Exotic Pets for Beginners適合新手養的新奇寵物

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.

新奇寵物的一大妙趣，就是有那么多不同品類可供選擇。有常見的也有罕見的，有便宜的也有昂貴的，有容易照料的也有實在難養的。不論是誰，只要有足夠熱情和一點閑錢，總有一只新奇寵物適合你。

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，這些新奇寵物比較容易照顧，價格合理，并且能從大多數新奇寵物商店輕松購得。如果你打算養第一只新奇寵物，以下知識可以帶你入門。

Bearded Dragons

胡須龍（鬃獅蜥）

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.

胡須龍可以說是世界上飼養最廣泛的寵物蜥蜴。澳大利亞胡須龍（簡稱“胡子”） 體長適中，大約60厘米，這意味著它們足夠結實，可以安全搬動，同時也沒有大到需要特大號的生態缸。

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”可以變得非常溫順，似乎很享受與主人的互動，而大多數其他蜥蜴品種只是在容忍飼養者而已。

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.

胡須龍很容易照料和繁育，因此不僅花費不多就能買到，目前還培育出許多不同顏色的變種。胡須龍喜歡干燥的沙漠型生態缸，要有巖石或樹枝可以攀爬，一端還要有一處溫度很高、模擬澳大利亞沙漠陽光的地方，來讓胡須龍曬曬太陽。

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，當人們聽到“蟒蛇”這個詞時，就會聯想到和汽車一樣長、和人腿一樣粗的巨蟒，但球蟒（有時也被稱為皇家蟒）并非如此，因為成年球蟒的體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.

它們的正常長度為120到180厘米，這意味著即使成年球蟒也可以用一個簡易而價格低廉的生態缸來飼養，生態缸的長度應與球蟒的全長相當。此外，與大多數蟒蛇一樣，球蟒一般非常溫順，可以安全飼養，不會有任何傷害風險。

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.

球蟒可能有個唯一的不足之處，就是它們習慣于長時間不進食，令人犯難，會讓一些主人感到擔心。然而，一段時間后大多數球蟒會自行恢復進食，無需獸醫干預，身體也不會出現問題。

Corn Snakes

玉米錦蛇

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.

玉米錦蛇通常能長到與球蟒相當的長度，但比體型粗壯的球蟒要苗條得多。玉米錦蛇與蟒蛇一樣容易飼養，各個年齡段的飼養者都能照料，安全無虞。

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.

玉米錦蛇還有一個優點，就是現在有眾多不同顏色可供選擇，能讓想飼養這種新奇寵物的人挑得眼花繚亂。

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，玉米錦蛇幾乎可以說是一種完美的寵物。購買一個合適的生態缸及所有配套裝備，再花些時間好好觀察顏色、紋樣各異的玉米錦蛇，就可能找到最吸引你的那一種。

Chile Rose Tarantulas

智利紅玫瑰蜘蛛

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.

雖然狼蛛有數百種不同品類，但實際上只有兩種適合剛入門的寵物飼養者。一種是卷毛狼蛛，另一種就是智利紅玫瑰蜘蛛——它還有其他類似叫法，例如“智利玫瑰”或“智利玫瑰毛蛛”。如果考慮買一只狼蛛，它是你最有可能在本地新奇寵物店遇到的品種。

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種類之一，極少咬人，適應性強，易于照管。只要有一個能溫和加熱的生態缸，大約每周喂一次活的昆蟲，智利玫瑰狼蛛可以活十多年，并在這段時間里為主人帶來很多的樂趣和娛樂。

Indian Stick Insects

印度竹節蟲

The Indian stick insect is also sometimes known as the laboratory stick insect， and whilst they appear boring and insignificant to many pet keepers， they can be an ideal exotic pet for small children.

印度竹節蟲有時也被稱為“實驗室竹節蟲”。對于很多養寵物的人來說，竹節蟲顯得無趣而微小，但它們可以成為孩子們理想的新奇寵物。

Thanks to the way that they require no artificial heating， feed purely on bramble leaves and will breed almost uncontrollably once a colony is established， you will typically find they survive and thrive with virtually no care on your part whatsoever.

由于印度竹節蟲不需要取暖設備，僅以懸鉤子屬有刺灌木的葉為食，一旦有塊棲息地，它們幾乎就能瘋狂繁殖。因此你通常會發現，印度竹節蟲幾乎不需要任何照顧就能存活并茁壯成長。

As an interesting side note， virtually every Indian stick insect kept in captivity is a female， and this species reproduces without the need for males in a process known as parthenogenesis. In this way， even a single Indian stick insect will produce fertile eggs without any mating required and soon enough the next generation will begin to hatch.

有趣的是，幾乎每一只圈養的印度竹節蟲都是雌性的。這種昆蟲的繁殖不需要雄性，繁殖的過程被稱為孤雌生殖。因此，即使只有一只印度竹節蟲，也能不需要任何交配就產下可以發育的卵，很快，下一代也會開始孵化。

Axolotls

墨西哥鈍口螈

The axolotl is a strange creature that is critically endangered in its native Mexico， yet is thriving as an exotic pet in captivity. These purely aquatic amphibians resemble newts to most people though they are in fact larval salamanders which remain in this form as long as they are kept in water.

墨西哥鈍口螈是一種奇怪的生物，在其原產地墨西哥已經瀕臨滅絕，但作為一種被圈養起來的新奇寵物，卻活得風生水起。對大多數人來說，這種純水生的兩棲動物很像蠑螈。它們實際上是蠑螈的幼體，只要生活在水中，就會始終保持這種幼態。

Should the water ever dry out—as sometimes happens in nature—then the axolotl metamorphoses into an adult salamander and wanders off to find more water！

一旦水干涸——就像自然界中時有發生的那樣——水生的幼體蠑螈就會蛻變成成年蠑螈，并四處尋找其他水源！

In captivity， the axolotl can reach around 30cm in total length and will live happily in an unheated aquarium. These amphibians are predators so it’s important not to try and place any fish into the same aquarium with them and even plants can become damaged by these impressive creatures as they move about.

在人工飼養的條件下，水生蠑螈的體長可達30厘米左右，可在沒有暖氣的水族箱里很好地生活。這種兩棲動物是掠食者，所以千萬不要把任何魚類與它們放在同一水族箱里，就連植物也會在這些厲害生物四處活動時受到損害。

Besides this， the standard aquarium set-up of gravel on the floor， dechlorinated water to swim in and a powerful filter to keep the water clean works well for axolotls.

另外，飼養墨西哥鈍口螈只需要標準的水族箱配置——箱底鋪上礫石，注入適合游泳的脫氯水，再加裝強大的過濾器，讓水體保持清潔。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）