On this page, I’ll include images of pets that aren’t the usual suspects. Included so far are: Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, a Chinchilla, Fancy rats, Fancy pigeons, fish, parrots, llamas and an alpaca.
I took pictures of the following rabbits, Guinea pigs and a Chinchilla for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. They may still be up for adoption so if you’re in the market for a special pet, please go check them out.
Like other animals, rabbits do get bonded together. The following two images feature a pair of bonded rabbits.
This is a lop eared rabbit – the ears are meant to be down.
This is another pair of bonded rabbits.
And the following two images are guinea pigs.
This, my friends, is a Chinchilla. I wish you could reach in and feel how soft this little guy is.
Rats are highly social, very intelligent animals that can be trained to come when called, use a litter box, respond to their name, and respond to other commands. All of these rats are rescues and have joined two other “senior” rescues living in the same household. Upon joining the household, everyone was spayed or neutered. The rats are very bonded to each other and to their human.
This is Lilac, a young Dumbo rat. The term “Dumbo” refers to the placement of the ears on the side (like an elephant), rather than the top of the head.
This is Lilac and one of her brothers, Buffy, a Himalayan. Notice the fingernails. Rats also have small opposing thumbs on their hands that allow them to hold and manipulate food and other items.
This is Oreo, the mother rat. She is a black hooded. Notice her blue eye. She was rescued from Small Angels Rescue in Frederick, MD.
This is Oreo looking into the mirror.
This is Lilac with her two brothers, Ziggy and Buffy. Rats cuddle with each other, groom one another, protect one another, and comfort each other when one is ill or stressed.
I have a Godzilla in my office and I just had to bring him out for this shoot. Snookers, Oreo’s mate, is cautiously checking out Godzilla.
Pigeons also come in several varieties. The next three images are pages from a coffee table book for a customer. In addition to photographing their dog and cat, we photographed their pigeons and fish, too. These pigeons are called Berliner Shortface. As you may have guessed, this particular breed is of German origin. It is a small bird whose beak is noticeably small and it’s feet are covered in feathers. One way to tell a Berliner is that their wing feathers are carried below their tail. 
These beautiful fish were also part of the family portrait session.
I have photographed several parrots, many of them rescues. For information about adopting a Parrot, check out Phoenix Landing or Foster Parrots.
The llamas below were in the backyard at a portrait session – I had to take a few images because they were so interesting.
The image below was taken for an alpaca farm.
