December 09, 2004

• What is a good pet choice besides a cat or dog
• How about a rock?
• aquababies
• Fish are good, if you have the room for a tank. They're very relaxing to watch.
• Rats are pretty good pets. They're surprisingly intelligent and they'll bond with you much like a dog will. Of course, they are rats, and for some people that's a problem. Also, try to get a female one as the males tend to constantly mark they're territory and can't be trained not to.
• I have cats. I've also had dogs. I had a guinea pig for a while. He was long-haired and blonde, and looked like a freaking toupee running across the floor. Fairly easy to take care of, and you can sort of play with them, but they are rather skittish. Ferrets are very playful animals. I had friends who kept them, but I don't know how high maintenance they might be. Or you could always check into Sugar Gliders. Just keep the toilet seat down.
• I love me some betta fishies. Seriously, they're very expressive - when I go up to mine & shake my head, they start doing the "betta dance", and they each have their own personality. I recommend going to a local aquarium; Petsmart, PetCo, etc., are B-A-D to their fishies. (the first site I linked to is my favorite, regarding care, and general information)
• Xenopus frogs are great - personality filled and stay in the water. If you want something interesting and don't mind a bit of time commitment, try an iguana - but READ UP first. They're easy to take care of if you know how, but guesswork isn't part of it. :) I've seen iguanas who would come when they were called and walk on leashes, like dogs.
• Get a cockatoo or a parrot. Think of all the fun you'll have teaching it how to swear!!
• Or, if you want your pet to give you nightmares- Triops!
• Ferrets are extraordinarily high maintenance. If you're not up for scooping dog poo, you're not up for ferrets. Imagine a small, furry quidnunc kid in your home. Got that image? That's what ferrets are like, only not so much with the erections and the swearing. I'll second fish, though you can't play with them. I'm a big snake/lizard fan, myself, though you may want something more cuddly.
• hmm... I guess it depends on how long you travel and if you could have good pet care while you're gone. without that, you're very limited. I'd say a good solution would be a betta. They learn to react to you (mine would come to the top of his bowl if I whistled), require minimal care (compared to other pets), and are lovely to look at. change the water in the bowl once a week, feed a couple of pellets each day. on preview, what minda25 said!
• parrots are quite high maintenance and might be a problem with yonger children. unless they are properly cared for/fed, you've got a flying can opener.
• Love my goldfish, Captains Bligh and Hudson. They've just turned three. Of course, with goldfish, you need to go through a few to find good ones (R.I.P. Captains Smith, Cook, da Gama, Stubing, Morgan, et al), but once you do, you grow surprisingly attached. Last long-termer I had, when you entered the room, she would swim up to the side of the bowl closest to you, and wouldn't move until you came and patted her on the head. And for a goldfish, that's damn impressive. Goldfish. Low-to-no maintenance, and they don't impact your vacation plans. Not high on the cuddly scale, though. And the high mortality rate may have an impact on the kids (educational or emotional -- you tell me).
• Guinea pigs (I have two) are cuddly, harder to lose than a hamster, make cool space alien noises, and will let you know if you are ignoring/not spoiling them (unlike a fish). They are also skittish as all get out, and are happiest in pairs (or more). And mine have peed on me a few times, which is not my favorite feature in a pet. I think scooping is easier than cleaning a cage, though. Other than that you just have to keep the cage full of pellets, water, hay and veggies. I also have a betta fish. I, personally, get as much out of fish ownership as I put in, which is almost nothing, but he was an excuse to name something Tony Blair. His predecessor, Sven, lasted three years.
• I had some pet mice for awhile, and they were very cool but stinky. My favorite part was putting them in their clear plastic running balls and watching them chase the cat. I have three rabbits now and I love them, but they are high-maintenance and I can't leave them alone outside their cages for a second or something will be chewed to pieces. No matter what pet you get, even fish, you do have to clean up after them. So decide how much yuck you can deal with. Personally, I'd rather clean the cat's litter box then clean an aquarium.
• If you aren't going to be home much, then get a snake. They don't require constant attention. I'd recommend a corn snake, either red albino or black albino. Easy to care for, cheap, and unusual looking. They don't get that big, and aren't aggressive. Don't go through a pet store, you should be able to find a local breeder that'll sell you a baby for 20-30 bucks, and it'll be in much better health from a breeder than from a pet store.
• I have a parrot with a bad attitude you could have, but then I really don't advise one unless you have a lot of time for their prerequisite bonding time every day. Snakes are great, but those corn snakes are well-known escape artists and the others are bigger than you within a year. And definitely not very cuddly or interactive. If you like birds, something like finches are quite independent of human interaction and low maitenance. But bird dander is a bad allergen as well. I think first you should decide amongst hair, fur, feathers or scales. /and avoid pet stores.
