25 Oddest Celebrity Pets

They say a dog is man’s best friend, but these famous pet owners tend to disagree. They probably think dogs are much too mainstream. From George Clooney’s faithful four-legged friend to Teddy Roosevelt’s mayhem-causing menagerie, these unconventional pets are bound to make you admire the sacred bond between man and beast. So move over, Fido, because here come the 25 Oddest Celebrity Pets.

David Beckham’s Micro Pigs


Apparently, even a tough guy like David Beckham isn’t immune to cuteness. The famous soccer player’s wife bought him two micro pigs for Christmas in 2009, which they named after family friends David Furnish and Elton John. The micro pigs, which grow to be just 14 inches tall, cost the couple over 1,400 pounds, or about $2,200 dollars. The stylish swine currently reside on the Beckham’s country estate in England.


Tori Spelling’s Chicken


On any given day in Los Angeles, one might spot Tori Spelling out and about with her fluffy pet chicken, Coco Chanel. The reality TV star, mother, and author likes to carry Coco around town while she runs errands and even feeds her scones and other human treats.


Mike Tyson’s Pigeons


Back in the day, he was a ferocious boxer who bit off someone’s ear, but nowadays Mike Tyson has a new hobby – pigeon racing. Tyson began collecting small numbers of pigeons even before his boxing days. His collection grew after he retired from the boxing scene. He now owns thousands of domesticated pigeons. He says he considers his hobby to be therapeutic and even hired a pigeon trainer to help him hone his skills.


Kristen Stewart’s Wolf-Dog Hybrids


Bella Swan might be on Team Edward, but is Kristen Stewart secretly on Team Jacob? The Twilight star’s mother owns several wolf-dog hybrids. In an interview with David Letterman, she admitted the wolf-dogs look rather intimidating but assured him that they’re actually very sweet. She even brought a picture of herself cuddling with one of the gentle hounds.


Reese Witherspoon’s Miniature Donkeys


You can take the girl out of the honky tonk, but you can’t take the honky tonk out of the girl. While visiting a friend’s farm, Reese Witherspoon fell in love with miniature donkeys. She later bought two of her own and named them Honky and Tonky. They joined Witherspoon’s other four-legged family members, which include pigs, goats, and dogs.


Michael Jackson’s Chimpanzee


Although the King of Pop was known for monkeying around in the public eye, he brought a whole new meaning to the phrase when he adopted a young chimpanzee. The chimp, named Bubbles, often accompanied him on business trips before the two settled at Neverland Ranch. There, Bubbles reportedly slept in a crib in Jackson’s room, used the same toilet, and even ate candy in the Neverland movie theater. He was relocated to an animal sanctuary when he began displaying aggressive tendencies.


Leonardo Dicaprio’s Tortoise


Leonardo Dicaprio doesn’t mind taking things slow. In 2010, the actor bought a 38-pound Sulcata tortoise at a reptile breeders’ conference for $400. Experts say the tortoise can grow to weigh 200 pounds and live for 80 years. That’s a long time to think about whether or not the end of Inception was a dream.


Nicole Kidman’s Alpacas


What do Nicole Kidman and her alpacas have in common? Their beautiful long eyelashes. Kidman and her husband Keith Urban love raising the llama-like creatures on their farm in Nashville. The actress said she was initially drawn to them because of their beautiful long necks and eyelashes, but she grew to love them more because of their gentle nature.


Steven Tyler’s Raccoon


Raccoons have gotten a bad rap, but Steven Tyler knows better than to believe all the hype. The rock legend told David Letterman that he goes fishing with his pet raccoon on his shoulder every day. Contrary to the rabid raccoons that attack people in movies, domesticated raccoons can be bought legally, litter box trained, and are said to be as friendly as dogs.


Hugh Hefner’s Zoo

hugh hefner

We all know Hugh Hefner kept bunnies at his mansion, but did you know his abode was also home to a host of other animals? The CFO of Playboy turned part of his estate into an official zoo, complete with peacocks, flamingos, Squirrel Monkeys, Capuchins, Spider Monkeys, and Tamarins.


Nicolas Cage’s King Cobras

king cobra

Nicolas Cage drew inspiration for his character in the movie Ghost Rider from an unlikely source – his King Cobra, Sheba. The actor revealed in an interview that his cobra hated him. Every time he came in to feed her, she would turn her back to him and sway from side to side in an attempt to hypnotize him. The markings on a cobra’s back resemble an eye, which adds to the eeriness of their mesmerizing defense mechanism. Cage wanted his character in the movie to captivate and terrify the audience at the same time, so he mimicked the actions of his snake during certain scenes.


Charlie Sheen’s Chinese Water Dragon

water dragon

When it comes to pets, Charlie Sheen is “winning.” The crazy actor once owned a Chinese water dragon, which he dubbed Hopper Jr. The animal died of neglect, like several other pets that have died under Sheen’s supervision.


Nicolas Cage’s Octopus


In addition to his cobras, Nicolas Cage also owned an octopus. He claimed that observing animals that are so different from humans helped him develop his acting skills. Unfortunately, Cage had to give his 8-legged friend away after his elaborate spending led to financial problems.


