I own red eared slider turtles, while not exactly exotic it’s funny that the three things they are known for by owners are things normal folks would not expect.
- Turtles are escape artists. Because they need so much water to swim in and need basking areas, you’ll generally want to fill your tank up as high as you can, and then have a basking platform up there. They will use those and filters to try to escape. They may succeed. There are a ton of questions/guides online to address this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHbV5nsDCb8&ab_channel=TheTurtleGirl
- They are destructive. You will want to have a filter for them, and they will attack the filter with the fury of a bored creature attacking the thing making a noise. Many filters will fall to their wrath. If you google it you’ll find ton of stories of turtles destroying filters/water heaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnD3cKuFOa0&ab_channel=HMoore
- They smell. How can such a small creature smell so powerfully? Magic.
Any other pet owners have secrets about their type of pet?
I breed various species of roaches (Emerald roaches, Madagascar hissing roaches, glowspot roaches and Simandoa conserfariam). They are very social creatures with favourite sitting spots and fights when someone challenges that. There are also only very few species that infest homes (about 20-30 out of 4600) the rest live in forests and caves and don’t want to have anything to do with humans. They also clean themselves a lot. There are also a lot of very pretty species.
I have a massive dislike for roaches, but I must admit the wild species don’t upset me as
much . It’s only the fast-moving, large American roaches that freak me out.
Having said that, I’ve been in places infested with roaches and have observed some peculiar things about their behaviour. Am I crazy to think they enjoy playing? I remember they used to just love running at full speed inside a container full of shredded papers, making a lot of noise. I didn’t think this could be fighting, though, perhaps it was. It felt more like watching dogs or kids running into a pile of leaves than a fight.
The NA roach is the jerk of the family. I dislike them too.
Most likely courtship behaviour, I have observed that as well for some Periplaneta roaches I’ve noticed on streets during the night. It’s often surprising how many they are.
I like how hissers will stack on top of each other, sometimes 3 deep and upside down! Their remarkable ability to climb walls means a secure enclosure is key. They can be quick for their size…but only a foot or two before they stop to catch their breath.
And they are strong, I have a big branch in the enclosure and if the males are fighting they can easily throw that around.