• I had a guinea pig that was let to roam free in the back yard and was a great pet. The only maintenance it ever required was to leave a half a head of lettuce and a carrot by the bush where she lived every day
• ooh, what kind of parrot do you have, dxlifer? pikestrider: if you want low-maintenance *and* annoying, I'll send my yoda furby.
• A friend of mine has a pet Australian Cockatoo that he rescued from a man with a shotgun while traveling in Australia. The bird is amazingly intelligent and well-trained. It squawks whenever it needs to go outside to poop and needs little supervision. When he takes her out and about, sometimes he just puts her up in a tree and goes inside to do his business. When he's done, he bangs a stick on the trunk of the tree, she flies down to him, and off they go.
• In response to Cap'n Renault, goldfish almost almost do just fine -- we're talking twenty years or so -- if kept in a proper tank. I should mention, though, that a proper tank for goldfish should consist of at least ten gallons of water PER FISH. I have two goldfish in a forty-gallon tank. Of course, the neat think with that approach is that if you're patient, they'll grow to be about a foot long. Anyway, back to generalized pet recommendations. I like reptiles a lot. If you want something you can take out and play with, African fat-tailed geckos are thing. Leopard geckos are also pretty mellow, and widely available. If you just want something to watch, try a tokay gecko. They're easy to take care of, brightly colored, and amusing to watch. Oh yeah, and THEY BARK. BARKING LIZARDS. How do you go wrong with that? Very tough to handle, though, which is why Vietnam vets referred to them as "f**k you lizards," and they can bite right through a leather gardening glove. A tokay bite feels less like fang punctures and more like being attacked by a drunken, rabid hobo with a potato peeler, so that's something to discover. Love mine, though. Little bastards. Two or three of any of the lizards I've mentioned will do well in a twenty gallon tank (if you're going with the tokays, get one that's twenty gallons tall instead of wide), or if you just want one you can get by with a ten gallon, plus an undertank heater and maybe an infrared light for cold nights.
• A double-yellow headed Amazon, patita. He was a rescue case at age two and I've had him eight years without him getting to like me a bit. He adores my husband though, who arrived after the parrot. That is a parrot lesson in itself: they choose their own people, regardless of who cares for them.
• I second the "drunk, rabid hobo with a potato peeler" impression of tokay gecko bites. Fat-tailed geckos tend to be more docile and they have one of the coolest evolutionary adaptations EVER (look 'em up!). Jackson's chameleons, while they do need special lights and insect food, are awesome, docile, and feel SO COOL walking up one's arm.
• Musingmel, how intensive are the care requirements of Jackson's chameleons? My herp. vet's tried to raise them, and he said chameleons in general aren't worth the trouble.
• If you're still interested in a cat despite the allergies, you could look into getting a sphynx, which is hairless and is apparently less of a problem for allergy-sufferers. Here's an excerpt from their FAQ: I am allergic to cats. Will I be allergic to these funny looking buggers? Most likely, if you're allergic to cats, you'll be allergic to hairless cats - it's the enzymes in their saliva, which is then transferred to their skin (or fur) when they groom themselves, not the fur. Just like in all animals and humans, fur is shed, and the skin ("dander") flakes off as it is replaced by new skin. The fur and dander, coated with the irritating enzyme, float in the air and cause the allergic reaction. The reason this breed works for a lot of allergic people is that, because there is no fur to shed and float around, there is less dander floating around in the air. Sphynx skin is oily, due to the lack of fur, and the dander tends to cling to the cats. You wash them weekly, so a lot of the dander goes down the drain. If you're allergic, you just have to make sure to keep the cats (and your fingers, after touching the cats) away from your eyes and nose, and wash their bedding often, as their blankets will absorb their skin's oils and dander. We explain everything we do to live with these cats and our allergies on our ”allergic?” page.
• I love sphynx cats. I would be a bit concered about the poor kitty keeping warm in a cold climate, though. Seems that your heating bills would be pretty high if you owned one in Buffalo.
• I third the recommendation for guinea pigs: 1) They are willing to accept as much attention as you want to give them, or as little. Sometimes we hardly pick them up for days on end, and they're quite as happy as the days we incessantly pet and pester them. 2) With some good planning, you can go away for a weekend and not worry about them starving or dehydrating to death. Much longer than a couple days, though, and I'd recommend a piggy-sitter. 3) With the right cage, all you have to do when it gets too wet or poopy is take the piggies out, put them in the bathtub for a couple minutes, and dump the cage right into a trashcan. Then just refill with pine. 4) Definitely get 2 piggies. We have to females and that's probably why they don't mind when we don't give them much attention sometimes.
