What is your ultimate dream pet?

[Soubriquet]

Doesn’t have to be one that can be domesticated. It can be literally any animal

My dream would be a fennec fox. I know people keep them as pets sometimes, but it wouldn’t be ideal whilst I’m in rented accommodation. Plus they are very pricey and require a lot of special attention and needs.

My other dream pet is a sphinx cat but my dh can’t stand them. He hates naked cats

A snow leopard or a Canadian lynx maybe a red panda or possibly an an ant eater. At a push a black nosed Valais sheep or a sloth .

I have been involved with exotic animals for decades. I've hand raised, bred and fostered dozens and dozens of species. The most fascinating and interesting are macaws and raccoons. I'm happy to share photos but if you should recognise me please don't mention it in here and I'll name change in a few days.

This baby racoon came to me at 2.5 weeks old. He had been rejected and had a heavy parasite load.

A pair of miniature dragons. Or if not available, a family of burrowing owls.

Dali kept an Ocelot "Babou" - it always looked like it was always attacking Dali in the photos I've seen.

https://imgur.com/CRVi4Ma

My dog 🥰 I waited 52 years for him and I utterly adore him

I really want a serval but unfortunately don't have the money or the space. Have got the next best thing though - a pair of savannah cats and they are my life ❤️

I have a pair of rescue cats and I’d say they’re my dream pets. It would be even better if I could get back my deceased cat (the brother of one of my current cats) back and they could be a trio.

I get the impression perhaps this was a ‘if money, practicality, safety and reality were no object then what would your dream pet be?’ thread though. In that case, I’d like a pink Pegasus!

@glassyhag oh my gosh!!! Look at that! I’m assuming you aren’t UK based then? I mean I know some people have raccoons as pets over here, I doubt an unweaned baby would appear in rescue

A little troop of Adele Penguins. Provided I also had someone else to clear up after them.

@larkstar I can confirm hares are in fact a dream pet. I have Argyll who is technically still a leveret although he'll be 7months on Saturday, who Dd2 saved when golf ball size tiny from barley machinery and I hand reared. He was originally intended to "try and keep alive and then outdoor run then re release as they don't like people." However he hasn't read the hare manual and absolutely adores me (named Mama Hare by my 2 legged clowns) knows his name, my name, names of his favourite foods and toys, and DH (aka Daddy Hare). He also detests outside, point blank refuses to set foot out there without dramatic pretend fainting or foot stomping, much preferring instead to lie on the back of the sofa so the neighbours will wave at him (most do ) and choosing what we watch on tv (favourites are Death in Paradise, Alvin and the chipmunks and Sweeny Todd). He also dislikes Dd2 and spends large amounts of time making this clear, and seems to think she should be grateful to him for allowing her to save his life. He likes cuddles, sitting on my shoulder like a parrot and being blow dried (a fact discovered accidentally when drying my hair not actually blow drying him!) Less endearingly he also likes eating walls and phone chargers and needs watched like a hawk in case he gets GI stasis. He also loves to run around the whole downstairs in the evening bouncing from one end to the other, dive bombing DH from above every time he dozes off. He also does this in the morning scattering Dd1s make up/moisturiser bits then comes and lies on my shoulder and appears to smirk at her, driving her nuts.

Please excuse mess in some pics we are in the middle of a house reshuffle thanks to weather damage and it's complete chaos for the next 2-3 weeks

@Soubriquet

I am in the UK. This was a good long time ago now, 15 years. At the time raccoons were not in the DWA list and so breeders were much more common if you knew where to go. I was linked to an awful lot of animal groups and very active on the scene so was always being given animals or asked to rehab this animal or that animal.

He was an absurdly beautiful as baby but they are so clever and they can be very destructive kept Indoors. When he was old enough he had to go outside into a custom built enclosure and then he got a friend who was another rehomer. We could walk the one we hand raised on a harness and lead and he LOVED being out and about but the rehomer friend we were given was natural raised and so wary of humans and never quite trusted us.

The raccoons fur is incredibly soft and their feet and hands are beautiful little masterpieces. The pads are silky soft and they love to wash their food and snacks in water. They love ice cubes and will happily wash them until they dissolve.

@Objectionhearsayspeculation Oh 😍😍😍 beautiful!

He died this summer . To replace him I would need a big chunky ginger tom who wraps his forepaws around your neck in a hug with a throaty purr, who strokes your cheek to wake you up with a velvety paw, who escorts you to the shops and waits outside in case you get lost and then escorts you back, who sits up to table to eat with the family because he is a member of the family so won't be doing with any of this bowls on the floor mullarkey, who warms cold toes in bed, who does the rounds at night, tucking each DC in with a wraparound cuddle, kiss and purr until they start nodding off, who sits on the edge of the bath to keep you company while you soak, who smuggles himself into the car when you go on holiday and then only announces his presence with a mew when you are a long way from home. I miss him so much.

@Objectionhearsayspeculation wow! He’s gorgeous. I’ve had reared holglets before and I’ve been able to reintroduce to the wild but it wasn’t easy. Luckily, they seem to go from cuddle bunnies to wild hogs very quickly

@glassyhag wow. I love raccoons but they are way too intelligent as a pet. You would need to child proof the child proofing in your home

This is one of my babies who I named Spike. He was incredibly affectionate and would run to cuddle your feet as soon as you went near him. He loved his bottle too. Luckily, he was very easy to re-wild. It was sad cos he was so sweet but I knew he needed to be released.

awww ... love all these beautiful stories and pictures, this is the thread we all need today 😍

@TotalOverhaul he sounds gorgeous. The cat of your life who will never be replicated.
I dread losing our ginger boy. They are so human & empathetic. The best.

A wolf.

They are. There is something about gingers. I will definitely want another ginger boy once we have got over losing him.

I have my dream pets. My 2 cats. I love them so much.

A unicorn of course! Actually I’ll go one better, I’d have an Alicorn - that’s a winged unicorn 🦄

I actually have a sphinx x Siamese kitten, she’s not totally hairless but has v short wiry fur and curly whiskers! Not all Sphinx are hairless btw, Akasha’s dad is though 😀

I'd live a white tiger I think. Obviously a tame, domesticated version rather than one that might rip my head off and eat me.

Or a dragon. I'd love a dragon. I'd settle for a fire lizard like they have in the Pern books but really I want a dragon.

A donkey (preferably rescue).
I couldn’t just have one so maybe two.

A jackdaw, but one that lived outside like a wild one but he’d come to call and be hand fed. I’d never do it because I think keeping birds is horrible, but I love to look at them.

In my wildest dreams, I’d like a 17hh horse which I’d compete, but I lost my brave pants a long time ago.