General Discussion

@Cersei
You should! They're fascinating creatures, and pretty easy to keep! I've been thinking of getting an axolotl for a long time, but I heard they're difficult to care for (keeping water the right temp, varying the diet, finding a filter that can keep the water clean but doesn't cause so much current that it stresses the ax out, etc)

@DisasterRising She isn't rather difficult to own, but expensive. General tank and maintenance costs are relatively low but I did have to get an aquarium chiller which are rather expensive. I consider it a minor setback because owning her is quite a joy. I'm lucky in the way she isn't picky about current and food. She's eaten everything I've tried with her (brine shrimp, bloodworms, wrigglers, nightcrawlers, ect) and I have a normal hang-on filter that just splashes off of some driftwood to minimize current.

If you live in the north you could probably get away with owning one, I live in Florida so getting a chiller was a must.

I have a 5yr old Green Cheek Conure, named [b]Kiwi[/b]. A parrot can be pretty exotic and I would NOT recommend a conure for a first time bird owner. I've had experience with owning canaries, finches, budgies and a cockatiel in the past. [img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/p206x206/1011733_10200667359241153_638007000_n.jpg[/img]

I've seen a couple other snakes here, so I'll make a post about the little ones in our house. I have a baby (He just turned one yesterday~) Blood Red Cornsnake who's named Poe; [img]http://www.livefoodsbypost.co.uk/ekmps/shops/Thepinkskink/resources/Image/Blood%20red.jpg[/img] He was a (very) early Birthday present last year. I also have two baby Corns who have been identified as a range of morphs, but the most common I've gotten is Snow. We have Ashe, the big sister (Who has the normal - style pattern) - And Yuki, the little brother, with the spots. [img]https://24.media.tumblr.com/25632f6708ac1a07f9b2e42367fe3490/tumblr_n181mf017X1stq0o2o1_500.jpg[/img] My mother has a snake named Annie. My sister claims she's an Amber Corn snake [img]http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/isselee/isselee1112/isselee111200108/11568239-miami-corn-snake-or-red-rat-snake-pantherophis-guttatus-in-front-of-white-background.jpg[/img] My sister has a baby Ball Python boy who I bought for her at a recent Reptile Show, he's yet to be named. (Sadly I don't have a picture of him, he's adorable.) And I used to have a baby Snapping Turtle who was named Mo'sakra. But we gave her to a reservation who took care of usually wild animals. We saved her from a road faaarrr from the river that we assume she was born near. [url=https://31.media.tumblr.com/147a1059c6a1a61f93bc3e02ab2335fa/tumblr_n181mf017X1stq0o2o2_1280.jpg]This is a picture of the day we let her go.[/url] I've had frogs, newts, bugs, and hermit crabs before, but I have no pictures of them. And this post made me realize I really need to get pictures of my pets more often.

I've got a White Bellied Caique parrot and 4 Call Ducks. :)

@Cersei
….how did u come up with the name of ur axolotl???

I have a rat that could be considered "rare", because he's a wild rat.

I found him as a baby when the house I live in was having something of a rat problem. He was tiny and barely had any fur, eyes and ears shut. I knew he wouldn't survive away from his parents, and I'm not the kind of person to kill anything (I apologize after killing insects), so I tried to get them to take him back... but they wouldn't.

I called a few nature centers, but no one would take him because rats aren't considered worthy of help ("they're pests", "dime a dozen", "not REAL wildlife", "we'll probably feed it to the owls"). So I decided that I would raise him myself...

And did.

When he was nursing, I had to feed him every three hours and constantly make sure he was warm. He'd get so hungry that he attacked the syringe like a little bulldog, but there was a risk of choking him or having him inhale formula if I fed him too quickly so it sometimes took me hours.

But he survived.

So he's somewhat rarer than a domestic rat, because he's not domestic at all. He acts more like a ferret than a domesticated rat, but loves cuddles and being pet. He frequently sleeps in bed with me or in the sleeves of my hoodies, but he gets scared much more easily than domestic rats and has a very strong urge to build nests.

Here's some photos:

@ironriots She's named after Mudkip!

@godlegos What a cutie! I've successfully raised a robin from an injured chick before, and a baby squirrel, but never a rat :D