[All_exes_in_tx]

pets??? I am crazy about animals...I already own 7 cats and 2 dogs!!! But I don't think so its enough..I am looking for something exotic..no birds..and something which is 'legal' in the US. I always wanted a leopard!!

[Manpreet]

Exotic animals don't make good pets, they are best left in their natural habitat. As much as humans try to tame or domesticate these animals, they are never truly happy and either don't do well as pets or they will just deteriorate...just leave them as they are and maybe get a human mate.

[Cronides]

I'm particularly fond of reptiles. Snakes in particular, I like the large breeds. However, it is an awesome responsibility to take on many types of exotic pets. They require considerable financial and time investiments on your part. Just being "crazy about animals" is NO where near enough. You MUST be willing to take on the very special needs of the pet.

My Red Tailed Boa, for example, is considered a "giant snake". She will likely reach 10 foot long (she is already 8 1/2 or so) and eats two "collossal sized" rats every 10 days or so. Her cage is 2'X 2'X 8' on a 3' tall cabinet. Its roughly 300 gallons and is simply adequate for her size at this point. Her humidity and heat have to be maintained very precisely. The cage and all the environmental parts and necessities to maintain her in a healthy tropical space is about a $3000 investment (she only cost $80).

If you have the means and the interest in such an animal, I do have some excellent designs for a humidification system that will manage a vented cage of this size.

Here is a link to some specialty cages.

http://www.cagesbydesign.com/

and here is the humidification system and some pictures of Pandora at home:

http://www.osagecollies.com/humid