• *two, not "to"
• I had a rabbit and I'd recommend it. The big ones (like a Giant Lop, for example) are the sweetest tempered and they're smart enough that they can be litter box trained for when they're out of their cage. If you buy an extra water bottle or two and a big food bowl they are fine by themselves in the cage for a few days. One piece of advice: if you get more than one then be sure to spay or neuter them. They don't call it 'fucking like bunny rabbits' for nothing.
• I *heart* my leopard gecko. Not really a pick-up-and-play-with-it sort of pet (I did handle her a lot as a baby though) but cute to look at. Easy maintenance - certainly less work than keeping fish - make sure she has fresh wood chips, scoop out her poop, which is always in the same corner of the cage, feed live crickets twice a week (and it's quite "Wild Kingdom" to watch her eat, sure to fascinate the kids), fresh water every day, lamp on half the day. They can easily live over 15 years (I've had mine for almost 8). We have a friend who is wild over her guinea pigs. More info on that page, and she really enjoys them as pets - they do seem very cute and personable. Although it's my impression from friends that own either pigs or ferrets that many die at what I'd consider a hamster rate (maybe live 2 to 4 years), which would be too hard on me, personally. I've known two people with hedgehogs that were quite attached to them, and I've met people with rabbits that just *lurve* their bunnies.
• I have dearly loved my iguana and chinchillas.
• pikestrider - I highly highly recommend getting some chickens. You didn't mention if you had yard space or not. If you do, I think chickens are the most rewarding pets you can own. Reasons? 1. They lay eggs...that you can eat! 2. You don't have to buy toys, the chickens will keep themselves entertained 3. Food is cheap (I spend about $20 CDN a month for 6 birds). 4. Their poo can be used as garden fertilizer 5. They stay outside 6. You can leave them all day and not feel guilty 7. They're very entertaining to watch 8. Everyone you tell will think it's the wildest thing they've ever heard of..."Chickens!! In your backyard!!"...priceless 9. If you have an established garden they're excellent at cleaning up 6 - 8 legged pests. 10. Did I mention you can eat their eggs! Good luck with finding a pet that suits you.
• The iguana might not be good for kids, because they are aloof and spiny. But if you have male chinchilla(s) (neutered) they can be trained to a litter box, and once accustomed to humans, they are quite cuddly and sweet. Plus, they hop, which is always cute.
• Chickens!?! Isn't avian flu going around?
• By the way, it's good to get a pet that sleeps a lot.
• Avian flu in North America is contained to large scale factories where chickens are kept in such close proximity and moved around so much that virus transmission is inevitable. Chickens in your backyard will have no such contact with other birds. They will also be much healthier, and therefore disease resistant, than your average factory chicken. British Columbia had a huge outbread of avian flu a while back. Backyard chickens were exempt from the ensuing slaughter. They aren't that big of a risk. Oh, I should mention one disadvantage of chickens. You don't scoop, you shovel. I'm sure you can find a neighbourhood kid who will clean a coup out for a few bucks once a month.
• why don't you just have a baby? HAHAHA!!! just kidding.... seriously though, here's a fun fact that might clinch it for you...couples that own fish fight, on average, three times less than couples that don't....cool huh? what i really want is a reef tank...i miss the new world aquarium store in nyc (live in la now) they had the coolest stuff...goat fish are MAD! the baby giant clams were pretty awesome too...
• My mother-in-law kept chickens, Freddy, and they were pretty cool. Unfortunately something got in the coop and after that she didn't have the heart to get more chickens that would probably just also get eaten. Still, it was definitely good to start conversations with.
• I love the chicken idea and I would have one myself, but alot of cities (including mine) have prohibitions on livestock. Do investigate local ordinances and the like if you go this route. Actually, do so for any "exotic" pet, just so you don't get in trouble later. I want a guinea pig now! But my roomie objects to their alien noises.
• Thank you for your suggestions. I enjoyed reading all of them. I love the chicken idea. I do actually have a decent yard I could keep them in. However, I think the neighborhood raccoons might appreciate the foul a little too much. I guess I could diaper one and let it live inside... I am sure I can sell my wife on aquababies or triops, but it sure looks like fun to keep a fat-tailed gecko (although I have to say I am not so sure I want a trash can full of 1,000 crickets around the house).
• On review, what cabingirl said: I love the chicken idea.
