When I was a growing youngster, I often had "unusual" house pets - the "ant lion", Family Myrmeleontidae (which I commonly called the 'doodle bug'), tadpoles, lizards and fuzzy caterpillars of all types. My favorite, though others had regarded it as repulsive, was the "horned toad," Phrynosoma sp. While they were fun to keep, my parents made sure they were outside housepets.