Most exotic animals seen on the pet trade

What are the most exotic/strange/uncommon animals that you have seen on the pet trade within the last 40 years?

You could have seen these exotic/uncommon/strange animals either as pets or for sale as pets.

I have seen many civets, lorises and macaques for sale in South-East Asian markets.
There have also been binturongs, penguins, porcupines and patagonian maras for sale in Japanes pet stores.

 

Blue-ringed octopus at an aquarium dealer in Bolton

 

on a usa website exotic mammals for sale, I have noticed a pair of whitefaced saki monkeys, many other primates and lemurs, caracals, servals, numerous neotropical mammals, exotic hoofed stock, north american mammals, you name it, it has been offered.

 

Iv'e seen spotted hyena and kodiak bears on the site. Luckily, the site limits itself at groups of animals like penguins.

 

The craziest thing I've seen on the private trade was a breeding pair of sloth bears, not intended for being someone's pet however.

For animals as pets, I think small exotic hoofstock were the weirdest. Also saw a red giant flying squirrel.

 

I think I saw those as well. I've seen people selling capybara before, which I've always thought was weird.

Here's an ad for a 3 week old green monkey for sale: http://www.exoticanimalsforsale.net/sale/32100-Baby-green-female-4-000.asp. Makes me sick. I've never seen that species for sale, I'm curious about where she or her parents are from. Another weird species I saw for sale was owl monkey.

Kapi'yva Exotics has some extreme rarities, like warthogs, Palawan porcupines, and fishing cats.

And here's a bongo: http://www.exoticanimalsforsale.net/sale/31967-Bongo.asp

 

Capybara are somewhat popular in the private trade, both as pets and just collection animals. I imagine they'd be more widespread but their care can be tedious. I have seen green monkeys occasionally (I don't really check as often as I used to). Very interesting about Kapi'yva Exotics. It also has Chacoan mara, I did not know those were in the US. Here's the website:
Kapi'yva Exotics

 

many exotics are sold at several auctions in usa

 

I have also seen tarsiers, mouse deer, otters, langurs, adjutants, brahminy kites, white-bellied sea eagles, javan hawk eagle and ferret badgers for sale on websites.

 

I have also seen a pair of siberian weasels for sale on the exoticanimalsforsale.net website

 

You aren't referring to Dave's Aquarium are you?

 

You are not a million miles away
It was many years ago, but on the current premises.

 

There was (I assume still is) a pet shop in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia which I visited a few times while I was living there. They had a normal pets section (well, normal-ish. They had baby crocodiles in there once) as well as an exotic animals section at the back which held things ranging from Asiatic Black Bears to Hyaenas to Gazelles.

 

I have known pet shops with caimans and meerkats in them but I think that they are display animals. Other than that nothing more exotic than bearded dragons and corn snakes!

 

So many of these posts have made me cringe. There are some non-domesticated animals with relatively uncomplicated needs that any diligent pet owner can meet. Then there are sloth bears.

I'm not saying it can't be done, only that the only people I can imagine trying are people who I would expect to be completely inappropriate as keepers.

 

I've seen gorillas tigers and hippos and bobcats and it sounds crazy but I'm not kidding

 

Blue ringed octopus are traded. Oddly if I remember the Baensch Atlas suggests they are suitable to keep with reef fishes(!) though the aggression of the octopus to disturbances makes me doubt this.

Other than the venom and risk to health, the problem for aquarists is the short life span of the octopus.

It would be nice to know where all these species were seen offered (even if seen on the Internet the seller must have a location). The word exotic is relevant to time and place, and is a matter of degree.

 

I've seen marmosets, coatis, bats, pere david's deer and turacos

 

If any of you fellow Australians what a pet Blue-Ringed Octopus, your in luck! There a bargain too! http://marinefishdirect.com.au/invertebrates/octopus-cuttlefish

 

The crinoids and ascideans on that site cannot be fed artificially in captivity because they target specific species (crinoids) else need an absurdly large volume of food of correct particle size (ascideans). Whereas the BRO is easy enough in comparison despite a short natural life.

The marine aquarium trade is irresponsible in the extreme but selling a BRO is not really one of them. People used to buy them as gimmicks and no one in the UK died despite idiots showing off like idiots.