I found this on Pet Health Network - great advice!
Exotic 101: Picking Your Perfect Pet
It happens in malls across America every year. Somewhere between Build-a-Bear and the food court, an eight-year-old child races up to the pet store window, presses his face up against the glass, points to the large parrot perched inside, and shouts, “Mommy, Daddy, can we get him, PLEASE?” The parents then glance up at the window, see the colorful bird dancing on the other side of the glass and then at their child’s longing expression, and all reason leaves their bodies. They are mesmerized, and without thinking, before they know it, they are swiping their credit card and trying to cram the family SUV with a big metal cage, several bags of food, and a large feathered family member who is no longer sitting quietly but is now squawking loudly in the back seat. And so it begins…
Exotic pets – large and small, from parakeets to geckos to hedgehogs – can make wonderful companions, but unfortunately, many are purchased on a whim. Many exotic pets are highly intelligent creatures that require a great deal of attention and care. They can thrive in the right homes, but they are often bought impulsively by people who have very little knowledge of what they require. As a result, many birds end up being relinquished to shelters, or worse, they remain in homes where they are ignored. Many reptiles are released into the backyard where, not knowing how to survive, they are killed by predators. Many bunnies are banished to the basement where they languish in small cages.
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