Big Cat Rescue (also has info on smaller wild cat species and their care)

Please consider a different pet. You can have an exotic-looking cat instead of a wild ocelot. The ocicat is a breed that was formed from a cross between a Abyssinian and a Siamese --no wild cat lineage. They are spotted like a wild ocelot, but are domesticated felines.

/soapbox

[KagayakiWashi]

Snaaaaaaaaaaaake!

[Tsukuyomi]

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger..

How is a skunk an exotic pet XD?

[Raiden no Kishi]

Perhaps one of these would interest you? (Link)

.rai//

[Kaligraphic]

...You go by Bobtheduck, and a Bobcat named Bobthecat isn't your first choice?

Fail, man. Internet fail.

[Bobtheduck]

Snaaaaaaaaaaaake!

Are you saying you own one? EDIT: D'OH! I'm dumb... It's end of term, I'm always dumb at end of term END EDIT

...You go by Bobtheduck, and a Bobcat named Bobthecat isn't your first choice?

Fail, man. Internet fail.

I gave my reasons. Bobcats aren't endangered. They bond for life, and require more devotion than a child (for a longer period of time). Ocelots only bond until they find a mate, then they're bred so they can increase the population. People take care of ocelots for the sole purpose of increasing their numbers. And, to be fair, Cats are essentially wild animals as it is. Ocelot's just a bigger, slightly more wild cat.

By the way, it should be hilighted, I don't actually plan on getting one... It just hit me as a whim that it would be cool. So, no soapbox needed.

And, yes, Skunks are exotic, as they're not traditionally pets. They are common as exotic pets, though, so maybe... half-exotic? They have claws that can rip up furniture, I'm told, but I've heard stories of people raising them to be wonderful pets (sans scent glands, of course)

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Hey, so long as you don't sew your dead clone-brother's arm on to him I don't care what you do. I freaking hate that guy, though. Your clone brother, I mean.

[PrincessZelda]

Perhaps one of these would interest you? (Link)

.rai//

Oh my goodness, that's like, one of the cutest cats ever.

[Raiden no Kishi]

Oh my goodness, that's like, one of the cutest cats ever.

They also jump ludicrously high. (Link)

.rai//

[PrincessZelda]

DUDE! That's insane! I want one XD

[chibiphonebooth]

Perhaps one of these would interest you? (Link)

.rai//

o hay guiz its me in kat form

Oh my goodness, that's like, one of the cutest cats ever.

aw thanks.

[Bobtheduck]

My brother had a pet opossum... Which I found out is not the same as a Possum, which only lives in Australia... Opossums and Possums are similar, and both marsupials, and my brother had a opossum... Confusing... My brother got really mad at him when I said I don't like them. He said "It was a lot more interesting than a bunny ever was." What you find out about people... And, no, this is neither my brother nor his opossum, but it's a vid of a pet opossum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyd8k6_qOnY

I guess all marsupials must have those sharp claws... Opossums apparently have stink glands like skunks that activate when they're scared, but they don't spray, they just leak. They leak, the opossum goes rigid, and it looks (and smells) dead... Crazy... I wonder if my brother's opossum ever did this...

BTW, I kind of want a skunk now... Hahaha,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCBpVeoddwo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ni2BfBUTHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8X2rK4b47c

I don't want a fox, because their pee is really strong and that's something that can't be fixed with surgery, but they sure are cute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkLkLZ8Fo-M

About the only thing I didn't find was a pet coyote... Seems a pet wolf is actually easier than a pet coyote. I wonder if a pet dingo would be possible, since they used to be domestic dogs to begin with.

... Then I found this http://dailycoyote.blogspot.com/

Oh, and check this out... Since I brought up exotic birds, too... I don't think they get more exotic than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDN3L621ASI

Then an ocelot. This would be awesome, because it could scare away intruders... Forget a guard dog... GUARD CAT! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_BIYzOdBu0 you may think it's not the ocelot making that noise, but you can tell it is at the end when you see it breathing in.

BTW, I saw the "big cat rescue" thing, but I've also seen many owners of exotic cats say that show is just scare tactics to keep people away, and probably scares off people who aren't fit to take care of them, which is a good thing I suppose.

Speaking of the bobcat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpqr-dQeKz4

I've heard arguments from the anti-exotic pet people, but I've also seen the other side... A man in my area had a chimp that he raised from a baby. It was potty trained (yes, a toilet, not just a spot outside or something) and really acted like he was his family... An anti-exotic pet person basically showed up and harassed the chimp, and it bit her, so she got it sent to a sanctuary, even though she was warned. When he went to visit the sanctuary, the incompetent sanctuary people let the cage from some other chimps open.

