What pet should I get?

[MichaelTolliverLives]

In the new year, I'll finally be in housing where I can get a pet.

I'm hoping that having something to look after will help with my depression somewhat. The main thing is, I want to get a creature I can give a good quality of life to. I'm not very active; I live in a city, with a small garden.

Right now, I'm thinking probably a dog, or a ferret, or maybe a chameleon or hawk. I can't get a cat, alas, as a friend is allergic - but something like a cat which is friendly to an extent, but also independent, would be a good fit.

What pets do you have, and any pros/cons for first-time pet owners?

[janetcgtv]

any kind of pet should be AOK. Especially the type of pet you would enjoy. Everyone has different feelings about what kind of pet they want.
I love dogs especially small ones. I always kid any person on the street walking a small dog by saying "Watch out for the vicious dog behind you". So far everyone has laughed at that joke.

About ferrets I read somewhere that they pick a certain corner in the room to do their thing.

Have a nice day

Janet

[big kim]

Boston Terrier, a great dog. Easy to train, smart, affectionate and they don't bark a lot and look cute.

[Dee Marshall]

^This!^ I love Bostons.

[Dalibar]

First off, congrats on being a soon-to-be first time pet owner!

I have always grown up with pets and know a decent amount about different species, so hopefully I can help a little bit.

Dogs are great pets, and there are so many breeds to choose from to pick one that would match you. I highly recommend doing a lot of research on dog behaviour and training before you get one. Proper training for both you and your dog make both of your lives so much more fulfilling. Always do your research before getting any breed, and make sure you either adopt or buy from a reputable breeder, stay away from shops, craigslist breeders, etc.

Now, I have never owned a ferret, so I can only say what I have heard, but from my understanding they are very high energy, and they smell something awful. They are smart and very affectionate, but I believe they require a lot more care then it seems.

Chameleons, or really any beginner reptile for that matter, make great pets because they are easy to care for as long as you understand their specific needs. They aren't as 'companionable' as say a dog or a cat would be, but I find my snake very calming and good for my depression. He doesn't require a lot of care, and its surprisingly therapeutic to hold him and watch him move around. Just know that the initial setup cost can be quite a lot depending on what you get. Again, avoid shops, see if your area hosts any reptile expos and check them out, talk to the people, hold some animals. From my experience, breeders love to share their knowledge to a new reptile owner who is eager to learn. I also find the prices a lot cheaper (unless say, you buy a $6k rare morph). My snake was only $45 when I got him, is extremely healthy (unlike all the petsmart pets I have gotten), and I can always contact the breeder if I have questions.

As for birds, they are super companionable and talkative, but can be to a fault. They tend to get attached and sometimes even defensive of their owner, and if they become stressed they can pluck their feathers. My mother had a parrot who would bite her and other people if they got too close. They also poop a lot lol. I do love birds though, they are absolutely brilliant and fun to hang out with. I have two friends who own birds, smart little guys, one loves to dance when his dad plays music. They are trained to poop every 15 min in a tray. One isn't a fan of new people, however, and likes to bite ears haha.

Also, please don't think that just because I put a lot of downsides in there that it means any of these don't make wonderful pets. I just assume you know more about the positives since they were the ones you were considering and it is always good to have a perspective.

I don't know how severe your friends allergies are, but there are some 'hypoallergenic' cats. As far as I know, no cats are 100% hypoallergenic, but there are a few breeds to choose from.

Rats could be another option, they are very smart and friendly, almost like mini dogs, and you can even train them. They poop a lot, too, though...and can be a bit stinky, haha.

Honestly, though, any animal can make a great friend as long as you are willing to put the time and energy into researching, training, and care. Before I was very active, I got a Husky knowing that, with my personality, I would change my behaviour to make my dog happy, and it has worked very well. My sister, on the other hand...probably shouldn't get a husky lol. Just be honest about your capabilities!

If you have any questions, particularly about dogs, cats, and reptiles, feel free to shoot me a message. I love animals and would be happy to help you figure out whats best for you ^_^

I hope any of this made sense, I can't sleep so I decided to lurk the forums.

[Tossu-sama]

Rats could be another option, they are very smart and friendly, almost like mini dogs, and you can even train them. They poop a lot, too, though...and can be a bit stinky, haha.

As a rat owner (as you can probably tell from my avatar lol) I can second rats being an option. They are very smart little things and if socialized correctly very friendly and loving furballs. We haven't tried to train our rats but they have learnt things on their own, like associating different sounds with certain things. And everytime I come home from school/work, they wake up and bounce all over the cage to greet me.
They also let you know if they're happy by grinding their teeth together to make this funny sound. They also do this pretty creepy thing with their eyes... There are plenty of videos of that in Youtube.

