It's quite popular to have a pet that's out of the ordinary. But what about a pet that is not cute and cuddly and is labelled as 'observation only'.
Jenny Bucknell is a vet from South West Queensland and she says that she's quite happy to treat the occasional snake, but bird-eating spiders are not her cup of tea.
"I don't think I'd have it as a pet, but it is a long-term pet. The females can live for up to twenty years and the males for up to ten."
She says these spiders can span 20 centimetres and they're observational pets only. This is because they are venomous.
"The advice I have is that you still need to clean their cage weekly - they are related to the trapdoor spiders so they build lots of tunnels with silken webs and doors, and you have to pick up the left-over silky matting without destroying their traps, and that I would find a little unnerving."
wild bluetongue
Some of the other exotic pets available are giant burrowing cockroaches and scorpions. "Scorpions are observational pets as well - they are not your cuddly type, but they can also live for 30 years - so again it's a long term commitment."
"I guess the best piece of advice is if you're interested in taking on one of these unusual pets is to do a lot of research before-hand to find out what you need. A lot of these pets need specific enclosures with heating and lighting, and although they can be easy-care once you're set up, they do require care and long-term commitment."
wild python disappearing into the grass after crossing a road near Aramac.
Jenny also says that you have to be prepared to care for them in the long-term and not just let them go when you are tired of them.
Feeding some of these more exotic or unusual animals can also be tricky. "The bird-eating spiders - although they like bugs and so on, they also like mice and rats - and I won't hang my hat on it, but I imagine they would like them fresh, so you have to source that, and could it be quite difficult too."
Jenny also explains that generally most reptiles that you buy such as the turtles or the lizards, you do have to have a permit and a proper enclosure. You do have to know all the ins and outs of how to look after them.
She recommends a book - Care of Australian Reptiles in Captivity by John Weigel - that tells you in simple terms how to look after many of the reptiles.
She says that The Australian Veterinary Association does have an unusual and exotic pets group - a special interest group who can help vets if the unusual animals such as frogs and tarantulas turn up in their clinics.
Jenny Bucknell is a vet from South West Queensland and she says that she's quite happy to treat the occasional snake, but bird-eating spiders are not her cup of tea.
"I don't think I'd have it as a pet, but it is a long-term pet. The females can live for up to twenty years and the males for up to ten."
She says these spiders can span 20 centimetres and they're observational pets only. This is because they are venomous.
"The advice I have is that you still need to clean their cage weekly - they are related to the trapdoor spiders so they build lots of tunnels with silken webs and doors, and you have to pick up the left-over silky matting without destroying their traps, and that I would find a little unnerving."
wild bluetongue
Some of the other exotic pets available are giant burrowing cockroaches and scorpions. "Scorpions are observational pets as well - they are not your cuddly type, but they can also live for 30 years - so again it's a long term commitment."
"I guess the best piece of advice is if you're interested in taking on one of these unusual pets is to do a lot of research before-hand to find out what you need. A lot of these pets need specific enclosures with heating and lighting, and although they can be easy-care once you're set up, they do require care and long-term commitment."
wild python disappearing into the grass after crossing a road near Aramac.
Jenny also says that you have to be prepared to care for them in the long-term and not just let them go when you are tired of them.
Feeding some of these more exotic or unusual animals can also be tricky. "The bird-eating spiders - although they like bugs and so on, they also like mice and rats - and I won't hang my hat on it, but I imagine they would like them fresh, so you have to source that, and could it be quite difficult too."
Jenny also explains that generally most reptiles that you buy such as the turtles or the lizards, you do have to have a permit and a proper enclosure. You do have to know all the ins and outs of how to look after them.
She recommends a book - Care of Australian Reptiles in Captivity by John Weigel - that tells you in simple terms how to look after many of the reptiles.
She says that The Australian Veterinary Association does have an unusual and exotic pets group - a special interest group who can help vets if the unusual animals such as frogs and tarantulas turn up in their clinics.