I’ve said it thousands of times because I truly believe it, dogs make life better. My wife would say cats do the same thing but I just have never had that real connection to a cat like I have with my dogs at home. But here in the state of Texas when people think about having a pet that could mean a huge variety of animals, reptiles, or even farm animals. So, it was interesting to see what USA Today posted about the most popular pets in each state besides dogs and cats.  

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When I was growing up we didn’t have too many exotic animals I remember a few fish but normally those didn’t last long because my siblings wouldn’t take care of them, and my parents didn’t want the smell to take over the whole house. So, they would quickly find a new home. But it’s fascinating to find out that people have pet chinchillas, bearded dragons, hamsters, and so many other unusual pets. 

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Bearded Dragons Are Very Popular But Not the Most Popular in Texas 

It was almost shocking to see that a large part of the southern United States had the bearded dragon as their most searched pet in the past year. Now obviously, just because someone Google's an animal that doesn’t mean they will follow through with getting that animal but it’s interesting that so many states in the same area all seem to love the bearded dragon. 

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In Texas the Most Popular Pet (Besides a Dog and Cat) is... 

It’s a Guinea Pig, which I think is a good idea if you want something other than a dog or cat. They are smaller and don’t make a huge mess if they were to get out of their normal living area. Click here so you can see what all the states around Texas had as their most popular pet besides a dog and cat.  

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LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

Check out these 50 fascinating facts about dogs:

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