Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 1, 1995 TAG: 9505020018
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL A. CROAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Denise Spangler, manager of Pet City in Roanoke, says that although reptiles are still the best-selling "weird" pets across the nation, hedgehogs and chinchillas are on the rise.
"Ferrets are No. 2 right behind reptiles," Spangler said. The weasel-like animals live five to eight years. Males weigh 3-5 pounds and females, 1-2 pounds.
Though easy to care for, ferrets can catch colds and flus from humans.
Ferrets can make good pets because they love to play. However, some do have a mean streak.
"Ferrets have been implicated in attacks on children," said veterinarian Vanessa Ross. Ross, who specializes in exotic animals, added that "dogs have been implicated in attacks on children, too. So have cats. So have humans."
A baby ferret with all its shots can cost $130-$150.
Although they are unlikely to bite, owning a hedgehog can still be a painful experience.
Hedgehogs are small porcupine-like animals whose only defense is rolling up into a sharp, spiked ball. In this position, the hedgehogs are safe from anything that can feel its quills.
Once they become familiar with humans, they let their quills down and can be petted. Be sure not to stroke one the wrong way though, or the Band-Aids may have to come out.
Hedgehog owners must be taught how to hold the animals flat out on the palm of their hands so only the soft underbelly of the hedgehog touches the skin. "I had to teach someone how to hold it just yesterday," Spangler said of one of her prized hedgehogs. "They're so cute once they get used to you."
"Hedgehogs can be rather personable," Ross agreed.
Hedgehogs are becoming more popular, possibly because they are so easy to care for. They eat cat food usually, and can eat dog food, cottage cheese or mealworms. They are prone to dental problems, though, if they are not fed hard food to help clean their teeth. Most live seven to 10 years. They cost between $120 and $150.
Unlike hedgehogs, chinchillas are known for their thick, luxuriant fur. "Their fur is so soft, you almost get goose bumps," said Billy Sawyers of Pet City.
"Chinchillas look cuddly," Ross explained, "but as a generality, chinchillas do not like to be handled." Spangler said chinchillas should be handled when they are young or they will not be tame at all in when they're older.
Native to the Andes Mountains of South America, 12,000 feet above sea level, chinchillas should not be bathed in water. Their Andean climate is very dry, and necessarily so. Sawyers, who owns a few chinchillas himself, said chinchillas catch pneumonia and die when exposed to too much water.
How do they bathe? "It's hilarious," Spangler said.
Owners must provide the small rabbit-like animals a certain type of dust, available at pet stores. The dust acts as a cleanser for the chinchillas.
"It's the funniest thing in the world to watch them take a dust bath," Spangler said. "They get so happy," Sawyers added.
Chinchillas also are very sensitive to heat. Many suffer heat strokes when the temperature rises above 85 degrees. They cost about $90 each.
When 7-year-old David McCord was searching for a weird pet, he chose a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach "because it was a bug."
The 21/2-inch long cockroach eats "just about anything except other bugs," David said. David keeps the roach in a shoebox, but may put it in an aquarium if it gets any bigger, though it is not expected to grow much more if at all.
David said the cockroach only hisses when it gets mad. "I've only heard it hiss once," he said.
David explained that he lets the cockroach out when "he looks really fat."
"I make him run so he can lose weight," he said. David likes to build a tower out of blocks and put the roach on top so he can run down.
"I think he's afraid of heights," David said. "It's the biggest bug I've ever seen."
Of the reptile grouping, iguanas are popular items at pet stores.
However, the mostly vegetarian lizards require a little more care than most people anticipate. Though some iguanas sell for as little at $20, it takes several more purchases to take care of the animals properly.
A full spectrum light bulb must be used to provide iguanas the vitamins they need that they would normally soak up from the sun's rays. Heat rocks or heating pads must also be used to maintain the cold-blooded animals' body temperature.
Iguanas also require high protein and high calcium diet supplements. Powdered calcium, ground-up hard-boiled eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese can be used to increase their calcium levels. Low levels of calcium lead to fragile or broken bones.
A broken jaw is what caused Ann Cummings of Blacksburg to turn to a special calcium concoction for Cosmic Creeper, her son Andrew's iguana. Andrew, 10, and his family take care of Creeper (his shortened nickname) because it's a lot of work for one person.
Andrew said, "You have to clean out the cage a lot."
by CNB