Need help picking a good pet

[Salodin]

I'm looking to get a pet to keep me company/busy so I don't bore myself to death. I'm looking to have a pet that is interactive (i.e. no fish), but also isn't a pain in the ass like the first animal I just tried.

I had recently bought a quaker parrot, but it just didn't work out. She apparently got too attached to me, thinks of me as her mate, and now throws a tantrum if I leave the room to go take a piss. I gave it a month to try it out but she just isn't getting the idea so I'm taking her back to the pet store today. I won't be getting something asap, but I do want a pet, just something that isn't as whiney as this parrot, but something I can play with from time to time. Cats and dogs are out of the picture since I plan on moving within the year with there being a realistic chance of the new home not allowing cats or dogs.

So, any recommendations? I've seen tarantulas at the pet store, but I don't think they'd appreciate my hand in their face. Snakes are cool, I had one before, but the store has at least 5 different kinds and I have no idea which one would be right for me. Bearded dragons, turtles, etc are also available. They have an awesome fish section, but again I don't want fish, and I think after my experience with this bird that I'm going to stay away from my flying feathered friends for awhile...

[isladar]

You want a good pet, but not a cat or dog, which basically limits you to things that sit in cages and shit.

[Misuicide]

Get a Ball Python if you go the snake rout, they'll only get as big as you want them to be. IE as much as you feed it, depends on how big it gets. My Python is 3and a half feet. Good Size, and she's very friendly and social.
Also if you do get one, Don't keep them isolated, put them where there is a lot of activity, like walking by and such, take it out everyday, have everyone hold it, stuff like that, so it is used to the attention. When you keep them seperated, that is when they get mean. You don't want that

[Salodin]

I don't mind cages. What I don't want is a tank filled with water with a pet that will probably die if I try to pet it, or poison me for a week instead lol. I had a garter snake once when I was younger, was a very fun dude, my only gripe was that horrible smell he'd let out once in awhile if I tried to hold him when he wasn't up for it.

What kind of food do you give your snake? My garter snake ate feeder fish, but at 3 1/2 feet I'm assuming you're feeding mice. Do you buy a few at a time and raise them, or only buy them when it's feeding time? If I went the snake route, maintaining the food source would be important for me cause I don't know how big of a setup I'd need just to keep the guy fed.

[Meat]

sugar gliders

[Meat]

or a girlfriend

[Salodin]

Part of the reason I think I want a pet right now is I recently got out of a 5 1/2 year relationship =( And sugar gliders, what's your experience with them?

[Selamis]

Get a Geopet or a Tamagotchi, they are easy to train and don't require much clean up.

Seriously though, perhaps a gerbil, rabbit or ferret, if you don't mind the smell since dogs and cats aren't in the picture?

[Kerberoz]

Sugar gliders are a massive pain in the ass. They're pretty much the second most annoying mammal to keep, after fennecs. Have you considered rats? Easy to care for, enjoy being handled, not completely stupid like most rodents, etc. They have short lifespans, though, and you need more than one or it'll get bored to death.

Invertebrates generally aren't interactive, other than some marine species, so yeah, forget that.

Spoiler: show

If you get a reptile, do lots of research and try to buy captive-bred if possible. Check classifieds, etc. Pet stores tend to be pretty shady.

[Callisto]

Ferrets smell awful and suck to take care of, plus they get into all kinds of shit when they get out. Lizard's the way to go.

[Ksandra]

Get rats ^^. I miss my two babies they were awesome. Only thing is you do need to give them attention and play with them (recommended is AT LEAST 1 hour everyday). They are so cute though and they love you and can even learn tricks.


Only downside is they only last about 2 years and it's really really hard when they go (their spine stops working and can't walk anymore ;_; )

[Meat]

Part of the reason I think I want a pet right now is I recently got out of a 5 1/2 year relationship =( And sugar gliders, what's your experience with them?

don't do that, when you rally you'll just get bored of the pet anyway. get a hobby, join a gym and go every day.

[Arelian]

If you have the money to spare and you live in a warm enough area, I'd recommend checking to see if Hedgehogs are legal in your area. I've had one for a while now, and I love her to death. The don't hate being handled and they don't require a whole lot more than a clean cage + the occasional bath (which involves letting them swim around in a tub and be adorable).

They are pretty expensive and they are illegal in some areas, so check into that for sure.

[Salodin]

don't do that, when you rally you'll just get bored of the pet anyway. get a hobby, join a gym and go every day.

I actually had pets with the gf, but after the break up she kept them all. Two dogs and a cat were hers, and the guinea pig was technically mine but he liked her more so I didn't make a fuss when she said she was keeping him. I was actually saying the other day I need a hobby lol, so I think I'm gonna get into photography a bit once after I steal my dads SLR camera that he left at my grandmas. But even then, a small fuzzy/scaly companion wouldn't be a bad idea for me imo.

I don't know much about rats, I'll have to look more into it. I had hamsters, most adorable things, but they were ferocious and refused to let us handle them with out trying to take a finger off. I was considering a reptile just cause they are pretty solitary animals but most don't give a fuck if you pick them up for awhile.

