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Pet encyclopedia
The most complete Persian reference for dog, cat, bird, fish, reptile and farm animal breeds — temperament, health, care and nutrition.
British Shorthair
A round-faced, plush-coated cat (classically blue) that is calm and undemanding.
Cockatiel
A crested, gentle parrot; males are excellent whistlers.
German Shepherd
One of the most intelligent and versatile breeds, used by police and rescue teams worldwide and devoted to its family.
Golden Retriever
A gentle, people-loving family dog that excels as a guide and therapy dog.
Persian cat
The iconic long-haired cat of Persia: the calmest of breeds, found in doll-face and peke-face types.
Sarabi Mastiff
Iran’s native livestock guardian from Sarab, prized for its size and courage against wolves.
Scottish Fold
Known for folded ears and an owl-like face; straight-eared kittens are called Scottish Straights.
Siberian Husky
A striking sled dog with boundless energy; social but independent and a known escape artist.
African Grey Parrot
The most intelligent talking parrot; a decades-long commitment needing daily mental stimulation.
Caspian Horse
An ancient Iranian miniature horse rediscovered in 1965—ideal for children’s riding.
Goat
Iranian Raeini and Markhoz breeds plus dairy Saanen; curious escape artists.
Abyssinian
One of the oldest breeds, with a ticked cougar-like coat and endless curiosity.
African Pygmy Hedgehog
Captive-bred pet species; native Iranian hedgehogs are protected wildlife.
Akhal-Teke / Turkoman Horse
Famous for its metallic sheen and endurance on the Turkmen steppes.
Alaskan Malamute
A heavy-duty Arctic freight dog, affectionate with family but strong-willed.
Alexandrine Parakeet
The largest ringneck, with red shoulder patches; loud but a good talker.
Amazon Parrot
Green, bold parrots with great singing and talking ability.
American Shorthair
A hardy, adaptable cat famous for its silver tabby pattern; good with kids and pets.
Arabian Horse
One of the oldest horse breeds, famed for endurance; long bred in Iran too.
Arowana
A large, ancient “dragon fish” symbolising fortune; needs a very big tank.
Australian Shepherd
A merle-coated herding dog with striking eyes and a strong work ethic.
Axolotl
A smiling aquatic salamander that regenerates limbs; critically endangered in the wild.
Ball Python
The gentlest pet snake—curls into a ball when nervous; non-venomous.
Beagle
A merry scent hound with a superb nose, great with kids and other dogs.
Bearded Dragon
A calm, interactive lizard that eats both insects and greens.
Belgian Malinois
The elite police and military working dog; intense and best for experienced, active owners.
Bengal cat
A leopard-spotted athlete that loves climbing, water and learning tricks.
Bernese Mountain Dog
A tri-coloured Swiss farm dog, wonderfully gentle with children.
Betta (Siamese fighting fish)
Long-finned and vivid; males must be kept alone.
Birman
Blue-eyed and colour-pointed with distinctive white “gloves”; calm and affectionate.
Blue-tongued Skink
A hardy, docile lizard with a bright blue tongue and an omnivorous diet.
Border Collie
Widely considered the smartest breed, a tireless herder that needs a job.
Boxer
A bouncy, clownish family dog that stays puppy-like for years and is great with children.
Budgerigar
Iran’s favourite pet bird: small, affordable, very social; males can learn words.
Camel
Iran has both dromedaries and rare Bactrian camels (Ardabil), raised for milk, meat and tourism.
Canary
The classic songbird—males sing; Roller, Gloster and Red Factor are popular. Low maintenance.
Cane Corso
A muscular Italian mastiff bred to guard property; best with experienced owners.
Cherry Shrimp
A tiny red cleaner for planted tanks that breeds easily.
Chihuahua
The world’s smallest breed, fiercely loyal to one person and great for small homes.
Chinchilla
Has the world’s densest fur and bathes in dust, not water; long-lived for a rodent.
