An Initial Assessment of Exotic-Animal Pet Owners in Utah: A Survey With Special Emphasis on Personal Characteristics and Expenditure Tendencies

Exotic-animal pet owners are a growing demographic group among individuals seeking veterinary care, yet very little information is known about their specific demographics, personal characteristics, and expenditure tendencies. A voluntary, in-clinic survey was performed to gather preliminary data in these areas on owners at an exclusively exotic-animal hospital in Utah. Of the 115 owners completing the survey, 39.8% brought in psittacine birds, 22.1% ferrets, and 38.1% other exotics. The demographic profile for the survey population was 33.6 years old, predominately female, well educated, and financially middle class. Most exotic pets were brought to veterinary hospitals because of a perceived illness by the owner. Most owners were interested in receiving future services, with bird owners most interested in diagnostic tests; small-mammal owners in receiving physical examinations, dental procedures, and vaccinations; and reptile owners in having pets sexed and receiving husbandry/diet information. In general, the owners were low self-monitors, indicating greater likelihood of attitude-behavior consistency. Although interpersonal orientation values were more variable, the higher the interpersonal orientation score, the closer the owner felt to the pet, especially among small-mammal owners. Owners with a greater perceived bond with their pet were interested in receiving a greater number of services in the future than those not as close. Owner perception of what they would spend and what they did spend were very similar, about $81 US per visit.