The World's Most Unusual and Exotic Pets

From the beginning of time, mankind has had a love affair with animals. We have used them for food and clothing. We have used them for labor. And, finally, we have used them for companionship. We are both in awe of them and in fear of them. But most of all, we respect them on many different levels.

That is why, when the holidays roll around and we are looking for a very special gift, our thoughts often turn to animals. It might be a puppy for Johnny, who needs a companion or a kitty for Susie, who wants something that will love her.

Choosing an animal for a pet can be both difficult and frustrating. Sometimes mom and dad don't want Mikey to have a pony. Sometimes they are armed with information that says Joanie really won't change her parakeet's cage on a regular basis. And the truth is that some people's tastes just don't range toward the norm.

Because our family has been in talks about a possible pet for my grandson, I did some research into the best types of pets for children. Along the way, however, I ran into some of the most unusual pet and human matches I have ever seen. Many I understood, although I wouldn't agree with while others simply made no sense at all.

It seems that today there are a lot of people who think outside of the box. Let's take a look at some of today's most popular and unusual pets.

Obviously, dogs and cats lead the list; with dogs edging out their feline competitors. Next to them, the proverbial rodents like mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils and ferrets continue to be popular. They have minimal care requirements and are not overtly expensive. My kids had a hamster growing up. I hated it because I'm not fond of any kind of rodent. However, they enjoyed it and it did teach them some basic skills about caring for something other than themselves.