30 Rare And Unique Animals People Keep As Pets

If you've ever wanted a pet that was ridiculously adorable but also wildly quirky, then you'd likely love to have a sugar glider. "The average full-grown glider will weigh only about 3 ounces (85 grams) and reach around 7 inches (17 centimeters) in length," according to Animal Planet. But be sure to watch out, because this critter can use its wing-like skin to glide around.

Capybaras are giant rodents from South America that can weigh as much as 170 pounds, which may not sound appealing, but The Spruce Pets explains that they are "sociable animals" who are "affectionately called giant guinea pigs." However, keep in mind that, as Pet Ponder points out, they aren't suited to homes with young children because they can become aggressive and attack when kids act up.

If you have a fish tank, then you might have a few goldfish or even neon tetras, guppies, and pearl gourami, which are some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish, according to Fishkeeping World. However, some people take in fish that aren't usually kept as pets, such as pufferfish. Just take a look at Rona the Pufferfish, who has over 30,000 Instagram followers.

Pet lovers who adore hamsters and gerbils will surely love the jerboa. A rodent from North Africa and Asia, according to National Geographic, they're like tiny kangaroos who get around by jumping. "Jerboas have very erratic locomotion, adopting a zigzag trajectory, and can jump several feet both vertically and horizontally, even though they are usually about the size of your fist," explained Harvard graduate student Talia Yuki Moore, who studies jerboas.

If you're into lizards but are looking for something that's a bit unusual, then you should check out the African fat-tailed gecko. As its name suggests, this animal seems like a normal gecko until you take a peek at its tail, which is definitely on the wider side.

Rabbits tend to be pretty darn cute, but English Lops are almost too sweet to be real. With a soft coat, lovely coloring, and extra-long ears, they look like something out of a fairy-tale storybook. And as cuddly as the adults are, the baby English Lops are beyond adorable!

Think about a beetle whose name was inspired by a rhino and … you still are nowhere near imagining what a rhino beetle looks like. Resembling an intense insect from outer space, these critters can be found everywhere except Antarctica. The massive bugs that some like to keep as pets are among the largest beetles around and have massive "horn-like projections" on their heads, according to The National Wildlife Federation.

"Smaller than a house cat, with large, dark eyes, velvety rounded ears, and plush, grayish fur, the chinchilla is perhaps one of the most enchanting rodents around," according to the San Diego Zoo. It's hard to argue with that when you see how cute they are. As a pet owner, it's also good to consider the fact that these animals can live up to 20 years.

Guinea pigs aren't the most common pets around; however, it's also not completely unheard of to keep one in your home. But have you ever heard of a naked guinea pig? Also known as a hairless guinea pig or skinny pig, it's basically exactly what it sounds like. It's a guinea pig that has no hair, which sort of makes it look like a mini hippo.

White's tree frogs are a "popular pet" due to their "facial expressions" as well as their "petite size," according to The Spruce Pets. Granted, then there's Queen Gertrude, who happens to be a rather large specimen (and social media star).

Even dedicated cat lovers may want to opt for a more unusual type of feline, which is surely why some end up with a Bengal cat. Resembling a small leopard, Bengals are "agile and graceful with a strong, muscular body, as befits a cat who looks as if they belong in the jungle," according to Cat Time. Just be prepared to give them a lot of exercise if you want one as your companion!

Fish are fun. Lizards are likable. But if you want a pet that's sort of a mix of the two, then you might want to get a salamander. And if you want something that is incredibly special and totally unique, then responsible pet owners should adopt an axolotl.

If you are a fan of Salvador Dalí's art, then you might want to have the same kind of unusual pet that he was known to keep around. As you might expect from an eccentric surrealist, he had what most people would consider to be a weird pet — an anteater. We wonder how many of his admirers would also take their anteaters out for a stroll like Dalí.

Having a monkey as a pet may seem like a cute idea; however, it didn't seem too sweet when a Japanese macaque turned up at an Ikea in Canada back in 2021. The animal, whose name is Darwin, may have had a snazzy shearling coat but is better off these days living at a primate sanctuary.

