Top 10 native animals to have as pets in South Australia

A permit is required to keep most Australian native animals as pets. This is to protect the country’s many threatened species and to ensure that owners have the necessary experience and facilities to look after the animals safely and appropriately.

Research, experience and knowledge has shown that some Australian native animals are able to be domesticated and can thrive in captivity if their specific care requirements are met.

So, if you’re looking to share your home and your time with a new pet, why not consider one of these native animals.

Just remember, future owners will need to brush up on their husbandry needs and may need to obtain a permit before bringing one home.

Here are 10 of the most popular choices.

1. Sugar glider

Sugar gliders can make fantastic pets for the right person who understands their unique requirements.

These curious, social creatures can bond closely with their human owners and live up to 12-15 years of age.

They need a large aviary with climbing structures and nest boxes, and it is recommended to keep at least two sugar gliders as they prefer company.

Gliders require a special diet of vegetables, insects and small amounts of fruit. Be careful, too many insects or too much fruit can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Handy hint: Daily gentle, calm handling and conditioning will build a strong social bond with your sugar glider and they may even enjoy cuddling up in your shirt!

If you’re interested in keeping sugar gliders as a pet, make sure to do your research and talk to experienced keepers or breeders before buying your cute new friend.

Sugar gliders fall within the basic keeping category meaning depending on how many you wish to keep, a permit may be required to keep them.

2. Central bearded dragon

Bearded dragons are a great choice for beginner reptile enthusiasts and, with the supervision of an adult, can make great pets for children.

Bearded dragons have specific care requirements but if these are met, they can live up to 10 years. They eat insects, and some vegetables, which should be dusted with calcium/vitamin supplements to ensure that they are getting the nutrients they need.

They need an enclosure with a thermal gradient (one side kept warm with a heat lamp and the other side nice and cool), UV lighting on a timer, a large water bowl, rocks and logs for basking and hides located at both the warm and cool ends of the enclosure.

Bearded dragons are naturally solitary creatures. They don't need or crave interaction with other dragons or people.

With gentle, consistent handling they can become quite tame and may even enjoy hanging out on your chest like a ‘broach’.

Care should be taken not to overhandle your beardie, and children should always be supervised when handling.

Handy hint: Bearded dragons shed their skin in sections, unlike snakes which tend to shed all their skin at once, and owners should check their dragon over for ‘retained’ or ‘stuck shed’ as this can cause injuries.

It is important that you know what species of bearded dragon you are purchasing. While you do not need a permit to keep a central bearded dragon, other species of bearded dragon require a permit to keep.

3. Green tree frog

Green tree frogs are calm and vivid coloured amphibians, great for beginner pet owners.

They are fairly low maintenance and have a long-life span of around 10-15 years. They need a tall, humid vivarium with climbing branches, heating, UV lighting and chlorine-free water.

They are nocturnal, and more active at night, so it is best to feed them later in the evening or early morning.

They eat a variety of gut-loaded insects like crickets, cockroaches and worms, which should be dusted with specialised calcium/vitamin supplements. 

These frogs can live with others, but be careful not to have too many in the vivarium - they don’t like to be squashed.

Whilst they are easy to handle, green tree frogs absorb chemicals through their skin, so hold them with wet, bare hands or gloves and avoid using soaps/lotions.

Fun fact: Green tree frogs can make a distinct noise. It is a deep, repetitive ‘crawk-crawk’ croak.

A permit is not required to keep green tree frogs in SA.

4. Cockatiel

Cockatiels are small birds, known to be outgoing and comical.

They are talented whistlers and are often quite the chatterboxes!

They live up to 20 years, and have a strong flock mentality, enjoying company and wanting to be with their owners.

They often bond to one member of the family and ignore others who don’t quite make the cut as their favourite human.

Their enclosure needs to be spacious enough to have multiple perches, toys and food bowls, and room to flap its wings.

Allowing cockatiels to fly free around the house under supervision can increase their fitness and overall health.

They enjoy climbing, foraging and learning simple tricks.

Boredom can lead to behavioural issues, so enrichment through toys, social interaction and a varied environment is essential.

A permit is not required to keep cockatiels in SA, however, it’s important to remember that a permit is required to move a cockatiel into or out of the state.

5. Eastern bluetonge lizards

These active and calm-natured lizards make a great pet for the whole family to enjoy.

If your bluetongue lizard’s specific care requirements are met, they can live up to 20 years.

They eat insects and some vegetables, which should be dusted with calcium/vitamin supplements to ensure that they are getting the nutrients they need.

They need an enclosure with a thermal gradient (one side kept warm with a heat lamp and the other side nice and cool), UV lighting on a timer, a large water bowl, rocks and logs for basking and hides located at both the warm and cool ends of the enclosure.

Bluetongue lizards are territorial and don’t like to share their home with other bluetongues, so they should be housed separately.

These lizards can become tame if handled gently and consistently. Make sure to support their entire body, and always supervise children when handling.

Handy hint: Bluetongue lizards can go into a hibernation-like state called ‘brumation’ during the colder months,  even when they live in a temperature-controlled enclosure.

During brumation you may notice your lizard friend eating less, becoming less active and choosing to sleep in a dark hide. If you have concerns about your lizard, consult an experience native animal veterinarian as soon as possible.

It’s important to know which species of bluetongue lizard you are purchasing. While you do not need a permit to keep an eastern bluetongue lizard, other species require a permit to keep.

6. Children's python

Children's pythons make wonderful pets for first-time snake owners due to their calm, docile nature and smaller size.

Children's pythons can reach 90-120 cm once fully grown and can live for 15 - 25 years with proper care.

Adults eat a large mouse every 2-3 weeks and frozen mice can be bought from your local pet shops. Frozen mice should be thawed and allowed to reach room temperature before feeding. Mice should never be fed live, frozen or hotter than room temperature.

