Hello friends!

We’re the Ostmo family, and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya, has tons of friends all around the world and some of them are going to teach us about some of the most unusual pets in the world. These pets might be a little more challenging to take care of than others, but they are all fun animals to have around. 

Have you ever imagined that every morning you wake up there’s going to be an alpaca next to you? Well, actually that happens a lot in Bolivia. There Melaya has a little friend, his name is Augusto.

Augusto’s unusual pet and friend, an Alpaca

When Augusto’s dad, Carlo, got him an alpaca as a birthday gift, he never thought that the animal would become such a faithful friend of his. You would probably think that alpacas are just smaller llamas, but, in fact, they have a few differences, like shorter ears and softer wool. Augusto explained both alpacas and llamas are members of the camel family. You can tell by looking at its long neck and legs that are used for walking instead of running like a typical horse or zebra. In Bolivia, it’s pretty common for families to keep alpacas on their farms. They are a very important part of the farming community because they give wool which can be used for making clothes and sweaters.

Carlo knows really well how to take care of them because he has a farm where he keeps many different kinds of animals. He takes care of them all every day and makes sure that they are well-fed and healthy. He noticed that Augusto was being more responsible with school and helping his mom with some home chores so Carlo knew Augusto was ready to take care of his own pet. He should make sure the alpaca has fresh water and plenty of grass to eat each day.

Augusto told to Melaya that his dad also told him that the alpaca had a warm place to sleep at night. Augusto should take good care of his new pet and it would be a great responsibility for him. In return, he would have a faithful friend who could accompany him throughout many of his daily chores around the farm.

Having an unusual pet it’s not for everyone. It takes a lot of responsibility and hard work to care for an animal, especially if it’s a wildlife animal like a boar.

Some boars can be well-trained, but they’re still wild animals

Ivana has always dreamed of having a boar as a pet. But her parents were very strict and they didn’t want an unusual pet at home. Her parents knew that boars were wild animals and they didn’t want one of them living in their house.

Ivana is from Croatia, which is 1,000 miles away from London, where you can have wildlife animals as pets. Boars are very common in Croatia, so it’s easy to find one. Ivana often saw boars in the forest and she liked their big bodies and long hair. Boars also have a lot of energy and they often ran around like crazy pigs.

One day when Ivana was walking through the woods with her parents when near home, she heard some strange noises coming from behind some trees. There were two boars fighting each other! Ivana thought this was very strange because she had never seen two animals fight like that before.

Her parents teach her that boars can be territorial sometimes, meaning that they fight each other if they aren’t happy with their territory, and can be pretty obstinate. That’s why they think that it’s not safe to have boars as pets, especially if you have children. Boars are also dangerous animals and can be very aggressive, so it’s not a good idea to keep them as pets unless you’re an experienced boar handler.

Can you name another wildlife creature that can be obstinate as a boar? If you’re not sure what obstinate or disobedient means, it means stubborn or hard to handle. You can be obstinate if you don’t like something that someone suggests, or if you don’t want to learn something new. Just like foxes.

Over in Hungary it is common for people to have pet foxes

That’s what Rusk said to Melaya one time they spoke. Rusk is from Hungary where it’s pretty common to keep foxes as pets. It’s not always a good idea because they have very specific needs and can be very dangerous. They’re also wild animals that aren’t meant to live in captivity, so it’s best to leave them alone.

Rusk told Melaya that foxes are very curious creatures and will often get into trouble if they’re not kept in a cage. They’ll chew on your shoes or other things you leave lying around the house and can even cause damage to your property. Rusk’s father, Ian, also warned him that if he ever saw a fox near her home, it would be best to stay away from it. He said that if you approach a fox and try to feed it or pet it, there’s a good chance that the animal will bite you.

Ian likes to photograph wildlife creatures and he often takes pictures of foxes and seeing their behavior for photos he has learned a few things: He says that they’re very cunning animals and are known to steal food from other animals, like ducks, chickens and geese. Ian says that foxes will also eat other small animals such as rabbits and squirrels.

He says that people often think foxes are just like dogs, but that’s wrong. Foxes are wild animals and they should be treated as such. He’s not sure why people want to keep them as pets, but he thinks it’s because foxes are cute and cuddly looking. 

Do you think foxes are cute and cuddly? Or do you think they should be left alone in the wild?

In Madagascar, many people keep lemurs as pets

In many parts of the world people really like to have wild animals as pets, Pablo once told us that in Madagascar, more than 5,000 miles from London people like to have lemurs, like the ring-tailed ones.

Ring-tailed lemurs are native to Madagascar and are considered one of the most common lemur species. Lemurs are primates, which means they’re related to humans. They have cat-like eyes, long tails, and big ears. Ringtails can be found in many different colors including white, black, brownish-grey and orange. They live in trees where they spend their days eating leaves and sleeping!

Pablo said to Melaya that his mom, Kaini, works in a national wildlife refuge and she cares for many animals. Pablo’s mom told him one day that recently Ring-tailed lemurs are in danger of extinction because people keep them as pets and don’t let them go back into the wild. And that if we want to help endangered species we shouldn’t just think about what’s best for them. We should also think about what’s best for people who want to keep wild animals as pets.

Pablo asked his mom what she meant by that. Kaini told him that many people want to keep wild animals as pets, but they don’t know how to care for them or they just don’t have the time.

But hey, not everything’s bad news! There are a lot of preservation programs for endangered animals where you can keep an unusual pet with you to learn about it.

To have a wild animal as a pet, you can take part in wildlife conservation programs like Arnoldo’s family

Arnoldo and his family take a big role in this sharing his home with 3 blue macaws in Bolivia, which is more than 6,000 miles far away from Melaya’s home!

Arnoldo explained to Melaya that, because big companies sometimes destroy blue macaws’ natural habitat for mining and logging, some people are keeping blue macaws in their homes. Arnoldo told to Melaya how his family is taking care of 3 blue macaws in his house so later they can free them in a more peaceful habitat for them.

Blue Macaws are the largest and most colorful of all macaws. Their unique brilliant blue feathery bodies make them easy to spot in their natural habitat. Feathery is something that is used to describe the soft and fluffy feathers on a bird’s body.

Arnoldo says it’s very easy to get along with Blue Macaws since they are social birds that live in family groups with up to 12 members. Blue Macaws are also very intelligent and capable of using tools and solving complex problems.

Melaya asked Arnoldo how to take care of a Blue Macaw. He says it was very easy, all you have to do is give them fresh water and food like bananas, apples and corn. And just like any other pet you also need to clean their cage every once in a while.

Would you like to be a part of a program like this? Tell us in the comments which unusual pets are the most interesting to you! And if you want to learn more about different unusual pets worldwide, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various unusual pets!

Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get in touch with us.