Exotic
Pet
Trade
The exotic pet trade does not only harm rare or dangerous wild animals. It also harms animals sold every day in pet stores — guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds, and others whose needs are routinely minimized until they are no longer wanted.
1. Many “exotic pets” are sold as easy starter animals — but their needs are complex.
Guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds, and other commonly owned exotic animals often require specialized diets, housing, enrichment, companionship, and veterinary care. Guinea pigs, for example, need constant access to hay, fresh vitamin C-rich foods, safe hiding places, space to explore, and companionship from other guinea pigs. They are not low-maintenance “starter pets.”
2. Impulse buying fuels abandonment.
Because small exotic animals are often inexpensive to buy and displayed in pet stores like products, people may bring them home without understanding their lifespan, costs, social needs, or medical care. Shelters across the U.S. have reported rising intakes of guinea pigs and other small mammals, with owner surrenders creating real strain for animal shelters and rescues.
3. Pet stores create a pipeline from mass breeding to shelter cages.
The exotic pet trade treats living beings as inventory. Animals such as guinea pigs are bred, shipped, sold, and replaced when they are purchased — while rescues and shelters are left to absorb the animals people later cannot or will not keep. This system normalizes the idea that small animals are disposable, even though guinea pigs can live for years and require daily, informed care.
4. Exotic animal veterinary care can be difficult to find and expensive.
Many exotic animals need veterinarians with special training, and that care is not always available or affordable. Born Free USA notes that only a small percentage of U.S. veterinary practices focus primarily on exotic animals. For guinea pigs and rabbits, dental and gastrointestinal problems can become urgent quickly and may be costly to treat.
5. Captivity often prevents animals from expressing natural behavior.
Even when people mean well, homes rarely provide what exotic animals truly need. Guinea pigs are prey animals who need hiding places, social companionship, and space to forage and explore. Reptiles, birds, and other exotic species may need carefully controlled temperature, humidity, lighting, diet, social conditions, and enrichment. When those needs are not met, animals can suffer physically and psychologically.
6. The trade also includes wild animals who should never be pets.
The same marketplace mentality that sells guinea pigs and reptiles also fuels demand for monkeys, big cats, and other wild animals. Born Free warns that exotic animals require specialized care most private owners cannot provide and can pose safety and public health risks. Recent reporting also shows that primates are still being advertised online in the U.S., often as infants or juveniles, despite serious welfare, conservation, and legal concerns.
How to Help Exotic Animals in Your Community
The exotic pet trade harms animals in pet stores, homes, roadside attractions, online marketplaces, breeding facilities, and backyard cages. Whether the animals are guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds, monkeys, or big cats, they need people willing to speak up before suffering becomes normalized.
Support stronger local laws
Local ordinances can make a real difference for animals. Consider supporting or proposing laws that:
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ban the sale or breeding of exotic animals;
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prohibit painful procedures such as declawing;
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restrict or ban private ownership of dangerous or high-needs wild animals;
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require stronger standards for animal housing, care, and veterinary access;
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prevent traveling animal acts or exploitative displays from operating in your community; and
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support reputable rescues and sanctuaries caring for animals discarded by the trade.
Creating new laws can be challenging and time-consuming, but local ordinances are one of the most effective ways to protect animals long-term.
How to get started with a local ordinance
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Choose one issue you want to address, then research how your local government works. You can find elected officials at usa.gov/elected-officials.
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Once you understand who has authority, look for an animal-friendly councilmember, commissioner, or local official who may be willing to help. Approach them with a clear request, relevant facts, examples from other communities, and evidence of local support.
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From there, build momentum: gather community backing, ask residents to contact officials, attend public meetings, submit comments, and keep following up. Local change often takes persistence, but every strong animal protection law started with someone deciding the issue was worth pursuing.
Protest pet stores that sell exotic animals
If a pet store in your area sells animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds, or other exotic species, consider organizing a peaceful protest or educational outreach event.
Stores like Petland, Petco, and PetSmart continue to profit from the sale of animals while shelters and rescues struggle with the consequences of impulse purchases, poor care, and abandonment.
Need help planning a peaceful protest or creating posters? Contact CWI for assistance.
Volunteer with shelters and rescues
Many shelters and small animal rescues are overwhelmed by guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds, and other animals surrendered after people realize they cannot provide proper care.
You can help by volunteering, fostering, transporting animals, donating supplies, or sharing adoptable animals online.
Monitor online marketplaces
Keep an eye on local online marketplaces and social media groups where animals may be sold, traded, or “rehomed.” Many platforms have rules restricting animal sales, but those rules are often ignored.
When you see a post that appears to violate a platform’s policy, report it. If an animal appears to be in danger, document what you can and contact the appropriate local authorities.
Adopt — never shop
Thinking of adding an animal to your family? Always choose adoption through a nonprofit rescue, shelter, or municipal animal control agency.
Guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds, and other commonly misunderstood animals are often waiting for homes. Visit Petfinder.com and enter your ZIP code to search for adoptable animals near you.
Report cruelty or immediate danger
If you witness animal cruelty or see an animal in immediate danger, call 911 or your local animal control agency right away.
For non-emergency concerns, document the situation carefully, including photos, videos, dates, locations, names of businesses or individuals involved, and any visible signs of neglect or suffering. Then contact local animal control, law enforcement, or the agency responsible for animal welfare in your area.
CWI's Campaigns for Exotic Pets
Though we are primarily known for our efforts related to wild animals, we do as much as we are able for ALL animals, particularly those who are underserved by other organizations or generally overlooked by the public.
Our primary campaign is Wheeks of Hope, our guinea pig microsanctuary and campaign hub.
As part of Wheeks of Hope, we are currently in the process of working to ban the sale of guinea pigs in our home city of Las Vegas. Because "Las Vegas" actually consists of four different legislative districts, we have our work cut out for us! But we are committed to this issue for the long haul.
We are happy to share that we have already had one success: Guinea pig sales are banned in any new pet stores in the city of Las Vegas and will be banned from existing stores beginning November 2028!