Animal section
Exotic Pets
Specialist species, legality, ethics and specialist veterinary care.
Species profiles
Standardised husbandry data for each animal in this group.
Sugar Glider
Sugar gliders are wild-type marsupials with exacting dietary and social needs. They are frequently mis-sold as pocket pets and very frequently surrendered.
Lifespan 10–15 years · Care complexity 5/5
Grammostola roseaChilean Rose Tarantula
A calm, undemanding invertebrate for keepers who want an unusual display animal, with the understanding that it is to be watched rather than held.
Lifespan Females 15–20 years, males 3–5 years · Care complexity 2/5
Coenobita clypeatusLand Hermit Crab
Hermit crabs are long-lived, social invertebrates routinely sold as disposable holiday souvenirs. With a humid, deep-substrate tank they can live for decades.
Lifespan 20–30 years in good conditions · Care complexity 3/5
Gromphadorhina portentosaMadagascar Hissing Cockroach
Hissing cockroaches are easygoing, low-maintenance colony insects often used to introduce children and nervous keepers to invertebrates. Their audible hiss is a defence display, not aggression.
Lifespan 2–5 years · Care complexity 1/5
Lissachatina fulicaGiant African Land Snail
Giant African land snails are calm, long-lived invertebrates popular for classroom and hobbyist keeping, but they are illegal in many places because of the serious agricultural and health risks they pose if released.
Lifespan 5–10 years · Care complexity 2/5
Guides for this group
Care, health, behaviour and nutrition reading.