Wild and Weird Exotic Pets You Can Own In Oklahoma

We were sitting around the lunch table at work, having one of those coworker conversations that meanders far and wide between subject matter when otters became the topic.

It appears that the husband of a coworker really wants to have an otter as a pet, and she very much so doesn't. In fact, she quickly told a little white lie that otters are illegal to own in Oklahoma.

Spoiler, Oklahoma is pretty pet friendly regardless of what you want to invite into your home with the correct permits and/or licenses. Even animals that are "explicitly forbidden" as pets can be had with the right paperwork.

As the conversation went on, others shared their odd stories of weird and wild pets they'd seen or had here in Oklahoma.

Camels, porcupines, aardvarks, kangaroos, etc... are the common "wild" animals most people see around the state, but the list of acceptable exotic pets is even more wild.

Of course, you're probably thinking about Joe Exotic and the number of tiger and big cat places to visit throughout the state. Some are still around but operate differently since the US passed the so-called Tiger King Bill banning private ownership and the pay-to-pet business model of big cats.

So how exotic can the pets still get in the Sooner State? The answer is rarely yes or no. In fact, with a lot of species the answer is no... unless you have the proper permit and/or license.

To add to the frustration, exotic pets and/or those requiring permits aren't a cut-and-dry subject in itself. There's very little information directly from the state, and the hundreds of websites trying to guide you through the exotic pet laws in Oklahoma tend to contradict each other... ie, what's legal on one site is illegal on the next... it's a major brain tease.

Luckily, there is a way to own just about any animal in the world in the state of Oklahoma, though it may not be appropriate or legal to refer to them as "pets" in every case. Bears and mountain lions come to mind, you'll see why below.