Top 14 Best Exotic Animals That You Can Legally Own in Texas

Texans own an estimated 7.2 million dogs, according to the American Veterinary Association. That's more than any other state. But perhaps you’d like to look into adopting something less common into your Dallas, TX home.

Get our free mobile app

Dogs are without a doubt a Texan's best friend, but, yeah, what about something a little more exotic?

My wife's once front-runner for an exotic pet was a galago. Not familiar? It's also known as a bush baby. Bush babies average just seven inches in length and weigh about 2-3 lbs. They're tiny cute little primates and they often smell like their own urine.

But maybe you're worried about losing track of a teeny-tiny bush baby, or of it's pee pee smell permeating your home, then perhaps a super-slow sloth is perfect for you.

With a sloth's natural habitat found in South and Central America, there's no reason why you couldn't build your new sloth a suitable habitat in Texas, and they're not much bigger than a small dog, ranging in size from 8 to 17 lbs.

But heads-up, if you choose a sloth as your forever pet, it'll actually be close to forever. Sloths usually live for about 20 years in the wild, and they are recorded to have lived for up to 30 years in captivity.

When it comes to approved exotics pets in Texas, according to Texas Capital, the list is actually quite exotic and fairly long. Kangaroos, orangutans (for example King Louie in "Jungle Book"), even one of the biggest big cats, Tigers, with a few stipulations are allowed to be privately owned.

But word to the wise, steer clear of cheetahs, chimps, jaguars, lions, and gorillas, all of these animals are prohibited in The Lone Star State, and are pretty dangerous too.