What made you want to own exotic pets?
“I guess my desire for exotic pets just came from experience. I grew up with exotic animals, so I always stayed super interested in them. I think they are super cool and different, which I love. I’ve always had at least one cat, and then in elementary school I had a sugar glider. My first pet that was mine was my pet betta fish from first grade.”
What is your favorite pet that you have?
“We have two cats, four sugar gliders, and I have a pet frog. Our sugar gliders and my frog came from Uncle Bill’s. My favorite pet is my frog; her name is Gertrude. She is just really interesting, and I think she is so cute.”
Do you have any funny stories about your pet?
“I’ve had Gertrude get out a couple of times, and it’s not funny in the moment. The funniest story of her getting out is that I literally tore apart my room, and she was sitting behind an item on the dresser that I keep her on. So I looked everywhere but where she was.”
Do you plan to keep getting more pets?
“Oh, absolutely. I want a bunch of different types of exotic pets. I want to get a snake, a bearded dragon, and I would love to get a ferret, just all sorts of different animals. My dream pet would probably have to be a bearded dragon or some sort of unique reptile. But my favorite animal would probably have to be frogs in general because I just think they are really fun.”
How do you take care of them all?
“For Gertrude, I have to mist her tank at least two times a day to keep it at a specific humidity. I also have a heat lamp that keeps it at a certain temperature, and I have to feed her live crickets every couple of days. And then the sugar gliders require fresh fruit every night.”
Are you turning your love of animals into a career?
“I had thought about taking my love of exotic animals into my career for a long time. I loved the idea of being a veterinarian and had seriously considered it for a while. Over time, I started to lose interest in becoming a veterinarian, and I am now considering a career in education.”
