Need help picking a good pet

[Ksandra]

If you move, maybe you can keep it. If you can't, its always easy to find a good home for a cat.

I have to say that's the worst way to think, (no offense). Go to an animal shelter and look at all the 4+ year old cats there because people moved to a place where they couldn't keep the cat. Those should get taken first, not one that an owner had a strong feeling they were going to have to give one up in the first place.


[edit] not to mention the emotional distress a pet goes through on something like that in the first place.

[Silenka]

Okay, I guess I'll be that guy.
Any pet is going to have a downside, whether it be smell, short lifespan or being difficult to take care of. If you're only looking for something to entertain you, you might want to try video games. Pets are a commitment no matter what kind they are and if you can't (or are unwilling to) make that commitment then simply don't do it. Don't just take BG's word for something either, otherwise you might end up taking whatever poor animal you choose back to the pet store again - do thorough research before buying one this time please...

If you're potentially moving and the place probably won't allow dogs or cats, it might not allow other things as well. That aside, if your main concern is portability, something that lives in a cage and doesn't smell too much, but will also be able to play with you, the pickings are slim. Certain reptiles would probably fit the bill, but some of them have diets that make people not like to take care of them (frozen dead rats, live crickets, etc). And most of them like to just kind of sit there and chill all day - you can still get some fun out of a turtle (pretty easy to take care of) or a snake, but they're not exactly 'engaging' pets most of the time.

Rabbits are a bitch to clean after, but they can be highly entertaining if allowed to roam the room sometimes, a lot of them do a kind of dance that makes it looks like they're flipping the fuck out, it's really cute. I wouldn't really recommend a hamster or gerbil, but rats and guinea pigs are awesome - usually sociable and cute, despite having relatively short lifespans.

Someone mentioned an african grey parrot... they are really smart, but they have the potential to outlive you so that's kind of a huge commitment. Birds in general are hard to deal with because they make so much noise and are hard to care for, especially when they get sick. In fact, there aren't many birds you can keep that won't make a shitton of noise, and most of the people I know who keep any kind of bird get really tired of it after a while and regret they bought it in the first place.

If it was me, I would go for a ferret, they are really fun and playful, very portable, but if the smell really bothers you that much I guess there is nothing to be done about it. They definitely have downsides too, though. And man Kerb, I want a fennec =( Keeping largely undomesticated animals is always a terrible idea, but... but... they're the goddamn cutest things on the planet...

[Misuicide]

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.

I give her 2 mice every 2-3 weeks. I just buy them at Petco.
some pics
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2392845_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8158490_n.jpg

[vagus]

If you can't get a cat or dog, no point in getting any other pet. Pick up a hobby like tennis, take a cooking class or hit the gym.

[Lucavi]

I'm not reading the goddamned OP. Get a cat. If you don't want a cat, then get a submissive girlfriend. Done.

[zoobernut]

I am going to echo the votes for rats or a ferret or another parrot (non retarded this time). But also people are right, any pet is going to have difficulties and downsides. Pets are either non-interactive and are confined to a cage or they are messy, and require lots of work if they come out of the cage.

Also ferrets can be descented and are not stinky or nearly as bad as people think they are.

[Tempyst]

I can't speak for all of them since he's my first, but my bearded dragon is very easy going and playful. They're also fairly simple to take care of, the only kicker is that the equipment can be a bit expensive, and if you don't breed your own insects you'll have to buy them every week.

They also have horrible smelling shits, though if you can get them to do their business on a paper towel in the tank its an easy clean up.

From what I hear bearded dragons tend to be friendlier than most other lizards. Mine in particular loves the attention and being held, and when its getting close to bed time he'll snuggle up into my shirt or neck and fall asleep while I pet him. He's very dog-like in his disposition, which is something a lot of bearded dragon owners tend to say about their own dragons.

[Galois]

I read that you had one that you gave to your ex, but do you have objections to getting another guinea pig? I've had two in my life and loved them. The only thing keeping me from getting another one is our cat (which was my wife's before we got married), but I would like to get another one some day. They're relatively low maintenance, and are usually pretty mellow.

