The best hooks for exotic pets reels, from 700+ that went viral
We read the opening line of every viral exotic pets reel in Aubrium's library: which hooks show up most, which travelled furthest, and 16 real ones to learn from.
"Only one. Oh no. Oh gosh. Oh my. Oh. Oh, wait a minute. Wait. Holy cow." Somebody said all of that out loud at the start of an exotic pet reel. The page behind it had 1,679 followers, and the reel reached 5.9 million views.
It reads less like a hook than a reaction, and that fits this niche. 40% of viral exotic pet reels open with no hook of any type, a bigger share than any single kind of opener. We read the openings of the 700+ viral reels Aubrium's library files under exotic pets, from 500+ creators keeping snakes, geckos, hamsters, isopods and stranger things. For the same read on every niche together, see the best hooks for Instagram reels, and for the full list, every niche we looked at.
Curiosity gaps are the most common hook on viral exotic pet reels, at 20%, with relatable lines next at 11%. Those two travelled about as far, 29 and 30 times their creator's followers for the middle one. But 40% have no hook of any type. 47% show the hook as text on screen, and the middle hook is 8 words.
Aubrium's library, 31 October 2026.
What kind of hook works best for exotic pets reels?
No single type pulls clear. Relatable lines reached 30 times their creator's followers and curiosity gaps 29, with POV lines level at 29 too.
The bigger group is the reels with no hook at all. They make up 40% of the niche, and the middle one travelled 32 times followers, just past every hook type on the chart. POV lines, the third name in that tie, come from only 24 reels. Questions sat at 15 and bold claims at 12.
16 exotic pets hooks that went viral
Rattlesnakes in back yards, hamster eye drops, a snake's heartbeat and a pet raccoon. Each line opened a viral reel. Tap a type to see only those.
- Curiosity gapSpoken
Only one. Oh no. Oh gosh. Oh my. Oh. Oh, wait a minute. Wait. Holy cow.
- Curiosity gapText and spoken
You won't believe what this lizard ate when it was brought to the vet.
- POVText on screen
Pov: bugs the second it turns into summer
- RelatableText on screen
When Dad hates spiders but you think you're Spider-Woman
- RelatableText on screen
When you misbehave and mom pulls out this trick
- Curiosity gapText and spoken
Nobody tells you this about owning raccoons...
- Transformation teaseText on screen
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake relocated from a back yard in Paradise Valley!
- RelatableText on screen
My bun when the task requires no buns
- CalloutText on screen
CLEAN MY HAMSTER CAGE WITH ME! 🐹
- QuestionText on screen
Ever wondered how a hamster gets eye drops? Here's how.
- Curiosity gapText on screen
The odds of being eaten by a gecko are low..
- POVText on screen
POV: Funniest Predator on Earth..
- QuestionText on screen
"Uh.. Why is it in a cage?"
- NegativeSpoken
It's not going out.
- Curiosity gapText on screen
That sound is not a machine. That is a snake's heartbeat.
- RelatableText on screen
Eager beaver ✨
How long should an exotic pets hook be?
Very short. Exotic pet hooks of 1 to 4 words went furthest, 24 times their creator's followers for the middle reel, while the middle hook overall is 8 words.
The next band, 5 to 8 words, is the most common at 32%, yet it dropped to 14. From 9 to 20 words the middle reel climbed back to 18, and only 6% run longer than that. A line like "Releasing a monitor lizard!" says what's coming and gets out of the way.
Should you say the hook or show it?
Show it, when you use one. Text with no voice opens 42% of viral exotic pet reels and travelled furthest.
The middle silent line reached 24 times its creator's followers. Spoken hooks, on 13% of reels, reached 16, and text read aloud just 10. Among the spoken ones are plain reactions, like "It's not going out."
How do viral exotic pets hooks start?
"POV" opens 14 exotic pet hooks, the most of any word, and "I" opens 12. Then come "this" at 9 and "let's" at 8: an invite to watch along with the keeper.
- POV
- I
- this
- let's
- you
- how
- when
- I'm
The first word of 270+ English hooks on viral exotic pets reels, sized by how many start with it.
Here are four openings worth borrowing, each one a real line from this niche:
POV…
“POV your cham was waiting for you 🥺”
When… / If you…
“When you think you're besties, but they had other plans”
A question
“How does a snake get an injection?”
How to… / How I…
“How to clip their nails. It's easier to see their nails when you use a gauze.”
Keep reading
Hooks are one slice of it. How to go viral in the exotic pets niche covers formats, faces and sound. Nearby: the best hooks for pet brand reels, hooks for veterinary reels and how aquarium reels go viral.
Questions people ask
What's a good hook for an exotic pet reel?
Relatable lines and curiosity gaps travelled about as far on viral exotic pet reels in Aubrium's library, 30 and 29 times their creator's followers for the middle one. Curiosity gaps are the most common, at 20%.
Do reptile reels need a hook?
Many don't. 40% of viral exotic pet reels have no hook of any type, and the middle one of those travelled 32 times its creator's followers.
How short should an exotic pet hook be?
Very short can work. Hooks of 1 to 4 words went furthest on viral exotic pet reels, 24 times followers for the middle one, and the middle hook is 8 words.
Should I say my hook out loud or write it?
Text went further. 42% of viral exotic pet reels open on text with no voice, which reached 24 times followers in the middle; spoken hooks reached 16.
What word do exotic pet hooks start with?
"POV" opens 14 of the 270+ English exotic pet hooks we read, then "I" at 12 and "this" at 9.
How we did this
We looked at every exotic pets reel in Aubrium's library on 31 October 2026: 700+ reels from 500+ creators with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, each of which reached far more people than its creator has followers. We counted every reel filed in Aubrium's exotic pets niche; a reel can sit in more than one niche.
Hook types, delivery and on-screen text are labels Aubrium's reader puts on every post. Hook length and first words count the 270+ reels with an English hook in words. Every number here describes reels that already went viral, so none of it is the odds for a new one.
Changelog
- First version.
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