Why keep native pet animals?

[chas*e]

Ya a pot-bellied pig is a great pet...a guy down my street had one for 3 yrs, but the problem(and the reason he had to get rid of it) is that it squeels when he would come home from work at night and another neighbour complained to the by-law guys. No farm-like animals allowed in the city....bummer...they are cute as helll and clean too

[SCReptiles]

I started in this hobby as a very poor kid with no money whatsoever. I captured snakes native to my area and even captured mice, rats, frogs, and squirrels to feed them….again, I had no money. When I got old enough to work, I began to buy exotics. I kept big pythons, cobras, etc. I had to give up the hobby a few years while I was in college and renting an apt. As soon as I was able to keep again, I noticed that I had much more interest in snakes I could catch, rather then ones I could buy. My main focus now is reptiles native to my area. What I do is look (collect, trade, buy, breed) for the best specimens of the species of my area. I have been building this collection since 2000 and I am enjoying doing the natives much more then I ever enjoyed importing exotics. I also enjoy being able to share my collection back with the general public. They always seem to have more of an interest in the snake they may see while out hiking.

[cjice]

When I was younger, I owned a pot belly pig. Her name was Misty and she thought she was a dog. She begged for treats, did tricks and was litter trained. Except for the litter, she basically acted like a dog. The only downfall was the squealing...I learned the expression "squeal like a pig", there is nothing more piercing to the ears. But I think they make great pets.

[rwg]

I have several pet black squirrels. They make awesome pets. I keep them free-range in the yard. They dont go far since I feed them regularily. They're not much for handling, but they are fun to watch playy in the yard.

[zero&stich]

Way I see it and I know everyone here won't agree with me on my opinion but sometimes it can be a wize idea to take native animals and breed them to bring the population back up. Look at the timber rattlers? They are just about gone.

Wouldn't a few more CH babies released back into the wild benifit the population?

On a side note, I think sugar gliders are cute.

[macd0282]

I would like to keep a squirrel or a chipmunk but here in Canada it is illegal to keep native species as pets (Im pretty sure anyways, sorry if Im wrong). Maybe someone can verify this for me if they happen to know.