NORTHERN BLUE-TONGUE SKINK

Sasha and Malia Obama may be allergic to dogs, but it's unlikely they'd sneeze at a snake. Here are five relative newcomers to the pet world. Perhaps their exotic appeal is bringing a little of the wild world into our concrete jungles:

CORN SNAKE

If there's a snake that's downright domestic, this is it. Breeders have been breeding these 3- to 5-foot-long snakes for temperament as well as designer colors, such as blood red, tangerine, butter, and creamsicle.

Herpetologist R. D. Bartlett, author of nearly 50 books on reptiles and amphibians, including "Corn Snakes" (Barron's Educational Series, 1999), says, "They're large enough to impress friends but don't have the needs of massive snakes."

Home is a 35- to 55-gallon tank. Corn snakes eat frozen thawed rodents (available at many pet stores and online) once every 10 to 14 days, but they can go longer without a meal. While they occur naturally in the U.S., captive-born animals are far better pets, living 15 years. Corn snakes typically run $40 to $100, though rare color morphs cost more.

AFRICAN HEDGEHOG

African hedgehogs are mostly active overnight, pitter-pattering around their enclosures and going in circles on their special hedgehog wheels. They're not the best choice for light sleepers.

Dawn Wrobel, of Beecher, IL, a former breeder, says the substrate in the cage can be shredded newspaper, manufactured newspaper cat litter, or polar fleece (from a fabric store), the most economical over the long haul because it can be washed and re-used.

Wrobel says their diet should be food produced especially for hedgehogs, supplemented with live and/or freeze-dried insects and cut-up chicken or turkey. Hedgehogs can live 10 years.

Those quills are modified hairs. Hedgehogs don't throw their quills, as some believe, but these pets are still too prickly to cuddle. Hedgehogs sell for $90 to $200, though those with fancy colors cost more.

NORTHERN BLUE-TONGUE SKINK

"I love my skinks," coos Melanie Vande Griend, of Marshfield, MO. "They're personable and interactive, they recognize me and enjoy being handled."

Melanie's husband, veterinarian Scott, was turned on to the 2- to 2-½-foot-long lizards several years ago by a newspaper article touting them as an alternative to the wildly popular but difficult-to-maintain green iguanas.

A single blue-tongue (they're solitary) does fine in a 30- to 55-gallon tank. Unlike iguanas, they don't require baths. A good-size water bowl offers humidity, and an ordinary light bulb and heat lamp or heating pad will suffice.

For chow, they enjoy moist dog food combined with mixed vegetables. To further vary the diet, offer small tidbits from family meals - fruits, chicken, even gefilte fish. As adults, they dine three or five days a week.

The pets are named for their bright blue tongues (they look like they've just had a blueberry Slurpee), which they wave when threatened.

Blue-tongues can live over 25 years, and sell for about $75 to $350.

SUGAR GLIDER

These diminutive 9- to 13-inch-long marsupials weigh under a pound. They don't actually fly; they glide using a membrane between their front and back legs, which stretches out to transform them into living kites. Their tails act as rudders as they parasail from your shoulder to the sofa.

Sugar gliders are active, requiring at least one daily gymnastics session outside their cages. Inside their cages, they need toys and a wheel (specifically made for gliders). They usually relieve themselves in their cages, but not always.

Having a sugar glider isn't too different from having a cocker spaniel puppy with wings. "Gliders are social, and need their people as much as any dog," says breeder Priscilla Price of Houston, TX. Generally they're quiet, but when threatened their alarm sounds like an electric drill.

Unlike a dog, gliders should never be allowed to freely roam the house. "They're very quick, and can get themselves in small places you can't reach," breeder Judith Hausmann of Kansas City, MO warns.

Two daily feedings must include a protein source (such as chicken, scrambled eggs, live mealworms, etc.) and some fruit and vegetables.

Note, sugar gliders are outlawed in Alaska, California, Georgia, and Massachusetts, and some states require permits. They live for 12 to 15 years, and run $150 to $300 (designer colors cost more).

TARANTULA

Peter Parker is right about spiders' senses; they can sense things mere mortals can't by feeling minute vibrations. That's how they catch dinner -- live crickets, kingworms or a feeder mouse weekly.

Arachnologist Rick West of Victoria, British Columbia, warns against impulsively buying tarantulas. There are 850 species, but for pets, only buy those bred in captivity. The most popular are the Chilean Rosehair, Pinktoe (a species that likes to climb - unusual for a tarantula), Mexican Red-Knee, and the 10 ½-inch Brazilian Salmon tarantula.

West warns to be careful about handling tarantulas; these pets aren't for children. West isn't worried so much about the kids as he is the spiders. They're surprisingly fragile. Drop a tarantula and its abdomen can crack, then because its blood doesn't coagulate, a splintered tarantula can bleed to death. A tarantula first aid kit must include super glue to close such wounds.

West says there's no record of a person ever succumbing to a tarantula bite. However, when threatened, many species will shed fine hairs that can cause skin irritation; if you rub your eyes, the damage can be significant.

Females are preferable as pets, living up to 30 years. Males are lucky to survive eight years, and they look spindly. Captive bred tarantulas generally cost $30 to $125.

 

 

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Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column. Write to Steve at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207. Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state. Steve's website is www.stevedalepetworld.com; he can be heard Sundays on WGN Radio, 8 to 10 p.m. CST (www.wgnradio.com to listen live), and hosts the nationally syndicated "Steve Dale's Pet World" and "The Pet Minute." He's also a contributing editor to USA Weekend

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