sloth as pet

Although some places allow two-toed sloths to be kept as exotic pets legally, they are not particularly pleasant and demand a lot of specific care. Along with tons of fresh veggies, these slow-moving animals require particular pellet feeds. Since sloths spend practically all of their lives hanging from branches, they also need trees to climb. Pet sloths would much rather linger around in trees than hang about among people. They object to being hugged, touched, or cuddled. Moreover, sloths can live up to 30 years; hence, a potential pet owner has to commit long-term to meet their particular needs.

Can you own a sloth?

Legality

Legal ownership of a two-toed pet sloth in Alabama, Florida (with a permit), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota (with health certificate), and Texas as of 2022 Although some states might let sloths, their state laws do not specifically indicate so. Certain regulations forbid boarding sloths, traveling state borders with them, and other limitations. Find out from your state and municipal authorities whether it is legal for you to own, board, or transport a two-toed sloth where you reside.

Ethics

Since it is impossible to reproduce every element of their original habitat in captivity, wild mammals like sloths hardly do as well as they would in the wild. Therefore, in terms of overall well-being or health, having a sloth carries the natural danger of harming the animal. Sloths are tough to spot for symptoms of stress or displeasure since they, by nature, do not interact in ways that humans would find easily understood. For even the most careful person, this makes ownership difficult. Although having a sloth is not totally moral, even if it might not be plain cruelty,.

Things to Consider

You should find a reliable source when buying a sloth since the illicit pet trade also catches wild sloths for sale, which is illegal and somewhat unethical. Usually sold illegally, three-toed sloths are poorly suited for life in captivity and are likely to perish there.

Sloth Behavior and Temperament

While captive sloths may alter their schedule and remain active more during daylight hours, sloths are wild animals that are primarily nocturnal in their natural surroundings.

These slow-moving creatures detest bathing, grooming, and petting. They lack clear outward symptoms of stress, unlike most other animals. Rather, their natural reaction to the supposed threat is to remain. Telling when a sloth is terrified or angry can thus be challenging. Sometimes a sloth will use its sharp teeth and claws to defend itself from danger, therefore causing major injury. This can occur in captivity when other animals or people act violently.

Sloths are naturally silent creatures. They are rarely noisy. They also lack fast movement. Their limbs are designed for gripping, hanging, and climbing—not walking or running. Without effort, they may hang upside down from trees or cling to tree trunks; they crawl sloppily—and extremely slowly—on the ground. They can hold their breath underwater for up to forty minutes and swim brilliantly.

Housing

While captive sloths may alter their schedule and remain active more during daylight hours, sloths are wild animals that are primarily nocturnal in their natural surroundings.

These slow-moving creatures detest bathing, grooming, and petting. They lack clear outward symptoms of stress, unlike most other animals. Rather, their natural reaction to the supposed threat is to remain. Telling when a sloth is terrified or angry can thus be challenging. Sometimes a sloth will use its sharp teeth and claws to defend itself from danger, therefore causing major injury. This can occur in captivity when other animals or people act violently.

Sloths are naturally silent creatures. They are rarely noisy. They also lack fast movement. Their limbs are designed for gripping, hanging, and climbing—not walking or running. Without effort, they may hang upside down from trees or cling to tree trunks; they crawl sloppily—and extremely slowly—on the ground. They can hold their breath underwater for up to forty minutes and swim brilliantly.

What do sloths eat and drink?

Trying to reproduce an exotic pet like a sloth’s natural diet in captivity is one of the toughest challenges of ownership. Mostly from the trees of Central and South America, sloths consume leaves. Offer food every night; they sleep for over twenty hours a day and often hunt for food at night. Feed sloths a “leaf eater food,” such as Mazri High Fiber Sticks or Marion Leaf Eater pellets. Offer lettuce, dandelion greens, carrots, apples, green beans, sweet potatoes, and an odd grape alongside the pellets as a treat. Always avoid leaves, including pesticides or chemicals; you cannot feed leaves off the trees in your backyard to your pet sloth.

Sloths obtain their water in the wild from either dew on leaves or water found in their meal. Safe water and feeding dishes high in the enclosure as well as on the ground should be available in captivity. Around the enclosure and on branches, the sloth prefers to hang out and strap large lettuce leaves and greens.

A sloth’s metabolism is so slow that food might be digested in three weeks or one month. They defecate and pee roughly once every week.

Common Health Problems

Look for an exotic animal veterinarian in your neighborhood who can cure this unique pet before you buy a sloth. In captivity, sloths are prone to dietary inadequacies, digestive difficulties, respiratory issues, and physical traumas. Given that it is fairly difficult to reproduce a sloth’s natural diet in captivity, dietary problems are the most common.

Exercise

Sloths merely need trees or buildings to climb and hang on; they do not require any more activity than they naturally acquire in the environment. Sloths ascend very tall trees in the rainforest; hence, if you have the room, think about providing your pet with a high ceiling with towering elements to climb. When it comes to exercising, sloths are low-maintenance pets because of their languid motions and equally slow metabolism.

Grooming

Sloths do not need to be bathed, and they dislike being touched too much. Trying to wash a sloth will simply stress your pet; the bacteria in the sloth’s coat help to preserve the naturally balanced cleanliness of their fur. Clipping is not a possibility for their long claws. Unlike dogs and cats, sloths use their sharp claws to grasp onto trees and move naturally; you cannot just clip them to stop them from scratching. Clipping a sloth’s claws could stop it from using its body as it should, therefore compromising both its physical and mental state.

Size Information

From head to toe, adult two-toe sloths can reach somewhat over two feet in length and weigh up to 17 pounds.

Pros and Cons of Keeping a Sloth as a Pet

If you have the time, money, and space to commit to owning one, sloths are a low-maintenance pet. They prefer to stay awake during the night and are quite quiet; they require minimal effort to exercise but also dislike being touched. Since sloths depend on trees to climb and live in hot, humid circumstances year-round, designing the perfect habitat and temperature for them presents difficulty. Visiting a sloth in the wild or at a zoo would be far less work for a comparable pay-off.

Purchasing Your Sloth

Sloths, usually costing $6,000 to $10,000 for a captive-bred infant, are expensive animals that most people would find ideal. Unless you are buying from a reputable source, avoid adult sloths since they may be unlawfully wild-caught and will not thrive in captivity.

Legal breeding facilities where one may buy a two-toed sloth are somewhat rare. Although exotic pet stores occasionally carry them, it’s best to investigate their suppliers so as to avoid endorsing the illicit pet trade.

Your best way to locate a sloth is probably through an exotic pet broker. Look for a seller who aggressively provides you with a lot of animal information and probes you and your capacity for sloth care. Should you not be a zoo or registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some vendors might not even sell to you.