NJ loves its exotic pets even if you’re not a Golden Globe winner

A funny thing happened at the Golden Globes Sunday night. When Rose Byrne took the stage to accept her award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture for her role in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” she name-dropped New Jersey in the weirdest way.

“I want to thank my husband, Bobby, who couldn’t be here because we’re getting a bearded dragon and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey,” she said.

Wait, what?

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Yes, her long-time significant other and Union City, New Jersey native, Bobby Cannavale, was busy looking for a bearded dragon instead of attending the prestigious ceremony. Hmm, did he think she wouldn’t win? Or did these two just really want that lizard?

Well, they got it. Bobby and Rose are now the proud owners of a lizard that looks like a miniature prehistoric beast. I know because I once had one in my household.

Trust me, they’re crazy looking. Part of their diet consists of eating live bugs. Roaches, crickets, and mealworms included.

So, it got me thinking what other unusual pets are owned by other Jersey natives? Co-host Kylie Moore and I asked on our afternoon show on NJ101.5. You answered.

Here are a few of the pets called in that make dogs and cats look boring.

Tarantula

What makes someone want to own one of these? They say a tarantula is virtually harmless. I think it’s just the thought of something that hairy and as big as your hand crawling up your leg that creeps people out.

Chimpanzee

We didn’t ask too many questions on this one, because the guy who called it in said they really weren’t supposed to have it. They claim it had been used as a lab animal and he somehow acquired it from there. You are not allowed to own a chimpanzee as a private pet in the state of New Jersey, however.

Boa constrictor

Owning one boa constrictor, a snake that can kill you by wrapping itself around your chest and constricting slightly every time you exhale until you cannot reinflate your lungs, is unusual enough. How about owning eight of them? A caller said they did.

Spider monkey

Sure they’re small, active, and cute. But unless you can obtain a nearly impossible-to-acquire permit you’re not going to be on the right side of the law owning a spider monkey as a pet. It didn’t stop one caller.

Pot-bellied pig

You may need special permission and would have to check with local laws, but you might be able to own a pot-bellied pig like one guy who called in. He not only owned Sherman the pig, Sherman was apparently famous. The pig was once photographed with Isabella Rossellini. According to the caller his pig was also once named Pig of the Year. Is that like a Sexiest Pig Alive thing?

No I can’t prove any of this, but these are just some of the whimsical exotic pets said to be lurking in homes in the Garden State.