Exotic Pets for Beginners适合新手养的新奇宠物

One of the real pleasures of exotic pets is quite simply how many different species there are available. From the common to the rare， from the cheap to the expensive， and from the easy to care for to the virtually impossible. Irrespective of who you are， if you have enough passion and a little money to spare， there is an exotic pet perfect for you.

新奇宠物的一大妙趣，就是有那么多不同品类可供选择。有常见的也有罕见的，有便宜的也有昂贵的，有容易照料的也有实在难养的。不论是谁，只要有足够热情和一点闲钱，总有一只新奇宠物适合你。

These exotic pets are also typically easy to care for， reasonably priced and readily available from most exotic pet stores. If you’re looking for your first exotic pet， you’ll find something here to put you on the path to success with exotic pets.

一般而言，这些新奇宠物比较容易照顾，价格合理，并且能从大多数新奇宠物商店轻松购得。如果你打算养第一只新奇宠物，以下知识可以带你入门。

Bearded Dragons

胡须龙（鬃狮蜥）

Bearded dragons are arguably the most widely-kept pet lizards in the world. The Australian bearded dragon （or “beardie” for short） reaches a reasonable size of around 60cm， meaning they are chunky enough to be safely handled without being so large as to need an unrealistically large vivarium.

胡须龙可以说是世界上饲养最广泛的宠物蜥蜴。澳大利亚胡须龙（简称“胡子”） 体长适中，大约60厘米，这意味着它们足够结实，可以安全搬动，同时也没有大到需要特大号的生态缸。

Furthermore， beardies can become very tame indeed and seem to enjoy interaction with their owners， whilst most other lizard species simply tolerate their keeper.

此外，“胡子”可以变得非常温顺，似乎很享受与主人的互动，而大多数其他蜥蜴品种只是在容忍饲养者而已。

Thanks to their ease of care and breeding， bearded dragons are not only available at very reasonable prices， but there are also a number of different color morphs currently in culture. Bearded dragons like a dry， desert-type vivarium with rocks or branches to climb on and a very hot basking spot at one end that mimics the Australian desert sunshine.

胡须龙很容易照料和繁育，因此不仅花费不多就能买到，目前还培育出许多不同颜色的变种。胡须龙喜欢干燥的沙漠型生态缸，要有岩石或树枝可以攀爬，一端还要有一处温度很高、模拟澳大利亚沙漠阳光的地方，来让胡须龙晒晒太阳。

Ball Pythons

球蟒

Typically， when people hear the word “python”， they think of a snake as long as a car and as thick as your leg， but the ball python （or royal python as it is sometimes known） is different in that it achieves a far more reasonable adult size.

通常，当人们听到“蟒蛇”这个词时，就会联想到和汽车一样长、和人腿一样粗的巨蟒，但球蟒（有时也被称为皇家蟒）并非如此，因为成年球蟒的体型要比普通蟒蛇小得多。

A length of 120—180cm is normal， meaning that even an adult can be kept in a simple， reasonably priced vivarium equalling the total length of your snake. Furthermore， like most pythons， the ball python is typically very docile indeed and can be safely handled without any risk of harm.

它们的正常长度为120到180厘米，这意味着即使成年球蟒也可以用一个简易而价格低廉的生态缸来饲养，生态缸的长度应与球蟒的全长相当。此外，与大多数蟒蛇一样，球蟒一般非常温顺，可以安全饲养，不会有任何伤害风险。

The only potential downside is their unfortunate habit of going off their food for extended periods of time， causing stress for some owners. However， in time most ball pythons will start feeding once again on their own without requiring veterinary intervention and without any harm having come to your snake.

球蟒可能有个唯一的不足之处，就是它们习惯于长时间不进食，令人犯难，会让一些主人感到担心。然而，一段时间后大多数球蟒会自行恢复进食，无需兽医干预，身体也不会出现问题。

Corn Snakes

玉米锦蛇

Corn snakes will normally achieve a similar length to ball pythons though they are far slimmer than the more chunky body shape of the ball python. Just like the python， corn snakes are easy to keep and can be safely held by keepers of all ages.

玉米锦蛇通常能长到与球蟒相当的长度，但比体型粗壮的球蟒要苗条得多。玉米锦蛇与蟒蛇一样容易饲养，各个年龄段的饲养者都能照料，安全无虞。

A further benefit of the corn snake is just how many different color morphs there are now commonly available， offering a bewildering number of choices to the potential exotic pet keeper.

玉米锦蛇还有一个优点，就是现在有众多不同颜色可供选择，能让想饲养这种新奇宠物的人挑得眼花缭乱。

In this way it’s possible to decide on the corn snake as the perfect pet. Buy a suitable vivarium and all the extra bits of kit， then spend some enjoyable time looking at all the different colors and patterns， it’s possible to find a specimen that you find the most appealing.

因此，玉米锦蛇几乎可以说是一种完美的宠物。购买一个合适的生态缸及所有配套装备，再花些时间好好观察颜色、纹样各异的玉米锦蛇，就可能找到最吸引你的那一种。

Chile Rose Tarantulas

智利红玫瑰蜘蛛

Whilst there are hundreds of different tarantulas available， there are really only two species that are suited to the absolute rank beginner. One of those is the Curly Haired tarantula and the other is this—the Chile Rose tarantula—also sometimes known by similar names such as the Chilean Rose or Chilean Rose-Haired tarantula. If you are considering buying a tarantula， it is the species you are most likely to come across in your local exotic pet store.

虽然狼蛛有数百种不同品类，但实际上只有两种适合刚入门的宠物饲养者。一种是卷毛狼蛛，另一种就是智利红玫瑰蜘蛛——它还有其他类似叫法，例如“智利玫瑰”或“智利玫瑰毛蛛”。如果考虑买一只狼蛛，它是你最有可能在本地新奇宠物店遇到的品种。

The Chile Rose is one of the cheapest of all the tarantulas， rarely ever bites and is adaptable and easy to care for. Given the bare minimum of a gently heated vivarium with live insects to eat once a week or so， a Chile Rose tarantula can live for over a decade and provide hours of pleasure and entertainment during that period.

“智利玫瑰”是所有狼蛛中最便宜的种类之一，极少咬人，适应性强，易于照管。只要有一个能温和加热的生态缸，大约每周喂一次活的昆虫，智利玫瑰狼蛛可以活十多年，并在这段时间里为主人带来很多的乐趣和娱乐。