Most exotic animals seen on the pet trade

I think it is worth noting that the Exotic Animals for Sale website often lists animals that aren't being sold just to anybody. If you look at a lot of the ads they specifically mention that the animals are intended for zoological display only and will not be sold as pets. One of the craziest species I've seen listed on that site has to be Bornean Bearded Pig, though a place in Michigan is currently advertising Greater Grison, Lowland Paca, Tayra, and a pair of Northern Common Cuscus! Lately I've been seeing Kinkajou and Bare-Tailed Woolly Opossums advertised a lot.

~Thylo

 

Kinkajou, grison and tayra are all eminently suitable and are either popular with South American villagers, else used to be more common in the US of the past.

 

Just looked through the 'animals wanted' section of Exotic Animals for Sale and along with people looking to buy a variety of the "common" exotics (genets, sloths, various rodents, marmosets, etc.) some of the more wild inquiries were for a couple for tigers, various deer species, many for lynx (specifically kittens), Banteng, African Wild Dog, Black Wallaroo (are they even kept in the US?) one individual looking for bushbaby, tarsier and slow loris, "American Pika baby female", Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth, and one for a hand-raised baby orangutan...

~Thylo

 

Although I have never seen the species for sale, I have seen Sea Otters at roadside zoos, which suggests that this species is sold somewhere.

 

Assuming you saw these in the US (your location does say Wisconsin) that's pretty strange, since they're protected under the MMPA. I'm guessing these roadside zoos don't own them legally.

 

Did they look like sea otters, or were they just labelled as such? Also do you have any photos?

 

My une'er standing is that Sea Otter husbandry is far from easy; I wonder if any of these were NAROs or similar?

 

They were definitely labeled as Sea Otters, but I don't have any pictures. Know that I think back, they were possibly North American River Otters with incorrect signage.

 

I have seen Koalas and Red-Faced Spider Monkeys for sale.

 

Kens Exotics Exotic Pets
This place is currently selling a Nile Hippo...

 

Also a giraffe, two hyena species, white Lions, Aardwolves, Aardvark, and a griffon vulture.

~Thylo

 

Of those, servals, hyaenids, crested porcupines, and a number of the birds are all suitable pets (for those with space ofc). Things like hippos might be irresponsible to sell to the public.

In the UK there is a stupid law that bases dangerousness, for the most part, on if a mammal's canines are bigger than a house cats. Thus arbitrarily ignoring how many large, domestic dogs will savage kids a year, compared to (illegal) short clawed otters. Similarly large constrictors that might be maneaters occasionally, are legal whilst certain hot herps, that are not especially hot, such as copperhead pit vipers, remain illegal. All crocodilians are on it, despite the different sizes and tractability of the animals.

 

What does everybody mean when they say "hot" herps?

 

I think it means venomous/poisonous reptiles and amphibians but I don't really know.

 

Its an informal herping term, started from the US, that refers to a burning sensation from snake venom and has connotations not to touch.

The point is that not all hot elapids and viperids are equally dangerous. Many of the vipers, including the native species, are far less dangerous than the big constricting snakes, with no fatalities of healthy adults that are unrelated to allergic reaction (maybe we should ban peanuts, they are statistically more harmful to man). Despite reforms the DWA is heave handed and quite irrational.

 

I’ve seen sun bear, tapir, otter and gibbon young for sale via Instagram very recently.

 

I have had Cape cobras slithering around my feet. My only worry was that they would go out of sight before I had obtained decent photographs.

 

Giraffes, pumas, alligators, bongo,

 

There is several groups on facebook where unusual stuff pops up for sale quite regularly. I was very surprised to learn that there is small numbers of Collared Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron yersini) in Europe.

Several species of Bird-of-paradise (Lesser, King and Magnificent) have also been offered by sellers based in the Czech Republic in recent months. You have to wonder about the legality of these though.

 

birds of Paradise? those cant be legal. Do you have those Facebook group names or websites?