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Exotic Pets for Kids: What to Know Before You Buy

Pets that teeter into the `exotic' or high-maintenance category - such as parrots and cockatoos - require more attention, more expensive cages or habitats, and specialized vet care.

And just try to find a sitter for it when you go on vacation.

Figure on spending upwards of an hour each day on care and feeding.

Large birds.

Large birds often see children as something below them in the pecking order.

This is not good.

Now, if you would like an exotic bird for yourself, that’s one thing. But don’t get one just for the kid.

Parrots and cockatoos make cool conversation pieces. They are fun, comical, and easy to train to do tricks.

They are very social birds that bond readily with people.

But they are also loud; in fact, they screech. They are messy and destructive.

If you ignore or neglect them, they become self-destructive and pick out their feathers.

And they live 70 to 80 years.

Just think of signing on for a two-year-old who will never grow up. Ever.

Other exotic animals.

If you’re looking to buy a llama, pot-belly pig, or other exotic animal you’ll have to search another Web site. You’re braver than me.

Next steps? Get the kids an animal they can care for and feed with little or no assistance.

What animal chores and what sort of car can a parent reasonably expect a child to do? The answer depends on a child's age.

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About the Author

Tara Aronson is a native Californian. Having grown up in San Diego, she studied journalism and Spanish to pursue a career in newspaper writing. Tara, whose three children - Chris, Lyndsay, and Payne - are the light of her life, now lives and writes in Los Angeles. She also regularly appears on television news programs throughout the U.S.