Tippi Hedren’s Lion


During the 1970’s, actress and model Tippi Hedren, mother of actress Melanie Griffith, came up with a wild idea. She decided to open a sanctuary for big cats just 30 miles outside of Los Angeles. However, not all of the animals stayed in the sanctuary. Her family brought home a fully-grown lion to keep as a pet. The family’s everyday life with the lion, which they named Togar, was captured in a famous 1970’s photo shoot.


Mike Tyson’s White Tigers


There’s a tiger in the bathroom! Mike Tyson’s fictional pet tiger became famous in the hit 2009 comedy The Hangover, but few people know Tyson actually owned several white tigers. Unfortunately, he had to give his feline friends away after taking care of them became too expensive.


Vanilla Ice’s Kangaroo


Leave it to a rapper. Vanilla Ice bought his pet kangaroo, named Bucky Buckaroo, when the little guy was just a baby marsupial. But now that Bucky is all grown up, Vanilla Ice wants him to live a comfortable life. The rapper confessed that the kangaroo is spoiled rotten. He lives in his own enclosure and even has a lover – a pot-bellied pig.


John Quincy Adams’ Alligator


John Quincy Adams may have been a serious leader, but he wasn’t afraid to let the White House run wild. The former president received an alligator as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, which he kept in a White House bathroom. The gator even had company, as Adams’ wife also housed her silkworms there.


Salvador Dali’s Ocelot


Surrealist artist Salvador Dali was an eccentric man, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that he had an unconventional pet to match his personality. Dali owned an ocelot named Babou. He traveled everywhere with his feline companion. At one point, Dali brought Babou to a swanky New York restaurant and tied him to the table leg. A woman protested, saying a wild animal wasn’t allowed into a dining establishment, but Dali explained that it was only a cat he’d painted in op-art style. Embarrassed, the woman agreed that the animal was indeed a domestic cat.


George Clooney’s Pot-bellied Pig

pot bellied pig

George Clooney’s relationship with his pot-bellied pig, Max, lasted 18 years. Originally a gift for his former girlfriend, Kelly Preston, Max was once a tiny little pig. However, he grew to be over 300 pounds and ate as much as an NFL linebacker. Although Clooney built him a shelter a few yards away from the main house, Max often slept in Clooney’s bed. He died and went to hog heaven in late 2006.


Audrey Hepburn’s Deer


While filming Green Mansion in 1959, Audrey Hepburn adopted a pet that complemented her graceful demeanor. The film’s animal trainer suggested she take the baby deer from the film home so that it would learn to follow her. Hepburn agreed, and the two immediately bonded. The baby deer, which she named Pippin, cuddled with her and accompanied her on errands in Beverly Hills. She loved Pippin so much that she kept her post-production.


Tycho Brahe’s Moose


Sixteenth-century astronomer Tycho Brahe should’ve consulted the stars. Maybe if he did, he could have predicted the tragic death of his pet moose. Brahe let his moose run free at parties and consequently, it drank more alcohol than the humans in attendance. One night, the moose drank so much beer that it became intoxicated and fell down the stairs to its death.


Paris Hilton’s Kinkajou


We all know Paris Hilton is partially responsible for starting the trend that led to small dogs being dressed up and carried in purses, but the heiress also owns more exotic pets. Her kinkajou, named Baby Luv, gained attention in 2006 when it bit her. Maybe it was trying to protect itself from being dressed up like one of her prissy pooches?


Lord Byron’s Bear


Most people think of Lord Byron as a famous poet, but few know that he was also a badass rebel. He brought his dog to school when he started his education at Cambridge. Much to his disappointment, he was forced to send his dog home because keeping it was against the rules. In defiance, he perused the rule book to find an animal that was not expressly forbidden. Eventually, he found a loophole and ordered a bear. The animal lived with him in the dorms and he regularly took it for walks around campus (on a leash, of course). Although the bear frightened the students and professors, nobody could make Byron get rid of his pet because bears were not mentioned in the rule book.


Teddy Roosevelt’s White House Zoo


The arrival of the Roosevelt family turned the White House into a zoo. The family obviously loved animals, as they kept a guinea pig, a one-legged rooster, a hyena, a zebra, ponies, lions, and bears at the presidential dwelling. The animals were always welcome inside the White House. In an effort to cheer up Archie, his sick brother, Quentin Roosevelt once brought a pony into the elevator and upstairs to pay him a visit.


King George I's "Human Pet"


If you think you’ve read about the oddest pet already, think again. King George I definitely wins the award for strangest pet ever. (Sorry, Charlie Sheen!) It is said that the king kept a “human pet” named Peter for many years. The feral boy was discovered naked and living in a North German forest in 1725. At about age 12, the boy could not speak, walked on all fours, and fed on grass. Unsure of what to do with him, the villagers imprisoned him until George I stumbled upon him during a visit. Fascinated by the boy, the king named the boy Peter and took him to his summer palace, where the boy wore expensive clothes and dined with the king. He later joined the monarch at court, but he had trouble adjusting to civilization. Modern geneticists who have studied the Peter’s portrait think he might have been autistic or suffered from a chromosomal condition called Pitt Hopkins syndrome. The king later retired Peter to a farm, where he died at about age 70.

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