I think an non traditional pet, that's getting very popular know, would be Sugar Gliders. I have several friends who have them, and the Gliders are such sweeties! My friend usually have one or two snuggling in her shirt when she's reading, haha.
Quote:The sugar glider is a small, omnivorous, arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. The common name refers to its preference for sugary nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. Due to convergent evolution, they have very similar appearance and habits to the flying squirrel, but are not closely related. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.
Most people like them cause they look like a flying squirrel with the cuteness level turned up to a hundred, even though they're actually more closely related to possum! I think they're very sweet creatures, and are very big on cuddling. You have to be careful with what you feed them though, cause they might get calcium deficiencies.