• I have two fire-bellied toads. I built a neat little tank for them--part water, part land. There's a filter on the water side so the tank only needs cleaning once a month or so. I feed them crickets once a week and meal worms whenever I feel like it. They're pretty hardy for exotic amphibians. You can't play with them because their skin can be toxic (only if you don't wash you hands after touching them and put your fingers in your mouth) and the salt from your skin can hurt them--and they're amphibians, so let's face it, they hate you. Reptiles and amphibians don't want to make friends. A rat would probably be higher maintenance, but would provide a lot more in the cuddling and personality department. I actually find keeping animals in cages depressing (my first toad was a gift from my boss), but I don't know what else you could have if you'll be travelling a lot.
• You don't need a trashcan full of crickets in the house. If you were running a breeding operation, maybe, but even at inflated pet store prices your cricket costs for keeping one gecko fat and happy should be around two or three dollars a week, tops. I think I spend maybe five bucks a week, and that's for four geckos.
• Cali wrote about rabbits: "One piece of advice: if you get more than one then be sure to spay or neuter them. They don't call it 'fucking like bunny rabbits' for nothing." Even if you do this, they still seem to enjoy themselves. A friend had two females living together in the same cage (kept separate from an overly aggresive male which eventually had to go away), who had, ah, lesbian oral pleasure regularly. No shit. My friend did a little research, and claimed that rabbits are one of the few species which seem to have orgasm/pleasure as part of their sexual behavior. No idea if this is true, but seeing rabbit oral sex was certainly a memorable moment in my life. I'm still a cat person. Every other type of pet I've ever had or been around seems to be much farther up the hassle/happiness scale by quite a bit. If I were allergic I'd certainly consider a Sphynx.
• Yeah, you just get a dozen crickets from the pet store for a buck or two, once or twice a week. Also there's this stuff (ReptoCal I think it's called) that's a white powder, that costs like five bucks a plastic bottleful and lasts for a few months - you dump a little in the plastic bag of crickets and shake it so they get coated with it. Then set 'em loose in the tank. We call it "shake 'n bake". That's pretty much it on food expenses/trouble if you're not breeding. The crickets have to be live though when you feed the gecko. Mine won't eat them once they die.
• Someone brought up chinchillas! Great. I wish I could have one again - mine lives with relatives now because my lease forbids any pets of any kind - but I was going to mention that, chinchillas or rabbits. Though I don't know how they'd mix with little kids. Grabbing, tromping, squeezing... not all that great for a chinchilla, I think. They're affectionate, but you can't really grab them and give them bear hugs. Or maybe I'm underestimating little-kid behavior. I was terrified of most animals as a kid (got over it, though), so I don't have memories of what I did then.
• (And errrr, I know the decision was already made, but... oh, never mind. These threads can be of general interest, too.)
• mofi: a trashcan full of crickets
• Why not keep a lobster - "He doesn't bark, and he knows the secrets of the deep".
• As long as you have a well designed coup and you're vigilant about locking up the chickens in their coup after it gets dark then you won't need to worry about raccoons. Also what cabingirl said. Check with you're bylaw/ordinance officer before getting chickens. I'm pushing the laws in my area a bit (I'm allowed to keep chickens, but not as many and not the type that I have), but I keep the neighbours placated with free-range eggs every once in a while and have yet to receive a visit from the city. Here's some more info on rasing chickens in your backyard.
• Someone who's allergic to cats might well be allergic to other furry animals. I'm somewhat allergic to cats but severly allergic to guinea pigs, hamsters, rats. Parrots can live 50 years. Don't get one unless you're willing to make that commitment. Cockatiels or budgies would be better choices if you aren't. And lots of people are allergic to birds.
• What? Nobody here makes the obvious recommendation of a darling pet monkey?
• I like fish. As mentioned above, they need space (or the illusion of space) to swim. Have you considered The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys?
• couples that own fish fight, on average, three times less than couples that don't....cool huh? Watching fish eases human stress My former boss got a cockatiel for her daughter, and the whole family fell in love with it. Overall they seem to be more personable than parakeets. Although my brother had a parakeet that liked to drink scotch with him.
• If you're not into petting, what about a pair of finches? They're lovely to wake to, cheerful all day, shut up when covered, kids like to watch them, and not too high maintaince if you have the right set up. They can be messy and throw seed out of the cages, but with the right cage and seed trap around the cage, they're fine. I really, really shouldn't do this--but someone has to: Monkeyfilter: seeing rabbit oral sex was certainly a memorable moment in my life Imagine a small, furry quidnunc kid in your home. Got that image? That's what ferrets are like, only not so much with the erections and the swearing. Oh, god, it hurts to laugh that much
• I highly recommend crabs, aka "pubic lice." You can leave them unattended for great lengths of time and they will not die. You do not have to spend money to feed them. They travel very easily, and can be transported on flights at no cost. They are virtually undetectable by landlords or roommates who forbid any pets. I highly recommend them, though I have heard that there is a down side.