Children's pythons require an enclosure large enough for the snake to fully stretch out with a thermal gradient (one side kept warm with a heat lamp and the other side nice and cool), UV lighting on a timer, a large water bowl, rocks and logs for basking and hides located at both the warm and cool ends of the enclosure.

Handy hint: Snakes shed their skin regularly and should not be handled immediately before or during the shedding process as they can’t see well during this process and may become stressed and defensive. You will know your snake is about to shed when their eyes appear opaque. Once your snake has finished shedding, you should check them over for any retained or stuck shed.

Children's pythons fall within the basic keeping category meaning depending on how many you wish to keep, a permit may be required.

7. Stick insect/spiny leaf insect

Stick insects are a great choice for those looking for an easy to care for, silent, odourless pet.

Stick insects need a suitable vivarium, but once it is set up their maintenance is minimal. The vivarium should be tall, as they like to climb vertical surfaces or hang down from horizontal surfaces. Lining the floor with paper towel or newspaper can make cleaning easier. A heating source, like a heat pad, can be added to provide heat and create a humid environment.

These insects only eat plants, so their food and coverage can act as both. Fresh cuttings can be placed in a jar of water which should be changed weekly to help keep both the plants and the water fresh. The stick insects themselves should not have access to open water as they could drown.

In Australia, there are more than 100 stick insect species, so it’s important to know what species you’re purchasing to ensure you provide them with the correct plants to thrive.

Every couple of days, the plants can be sprayed with water to increase humidity and help the insects to moult. This will also allow your stick insects to drink the droplets of water left on the plant. They will moult as they grow - try not to handle or disturb them during this process as they are vulnerable.

Handy hint: Stick insects drop small seed-like eggs frequently, keep an eye on the bottom of the vivarium for them.

A permit is not required to keep stick insects or spiny leaf insects in SA

8. Rainbow lorikeet

This medium-sized colourful parrot can live up to 30 years and is native to Australia and Indonesia. They are loud, fun and affectionate, and are known to bond strongly with their owners.

They need a very large aviary, so they have room to climb and fly, and, ideally about three hours of out-of-cage playtime each day for their physical and emotional health. 

Their tongues are very different to other parrot species and have bristles on them that allow them to feed on nectar, commercial mixes and blossoms. This makes them messy eaters so you will need to ensure that their cage is regularly cleaned, particularly around their food and water bowls.

Lorikeets go to sleep at night and a nest box is a great addition to their aviary to let them feel safe and comfortable.

Handy hint: Environmental enrichment is highly recommended and encouraged. Simple things like hiding food in cardboard toilet rolls or randomly placing food items around the aviary can provide hours of entertainment.

A permit is not required to keep rainbow lorikeets in SA, however, it’s important to remember that a permit is required to move a lorikeets into or out of the state.

9. Gidgee skink

These prehistoric-looking skinks are a medium-sized, can live to around 20 years, and tend to have a shy nature.

Gidgee skinks eats both plants and meat - their diet should include fruit, vegetables, and insects. Insects should be ‘gut loaded’ and dusted in a calcium supplement powder. Multivitamin powders should also be dusted on vegetables offered.

They need an enclosure that has temperature and UV gradient, a place for your skink to hide located on both the warm and cool end of the enclosure and a water source. They are naturally found in rocky areas, so having a rocky area for them to hide and bask in minimises the risk of stress.

Gidgee skinks are generally active during the day and sleep at night, so other items like logs, bark and grasses can add great coverage.  

Handy hint: These skinks are unusual in that they are highly social. They often live in close-knit family groups, which isn’t a common behaviour for a reptile.

Gidgee skinks fall within the basic keeping category meaning depending on how many you wish to keep, a permit may be required to keep them.

10. Budgerygah (Budgies)

Budgerygahs come in many colours and can be an excellent first pet with a lifespan of around 10 years.

They are an inquisitive, social bird and are relatively easy to keep. Just like us they have unique personalities and can mimic words. Socializing them early is key, as they are naturally flock animals that need mental stimulation and can become messy or prone to boredom if neglected.

They should be provided a well-balanced diet to stay healthy, including pellets, fruits and vegetables.

The aviary needs to be spacious enough to have multiple perches, toys and food bowls, and room to flap its wings. Budgies can be housed individually or in groups. Allowing budgies to fly free around the house under supervision can increase fitness and overall health. They enjoy climbing, foraging, and learning simple tricks.

A permit is not required to keep budgies in SA.

Top tips for keeping native animals as pets. 

• Make sure you understand the unique needs of the animal and whether you can you meet their minimum requirements (e.g. living environment, diet, social needs, cost and time commitments)
• Consider whether you can appropriately manage any health and safety risks to other people or animals.
• Research and find a veterinary clinic in your area that has suitably skilled veterinarians to treat native animals.
• Check if you require a permit to keep the animal.

Purchasing a native animal to keep as a pet

You’re probably now thinking, ‘yeah, that’s great – I want one! But where can I ethically get one?’

Well, you can’t simply take one from the wild. In fact, it’s illegal to take a native animal or their eggs from the wild without an approved permit.

Instead, they must be sourced from captive bred populations. Most native animals can be purchased from breeders who hold permits to keep and sell/give away native animals, including:

• Fauna dealers - who sell captive bred native animals as part of a commercial business (like a pet shop)
• Recreational native animal keepers - who may sell or give away animals as a hobby.

Please make sure you keep a record of the name, address and permit number of the person you have purchased an animal from as proof that you have bought the animal legally.

You can find more information on keeping native animals on the Department for Environment and Water’s website.

Love native animals but maybe not ready to keep one yourself? You might like to read about some of the species that we’re proud to call our own.