| KillerQueen840 01.10.2009 11:40 |
( I know there is a good handful of knowledgeable animal lovers here) I could use some help... Now that I have a relatively stable source of money and am living back at home, I have decided that it's time I satisfy that little lonely space in my heart and get a pet. I'm 19, not some 10 yr old who thinks a cage will clean itself. I understand about care and responsibilities etc. I've always wanted a dog but that's going to have to be put on hold until I move out for good into a place of my own. Same goes for cats--right now I need something that can live in a cage/tank....in my room. In the past, when I was younger, I had a rabbit that lived about 10 years. He spent most of his time in a big hutch in the backyard, but if I were to get another one, it would need to be happy with living in a space indoors year round, and I'm not sure if that's a bad idea? I'd love one, but I don't know if it'd work out. I'd love something that doesn't mind being picked up and handled,and it'd be even better if it was capable of showing a little bit of affection. I heard rats are like this, but only live for about two years. However, I'm still not ruling it out. I've been reading about degus the past couple of days, I have never even heard of one up until recently. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and could tell me first hand what they are like? I guess the creatures I am ruling out are: Dogs/cats (although would love to get one)Ferrets (they are cool but their pee is so potent)Fish Tarantulas Birds (I think they are neat, but I have a feeling they may make too much noise) ...everything else is fair game, as long as its small/medium in size. I've been thinking about a snake, but they live for so long, I'm not sure if I'm willing to make a 50 year commitment... Thanks for any advice you can offer! |
| PauloPanucci 01.10.2009 12:45 |
You should have a dog, golden retriver, it's a really smart and cool dog... i had one, he died with 1 year old[img=link.... i loved have one, and i guess you'll like to have one too! search about this dog, and see! |
| dragon-fly 01.10.2009 12:54 |
I suggest you to think one more time about a rat. Or how are you feeling about a small tortoise? I had a rat myself long ago. I tell you- it's a marvellous creature! I wish I could have one now! They are so cute and funny. A tortoise is not funny for sure, but still quite nice. And it won't bring you much trouble like fish. |
| JoxerTheDeityPirate 01.10.2009 15:13 |
i got a shitload of baby elephants you can have! :-p |
| cacatua 01.10.2009 15:25 |
I'll second the rat idea. They are very charming, colorful, and not noisy. Rabbit pee is also very strong when you have one inside in a contained area. They can be housebroken, but it is kind of a process from what I've read. It didn't look like anything I wanted to do, so I crossed that one off of my list. You are right to rule out birds unless you will be around a lot as they can be noisy and destructive and need more attention than you might be able to give them, which would make them noisier and more destructive, possibly picking their own feathers off in boredom and/or despair. |
| Micrówave 01.10.2009 15:35 |
Have you considered a girl friend? You have to keep them watered and their cage cleaned, but they can be useful... |
| Mr.Jingles 01.10.2009 15:35 |
A TARANTULA??!! Jess, I know you're heavily into Alice Cooper and a lot of horror stuff, which is pretty cool, but C'MON!! ;-) |
| Mr.Jingles 01.10.2009 15:37 |
Micrówave wrote: Have you considered a girl friend? You have to keep them watered and their cage cleaned, but they can be useful... I don't think Jessica is into girls. She does have a boyfriend, but I don't know if that counts as a pet. |
| Janet 01.10.2009 16:07 |
Hi Jessica! :-) I have an indoor rabbit. She is a spayed female mini-rex called Bebe. She is very clean, and is litter box trained. She loves to be petted and is very interactive with us (she adores my husband, the little hussy!). She is a really nice pet. Guinea pigs can be an absolutely wonderful pet that respond to affection and attention and will actually communicate with you (when they hear the fridge open, they "wheek" for their veggies, or when they want attention.) Mine purr when I scratch them and pet them. They are a lot of fun, and can live 5-8 years with good care. I've kept them for years. Lisser has a lot of experience with them as well. Degus...well, I have had two of them. One was very sweet, and the other terrified no matter what we tried! They are not cuddly pets, but they do love to take food out of your hands and crawl on you, etc. I'd be happy to answer any questions I can for you! |
| Rick 01.10.2009 16:09 |
A goldfish has to be the most useless pet ever. |
| Mr.Jingles 02.10.2009 08:54 |
Rick wrote: A goldfish has to be the most useless pet ever. The way I see it, if you can't pet your pet then it's not a pet. Fish are more of an ornament rather than a pet. |
| Erin 02.10.2009 10:49 |
I've had goldfish I could pet. They would come to the top of the water when I stuck my finger in the tank. I know they were looking for food, but I liked to tell myself they wanted to be petted. ;-P |
| Janet 02.10.2009 11:01 |
Erin wrote: I've had goldfish I could pet. They would come to the top of the water when I stuck my finger in the tank. I know they were looking for food, but I liked to tell myself they wanted to be petted. ;-P lol! :-) I used to have a betta fish that i fed frozen brine shrimp out of a baby spoon! lol! And my oscar would eat dry catfood out of my hand. |
| PauloPanucci 02.10.2009 12:55 |
Micrówave wrote: Have you considered a girl friend? You have to keep them watered and their cage cleaned, but they can be useful... great pet.... great idea!!!!! lol kkkkkk |
| Lisser 02.10.2009 13:18 |