[miokomioko]

It's going to take a bit of trial-and-error because most just suck, but I ended up with the most chill hamster in existence. A little Winter White named Joel. It was a girl, but only because no one wants male hamsters due to their massive testicles. You could handle him, fuck around with him, let him wander around the house, etc. and he would never run away or hide. He has never bitten past gentle, ticklish nibbles on you if your skin tasted good. He'd always come and check things out when I turned my light on or tapped on his cage. He'd walk up and down my arms, around my desk, across my shoulders as I played XI. The best pet I've ever had, hands down. The life expectancy for dwarf hamsters is a depressingly short 1.5 years, but little Joel lasted over 3. I'll miss that little champ.

Sigh.

Everything I've heard about rats from people who have had them has been good. They are clean, very intelligent, and rather affectionate. However, you're always going to have that negative response from most people as rats are mostly known as filthy disease carriers. It's hard to not look like a fuckin' weirdass with a rat on your shoulder.

Also, DO NOT GET A PARROT. Especially not an African Grey. Getting a large, intelligent parrot (macaws, cockatoos, etc.) is roughly the equivalent to getting an 8 year old feathered human child that sits in a cage. Cries, screams, etc for attention, self-mutilates if it's neglected, etc. Horrible horrible horrible pets for anyone who doesn't have the time to raise a child and doesn't live alone (they are difficult to raise so they don't favor one owner and despise the other).

[Demosthenes11]

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.

amazing lol. A+ if he continually asked "u mad bro?" after you answered the phone because of it

[Tempyst]

Also, DO NOT GET A PARROT. Especially not an African Grey. Getting a large, intelligent parrot (macaws, cockatoos, etc.) is roughly the equivalent to getting an 8 year old feathered human child that sits in a cage. Cries, screams, etc for attention, self-mutilates if it's neglected, etc. Horrible horrible horrible pets for anyone who doesn't have the time to raise a child and doesn't live alone (they are difficult to raise so they don't favor one owner and despise the other).

Also, yes, this

My parents and my sister both bought parrots (ones an african grey and the other is an umbrella cockatoo). If you don't have all the time in the world to devote attention to them they'll scream constantly. I can't even go downstairs where the cockatoo stays because if I stay down there for more than two minutes without paying attention to her she'll just let out ear drum piercing screams over and over.

Also, that's another thing worth mentioning as far as bearded dragons go: They don't make any noise, aside from some hissing if they get agitated. This could be a pro or a con for you depending on what you like, but after being surrounded by loud animals owned by the rest of my family for the last ten years, the bearded dragon's quietness is fantastic.

[Djghost454]

Cockatoo's are EXTREMELY attention hungry and noisy birds. Grey's are generally quiet. They do need alot of attention however. Mine sat on my shoulder while I played XI for years. I had him trained so if he needed to take a dump he would say "Nuclear Launch Detected" I would place him on his perch, he would shit, then fly back to my shoulder lol.

[Silenka]

Cockatoo's are EXTREMELY attention hungry and noisy birds. Grey's are generally quiet. They do need alot of attention however. Mine sat on my shoulder while I played XI for years. I had him trained so if he needed to take a dump he would say "Nuclear Launch Detected" I would place him on his perch, he would shit, then fly back to my shoulder lol.

You quite possibly had the most amusing parrot that ever existed, any more stories? I honestly would love to have a Grey someday... seems like a much more interesting option to me than having children.

[Anomander]

Cockatoo's are EXTREMELY attention hungry and noisy birds. Grey's are generally quiet. They do need alot of attention however. Mine sat on my shoulder while I played XI for years. I had him trained so if he needed to take a dump he would say "Nuclear Launch Detected" I would place him on his perch, he would shit, then fly back to my shoulder lol.

Fucking awesome lol

[Djghost454]

You quite possibly had the most amusing parrot that ever existed, any more stories? I honestly would love to have a Grey someday... seems like a much more interesting option to me than having children.

LOL. Over the years he had picked up just odd sounds from the environment... Trash trucks backing up w/ that beeping, water dripping, microwave buzzing, etc etc. Had a few friends over one night, we were all drinking. We all passed out around the house and my friend Aaron slept on the couch in the living room where the bird was. In the morning, I came downstairs, to see Aaron laying on the couch, awake, looking real bad. Asked him what happened and he told me the house was haunted. He would hear beeping, then some crazy laughter, then mumbling and just different voices all night. He swore up and down that the house was haunted. I walked over to the bird cage, took the cover off that we put on at night, and the bird laughed and said "I GOT YOU!"


