5 exotic pets you won’t believe are legal in North Carolina
North Carolina is one of few remaining states with no laws against owning exotic animals, but that doesn’t make it a good idea.
In the summer of 2021, residents of northwest Raleigh spent a few days on edge after a 21-year-old man reported that his zebra snake, a species native to Africa that’s capable of spitting venom up to 9 feet, had escaped into the neighborhood.
Animal control was eventually able to wrangle the slithery runaway, but the incident served as a wake-up call for Raleigh officials, who soon thereafter passed stricter regulations on owning exotic and potentially dangerous animals, including but not limited to “lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, jaguars, cheetahs, wolves, non-human primates, medically significant venomous snakes, crocodilians, and any hybrid or crossbreed of such animals.”
Why would such local ordinances be necessary, you may be asking. That’s because North Carolina is one of just four states that still have no statewide legislation restricting the ownership of exotic pets.
It’s up to each county or municipality to pass their own ordinances regarding animal ownership, but in many places throughout the state, there are still no restrictions.
The staff at Dunrovin Exotic Animal Sanctuary in the small Moore County town of Vass often takes in animals that residents foolishly acquire but don’t have the capacity to care for. We checked out their Facebook page to see a few of the animals that are now under their care. We’ve included reasons why, while they may look nice and cuddly, these animals don’t make great pets.
1. Pistachio the Capybara
Native to Central and South America, many people claim capybaras make good pets, but their significant and unique needs are difficult to meet, plus they’re expensive to keep. For one, capybaras are social animals who must live with other capybaras for their physical and psychological health. In their natural environment, capybaras live in large groups that can range in number between 10 and 30—not something the average pet owner can handle.
They’re also semi-aquatic animals, meaning they spend part of their time on land and part in water. Capybaras kept in captivity require access to a large pool of water that must be thermally regulated and have a regular filtration and water-replacement system.
Capybaras may eat up to eight pounds of vegetation per day, requiring high-quality hay to forage throughout the day and a vitamin C supplement to prevent scurvy and other health problems. These cute little animals are high maintenance, to say the least.
2. Walter the Green Vervet Monkey
Vervet monkeys are an active and agile type of monkey that can be found all over sub-Saharan Africa. They sometimes venture into urban areas to find food. Like capybaras, they enjoy the company of the same species, traveling in big groups called troops and spending their days foraging for food.
Considered one of the most widespread primates in Africa, vervet monkeys can easily adapt to a variety of habitats, just not your house. These beautiful monkeys are often trapped and sold as pets, but new owners quickly find that they are loud, messy, difficult to care for, and can be aggressive. Vervet monkeys will get sick if they don’t get the right food, leading short and unhappy lives if not in the right conditions.
3. Wally the Wallaby
A small relative to the kangaroo and native to Australia, the wallaby, or Bennett’s wallaby in the case of Wally at Dunrovin, are cute and fascinating, but they are not recommended to be kept as pets. It is impossible to house-train a wallaby, meaning it won’t only urinate and defecate wherever it pleases but will continue to hop erratically in any environment. It requires a minimum space of 50 feet by 50 feet to be comfortable.
Like the other animals on this list, wallabies fare best in same-species groups because they live communally in the wild. As macropods, they are known to lick and salivate on their paws to cool down and regurgitate their food for reconsumption.
4. The Chukar Partridge
As the final gift in “12 Days of Christmas,” of course a Chukar partridge would make a wonderful pet, right? Nope.
This ain’t your average partridge. A small bird that lives across Eurasia, easily distinguishable by its red beak and black mask, you’ll find plenty of advocates for keeping Chukars on the internet, but it’s not highly recommended.
If there are two words that might convince you, they are “dust bath.” Instead of bathing in water, Chukars use loose dust and sand to clean their feathers. They dig a small dip in the ground, lie in it, and use their wings to throw sand up over their backs. From there, they shuffle comically around to distribute the dust throughout their feathers, then give a hefty shake to remove the dirt.
Besides that, they are territorial birds that prefer rocky and inhospitable situations and can spread disease to humans.
5. Zeak the Patas Monkey
Larger than vervets, female patas monkeys can weigh up to 14 pounds, while males can be double that. They can be domesticated because they are ground dwellers, but they don’t have to swing from a chandelier to make unpleasant pets.
They can be dangerous, especially when scared, and can run up to 35 mph, making them the fastest primate in the world. If they make it out of your front door, good luck catching them. As with vervets, patas monkeys prefer to travel in troops, and females remain in their natal group, staying close to their mother for their entire lives.
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