Rats do poop but then again, what animal doesn't. Usually, if they have a good diet the poop doesn't smell. I've noticed that high fibre diet reduces the smell. Giving them wheat bread certainly amps up the smell and also makes the stuff softer so they start making brown frescos all over the cage... Pee is the stinky stuff but regular cleaning and quality bedding that absorbs moisture takes care of that.
Rats can be house broken in a way that they don't do their business outside the cage. We haven't gone to that length because picking them up with toilet paper isn't a big deal but the other one has kinda learnt that himself?? Smart boy.

In general, male and female rats can be pretty different. Males can also get pretty hefty (our bigger boy is 700 grams which is about 1,5lbs) and they tend to get a bit lazy as they grow up. Females remain active throughout their lives and are also smaller in size.
Male rats also pee. A lot. They mark their surroundings just by walking over them and peeing on them at the same time. They also do this while you're holding them or letting them out for a run on the couch etc. But the pee really doesn't smell* and we have a spray bottle with diluted cleaning solution ready for when they pee on the couch.
*Note: I have experience with an intact male cat's pee smell so nothing compares to that in my mind lol.

Since rats are very social creatures that live in packs, it's very recommended to take at least two. Work-wise, there's no difference. You just need a big enough cage. They keep themselves company when you're not home, tussle around, clean each other, keep each other warm etc. I really like to watch how they interract with each other sometimes.

Having mentioned the cage, that can easily be the most expensive thing you gotta get. Rats need big cages, and if they're females, they need height. Both sexes climb around a lot but especially females.
Our cage's dimensions are 80 x 75 x 86,5 cm (31 x 29 x 34 inches) and it cost almost 200€ as new. You can get second-hand cages for much cheaper, though.

Rats come in great many varieties of colors and patterns, and there are also curly haired rex rats that are absolutely adorable with their corkscrew whiskers. x) Not to mention dumbos with their funny ears.

...I might've got a bit carried away with that but that's my two cents about rats. Great little buggers.

[kittenpower]

Right now, I'm thinking probably a dog, or a ferret, or maybe a chameleon or hawk.

Someone I used to know had 3 Hawks that he trained to go hunting with; he invited me to go with him once, but I declined.

[Dalibar]

@Tossu-Sama: Thanks for all that rat info! They seem like a really fun animal to get to know. We had one for a very short period when I was younger, we adopted her. She had some severe biting issues making it hard for us to handle her as kids, so we gave her to someone that could care for her better. Owned plenty of other rodents and all of them were great personality wise...but we bought them all from Petsmart and most were ill and died despite our best efforts.

Did you get your rats from a shop, or a breeder? How is their health?

And I googled those curly rats...they are the most adorable things!

[Tossu-sama]

@Tossu-Sama: Thanks for all that rat info! They seem like a really fun animal to get to know. We had one for a very short period when I was younger, we adopted her. She had some severe biting issues making it hard for us to handle her as kids, so we gave her to someone that could care for her better. Owned plenty of other rodents and all of them were great personality wise...but we bought them all from Petsmart and most were ill and died despite our best efforts.

Did you get your rats from a shop, or a breeder? How is their health?

And I googled those curly rats...they are the most adorable things!

My friend breeds rats as a hobby. He has a great policy with the rats that are going to be pets as he wants them to be tame to the point they want to be handled instead of just not being afraid of the hand. The baby rats are handled from very early on to make sure they get used to humans and associate them with everything nice. And it works, our boys were very tame to begin with and it's just gotten better over time.
He's not an official breeder, though, so he doesn't think about how the colors and patterns are inherited. His main goal is to breed rats with good temper and personality that'll make great pets. Our rats have mismarked color pattern which wouldn't fly in a rat show (apparently it would officially be called 'black variegated mismarked', what a mouthful).

Like I said, our rats are tame and love human attention and associate us with good things but I must also mention they have a clear personality difference. The smaller one is very easy to handle, he doesn't mind anything and you don't have to be afraid he would bite. He might take your finger in his mouth without biting down if it smells good etc. He's a real treat to be around. The bigger one, though, is different. He has clear boundaries how much he wants to be handled and doesn't enjoy being held in hands (if you can call it that, he kinda overflows due to his size...). If you push his buttons the wrong way, he will let you know in the rat way that he's had enough which can be through a nibble. I call it nibble because he doesn't bite seriously. That being said, he's not afraid of humans and seeks attention etc, he just... is like that. You can pet him and pick him up to move him but he's not a lap rat. He likes to sit on my shoulder, though.
Also, females rats can be a bit more prone to being temperamental. Hormones.
But yeah, personality differences are a thing in rats as well.