Also... not mine, but awsome....

[miokomioko]

It's just that large parrots are not for people who have had little or no experience with birds in general. African Greys are definitely the most intelligent breed, but Macaws and Cockatoos are up there as well and they are all just as capable of being horrible, wretched pains in the ass if they are not given the massive amounts of attention they require for their mental health. More realistic bird breeds to consider would be something like Conures or Caiques. Still, I would never even recommend parrots at all to people who aren't already genuinely interested in them and have done their homework. They are too delicate, physically and mentally and are very heavy on the needs. They also live to be 30~80 years old, depending on the breed. They are a massive commitment.

Not to mention that the parrots in question can range from $500~$2,000 at least.

[Silenka]

LOL. Over the years he had picked up just odd sounds from the environment... Trash trucks backing up w/ that beeping, water dripping, microwave buzzing, etc etc. Had a few friends over one night, we were all drinking. We all passed out around the house and my friend Aaron slept on the couch in the living room where the bird was. In the morning, I came downstairs, to see Aaron laying on the couch, awake, looking real bad. Asked him what happened and he told me the house was haunted. He would hear beeping, then some crazy laughter, then mumbling and just different voices all night. He swore up and down that the house was haunted. I walked over to the bird cage, took the cover off that we put on at night, and the bird laughed and said "I GOT YOU!"

Fucking amazing. I was just reading a scholarly article about Alex (the famous parrot who was being trained to recognize many different things and name them), it said that Alex had proved that greys were capable of not only mimicing words but also understanding what they are saying when they use them. That constitutes 'true' intelligence, at least in certain areas, in those birds. They definitely also have a mischevious streak. But you are referring to your parrot in the past tense, did he, as Alex's trainer said of him, become an 'ex-parrot'? =(

[Salodin]

If I had the time to devote to a grey I'd get one after stories like those lol. I give this parrot attention but it's never enough, she really is just like a needy child. I did the research on her but nothing prepared me for putting her on her cage after playing with her on my bed, then walking out the room to take a piss and hearing her scream her little lungs out for me to come back. It never really did get better, and I tried positive reinforcement to get her to calm down when I left the room but after a month nothing has really worked. Luckily I got her from a mom and pop shop who take pride in their animals so they are willing to take her back since it isn't working out.

I liked my guinea pig, but taking care of it was a big pain, even more so now that I'm alone. I made a big 2x5 cage out of chloroplast and plastic grating so he'd have a lot of room to run around in and popcorn, but I really don't have the room for it here any more. He was also incredibly messy, which we learned how to deal with but still, I would rather not go through it again. I have never seen an animal that I can leave on my floor for 3 minutes, and come back to 15 pieces of turds on my floor. To this day I don't understand where it all comes from...

My ideal pet would be a cat, but like I said I don't want one in the off chance I'd have to give it up in a year. So I plan on settling for something cage living, and so far a snake sounds awesome feeding it so seldom and keeping it's size small. There's no health risk to it? And he doesn't get aggressive being fed so sparingly?

Rodents sound cool too, but now I'm deathly afraid of getting another attention needing animal after this parrot and my time not being enough to maintain it >_< lol

[Caiyuo]

LOL. Over the years he had picked up just odd sounds from the environment... Trash trucks backing up w/ that beeping, water dripping, microwave buzzing, etc etc. Had a few friends over one night, we were all drinking. We all passed out around the house and my friend Aaron slept on the couch in the living room where the bird was. In the morning, I came downstairs, to see Aaron laying on the couch, awake, looking real bad. Asked him what happened and he told me the house was haunted. He would hear beeping, then some crazy laughter, then mumbling and just different voices all night. He swore up and down that the house was haunted. I walked over to the bird cage, took the cover off that we put on at night, and the bird laughed and said "I GOT YOU!"


Also... not mine, but awsome....

holy fucking lol

also initially read the story as the bird

Had a few friends over one night

You're making a terrific case for impulsive purchases of awesome birds lol

[Silenka]

If you think a guinea pig is hard to take care of, better be a cat or nothing.