The Newest TikTok Stars Are Exotic Pets, But Experts Say That’s A Problem

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Lance Corporal, a four-year-old fox who lives in Florida, has almost 2 million followers on TikTok.





Troy Hoffman



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Troy Hoffman








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Experts say these enticing videos are leading TikTokkers to buy exotic pets without considering the responsibilities that go into owning them.

«One minute on TikTok, we can show only the good and not show the bad, said Nancy Coyne, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist. «Nobody on TikTok is going to show when that animal turns around and bites somebody. So you’re only getting the cute and cuddly, you’re not getting the other side of it. And the other side is usually when they mature. When these animals grow larger, it becomes more difficult to handle them.



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Hoffman, on the other hand, said he did extensive research and planning before deciding to purchase Lance from an exotic pet store in Pensacola, Fla. And he’s still learning about his behaviors. When TikTok asked him to join the app, Hoffman found a community of fox TikTokkers like @Juniperfoxx, @napkinsthefox and @kikithefox_ who share tips on how to care for their foxes, like using corn cob shavings in their litter boxes so that the animals aren’t poisoned if they ingest the food they hide in it, a common behavior for fox pets.


A TikTokker is showing viewers the reality of exotic pet ownership






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Asha, an African serval, has almost a million followers on TikTok.





Felicia Wilson



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Felicia Wilson



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Ashe says some TikTokkers place their kinkajous in dangerous situations, where they can bite people or other pets, to get more views.

Users who search for exotic pets on TikTok see a message that says in part, «TikTok is committed to ensuring that our platform is free from content that depicts or promotes the illegal trade of wildlife and exploitation of animals.





Alexandra Ashe tells her one million TikTok followers what it’s like to care for kinkajous at her sanctuary.





Alexandra Ashe



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Alexandra Ashe

The «mother of kinkajous advises at the top of her TikTok page that kinkajous should not be pets, as most owners are not equipped to care for them. Because of this, only 10-15% of kinkajous stay in the homes they start out in, Ashe said. Rehoming exotics like kinkajous can often be a death sentence.

Her account, which has a million followers, aims to educate people about the behaviors of kinkajous and how such situations can be prevented.


Providing information about exotics motivates some TikTokkers
@beaverbabyfurrylove

Reply to @wolverinewarlord He does still squeak but now he sounds more like a kazoo I think. The sounds are getting deeper.

♬ original sound — Beave


Some TikTok accounts glamorize exotic animal ownership, experts say. Most don’t film the bites, cleanups, furniture damage and extra expenses.

Coyne, who rehabilitated a TikTok-famous beaver named Beave at her home for two years, often gets calls from people who impulsively buy a wild rabbit, raccoon or fox because they saw one on TikTok or other social media, but don’t realize what it takes to make that animal a pet. That can lead to either the owner or animal getting hurt, or the animal getting surrendered.



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«When they’re little, they’re cute and cuddly, and it starts out great, Coyne said. «Then they become aggressive and very destructive, and they start biting their children and that’s not the animal they started with.

A community of TikTok racoon owners, who call them «trash pandas, post videos of their pets running into their arms, being walked in a stroller or eating cheerios. Wilson was part of that community as she rehabilitated a raccoon named Chloe in her home, but later decided it would be best to release her.





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Beave the beaver, who lived with wildlife rehabilitation specialist Nancy Coyne for two years, has over one million TikTok followers.





Nancy Coyne



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Nancy Coyne




Beave the beaver, who lived with wildlife rehabilitation specialist Nancy Coyne for two years, has over one million TikTok followers.


Nancy Coyne

A wild animal cannot thrive in a captive environment and is not meant to be surrounded by people, Coyne said.

While some states like New York have extremely strict wildlife laws, other states like Arkansas allow up to six wild animals in a household without a permit. But viewers won’t know whether a TikTok exotic pet is owned illegally or legally, or what state they’re in, unless the owner explicitly states it.

Such pets often don’t get the care they need in time because it’s rare to find a vet who specializes in exotic animals, Coyne said, especially in states with stricter ownership laws.

«Everyone loves foxes and they think they’re the most adorable thing ever, but the hardships of having the fox isn’t well known, Hoffman said.


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Hoffman wants to show TikTok viewers how to care for a «fur toddler like Lance the fox. He tells them about having to put up a baby gate, not being able to go on vacations because no one can babysit, paying $90 weekly for his food, making sure he doesn’t chew on things and putting him to sleep by 9:30 p.m.

«It’s just really kind of showing people that there are a good bit of us out here that are here for the animals, Hoffman said. «And a lot of us didn’t do this to become famous, we did it just to show how to properly take care of an animal.

Dalia Faheid is an intern on NPR’s News Desk.