Hedgehogs are for sale as well, so I'm pretty sure they're legal here. Are they social? Do they need a friend or constant attention? Any animal with very offensive smells are pretty much a no thanks for me, so while ferrets are cool I'll pass on those. Sugar gliders are effin cute, but if they are on the same level of smell as ferrets, I'll pass on that as well. There are baby bearded dragons as well, but I don't know how social they are, and I really don't like a palm full of spines either. Same would go for a hedgehog, depending on how social they are.

[Djghost454]

My recomendation if you could afford it would be an African Grey Parrot. Ignore your experience w/ the quaker... Those things are the retards of the bird world. Grey's are EXTREMELY intelligent. Most parrots mimic speach, Grey's talk. They can have the vocabulary and understanding of a 6 year old child, and are the only birds that can imitate voices. I had one for years untill my moms new dog killed him(Sad, Sad day...)

Mine would tell me goodbye when I walked out the door in the morning, hello when I came home. He could make the sound of the phone ringing perfectly and if you answered it would laugh at you in this maniacal voice. If you didn't answer, he would do the answering machine sound and leave a message. All in all, best pet I have ever had. Only downside is they are pricey, around $1200-1500. So something to save up for. They also live 80-100 years, so you may have to will it to children or grandchildren, lol.

[Moss]

Mine would tell me goodbye when I walked out the door in the morning, hello when I came home. He could make the sound of the phone ringing perfectly and if you answered it would laugh at you in this maniacal voice. If you didn't answer, he would do the answering machine sound and leave a message.

That's fucking awesome lol

[Ksandra]

I don't know much about rats, I'll have to look more into it. I had hamsters, most adorable things, but they were ferocious and refused to let us handle them with out trying to take a finger off. I was considering a reptile just cause they are pretty solitary animals but most don't give a fuck if you pick them up for awhile.

ya rats aren't like that, they're a lot more cuddly (but curious so fuck you if there's a closet to search lol). As someone mentioned you need at least 2 or they can get kinda depressed. Other thing to note if you do get some be patient at the start. When we first got ours if we stuck our fingers in the cage they would put their mouths on our finger in a bite threat. They wouldn't do it but it was more of a "hey buddy move that finger or there's gonna be a beatdown". it only took about a week though for them to get used to us. They can also be trained to use one of those hamster balls (gotta get the huge ass ones though), but mine were scared shitless of it, so we just let them run around normally (in contained spaces, they will kill your carpet if left to their own devices).

[Arelian]

I actually had pets with the gf, but after the break up she kept them all. Two dogs and a cat were hers, and the guinea pig was technically mine but he liked her more so I didn't make a fuss when she said she was keeping him. I was actually saying the other day I need a hobby lol, so I think I'm gonna get into photography a bit once after I steal my dads SLR camera that he left at my grandmas. But even then, a small fuzzy/scaly companion wouldn't be a bad idea for me imo.

I don't know much about rats, I'll have to look more into it. I had hamsters, most adorable things, but they were ferocious and refused to let us handle them with out trying to take a finger off. I was considering a reptile just cause they are pretty solitary animals but most don't give a fuck if you pick them up for awhile.

Hedgehogs are for sale as well, so I'm pretty sure they're legal here. Are they social? Do they need a friend or constant attention? Any animal with very offensive smells are pretty much a no thanks for me, so while ferrets are cool I'll pass on those. Sugar gliders are effin cute, but if they are on the same level of smell as ferrets, I'll pass on that as well. There are baby bearded dragons as well, but I don't know how social they are, and I really don't like a palm full of spines either. Same would go for a hedgehog, depending on how social they are.

Hedgehogs aren't incredibly social, but they can be very affectionate once they get used to your scent. They have very poor eyesight, so you have to let them sleep with an old shirt of yours or something if you want them to get to know you. Mine doesn't mind being handled all that much as long as it's somebody she knows. They don't really need a friend or constant attention and are pretty damn happy being left alone for the most part. They take what they can get. Hedgies also have incredibly soft underbellies and they usually love belly rubs. The spines aren't terribly sharp, they only really hurt if you try to grab them roughly, the hedgehog falls on you, or you do something stupid.

Also, they don't really have a tendency to bite. The only real caution is that the room you put their cage in has to be between 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit or they'll try to hibernate.

[Sepukku]

I still say go with a cat. Can't go through life worrying about what ifs down the road. You got a place for a year, get a cat. If you move, maybe you can keep it. If you can't, its always easy to find a good home for a cat. People love cats and aslong as they aren't allergic to them, usually are cool to have them since they're so much less work/less attention-demanding than dogs.

[Ragnus]

Get rats ^^. I miss my two babies they were awesome. Only thing is you do need to give them attention and play with them (recommended is AT LEAST 1 hour everyday). They are so cute though and they love you and can even learn tricks.


Only downside is they only last about 2 years and it's really really hard when they go (their spine stops working and can't walk anymore ;_; )

This x100000. My girlfriend's rat, Bea, is the best thing ever. I don't wanna jinx it but she's about 3.5y old right now and still kicking. :3