WOULD YOU CALL YOUR BEARDED DRAGON DUMBLEDORE?

What would you name an exotic pet? We often talk about common names for pets and how we chose our pets’ names but what about the more unusual pets like lizards, tortoises or even hedgehogs? Research by Exotic Direct in the UK has discovered many interesting – and fun – names…
(If you’d love one of these animals as a pet, remember to check with the laws in your country about keeping exotic animals as pets.) 

tortoise

Exotic pet owners are fearless. Research by ExoticDirect into their clients’ pet names has revealed an array of unusual, quirky and just downright hilarious name choices.

Well known and loved characters dominate the list of names, with Rambo the tortoise, Captain Hook the African grey parrot and Mork and Mindy the ball pythons being just a few examples. The Simpsons put in a strong appearance, with two pythons named Homer on the list.

Another popular work of fiction for pet name inspiration is the Harry Potter series – the list features Crookshanks the tortoise, Dumbledore the bearded dragon and Hogwart the pygmy hedgehog.

hedgehog

But it’s not just fictional characters that attract the attention of exotic pet owners, real life celebrities also provide inspired name choices.

The best examples are without a doubt Elvis the bearded dragon, J-Lo the African grey parrot and Angela Lansbury the Hermann’s tortoise.

One ExoticDirect customer, clearly not content with simply naming their pet after a famous person, went the extra mile and named their pygmy hedgehog Albert Spinestein.

However, some people’s creativity was such that they didn’t need to twist existing names, but came up with unique creations all of their own. One customer named their African grey parrot Poly-Styrene and another gave their rabbit the very regal title of Prince Flump Muffin. There is even a bearded dragon called Sir Creepalot, though we must admit that one is a little questionable.

bearded dragon 1390056

Special mention goes to the customer who named their tortoise Sir Sheldon Shellington.

While the award for the best pet name ever goes to the ExoticDirect customer who named their bearded dragon Lizzy Mclizardface, the company’s customers are not the only creative pet owners around. A survey by Over-50s insurance specialist Saga found a few gems amongst its customers as well.

A guinea pig named Chaka Khan, a hamster named Yoda, a rat named Sausage and a parrot named Asbo are just four of the prime examples there.

Many of the names mentioned so far clearly show that naming pets after the rich and famous is popular with owners, but it appears the celebrities themselves are not immune from making unusual choices when it comes to their own pets.

Reese Witherspoon honoured her Southern roots when she named her pet donkeys Honky and Tonky, while Megan Fox honoured legendary Hip Hop rapper The Notorious B.I.G by naming her pet pig Piggy Smalls.

pig piglet

Not unused to being funny and a little weird, Adam Sandler named his beloved Bulldog, Meatball. Sadly, Meatball is no longer with us, but Sandler’s current Bulldog sports the even more eccentric moniker – Matzoball! (A Jewish staple dish, delicious in soup). 

If you’ve just welcomed a new pet into your home, whether exotic or not, make sure you take the time to think about what you’re going to name it.

While your choice of name won’t mean your pet gets picked on in the schoolyard or gets an awkward nickname in college, it does have the power to put a smile on people’s faces when they hear it. It’s a chance to show off your creativity and, most importantly of all, how much you love the precious new addition to your family. 

More tips on naming your pets

More about pets (other than dogs and cats)

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