They are as healthy as a rat can be. I don't know how it is in the rest of the world but in Finland it's estimated that a vast majority of fancy rats carry a microbe called mycoplasma which causes a severe respitory infection called mycoplasmosis. It's harmless for humans, I don't remember if humans can even get it, but if we do it does basically nothing. For rats, though, it's sadly very often fatal and even if they'd survive with antibiotics it apparently has very high renewal rate which will just result in endless cycle of being sick and antibiotics.
Fortunately, the bug remains symptomless and doesn't develop into a full-blown disease just like that. Proper, basic care is usually enough to keep it away. It usually strikes when a rat's immunity system gets compromised in some way. A simple way to keep rats healthy is to prevent draft. They can handle cold but draft is bad for them, as it is for humans. A good rule of the thumb tends to be that what is good for humans is good for rats. Just think what usually compromises our immunity system and it's very likely the case with rats (stress, a minor flu, etc).
Also, a good quality diet does a lot when it comes to health. Everything in moderation and varied diet that provides necessary nutrients will make sure rats stay healthy. Rats are also very handy in the treat department because it's easy to give them healthy snacks they'll love, like vegetables and fruit. You'll hear no backtalk from them.

I've had dwarf hamsters that were from a pet shop and the other one wasn't very pleasant experience. She wasn't tame at all and I never managed to tame her despite of my best efforts. She just eventually learnt that the hand isn't an evil monster but that was it. Then again, I'm not surprised. The people at shops have so much more to do than just handling the animals to make sure they're used to it so unfortunately people get pets that are not tame at all.
Responsible breeders take care of the taming process early on so people get nice pets that are not out to get their fingers mangled up. I'd say it's pretty important for rats because they can do some serious damage with their teeth considering they're not the smallest pet rodents (wild rats are known to chew their way through lightweight blocks so...).

Gotta run so I catch the bus to school but I'll try to answer if you have anymore rat questions.

[Dalibar]

Ha! I love how their personalities are so distinct! When I was little I had a hamster named precious (how creative, I know...) and she was the friendliest little bugger. She would crawl into my hands if I put them down for her, and used to come over and give me kisses if I put my head down! She learned her name (or at least it seemed like it), and liked to stand/sit on her butt with her front half in the air and watch me or listen to my mom while she read to us. I miss her so much, she was very smart and figured out how to unscrew the cap from the blocked off tunnel in her cage from the inside. We ended up finding her frozen to death in the pipe thing that connects to the dryer. Poor thing was probably just trying to stay warm in the winter...I was heartbroken.

What type of rats do you have? Since OP is a first time pet owner is there one you would recommend for them or other first time rat owners? Do you have other pets, and how do they get along?

[Tossu-sama]

What type of rats do you have? Since OP is a first time pet owner is there one you would recommend for them or other first time rat owners? Do you have other pets, and how do they get along?

Well, our rats are the regular kind, no curly hair etc but as far as I know there's no difference in the coat texture how the caretaking works. Unless you have a hairless rat, that might need some extra attention but I feel iffy about those, as cute as they may be.
The only defining "feature" is probably their sex. They're males so they should be a bit more easy-going and lazy but the smaller one definetly has a battery stuck up his butt. And they're on their way to be big.
In general, the sex and individual personality dictates how a rat is. There are no breeds (at least not on Finland's standards), just different coat textures, colors and patterns.

As for other pets, we have one other but it doesn't give a damn about them because it's a scorpion. XD But rats are usually very adapting animals and get used to new circumstances pretty easily. They are naturally curious creatures so I'd guess they'd be interested in other animals or then just don't care about them. My friend has rats and a dog and he's had no problems in introducing them to each other but his dog has very good personality which counts for a lot in that encounter.
I would say that it's easier to have rats and a dog (I almost typed "rats and a god"...) than rats and a cat for obvious reasons. A cage protects the rats but the hovering presence of a predator would cause stress levels to rise.
Overly enthusiastic dog could also be problematic or a dog that likes small animals in the wrong way and thinks they're toys etc or the breed has background in rodent killing because those instincts can still be lingering around.

But yeah, rats can deal with a lot of things, it's more the other animals that are the problem.