Many people find joy and love from common pets like dogs or cats. There are some other people that find joy in having uncommon pets, whether those are reptiles, amphibians, or unusual mammals. 

Brady Freese, a junior here at Potosi High School, has a goat named Goatee. He described his goat as “fast”, and mentioned that he loves riding it. He added some downsides to his pet: “He doesn’t listen to me.” Brady was given his goat by a cousin, and the Freeses decided to keep it around. 

Liam Allison, a sophomore at PHS, has a lizard that he got from Utah. He said his favorite thing about his pet is its spikes, but he doesn’t like how much it poops. Jake Stoney, a senior, has a lizard, but was not available for comment due to Covid. Isaac Helminiak, a junior, has a leopard gecko named Rex. He got his gecko from PetSmart. “I thought it looked cool.” Another cool thing he mentioned is that his gecko has the ability to detach its tail; this would happen if a predator latched onto its tail, but luckily Rex doesn’t have to worry about that. Isaac’s least favorite thing about his pet is feeding it. “I have to keep the gross crickets in my room, and some make noise and can be annoying. ” Isaac mentioned something very convenient about having a gecko too. “I can leave it to go on vacation, and he won’t require any kind of care.” This is important because dogs and cats both require to be fed every day. 

The agriculture teacher, Mrs. Brunton, has three unusual pets, three rabbits. Mrs. Brunton chose these pets because her two children wanted fuzzy pets, but her husband is allergic to cats and dogs. She obtained her rabbits from a breeder in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. “We have a seal brown mini rex [a breed of rabbit], named Cinnamon, and two Holland Lops, one dark greyish-bluish one named Paisley Blue, and the other is brown and white speckled, named Mack.” Mrs. Brunton mentioned that she loves when her rabbits get excited when she is getting treats for them. “They’re very cute and cuddly except for one, she is very territorial.” Mrs. Brunton added that her pets did require some special treatment, “They have to be cleaned weekly or they stink, and their nails have to be trimmed so they don’t claw you when handling them. They also have a special feed to keep them from getting fat, and require their ears to be checked for mites.”

Mrs. Meier is another teacher at PHS to have had a very unusual pet. “People are surprised when they hear I had this.” Mrs. Meier had an albino corn snake from when she was in middle school all the way up until it died in her college years. Her dad bought it as a gift for her, as he knew that she liked snakes. Mrs. Meier grew up around snakes. “My dad would hunt rattlesnakes and would sell the meat and also mount the skins.” She also mentioned that her dad would go to a rattlesnake convention in Texas where they eat tons of snake meat. Mrs. Meier described her snake as cool; “It is an albino, which means it has pale skin and red eyes, and I liked to hold it and gross out my friend with it.” However, Mrs. Meier tried showing her snake to people to show them that they don’t need to be afraid of snakes. Her snake required some special care, and there were some parts that she did not like about having a snake. She mentioned it required a heat lamp, and that its poop and skins were gross, and feeding it was gross. “I didn’t like feeding my snake mice because they are cute and it's sad to hear them die.” Mrs. Meier said she would definitely consider getting another snake when her children are older and wouldn’t hurt the snake, but she said that she stays away from big constrictor snakes and venomous snakes. 

You can find joy in many pets other than cats or dogs, and if you’re looking for specific qualities, like the ability to leave your pet, or one that doesn’t require to go outside every hour for the toilet, consider one of these pets.