Kinkajous are also known as honey bears, according to National Geographic, which makes them sound like Winnie the Pooh. However, they earned that nickname due to the fact that they are willing to chomp down on bees' nests. Yikes! Those who keep them as pets likely stick to a safer diet.

Anyone who has ever wanted to have goats around but simply didn't have the space might be thrilled to find out about pygmy goats. "In addition to making lovable pets, they provide milk rich in high-fat content," Rural Living Today explains.

If you're not interested in training pigeons but can't afford to take care of peacocks, then you might be the sort of person whose interest is piqued by a Victoria crowned pigeon. That's because the regal-sounding, fabulously feathered bird looks like a cross between a pigeon and a peacock.

Deer are another kind of animal that aren't usually kept as pets, but Muntjac deer aren't like most deer. Much smaller than others of its kind, these are more in the range of a medium-sized dog, according to The Wildlife Trusts. Their size is one of the reasons that Muntjac deer are sometimes kept as pets.

There are plenty of kinds of fish that are captivating to watch as they swim around an aquarium. But those who want little friends that are uniquely beautiful might opt to find themselves an African butterflyfish. However, you should know that they're carnivorous and eat things like spiders, flies, crickets, and mealworms.

Fennec foxes are another kind of animal that seems too cute to be real, and it turns out that they can be kept as pets. However, anyone who takes care of the foxes, which are only 2 to 4 pounds, needs to be willing to accept their active nature and feed them properly (and not try to force them to be vegan, as one blogger sadly did).

If you've ever thought that a raccoon would be a fun pet but aren't interested in letting the critters who crawl around your yard at night into your house, then you might want to care for a coatimundi. A type of raccoon from South American that is related to its North American counterparts as well as kinkajous, according to The Spruce Pets, you can apparently even walk your coatimundi around on a leash if it likes to explore the neighborhood. However, you should note that although "some people opt to care for them as pets, … these wild animals are not ideal for most households."

What is a spotted genet, you ask? Well, Pet Helpful explains that they're feliforms, which apparently means that they're "distantly related" to both felines and mongooses. While they share some characteristics with those other creatures, anyone who cares for them as pets will surely be able to tell you that genets "are truly unique with their own specialized behavior."

A fair share of people would consider all bugs to be pests; however, there are other people who think of bugs as pets. That's why some might be interested in having a praying mantis around. While Tree Hugger notes that "they are agile like cats," they're just not as cuddly.

Pigs can be big, noisy, and messy, but they are somehow still lovable. That's why many pet owners have been charmed by mini pigs. Not a specific breed but instead simply pigs that have been bred to be as small as possible, these little creatures are ideal for small farms or for people with massive yards, yet they aren't allowed in some suburban or city neighborhoods.

Have you ever heard of a sphynx cat? No, we're not talking about the statues and monuments from ancient Egypt but instead the modern-day pets. Hairless and definitely striking, there are actually multiple kinds of sphynx cats, including Canadian sphynx cats, which have ears that point up, and Ukrainian Levkoy sphynx cats, which have folded ears (seen here).

Anyone from central or northern Chile may be familiar with the degu, which hails from the South American country. If you have them as pets, you should know that the little rodents can live for five to eight years and should be kept in pairs or with a group of other degus.

It's hard not to fall in love with a crimson rosella bird as soon as you see one. Their bright red and blue feathers, which are made even more stunning thanks to the black feathers that create patterns, are almost too beautiful to believe.

Finding out that you have cockroaches in your home can be unpleasant, to say the least. However, these aren't your typical bugs. Madagascar hissing cockroaches are so intriguing (for some people) that these massive insects are sometimes kept as pets. And yes, they do hiss.

If a common housecat doesn't come off as ferocious enough for you, then take a look at the serval. Originally from Africa, the "wild cats are not much bigger than a medium-size dog, but they still retain their wild instincts and are cunning escape artists," which is why the BCSPCA cautions anyone who is considering one as a pet.

Take a donkey and breed it with a zebra and what do you get? A zonkey! Resembling a donkey in many ways but often with hints of stripes just like a zebra, zonkeys have been born in Kenya, Italy, and Mexico. FYI: Zonkeys can be aggressive at times, according to Animals Network, so it's best to let them live with owners who know how to handle these rare creatures.