The Priciest Pets Ever

How much are you willing to shell out for that hermit crab you've been wanting as a pet? Some people put down major moolah.

Author:: Melissa Friedling
Publish date:: Apr 10, 2010 7:00 AM EDT

Spending money on your pet goes without saying. They rely on us completely, and you love your companion. When Fluffy gets sick, you take her to the vet and the bills can really add up. And, certainly, Whiskers deserves the most nutritious and best tasting food that you can only order from an exclusive specialty producer. OK, fine. Your pet doesn’t come close to making our list of the most expensive domesticated animals. But some people spend ridiculous amounts of money just to get their hands on the right breed or type of pet. Photo credit: Beverly & Pack

It’s not the same for everyone. We know they don’t have to be cute and cuddly — some pet owners prefer cold blooded and scaly. But if you show your animals or race them in competitions, are they still considered pets? If you need to acquire special permits and zoning permissions that usually only zoos have access to just to care for a large animal, is it still a pet? Maybe. We’re going to count them. Photo Credit: liberalmind1012

A Florida couple paid $155,000 to clone their late Labrador Lancelot, making Lancelot Encore the world’s first commercially cloned puppy. But he’s not the most expensive dog in the world. A black Tibetan mastiff named Yangtze River Number 2 was sold to a Chinese millionaire identified only as Ms. Wang for $582,000. Upon his arrival at an airport in Xi’an, Yangtze was greeted by a motorcade and a crowd of spectators. Photo Credit: Kjunstorm

Savannah cats look like a cross between your average house cat and a leopard — and that’s actually kind of what they are (actually crossed with an African Serval). They run from $500 to more than $10,000 each, but that isn’t even the most expensive pet cat. There’s a company claiming to have bred a new, most rare and exotic domestic cat called an Ashera and the price is $22,000 (they are also marketed as “hypoallergenic”). Savannah cat breeders call this one a fraud, and the controversy continues, but buyers are out there. Photo Credit: miheco

Bred by renowned exotic reptile breeder Bob Clark, the lavender albino ball python is a pale purple with yellow spots and red-eyes. It also happens to be the most expensive snake in the world with a price tag of $40,000. Photo Credit: quantumdtell

Gang-Gang Cockatoos and Palm Cockatoos run about $12,000-$15,000. But the most expensive bird is the rare Blue Mutation Amazon Parrot which can cost up to $20,000. As the name suggests, they are blue (instead of green) because of a natural mutation. But breeding them in captivity is tricky business, making them very rare and very expensive. Photo Credit: Geek2Nurse

A Giant Stag Beetle, so called because of its antler-like mandibles, takes the prize in the insect category. It’s a creepy-looking bug but they are actually no threat to anything but other stag beetles. They are usually about two inches long but the most expensive stag beetle was a whopping three inches long and was sold to an insect shop in Tokyo for 10 million yen ($89,000). Photo Credit: spentrails

Keeping a non-human primate as a pet has distinct ethical complications — as well as financial. Guess who’s not stymied by either — Hugh Hefner! The Playboy Mansion has an official zoo permit and boasts a large menagerie of bunnies (both kinds) and exotic birds. It is also home to a family of Red-Handed Tamarins, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys and Capuchins. Hef has about 40 primates altogether, each averaging $3,000-$8,000, so that’s a conservative total of $260,000 in monkeys. Photo credits: whartond

The arowana fish is one of the oldest living species of tropical fish — and it looks positively prehistoric. A mutation that makes the fish totally white is very rare and a 15-inch platinum arowana owned by a Singapore-based breeder is the most expensive fish in the world — even though it has one crooked eye (it will likely undergo cosmetic surgery to have it fixed). The dealer was offered $400,000 by a U.K. importer, but the fish is not for sale. Prices are inflated for the arowana because in many parts of the world, they are totally illegal to own or import. Photo Credit: Benimoto

A horse, now called The Green Monkey, was purchased by an Irish breeder for a record $16 million in 2006 — the most ever paid for a thoroughbred at a public auction. Son of Kentucky derby winners, The Green Monkey’s best finish as a racehorse was third. He is now retired to Florida and working as a stud. Photo Credit: infomatique

For those willing to shell out serious cash to own a particular animal, the sky’s the limit on keeping these pets in the lap of luxury. If Spot is giving you that big sad-eyed look, you’ll want to keep clicking to find out what he thinks he’s missing out on. Photo Credit: beau-foto

A couple of Great Danes in Gloucestershire, England live in a $384,000 home, designed especially for them by a contemporary architect who usually designs big fancy houses for humans. Security is tight on the dogs' abode, with a retinal scanner that only recognizes its two residents. Some of the other luxury amenities include sheepskin-lined, temperature-controlled beds, a spa, a $230,000 sound system, self-cleaning food bowls filled by automatic dispensers and a 52-inch plasma TV. "Dog-vision" Webcams allow their owner — a doctor who wishes to remain anonymous — to monitor their activity 24 hours a day. Photo Credit: Wolfrage

A dog collar priced at $1.8 million is a great way to tell your pup you truly love her. The 52-carat diamond collar includes a 7-carat centerpiece diamond in a platinum and 18-karat white gold setting with a crocodile skin strap. Photo Credit: psd

Regina, the daughter of an oil baron from Kazakhstan, purchased a custom Mini Cooper Limo designed for her two Yorks, Busya and Barbie (although she now has five Yorks). The tricked-out dog limo cost Regina a cool $1.3 million, but she’s insured it for 2 million euros ($2.7 million U.S.) at Lloyds. The dog limo is encrusted with more than 1 million Swarovsky crystals and its windows are tinted with actual gold manufactured at a former Soviet Space Technology Factory. The interior is covered in pony & snake so the dogs can sit pretty while they watch a 48-inch LCD TV. Photo Credit: emdot

This remains rumor, but The Sultan of Brunai’s bother, Prince Jefri apparently outfitted a Boeing 747 airliner exclusively for transporting his 100+ polo ponies in the lap of luxury — at a cost of $280 million. All the financing is under dispute as the Prince is accused of siphoning off public funds for his spending sprees. But his brother, the Sultan, keeps his 200 polo ponies in an air-conditioned stable on his enormous palace grounds, so no doubt they fly first class as well. Photo Credit: planegeezer

If you are looking for a non-human companion that won’t send you to the cleaners, here are some animals to keep in mind. Photo Credit: Photos8.com

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Spending money on your pet goes without saying. They rely on us completely, and you love your companion. When Fluffy gets sick, you take her to the vet and the bills can really add up. And, certainly, Whiskers deserves the most nutritious and best tasting food that you can only order from an exclusive specialty producer. OK, fine. Your pet doesn’t come close to making our list of the most expensive domesticated animals. But some people spend ridiculous amounts of money just to get their hands on the right breed or type of pet. Photo credit: Beverly & Pack