Chow Chow
A lion-maned, blue-tongued breed: dignified, aloof and loyal to its people.
Cockatoo
Crested, theatrical and extremely needy of attention; not for busy owners.
Cocker Spaniel
A cheerful, gentle spaniel with long ears, originally a bird-flushing gun dog.
Common Hill Myna
A superb, clear-voiced mimic needing a fruit-based, low-iron diet.
Corn Snake
A colourful, easy-going starter snake.
Corydoras catfish
A peaceful bottom-dwelling catfish that lives in groups and tidies the substrate.
Dachshund
The long-bodied badger hound: bold, clever and occasionally stubborn.
Dalmatian
The spotted coach dog: athletic, playful and full of stamina.
Devon Rex
Pixie-faced with a curly short coat; playful and people-focused.
Discus
The “king of the aquarium”—beautiful but demanding on water quality.
Dobermann
An elegant, fast and highly trainable guardian that bonds closely with its owner.
Domestic cat (mixed)
Most Iranian cats are hardy mixed-breed domestics; adopting street cats is hugely rewarding.
Domestic Goose
A loud, loyal “watch-goose” that grazes much of its own food.
Domestic Pigeon
Pigeon keeping is an old Iranian tradition, with high-flyer (Tehrani) and fancy breeds.
Donkey
Patient, clever and hardy—still a valued working animal in rural Iran.
Dwarf Hamster
Tiny, lightning-fast hamsters best for watching rather than handling.
Eclectus Parrot
Strikingly dimorphic: green males, red-and-purple females; needs a fresh-food diet.
English Bulldog
A calm, sturdy companion with a lovable sour-mug face and high vet needs.
Exotic Shorthair
Essentially a short-haired Persian: the same sweet nature with an easy coat.
Fancy Rat
Surprisingly smart and affectionate; can learn names and tricks.
Ferret
A playful, curious mustelid needing hours of free play daily.
Flowerhorn Cichlid
A hybrid cichlid with a prominent nuchal hump; kept singly.
French Bulldog
A bat-eared apartment favourite that barks little and needs modest exercise.
Freshwater Angelfish
A tall, graceful cichlid and a centrepiece of freshwater tanks.
Goldfish
The Nowruz fish—actually needs a large filtered tank and can live 10+ years.
Gouldian Finch
The rainbow finch: stunningly coloured but more sensitive than other finches.
Great Dane
The gentle giant of the dog world: enormous, calm and affectionate.
Green Iguana
Dragon-like but grows to 1.5 m and needs a very large, warm enclosure.
Guinea Pig
Highly social—keep in pairs; communicates with charming “wheeks”.
Guppy
A colourful livebearer—ideal for beginners and breeds readily.
Himalayan cat
A Persian with Siamese colour points and blue eyes.
Holland Lop Rabbit
A floppy-eared favourite; rabbits need free-roam space and company, not a small cage.
Holstein cattle
The world’s top dairy breed and the backbone of Iranian dairy farms.
Honey Bee
Iranian beekeeping uses the native Apis mellifera meda; colonies are sold as hives.
Indian Peafowl
The iconic ornamental bird of gardens, needing lots of outdoor space.
Jack Russell Terrier
A tiny terrier with a huge engine: bright, bold and always busy.
Japanese Quail
A tiny bird that starts laying at six weeks and needs little space.
Kangal Shepherd
A Turkish livestock guardian bred to protect flocks from wolves; calm with family, wary of strangers.
Koi
Ornamental Japanese carp for large ponds, valued for colour patterns.
Kurdish Horse
A native Iranian mountain horse from the west: strong, handsome and hardy.
Labrador Retriever
The world’s favourite family dog: clever, good-natured and food-motivated.
Leopard Gecko
The perfect starter reptile: docile, low-maintenance and available in many morphs.
Lionhead Rabbit
A small rabbit with a fluffy lion-like mane.
