Pets: the animal companions that people adopt into their families to fill their homes with life and happiness. When households adopt these pets into their lives, they bring companionship and form a special connection between the animal and the person.
Most of these pets are traditional, like dogs and cats, while others have selected quite different pets as their animal companions. Opposed to traditional pets, many UPA students and teachers have claimed a wide range of distinctive animals as their pets. What are these uncommon companions classified as? Exotic. Meet some of UPA’s exotic pets: Frankie, Popcorn, Oreo, Nabat and Soosoo.
Frankie, the pet gecko of eighth grade English teacher Kathyrn Beary, is a low-maintenance pet. After two years of housing him, Beary confirmed the small creature requires little attention, which is why she decided to get a gecko over a more traditional pet. Her long working hours would not allow her to provide a cat or dog with as much attention as they require. Frankie is the perfect pet for Beary’s busy schedule.
“Caring for Frankie is basically like caring for a plant that sometimes moves,” Beary said.
Most days, she feeds her scaled pet his powdered food, fills his water bowl and sprays his tank glass for humidity. In the winter, Frankie has a heat lamp to keep his tank at a tolerable temperature, around 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
“[Having a pet is] company, you know,” Beary said. “Fills the space with some life.”
Contrary to the little work that comes with taking care of Frankie, the gecko reveals his antisocial tendencies through his aversion to being handled. Because of this, he does not provide as much emotional support or company as a traditional pet would.
“[Gecko’s are] not the smartest of creatures,” Beary said.
She recalled a time when she gave Frankie a live cricket—but instead of eating it, he simply crawled around and licked it. This sparked his association that moving things are alive, so he began to bite Beary’s moving hand instead. Funny moments like this and the little work required to take care of him adds to Beary’s list of reasons she loves her pet.
In contrast to Beary’s gecko, freshman Sara Baher houses a parakeet and cockatiel named Soosoo and Nabat. From training them to sing to hand-cleaning their feathers from her room, they are significantly more work in comparison to Beary’s gecko.
Before Baher even got her two birds, she had always wanted to own a bird herself, which stemmed greatly from a bird that Baher’s relatives owned, its sweetness imprinting a core memory for her.
When Baher finally decided to adopt a pet into her home, around 3 years ago, her love for birds influenced her to get a pet bird, making up a large reason for getting a more exotic pet over a common pet. Her decision for a bird rather than an animal like a dog was also influenced by her Muslim religious beliefs, which view bringing canines into households as rude for their shedding fur.
Besides feeding Soosoo and Nabat water and food on a daily basis, Baher also trains them using treats to get the two comfortable with her touch. She works to train the birds to whistle songs back to her, utilizing their ability to whistle and sing. Similar to dogs shedding, Soosoo and Nabat shed off their feathers, forcing Baher and her family to hand-clean the mess from their home, adding to the difficulties of owning a bird. But the work does not end there. She must clip the bird’s wings every once in a while to ensure they do not fly to high places they’re not supposed to go.
“[Having a pet] adds a sense of responsibility,” Baher said. “And a need to always make sure or have clearance that the task I’m doing is supposed to happen.”
Despite the efforts Baher puts in to look after her winged companions, the birds still occasionally bite her. While they started out nipping at anyone, Soosoo and Nabat stopped as they got to know their owners. Nonetheless, if provoked, the birds are not afraid to snap at their dutiful owner. With the work that comes with owning two birds, the experience is still filled with fun moments and connections from owner to pet.
“[I love] the memories,” Baher said. “Being able to recollect precise moments I’ve had enjoying and caring for them.”
Moving from feathers to fur, sophomore Thu Nguyen homes two guinea pigs: Popcorn and Oreo. As a child, Nguyen would see a variety of cute and fluffy animals, sparking her interest in taking care of a pet. She eventually decided to adopt the two guinea pigs she now houses because of their seemingly less needed attention than a larger, traditional pet would require. She also recalled that before adopting her guinea pigs, she thought that owning a smaller exotic animal would be less scary in responsibility. This stems from the thought that more common animals like dogs, for example, could be easy to lose in public, which adds to the reasons she preferred to adopt the exotic pets she has now rather than more traditional ones.
Since adopting Popcorn and Oreo, Nguyen must work daily to maintain the fluffy creature’s healthy diet, which is more sensitive than a dog or cat’s. This results in extra work to keep dangerous foods away and balance the right foods into their diet. She must also groom the two guinea pigs and try to figure out what her pets want without their ability to speak.
However, the small mammals are still able to express themselves through sounds they make; for example, wheeking. The squeal that erupts from Popcorn and Oreo’s mouths alerts Nguyen of their desire for food or to inform her that they are simply happy.
These various needs that Nguyen’s pets require, along with her growing schedule as a sophomore can fill up a considerable amount of time in her day, but she still makes sure to spend time with them everyday.
“Overall, having a pet adds just a bit more time necessary to take care of them,” Nguyen said.
While guinea pigs are similar to traditional pets, they are smaller in size, resulting in a shorter lifespan compared to most pets.
“They won’t live very long,” Nguyen said. “So I spend a bunch of time with them.”
She makes sure to bring their lives to its fullest and connect with them by letting them play in her backyard, carrying them, and making sure to spend time with them every day.
Although these examples of pets at UPA all fall under the category of exotic, they are still vastly different in aspects from physicality to the work they take to thrive. While common pets generally have more similar traits among them, exotic pets could refer to two completely different animals. Nonetheless, whether a pet owner is taking care of an exotic or traditional pet, the animal companions do not cease to add joy to their humans’ lives.
Baher said, “[Having a pet] figures as a way of making my life more enjoyable, challenging and fulfilling, knowing that sometimes, it’s the amount of work put in to bring out the best.”