Chimps actually have gang wars in the wild and are known to attack human villages and other chimp families, and that's probably what happened here... These two chimps didn't like the attention being paid to Moe, so they attacked and brutalized the man, nearly killing him, taking a bunch of his face and other parts of his body before they were finally killed.

Moe had never shown any aggression to him, and only bit the lady because he was being harassed, and he was treated better in the house than he was at the sanctuary, and the sanctuary, run by hired hands, wasn't as careful as Moe's owner was...

So, I see both sides of this... I think people should be able to own more exotic animals if they really know how to take care of it. I don't, and I don't know I ever will, so I'm not talking about myself (though if I really learned how, it may float to the top of my head again)

It's funny... I was on the wiki page for ocelots, and it put them at "endangered" and now they are in "least concern" I love edit wars on wikipedia... They're really funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB-MHWTnsWk

Since I'm trying to think of all possible strange pets... I don't know why I didn't put a tarantula, but I guess I consider Snakes and Tarantulas normal compared to the other things I've mentioned... Oooh, what about a pet solipugid? They eat mice, and aren't venemous, but their bite is very painful. Don't want to accidentally step on it.

For all the cute addicts, this may be the, you know, OPPOSITE of cute, but here's a pet solipugid. eating a cute animal... <VIDEO NOT POSTED BECAUSE I WATCHED IT AND IT WAS REALLY DISTURBING>

Or not... probably too disturbing for many people... Including me. I'd hate to feed live mice to a 10 legged deformed looking spider (but not a spider) thing... *shiver* Those things honestly give me nightmares, not to mention the stories of giant ones in iraq (though they're not really true), but many people keep them as pets in place of cats to take care of their rodent problems. Cool, provided you never forget it's there, and don't have neighbors over... They aren't easily killed, but your neighbors may try anyhow, and fail. And end up in pain... With a hurt solipugid, too... Nobody dead, but both in a lot of pain.

[Roy Mustang]

I will say this to anyone that wants to own a shunk, you will not be able to travel to Tennessee with it or live there. They have a state law that skunks may not be carried into the state other then people that work for a zoological park and research institution.

I'm not sure about other states, but I started to hear that a few more states have thought about a law like this, but I think that Tennessee is the only one that has it.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang [/color][/font]

[That Dude]

I've always wanted a mountain lion. But if I had an exotic cat, I'd go for the cheetah, very easy to tame, calm, hey they've been owned as pets for thousands of years to, so you know it can't be any more dangerous than a dog.

[Raiden no Kishi]

I've always wanted a mountain lion. But if I had an exotic cat, I'd go for the cheetah, very easy to tame, calm, hey they've been owned as pets for thousands of years to, so you know it can't be any more dangerous than a dog.

. . . right. Just hope it doesn't decide to chase cars.

.rai//

[That Dude]

It'd be more like cars chasing it.

[Bobtheduck]

I will say this to anyone that wants to own a shunk, you will not be able to travel to Tennessee with it or live there. They have a state law that skunks may not be carried into the state other then people that work for a zoological park and research institution.

I'm not sure about other states, but I started to hear that a few more states have thought about a law like this, but I think that Tennessee is the only one that has it.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang [/color][/font]

Actually, Skunks are illegal in MOST states, and some states allow spotted skunks but not striped...

In japan, though, Skunks are legal nationwide if they're from known, licensed breeders (Import, obviously) so I may get one there if I go over there to teach English. Cuz my speiling and grammar are so awesome and cool to.

I'd work it out with a Japanese friend to take the skunk if I ended up going back to a non-skunk friendly state. Like California... I don't think skunks bond, they just socialize(? somehow I don't think that's the term I'm looking for), so they can be passed to new owners without hurting them, unlike Bobcats.

It would be great to have a big(er) kitty, though, if they were domesticated over several generations, maybe, instead of a baby straight from a Zoo or something.

Speaking of Mountain Lions, did I post this yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tusfAFkBrJs

This is so sad... Still don't want to come across one while I'm on Garcia trail...

[Roy Mustang]

I was thinking that Tennessee can't be the only one with this law. I kind of agree with the law as skunks are notorious carriers of rabies and this helps in preventing such diseases from entering a state.

But at the same time, it would be a wild skunk that would be a risk of having rabies and not a skunk from a licensed breeder.

The laws about skunks should be change that you can only have a skunk from a licensed breeder.

