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Show pets put them all together they Spell B'f'B't'U'B : since Benjamin Franklin brought the to America from France, Ever real bathtub have been keenly aware of certain tangible marks of social advantage known as "status symbols." The bathtub is now old hat. More recent status symbols include TV (still "in" if the screen is smaller than five inches), color TV ("in" if it works), "underground" books that can be read before anyone else has heard of them, unlisted phone numbers and large accumulations of tournament-bridg-e honor points. One of today's newest and biggest symbols is pets all kinds but with emphasis on the The more unusual, exotic and expensive the birds and beasts are, the more desirable they've come to be. There are currently 54 million dogs and cats in this country; 20 million canaries, parakeets and tropical birds of one sort or another; something over 2 million hamsters, white rats, chimpanzees. black-and-whi- te , By Suzanne Davis Suzanne Davis has written many amusing pet stories, including the recent favorite-bark- ing Up the Wrong Tree." 12 turtles, dolphins, lions and other likable creatures, and an estimated 650 million tropical fish. In the cat and dog world, the trend toward the chic is exemplified by the fact that the demand for Persian and angora kittens ($65 apiece) is so great that it cannot be met, and that Siamese kittens ($75 apiece) can no longer be found. And not every canine is ultrapopular. Bassets, boxers and cocker spaniels, once very stylish, are now running far behind poodles and beagles in popularity. For the collector with truly exotic taste, why not a Galapagos turtle from those islands in the Pacific? They weigh from 150 to 200 pounds, cost $5 a pound and like to live on estates. They have a life span of over 200 years, and so are a good as a item to pass on to one's nice "little" inheritance. And they have a rare effect on visitors. "My" guests rarely mention it when my big fellow pokes his head out of the shrubbery," says a Long Island stockbroker, "but following his appearance I notice that traffic at the terrace bar falls off a bit" $300 apiece. But Dolphins are chcapcr-arou- nd as any dolphin owner will tell you, it's not the original cost, it's the upkeep that mounts up. J. P. Morgan once said that anyone who has to ask how much it costs to run a yacht shouldn't buy one. It's the same with dolphins, who eat 15 to 20 pounds of fish a day. (Many of the jolly fellows, by the way, are named Flipper, these days, after the television star of the same name.) But it isn't necessary to have an estate or a swimming pool the size of the Everglades to sport an exotic pet Other large "symbols" are iguanas, which cost only $2 apiece, and deodorized skunks, about $40. Bird wise. Empress Eugenic hummingbirds, which sell at $125, and myna birds, which can be purchased for $35 before they have learned " to talk, and for $100 and up after they have, add something fancy to a plain old bird cage. Lion cubs are very chic, and available for only $500. Almost as fashionable are ocelots and margays-t- he latter the spotted wildcats that resemble small ocelots. Each retails for about $125. Anyone who thinks of an aquarium as a small tank or large bowl that houses guppics or goldfish or tiny turtles is definitely not up with the times. An aquarium, circa 1966, is aerated, heated, illuminated, "landscaped" and stocked with Lion-head- s, Angel fish. Celestial and Blind Caves and rainbow-hue- d fishes. Prices vary. An "ordinary" Lionhead, for example, goes for about $25, but ccd Lbnhcads with championship cost hundreds. raspberry colored "mancs"-c- an All in all, the cost mounts up. spend slock-pcdigr- rs Dimtnsiont in Living |