Even small animals part of home show at Kane County fairgrounds

The Chicago Home Show claims to have "All Your Home Improvement Needs Under One Roof." And Saturday that included tiny live animals called sugar bears being sold as pets.

Dale and Karen Feiden of Aurora are distributors for Pocket Pets, an international company that places the small, furry creatures from Australia as pets for persons looking for an affordable alternative to a traditional dog or cat.

"They're about the size of a cellphone but cost only a few dollars a year to feed," said Dale as one of his personal pets scrambled around his shoulders. "They're easy."

The animal is a marsupial; the female has a pouch to carry it's young like a koala bear or kangaroo. The booth had a continuous crowd gathered around to see the big-eyed animals.

Dozens of more traditional booths filled the Prairie Events Center, including companies selling roofing, windows, furniture, gardening and electronics. The event is free and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Kane County fairgrounds in St. Charles. Admission and parking are free. For information, go to www.chicagohomeshows.net.