Care guides
Care guides by species
Plain-language housing, diet, health, lifespan and beginner tips. Nothing here replaces an exotics vet.
Hedgehogs
Small mammals
Ferret
Playful, curious carnivores that need a meat diet, lots of supervised play and a ferret-proofed home.
Rabbit
Intelligent, social grazers that need space, unlimited hay and a gentle routine.
Guinea pig
Chatty, gentle herd animals that must live in pairs or groups and need daily vitamin C.
Chinchilla
Soft, acrobatic and long-lived — but they overheat easily and need dust baths, not water.
Hamster
Solitary burrowers that need far more floor space and deeper bedding than most shop cages give.
Fancy rat
Clever, affectionate and trainable — rats bond strongly with people and with each other.
Degu
Busy, social diurnal rodents with one hard rule: no sugar.
Gerbil
Low-odour desert diggers that thrive in deep bedding and same-sex pairs.
Sugar gliders
Birds
Fish
Betta
Bold, colourful labyrinth fish that need a heated, filtered tank — not a bowl.
Freshwater community fish
Guppies, tetras, cichlids, goldfish and friends — success is all about a cycled tank and compatible stocking.
Reef and saltwater tanks
Stunning and rewarding, but saltwater demands patience, testing and stable chemistry.
Permit species
Restricted or permit-only in many states. Check your state before buying.
Skunk
Descented pet skunks can be affectionate companions, but they are illegal or permit-only in much of the US.
Fennec fox
Tiny desert foxes with big ears and bigger energy — loud, fast, and restricted in many states.
Raccoon
Intelligent and destructive — raccoons are one of the most restricted and demanding exotic pets.