Class pet ideas?

[Seshat]

And Today I Learned: Australia apparently has enough non-poisonous/stingy/stabby/bitey animals to make choosing one difficult. I never would have guessed.

Indeed.

Most of our non-dangerous animals are high maintenance enough that our government requires licencing - mostly to be sure you can care for them properly. Also to try to help control how many are taken from the wild, and to try to reduce smuggling.

(In case it has to be said: if you want an australian animal for a pet, please please pretty please make every effort not to get a smuggled one. The poor things suffer horribly, and most die.)


Our parrot, finch and wren birds are so (relatively) easy to care for that no licence is required, so far as I know. They also breed profusely, so there's plenty of captive-bred to choose from!
The parrot subspecies include budgies/budgerigars, cockatoos and cockatiels. I believe there's an active captive-bred population overseas, if anyone's interested, and any bird-friendly vet should be able to help you keep them healthy.


Of our reptiles, many of the lizards and 'dragons' (a subspecies of the lizard family) are popular, and their bites and scratches are probably less likely to cause harm than cat bites. They require knowledgeable care, and should not be wild-caught unless you know exactly what you're doing: some are endangered.
We had a blue-tongue lizard who'd decided our suburban house made a perfect habitat for him, once: he lived underneath the house, and often basked on our front door mat. Our cat (the one who died recently) used to sunbathe beside him.


Our pythons are also popular, but again, need knowledgeable care. As for our vipers and adders: these are Australian poisonous snakes. That says it all.


Some of the mammals are absolute darlings, but all have nasty claws and teeth; and all need sufficiently expert care that rehabilitation licences are needed. But we have a wide population of rehabbers; and it's very common for tourist destinations in the country to have licenced rehabbers on staff; so there's often an orphaned joey or injured adult hanging around the grounds.
This serves double duty as an attraction for the tourists (especially the overseas ones!) and treatment for the animal.


Our raptors are ... well, they're raptors. Suitable for falconry, unsuitable for pets. For that reason, you're required to have a rehabbing licence if you're planning to rehab-and-release, or a falconry licence if you're planning falconry.
Seriously injured raptors who can't be healed enough to be released are often taken on by the local zoos, to be educational animals and given the best possible life.

If anyone has questions about our other species, ask: if I don't know, someone else will.


Edit to add:

Novice rehabbers are often trained by giving them orphaned 'roos (kangaroos, wallabies and pademelons) to care for. Caring for an orphaned 'roo is not that much different from caring for an orphaned kitten or puppy.

And yes, getting a licence for a reptile or amphibian like the ones Fireheart is considering getting for her class is straightforward enough that I expect her to have zero trouble.


NOTE NOTE NOTE: this is all 'from my knowledge'. If you're thinking of adopting or rehabbing an Australian animal*, please check with an expert.
* except for the above 'relatively easy' bird species. But even then, know that the parrots all have a very long life span and deserve the same thought-throughness of adopting any other pet.