WILD ANIMALS THAT ARE LEGAL TO KEEP AS PETS BUT REALLY SHOULDN'T BE

AXOLOTLS

The axolotl is a type of salamander, native to Mexico. Axolotls

are used fairly extensively in laboratory settings, primarily to

study their regenerative capabilities, and are relatively easy

to breed in captivity. Unfortunately, wild axolotls are now

considered critically endangered, suffering from the effects of

exploitation and pollution, so if you plan to own a few and help

them breed then you would contribute a great deal to the

animal kingdom.

OTTERS

The North American river otter could be kept as a pet, but the

animal’s wild nature presents many difficulties. They will go

through every inch of your home, finding and playing with

(and probably destroying) everything they can get their paws on.

There’s no doubt you will probably have a lot of fun

owning an otter, but you will definitely have to repair

your house often.

CAPUCHINS

Capuchins are social animals that like to spend their time in

groups of ten to over thirty capuchins. So, it’s a safe bet

that if you “adopt” only one it will suffer from severe depression.

Moreover, their personalities change after reaching maturity,

which means that the cute, easy going, pet may not be as

easy going when it matures. Some mature behaviours include

aggression and dung throwing when bored.

SLOTHS

Even though these incredibly cute and innocent-looking animals

are fascinating to look at and be around, truth be told

sloths do not make good pets because of their sensitive

stomachs, specialized diet, hard-to-find veterinary care.

However, if you are dazzled by their cuteness, consider

joining the Sloth Appreciation Society.

SKUNKS

Most skunk owners will tell you that skunks are wonderful pets and

are very intelligent. What they usually don’t tell you is that pet

skunks first have to be “disarmed,” which means that they have

their scent glands removed surgically at an early age.

CAPYBARAS

Before you go and adopt a capybara, you might want to

take a moment to reconsider your choice. To begin with,

capybaras live in groups, thus adopting one by itself is

not a good idea. Secondly, they are semi-aquatic so

you will need to provide them with plenty of water all

the time. Lastly, they are huge! So they need plenty of

space to move about. Needless to say, it wouldn’t

be a good idea to keep them indoors.

FENNEC FOXES

The fennec fox, also known as the desert fox, is a beautiful,

small member of the canine family. Fennec foxes can be

kept as pets, although they are not common. They are

petite, save for their enormous ears. They behave much

like dogs, but since they are not domesticated they do

require careful socialization as well as precautions against

escape. So don’t blink when you take it out for a walk

because you might never see your fox again.

WALLAROOS

Wallaroos are really stocky and powerful but will bond quite

nicely with their owners if hand-raised and treated well.

They can be taught to understand “no” but you should

avoid physical punishment because they will definitely

attack if they feel they are in danger and you won’t like that.