Opponents said the animals could hurt the ecosystem.
Pennsylvania legislators considered a plan to allow hedgehogs and sugar gliders to be kept as pets, but ultimately voted down the idea.
Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives shot down the measure 120-71, Lancaster Online reports.
Opponents say such animals could harm the local ecosystem if they escaped, since they are non-native species.
Rep. David Zimmerman, who proposed the measure, said there’s little chance of that, since the animals can’t readily live in the wild in the Keystone State.
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Kristen Tullo, Pennsylvania director for the Humane Society of the United States, praised the vote.
Lancaster Online quoted her saying: “Once the novelty wears off, owners often abandon exotic pets at shelters, turn them loose where they will either perish or threaten native ecosystems, or lock them away in a cage where they suffer from neglect.”
The news outlets said four states prohibit the animals.
Read more at Lancaster Online
