what are some exotic animals that i could realistically keep as a pet, and where can i buy them?
You could keep foxes, peacocks, emus, or ostriches. However, they all take very specialized care and attention, so you'd have to learn a lot about them beforehand. There are several places on the internet where you can buy those animals, or you can try to contact an exotic animal breeder.
what about a sulcata tortoise? these are fairly easy to care for. just be sure you are aware of how big they get once they are fully grown. (100lbs), and also that they do live at least 75 years in captivity. another nice but somewhat exotic pet to have would be a ball python. they are very easy to care for and they are very docile animals. i have both! good luck.
My suggestion would be Emperor scorpions. They are exotic, giant, and nearly harmless. They are extremely cheap, easy to care for (a dozen crickets every 2 weeks or so and some water in a dish, with some vermiculite or woodchips as a base (thick enough for them to burrow under, if they want to, something for them to hide under (half coconut shell works great, as does half-cut PVC piping.) Virtually no maintenance, aside from feeding and changing the vermiculite once every few months. Never have fewer than 2, or they become territorial and hostile and way harder to pick up (and if picking one up is too freaky, scratch the whole idea. I've had 8 scorpions over the period of about 7 years and never got stung once). The best part is, if you're lazy, like I am, they can go for a month or so without food or water if they have to. It's not a good idea to do that, but I merely mean that you can let them go for a few days without having a house-sitter like you would with a mammal or bird. Plus, you look like a badass when you hold one in your hand. *a negligible point, but a valid one, nonetheless*. As to where you can get them, almost any good pet store should have a few.
