RUSSELL BOGAERT’S PET WOULD JUST AS SOON EAT HIM. This 18-foot reticulated python requires its own room in Bogaert’s house.

“He’s big enough to kill me,” says Bogaert.

Why own a pet known to eat humans?

“Part of what I like is that not everybody has them,” Bogaert says. “And the way they move is fascinating.”

He owns three boas, two pythons, a soft-shell turtle, and … oh, yes … a dog.

Dani Amaru has rats, a ferret, four cats, a dog, two horses, and a prairie dog named Digger. Her favorites? Rats. She’s also partial to the prairie dog.

Owning a prairie dog in Nevada, like all wildlife, requires a license through the Nevada Division of Wildlife. Amaru says their even temperament make them ideal pets. Digger uses a litter box, drinks from a water bottle, doesn’t claw furniture or carpets, and is sweet and affectionate.

“His only downfall, if you can call it that, is that he likes to steal socks,” she says.

Amaru’s house may be a zoo, but Sandy Griffiths’ seven birds rule her roost. Her front room is occupied by her caged birds, including some exotics.

Pettin’ Place used to carry monkeys, kinkajous, civet cats, and alligators. These days, the shop’s merchandise is a bit more reasonable — hedgehogs, ferrets, and birds. Owner Linus McKibbin keeps a 30-year-old capuchin monkey, Hermalinda, as a store pet.

“People think they’re so cute, like a baby. No,” McKibbin says. “It’s like having a pissed off 6-year-old with five hands that will bite you.”

McKibbin says owning an exotic pet requires research, a lot of work, and the possibility that either it, or you, can be hurt.

Still interested in an unusual pet? Call Pettin’ Place at 323-3348. If exotic birds are your thing, call Reno Area Avian Enthusiast at 358-7222 or visit raave.com.