Exotic Pet Research Paper

Exotic Pets
COM/156
August 5, 2012

Exotic Pets
Some families face the difficult decision of whether or not bringing home a pet would be a wise choice, and the impact it will make on all the members of the family. Their lives will be changed in many ways for both the pet and the owner, so making the right choice of the type of pet is crucial for a positive experience. The most popular selection among families is a dog. The Amercian Pet Product Association (APPA) is a leading not-for-profit trade association, and according to a survey conducted in 2011, 62% of households own a pet, and out of this percentage 46.3 million were dogs ("American Pet Products Association", 1998-2012). Cats came in as the runner-up choice for a pet with 38.9
It is not easy caring for a pet when an owner has other responsibilities, when a job demands constant traveling, or routines are frequently changing. A ferret on a kibble (dry food) diet does not require a set feeding time, and owner must only ensure that there is enough of it to carry them through the day. Ferrets are not overeaters, consuming only the amount of food to satisfy their hunger (Schilling, 2007). Fresh water is vital, so a self-dispensing water bottle must be set inside the cage where it can be easily accessed; owner only needs to monitor level and quality in case replacement is needed. Surprisingly, ferrets can be trained to use a litter box instead of going outdoors to take care of business. Their natural instinct drives them to pick one corner which they go back to for disposal, making the cleaning process less complex. Since they are inside their living quarters for most of the day, the likelihood of running into an unpleasant surprise is rare. Ferrets can happily remain indoors as long as they have space to drain their energy. Not having challenging chores to complete, for example walking a dog several times a day creates an extraordinary opportunity for the elderly to own a pet. Another point in their favor is how inexpensive their play time is because toys can be built with ordinary objects: cartoon boxes, socks, plastic bottles, and
They change their sleeping patterns to fit that of their owner, making them neither nocturnal nor diurnal. In fact, “a healthy caged ferret will sleep 18-20 hours a day” (Schilling, 2007, p. 15) waking up during the times someone is available to interact with them. In the same way, traveling is not an issue for those individuals whose job demands them to be away from home for a few days. A cage can be easily taken apart and assembled to fit in a small room, turning ferrets into a highly portable companion. Unlike big dogs that require large vehicles or trucks for transportation to even a short destination (e.g. veterinarian visit), a ferret’s size makes it ideal to fit in a small carrier which fits in just about any vehicle. Now, for those cases that a sitter is not an option but a must, thanks to their friendly personalities finding one will not be a difficult task. The American Ferret Association (AFA) was founded on January 1, 1991 whose main goals are: promoting domestic ferret as a companion animal, to protect them against harm or mistreatment and to provide accurate information about veterinarians and/or resources. According to the AFA ferrets are quiet, yet playful, affectionate and extremely intelligent. “They recognize their name, respond to verbal and visual commands, and can even learn to do tricks” ("The American Ferret Association Inc.", 2012). Likewise, in