The 15 Most Ridiculous Pets of Professional Athletes

By Jacob Kornhauser

The 15 Most Ridiculous Pets of Professional Athletes

HBO's Post 2014 Golden Globe Awards Party - Red Carpet — It's no secret that professional athletes like living extravagant lives in almost everything they do, but sometimes they take it overboard. When that life of luxury extends to exotic or unusual animals, things get weird. Here are 15 athletes with some very unusual pets.

15. Patrick Deneen - Two mini donkeys

Freestyle Skiing - Winter Olympics Day 3

15. Patrick Deneen - Two mini donkeys

Freestyle Skiing - Winter Olympics Day 3 — You'd think an Olympic skier would have a weird pet such as a polar bear or something like that, but you'd be wrong. For some reason, he decided that adding two mini donkeys to his pet collection was worthwhile.

14. Tony Stallings - Gator, Lizard, Two Pythons

Tony Stallings #27

14. Tony Stallings - Gator, Lizard, Two Pythons

Tony Stallings #27 — When Stallings was playing football at Louisville back in the early 2000s, he and his girlfriend were practically running a zoo out of their apartment. He had several exotic animals including his prized three-foot-long alligator.

13. Visanthe Shiancoe - Ferrets

FASHION 2.0 Awards

13. Visanthe Shiancoe - Ferrets

FASHION 2.0 Awards — Ferrets are a relatively normal pet to have, but not for a gigantic NFL tight end. Having more than one of them also makes him look like even more of a goof ball than he already would've looked like otherwise.

12. Ross Ohlendorf - Longhorns

Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals

12. Ross Ohlendorf - Longhorns

Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals — Ohlendorf enjoys representing the state of Texas with his pet longhorns. They are an impressive animal and the former major league pitcher clearly enjoys raising them as he was featured in Modern Farmer for his work with them.

11. Louis Delmas - 6-Foot Long Gator

Detroit Lions v Green Bay Packers

11. Louis Delmas - 6-Foot Long Gator

Detroit Lions v Green Bay Packers — There are lots of crazy guys in the NFL, but Delmas' decision to live with a full-sized gator might vault him toward the top of the list. With so many options out there, you can't help but wonder why he chose a gator as a pet.

10. Mario Balotelli - Piglet

Mario Balotelli Pets

10. Mario Balotelli - Piglet

Mario Balotelli Pets — Balotelli is one of the goofiest soccer players in the world. He has his fair share of quirks and that includes being the proud owner of a baby piglet. It would be an odd pet for most people, but for some reason it makes a little bit of sense for the Italian soccer player.

9. Ernie Sims - Sharks, Alligators, Lizards

Houston Texans v Dallas Cowboys

9. Ernie Sims - Sharks, Alligators, Lizards

Houston Texans v Dallas Cowboys — The former NFL player is practically running a zoo out of his home with all of these animals. He didn't even stick to one specific type of animal and obviously sharks and alligators are completely different beasts. I guess as long as he takes care of them, more power to him.

8. Carmelo Anthony - Camel

Carmelo Anthony Pets

8. Carmelo Anthony - Camel

Carmelo Anthony Pets — One of the top scorers in the NBA goes for a far less flashy animal when he chooses pets. For whatever reason, he chose to go with a camel, who he appears to be the proud owner of in this picture.

7. Chad Ochocinco - Bengal Tiger

Cincinnati Bengals vs Tennessee Titans - October 16, 2005

7. Chad Ochocinco - Bengal Tiger

Cincinnati Bengals vs Tennessee Titans - October 16, 2005 — It's only fitting that the former Bengal owns a Bengal of his own. In every way imaginable, Ochocinco is quite the character and he more than kept up with that image when he decided to purchase a tiger as a pet.

6. Jose Canseco - Two Goats

Canseco Debuts In Latest Comeback

6. Jose Canseco - Two Goats

Canseco Debuts In Latest Comeback — It's one thing to have goats, it's another thing to get pulled over with your goats in your car. That's what happened to Canseco and he proceeded to post the picture to social media. One can only wonder what the officer was thinking when he saw the goats in the backseat.

5. Mike Miller - Java Macaque

Mike Miller Pets

5. Mike Miller - Java Macaque

Mike Miller Pets — One of the best sharpshooters in the NBA clearly has a soft spot for monkeys. His adorable exotic monkey seems to be attached to him in pictures like this. It's a very unusual pet, but it's probably more fun to play with than most.

4. Gilbert Arenas - Sharks

Los Angeles Clippers v Memphis Grizzlies - Game Five

4. Gilbert Arenas - Sharks

Los Angeles Clippers v Memphis Grizzlies - Game Five — When you sign a mega deal in the NBA and never live up to it, why not buy a huge house and fill it with an aquarium. After filling that aquarium, why not be like Arenas and fill that aquarium with exotic sharks? Seems like a flawless plan.

3. Colin Kaepernick - African-Spurred Tortoise

Sports Illustrated & Jaguar Super Saturday VIP Event At The Diageo Liquid Cellar

3. Colin Kaepernick - African-Spurred Tortoise

Sports Illustrated & Jaguar Super Saturday VIP Event At The Diageo Liquid Cellar — I guess some of the decision-making that went into Kaepernick buying his tortoise is that he didn't want to outlive his pet. Barring an accident, he won't outlive his tortoise. The lifespan for the rare tortoise that he owns is around 135 years.

2. Darnell Dockett - Tigers and Alligators

Darnell Dockett Pets

2. Darnell Dockett - Tigers and Alligators

Darnell Dockett Pets — The former NFL star likes animals from all over God's green earth. Having a tiger or alligator individually would make you kind of crazy, but having both makes you pretty insane. One can only hope he keeps the two animals far away from each other.

1. Mike Tyson - 3 White Tigers, 350 Pigeons

Iron Mike Tyson Visits Pigeon Fancier

1. Mike Tyson - 3 White Tigers, 350 Pigeons

Iron Mike Tyson Visits Pigeon Fancier — Tyson's exotic tigers are featured in the film The Hangover and instantly made people wonder if those are his actual pets. Not only does he own those pets, but apparently he likes one of the dirtiest birds on the planet in the pigeon. Don't worry, though, he's not too obsessed with them. He only has 350 of them.

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