Lovebird
Small, colourful parrots that bond tightly; peach-faced, Fischer’s and masked are common.
Macaw
The largest, most colourful parrots, needing lots of space, time and budget.
Maine Coon
One of the largest domestic cats, with tufted ears and a gentle, dog-like personality.
Maltese
A silky white toy companion, low-shedding and devoted.
Mixed-breed dog
Mixed breeds combine several lineages and often enjoy hybrid vigour; many make wonderful adopted companions.
Molly
A hardy livebearer available in black, white and sailfin forms.
Mongolian Gerbil
A social, low-odour, day-active rodent that loves to dig.
Monk (Quaker) Parakeet
A small, gifted talker that loves to learn tricks.
Munchkin
Short-legged due to a genetic mutation; cheerful, though its breeding is debated for welfare reasons.
Native chicken
Hardy Iranian native hens lay prized eggs; Leghorn, Silkie and Brahma are also popular.
Neon Tetra
A tiny schooling fish with an iridescent blue stripe; keep in groups of 8+.
Norwegian Forest Cat
A large, double-coated Scandinavian cat built for harsh winters.
Oscar
A large, intelligent cichlid that recognises its owner and eats small fish.
Pacman Frog
A huge-mouthed ambush predator that spends its day buried.
Pekin Duck
A calm white duck raised for meat and eggs; needs water to clean its bill.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
A short-legged herding dog famed as the royal favourite; smart and cheerful.
Platy
A small, colourful, very forgiving starter fish.
Pomeranian
A fluffy toy spitz full of personality, perfect for apartments.
Poodle
Comes in toy, miniature and standard sizes; extremely intelligent with a low-shedding coat.
Pug
A wrinkly, comedic lap dog that loves people but struggles in the heat.
Ragdoll
Goes limp like a rag doll when held; a blue-eyed, very gentle family cat.
Red-eared Slider
The most common pet turtle; grows large, lives decades and must never be released.
Rose-ringed Parakeet
A long-tailed talker with colour mutations; males show a neck ring.
Rottweiler
A powerful, confident guardian that is calm and devoted at home; early socialisation is essential.
Russian Blue
Silvery-blue coat and emerald eyes; quiet, loyal and a little shy.
Saint Bernard
The legendary Alpine rescue dog, giant-sized and famously gentle.
Saluki (Persian Greyhound)
One of the oldest dog breeds, bred in Persia for coursing; slender, elegant and very fast.
Samoyed
The fluffy white “smiling” Arctic dog that loves company.
Sheep (Iranian breeds)
Iran has many sheep breeds—Afshari, Lori-Bakhtiari, Zel, Moghani; buy from registered farms.
Shiba Inu
An ancient Japanese spitz, fox-like, fastidious and cat-like in independence.
Shih Tzu
A palace companion dog: affectionate, low-shedding and ideal for apartments.
Siamese
A blue-eyed, colour-pointed chatterbox that bonds intensely with its people.
Sistani cattle
A heat- and drought-tolerant humped native Iranian beef breed.
Sphynx
A nearly hairless, heat-seeking extrovert that loves human company.
Sulcata Tortoise
Grows huge and lives for generations; needs a yard. Native Iranian tortoises are protected and must not be traded.
Sun Conure
Brilliant yellow-orange plumage; cuddly but famously loud.
Swordtail
Males carry a sword-like tail extension; active and hardy.
Syrian Hamster
The classic pet hamster—must live alone.
Turkey
A large, social bird raised for meat and display.
Turkish Angora
An elegant, silky-coated cat, classically white, lively and clever.
Turkish Van
The “swimming cat”: white with coloured head and tail, famously fond of water.
Yorkshire Terrier
A tiny terrier with a silky coat and a big-dog attitude.
Zebra Finch
A tiny, lively flock bird—perfect for beginners.
Veiled Chameleon
Captivating colour changes and independent eyes—but delicate and not for beginners.