I just can't see anyone going out into the wild and pick up a wild skunk as a pet, other then if they are really that dumb to do that.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[ChristianKitsune]

Yahhhh... I used to want a fox for a pet XD until I realized how they can destroy your homes... O.o eww..

soo I'm settling for a nice doggie look-alike! ^^ The shiba inu!!!!

It's small..it's copper colored, it's got pointy ears and a fluffy tail! 8D (it curls though XD)

but yeah... no wild animals for meee~

8D I agree with others...just find a nice look alike housecat! That Savannah cat is pretty awesome looking!

[NnySacci]

I want a fennec fox!

[Bobtheduck]

I was thinking that Tennessee can't be the only one with this law. I kind of agree with the law as skunks are notorious carriers of rabies and this helps in preventing such diseases from entering a state.

But at the same time, it would be a wild skunk that would be a risk of having rabies and not a skunk from a licensed breeder.

The laws about skunks should be change that you can only have a skunk from a licensed breeder.

I just can't see anyone going out into the wild and pick up a wild skunk as a pet, other then if they are really that dumb to do that.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

Oh, yeah. Definitely. I think you can't even remove a skunk's anal scent glands after a certain point, so a wild skunk would be a no-go. But people with skunks as pets usually keep them indoors. Not much chance of them catching rabies indoors, and they are much like ferrets, where they choose a corner to go to the bathroom in, and you just put a litter box there and they'll use it.

I think what SHOULD happen is vets should develop tools to test a skunk for rabies without killing it, and develop a true vaccine for rabies like they have for dogs and for cats. The only reason they don't is because they're not in high demand like cats and dogs, and one of the reasons they're not in high demand is because there is no accepted vaccine for them... See how that works? Another reason they're not in high demand is because they're illegal in so many places, and they're illegal because of the rabies... Again... same issue.

[Sheenar]

Oh, yeah. Definitely. I think you can't even remove a skunk's anal scent glands after a certain point, so a wild skunk would be a no-go. But people with skunks as pets usually keep them indoors. Not much chance of them catching rabies indoors, and they are much like ferrets, where they choose a corner to go to the bathroom in, and you just put a litter box there and they'll use it.

I think what SHOULD happen is vets should develop tools to test a skunk for rabies without killing it, and develop a true vaccine for rabies like they have for dogs and for cats. The only reason they don't is because they're not in high demand like cats and dogs, and one of the reasons they're not in high demand is because there is no accepted vaccine for them... See how that works? Another reason they're not in high demand is because they're illegal in so many places, and they're illegal because of the rabies... Again... same issue.

I know up north (New York area) that they've been doing a program where they leave out tablets of rabies vaccine for the racoons to eat. I wonder if it would be possible to do that for the skunk rabies virus.
(Note: Each vector species (fox, raccoon, skunk, bat) carries their own variant of the rabies virus --other animals can still be infected, but if say, a dog is bitten by an infected raccoon, he has raccoon rabies, not dog rabies. This may be a reason an effective vaccine has not yet been developed for the skunk variant of rabies.) Yay zoonotic diseases class!

[Bobtheduck]

A couple servals would be like 4 or 5 housecats, so if I got two Servals, I could offically be a crazy cat man. I could move in nextdoor to my friend Jenny, the crazy cat lady, and my servals or my ocelots could eat her cats, and we could throw cats at each other and rant on about hooligans with their cardigans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7_jW5xH5XY

[ChristianKitsune]

I want a fennec fox!

OH ME TOO!! XD
I've those foxes are pretty clean... XD but...they are still wild animals.. :/

[Bobtheduck]

OH ME TOO!! XD
I've those foxes are pretty clean... XD but...they are still wild animals.. :/

So are "house" cats. And I'll still see people pull in strays with varying degrees of success...

I tend to be on the pro-exotic (or, at least, mildly exotic, like Servals and skunks) side, now... It's funny, the shock of what happened to St James Davis put me sharply on the anti-exotic side, but after reading his own words on the incident and after hearing a lot from both sides, I think most of the anti-exotic stuff is just people either being overly cautious (with smaller animals, I mean, not things like Lions and Tigers... I'm still not for THOSE kinds of pets) or animal rights people who don't think any animals should be pets, and for them banning exotics is just a compromise and a step they can take toward their ultimate goal.

http://www.exoticcatz.com/dontbansafety.html

This is a futile exercise, of course, since I won't be in a condition or area in which I can get any sort of exotic pet for, possibly, years and years and years... I just like talking about it, mostly.