For many years people have kept pets as companions. Here, we will look at eight pets that stand out among the rest.
Chilli
Chilli is 3 year old green-winged macaw who lives with his owners Sarah and Derek and their two children in the Simonside area. His owner Sarah said: “My husband has always wanted a parrot. We got Chilli when he was eleven weeks old from Manchester and since then we have taught him to roll, cuddle and play peek-a-boo”.
Ash
Ash is 4 and ½ years old boa constrictor who lives in the Horsley Hill area with her owner Bryce. Ash is one of many unique pets that Bryce owns. She is 5ft long now, although she has grown a lot over the years. Her owner Bryce said: “Ash was tiny at first, but she has grown so much. She went through a terrible two’s stage like children do, where she was a little aggressive but she’s nice now!”
Bobby
Bobby is an 8 year old bearded dragon, also a pet of Bryce’s. He is 18 inches long. He lives in a tank above a female bearded dragon named Astraea. Owner Bryce said: “He likes to assert his dominance. His beard turns jet black when he is trying to do that, or when he is annoyed”. All male bearded dragons do this as they are territorial.
Mulder
Mulder is a 3 and ½ year old pac-man frog, are also known as ornate horned frogs. Mulder is named after Fox Mulder from The X Files TV Show and he is also a pet of Bryce’s.
Bryce said: “I’ve named all of my pets after fictional TV or movie characters that I love”. Mulder is an albino and is only 3 inches. Bryce said: “He looked like a golf ball when I first got him!”.
Ruby
Ruby is a Chilean rose spider, and is another part of Bryce’s family. Chilean rose females can live up to 30-45 years old, but as she is a rescue so Bryce is unaware of her age. Let’s hope she’s young and continues to live a long life!
Pax
Pax is a lissachatina fulica also known as a great African snail who lives in the Horsley Hill area with owner Danielle. Snails are hermaphrodites therefore they do not have a specific gender. Pax is 5.5 inches and lives with two other snails of the same species named Lilith and Aphrodite. Danielle said: “I got them recently from a reptile store in Jarrow. They are so interesting and have such personalities. They love a treat of some cucumber, it’s like McDonalds to them!”.
Spot
Spot is a 6 year old leopard gecko who is 7 inches long. He lives in the Chichester area with his owner Eleanor. His colouring is a morph called super hypo melanistic, which means he has no spots on his back. Owner Eleanor said: “I got him as my first gecko when he was 10 weeks old. I now have seven geckos. I think they’re so interesting and a really great pet to have”.
Freddy
Freddy is a 12 year old Horsfield tortoise who is around 6 inches long. Horsfield tortoises can live up to the age of around 75 years old. He is also a pet of Eleanor’s, she said: “I got him when he was 7 years old from the north east reptile rescue. He has a problem with his mouth, which means he has an underbite, but I saw him on the rescue Facebook page and fell in love with him!”