I do have a wHEEkness (no pun intended) for piggies. I just love them. At one point I had 8 of them bc I had adopted 2 from my local animal shelter and I guess when people would drop them off there they would call me and ask me to take them. I found that I couldn't say no but when illnesses would happen, they are very expensive to have treated. You have to take them to an exotic vet. I was spending $300/visit. I had to put a stop to it and from then on decided I would not have more than 2-4 at a time in my home. I made a deal with the animal shelter to call me if they had pigs and I would pay for all of their food, blankets, toys, etc but they would house them until they were adopted. They are a lot of work if you take care of them properly which I know you would. They must have a big enough cage with access to pellets and fresh timothy hay at all times. They must have fresh water available to them at all times as well. They drink a lot. I feed my pigs a salad made of any type of lettuce except for iceburg with fruits in the am and a salad with veggies in it in the evening, so twice a day they get fresh food. Guinea pigs must have vitamin C given to them through the food they eat. Oranges and red and yellow peppers are the best ways to get them the Vitamin C they need. Do not buy a vitamin C supplement in the store. Guinea pigs are social animals and love to have a friend so as long as it is not a male and a female pair. Two females would be the best. You should check your local animal shelter for guinea pigs that need to be adopted. I do not support buying animals in pet stores, there are far too many animals that are in need of homes. Do a google search on guinea pigs if you are interested in owning them. There is a really good site called cavycages.com I believe it is. If you don't want all the responsibility of a guinea pig, get a pair of gerbils. I keep a pair in my office and they are so friendly and fun to watch. I've had them for 2 years now. I know they do not live very long but mine show no signs of aging at all. I feed them fresh food along with their seed/pellets. They barely drink any water at all. They do not smell and are very clean. Let me know if I can help at all with anything else. Guinea pigs are great but you must give them time and space. They are very shy but will eventually warm up to you...some quicker than others. Good luck and let me know what you decide! |
| Crazy LittleThing 02.10.2009 13:30 |
Erin wrote: I've had goldfish I could pet. They would come to the top of the water when I stuck my finger in the tank. I know they were looking for food, but I liked to tell myself they wanted to be petted. ;-P And then she'd go all Chuck Norris on them. |
| KillerQueen840 02.10.2009 13:40 |
Thank you all for your input, I really do appreciate it. Right now (after lots of debate) I think I have it narrowed down to rats or gerbils. I'm leaning towards rats, although gerbils have the nice appeal of being so small. I'm keeping in mind that whatever I get, I'll need two of (same sex, of course) so they will have each other for company while I'm not home. My aunt used to have rats, so I think I will give her a call today and see what she has to say, and perhaps see if I can smuggle her old cage. Tomorrow I'll probably take a little field trip with my boyfriend (Dan's right, I'm not really into girls) and look around. As I think of questions, I'll definitely ask ! Well, maybe a quick question about gerbils, I'm sure it varies from gerbil to gerbil but....do they typically like being held? Or do they usually prefer to just run around and mind their own business? |
| Lisser 02.10.2009 14:11 |
My gerbils do not like to be held but when I put my hand down in their cage they love to sit on my hand but it's on their own terms and I respect that. They gladly take food from me and when I make this clicking sound with my tongue they come out of hiding to see me. You would be better off with a rat if you want to hold it and cuddle. Guinea pigs love to cuddle too though :) If you get a rat when they are small..bird cages are good for them bc they are tall and rats like to climb. Just make sure you get those zip tie things and zip tie the food doors down bc they are smart enough to open them. Always check the zip ties too bc it doesn't take long for them to chew through them. Once they get bigger you will need a cage for a rat bc they can chew through anything. There is a website that makes cages especially for rats and I can't think of it right now but they are awesome! Rats are cool too bc they will eat whatever you eat including meat, chocolate, chips, etc. They love it all! Gerbils don't eat meat. When my gerbils pass away I am getting a pair of rats for my office. The kids love to come in here and see my pets! I kept a pair of rats for the animal shelter for a few months until they were adopted and I learned the hard way about them being escape artists. They are way too smart for their own good!! I really would like to get a parakeet or two sometime in the near future. When I decide I'm ready I'll be picking Janet and Dan's brains on birds. They are the experts. I really wish I lived on a farm or something so I could have tons of animals. I'd rather be around them than people. :) |
| littlekillerham 15.11.2009 15:55 |
Get a giant aquarium and fill it with fish That or a chinchilla Holy crap, i spelled it right on the first try Back on topic, a bearded dragon Its a lizard |
| littlekillerham 15.11.2009 15:57 |
littlekillerham wrote: Get a giant aquarium and fill it with fishThat or a chinchilla Holy crap, i spelled it right on the first try Back on topic, a bearded dragon Its a lizard Oh yea, and if yer getting two, make sure their a boy and girl. God, id give anything to see chinchillas mate. Though I saw armadillos do it once. xD |
| Freya is quietly judging you. 15.11.2009 17:29 |
Stop being so odd, I don't like it. |
| its_a_hard_life 26994 15.11.2009 17:34 |
GET A SNAKE. |
| «¤~Mrš. BÃD GÛŸ~¤» 15.11.2009 20:35 |
You should consider a Green Cheeked Conure (small parrot) They are about the size of a cockateil when fully grown and they are the quietest of their cousins. If you get one young enough that is hand-fed and hand-raised they make the most adorable pets. They are social animals and would require at least an hour a day of your time. They are truly excellent pets. Their notorious for laying on their backs and enjoy doing it while even in your hand. |
| Micrówave 16.11.2009 02:46 |
Their notorious for laying on their backs and enjoy doing it while even in your hand. So does my suggestion... |
| ILoveQueen20 16.11.2009 08:25 |
Hmmmmm a Gerbil? xD |
