5 Fad Pets That Were Absolute Nightmares

There’s no such thing as a ‘teacup pig’

Not to sound like your parents, but a pet is a big responsibility. Even pets that are considered low-maintenance require some serious adjustments to your life, lest your backyard become an unsanctioned cemetery. 

So, when certain pets come along that are suddenly a must-have fashion accessory, its important to remember that theyre not an ideal impulse buy. If you think a sweater you never wear makes you feel guilty, try one that can cry and lives for a decade or more. Its especially bad when the pet in question isnt easy to take care of.

Here are five fad pets that turned out to be a serious handful…

‘Teacup’ Pigs

Pixabay

Teacup, micro, whatever your preferred nomenclature is, there is one fact that you must know above all else when considering buying one of these pigs: Theyre not real. I understand that youve seen pictures. Im not saying that theyre the work of Photoshop or A.I. It’s just that the “teacup” pig isnt a real breed. Instead, they’re baby pigs that will very rapidly outgrow whatever stemware you decide to plop them in, into a full-grown potbellied pig. 

Theyre their own sort of adorable scam, where people are sold a tiny pig that theyre told will remain that way. A couple years later, however, it will weigh 650 pounds. Inconvenience and appetite aside, its also cruel because pigs need a large amount of space, the kind you dont plan on having for a “teacup pig,” and theyre intensely social animals that should never live without other pigs.

Tibetan Mastiffs

Youd think that becoming a go-to trend would be a net positive for a species. Suddenly, theyre being scooped up and brought to lavish homes to serve as Instagram fodder, with all the free toys and high-quality food that comes with it. That success is short-lived, though, especially in the case of purebred dogs that are absolute units. 

So when the Tibetan Mastiff suddenly became a status symbol in China, breeders started producing big numbers of the big fluffy beasts. Unfortunately, when the trend died down, and people realized that maybe they would prefer a dog that wasnt 2 and a half feet tall and 150 pounds and didn’t eat $50 to $60 worth of food a day, they were literally and metaphorically kicked to the curb.

Hedgehogs

Pixabay

On their face, hedgehogs, an incredibly popular pet in the 1990s, dont seem like theyd be much trouble — as long as you pet them in the right direction obviously. But did you know that they’re nocturnal? Because unless youre a serious night owl yourself, youve likely adopted a pet with the opposite schedule as you. 

That means it wont want to cuddle while youre awake, and when youre trying to sleep? That's prime digging and scratching hours, baby! Also, that’s when they’re most likely to go absolutely bananas on their loud exercise wheel, and in an inexplicable quirk of their evolution, they like to poop while they're running. But don’t worry, you’ll have all morning to clean up their shit when they’re all tuckered out.

Red-Eared Slider Turtles

Pixabay

People who suddenly decide to adopt a cute little turtle, like many did thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles popularity, seem to forget one thing: Turtles live a really long time. In fact, one of the most popular types for pet owners, the red-eared slider, can live up to 40 years. Youre just a five-year-old who likes turtles, and three decades later, youre a middle-aged man hauling a terrarium between New York City apartments. 

This leads to the second bit of the turtle nightmare: People abandoning them en masse, which isnt great for the environment because they're a highly invasive species.

Raccoons

Pixabay

Its probably pretty unlikely that you know anyone with a pet raccoon — unless you lived in Japan during the heyday of a popular cartoon named Rascal the Raccoon. It gave the Japanese populace a hankering for a little ring-eyed critter of their own, and spurred a huge import of pet raccoons. If youre familiar with raccoons, you can guess at how well that went. If you’re not, here’s a quick pro tip: Never adopt a pet with hands. No good can ever come of it.

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