A woman studied for seven years and spent over £8K ($10K) so she could live her lifelong dream of owning - a sloth.<br /><br />Katie Robinson, 37, has been obsessed with the animals for most of her life and prepared for years before making the jump and buying one.<br /><br />Katie and husband Rob used to live in Seville, Ohio - but with the state's strict rules on owning an exotic pet there was no way the couple could have a sloth.<br /><br />So when the couple decided to move to Harmony, Florida, in 2016, Katie made it clear to her husband that they had to get a sloth. <br /><br />Katie spent the next few years conducting intense research on sloths and seven years later - she finally felt prepared to take on the responsibility.<br /><br />In December 2023, Katie bought a baby sloth for over $10,000 and named her Ellie.<br /><br />Ellie was only three months old when Katie bought her - measuring about 11 inches long and weighing about 3lbs.<br /><br />Katie, who works an office manager, said: "I had many different conversations with breeders and finally found someone that I was comfortable with.<br /><br />"He is extremely reputable and has bred extensively for zoos and educational programs so I felt very confident in him.<br /><br />"Sloths can live to 40 years old in captivity, so it's a lifelong commitment and I wanted to make sure I was 100% ready."<br /><br />Katie could've paid much less for Ellie but she felt it was worth paying extra for the peace of mind of knowing where Ellie came from.<br /><br />She said: "I really didn't want to pay for just any sloth or find out I was getting one that had been ripped out of the forest or anything awful like that.<br /><br />"I care for them and their welfare deeply and so I wanted to be responsible when finding somewhere to get one.<br /><br />"If you get them when they’re three or four months old, you don’t know where they’ve been or come from. <br /><br />"But with Ellie, I met her parents and I know she's been hand reared since she was two days old."<br /><br />In Florida, Katie had to obtain a class 3 wildlife permit in order for her to legally own a sloth.<br /><br />This involved proving that she had access to an exotic animal vet and also answering animal specific questions to prove she had the knowledge needed.<br /><br />Ellie's husband also had to build a large enclosure in their home as part of the criteria to obtain their permit, which had to measure at least 8ft tall by 6ft wide.<br /><br />The enclosure is on the second floor of their home and is complete with ropes and logs for climbing and also soft beds for her to sleep in.<br /><br />Katie also says that in terms of cleanliness and day to day cost, sloths are incredibly convenient.<br /><br />She explained: "They are so easy and cheap to care for.<br /><br />"Her food is very cheap, she is on a rice protein diet with sweet potato and carrot at the moment but as she gets older, she'll move onto leafy greens and other vegetables.<br /><br />"The best part is she only goes to the bathroom once about every 10 days and she pees and poops in same spot every single time."
