Australia is a nation of animal lovers and why wouldn’t we be!
Everyone is different though and some people’s choices of pets may seem a little unusual.
Living in Perth when we think about pest control most of us think about the usual suspect’s spiders, cockroaches, rats, ants and termites. However there are people out there that consider these animals as pets rather than pests!
Cockroaches
While most of us do all we can to keep cockroaches out of our homes, burrowing cockroaches are to some considered a great pet. These cockroaches can cost as much as $130 and live up to 10 years.
Spiders
Red back Spiders – yep you read it correctly. Though to many West Aussies these spiders are to be avoided at all cost. Among the spider enthusiasts out there, there are some choosing to keep them as pets.
Ants
Keeping ants as pets while may seem strange to some of us they are one of the more popular pests to keep as pets, mainly because of their amazing intricate behaviour that can be observed in the transparent ant farms they are housed in. Personally I’m not sure I would want to take the risk of an ant farm being let loose in my home.
Termites
Like ants, there are people out there that keep termites as pets. Again this is mainly because people are fascinated by the way they work together to build incredible mud mounds. This is a very risky pet to keep though and could quickly become very costly. Termites are always on the lookout for new food sources and your home would provide some great feeding opportunities for them.
Rats
Rats have long been considered as deadly pests with the Centre for Disease Control listing nearly a dozen diseases directly linked to rats. However in late 19th century specially bred rats started being kept as pets. These tamed rats are intelligent, generally friendly and can be taught to perform selected behaviours.
Snakes
Over the years snakes have become a popular pet of choice as they are consider low maintenance when compared to regular pets like cats and dogs. If you’re living in WA and thinking of getting a snake you will need to apply for a reptile license and do your research as there is a restriction on what species of snakes can be kept as a pet.
Bees
One of the most popular pests to be keep as a pet are bees. During the summer months our Termico technicians will be called out to a number of properties with requests to remove hives and swarms of bees. Most of which are relocated to live out their days with local bee keepers. Some though will find a home with a few of Termico’s pest controllers, who take great care and pride in caring for these ecologically important pests. Check out this video of some bees being relocated to a new hive set up by our technician John.
If you have chosen an unusual creature as a pet we would love to hear from you. Simply email us details of what creature is your chosen pet and even include a few pics for us!
