You should work on taking care of yourself/your home before moving to another life that relies fully on you.
this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2023
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your right, ok ill try...
With that said, I think that a companion pet can often help one make those changes. Since it sounds like money and allergies are a bit of an issue, I would suggest looking at rats. They are incredibly loyal and affectionate, clean, intelligent. They only live about 2-3 years, which sucks, but if you find that pet ownership isn't for you (and it's okay if it isn't), you aren't beholden to an animal that will live 4-5 times as long.
This is a good recommendation!
I guess taking care of a handful of plants is always a good first step in getting your life back together.
Plants are always great :)
Cats and dogs are surprisingly some of the least labor intensive pets. Things like rabbits, reptiles, birds, etc are all effectively exotic pets. Not all veterinaries can or will treat them. They have highly specialized diets, and social structures. They tend to have pens or cages that need regular deep cleaning. So on and so forth.
There’s also a personal preference at play. Personally, I’m a cat person. Dogs are adorable, when they are someone else’s.
Obviously, if you’re allergic to dogs/cats, that probably rules them out (I’m allergic to cats and have 2 but my allergy is relatively mild).
Based on the 4 sentences you provided a fish might be your best bet.
The other thing with rabbits (and prey animals in general) is they don’t always form a good bond with a human; it can take a long time if they are fussy. Even if they do take to liking you, prey animals tend to only show subtle signs of illness until they are critically unwell by which point it might be too late. That’s before we get to whether there’s a vet nearby who has a special interest in “exotic pets” and who knows how to help.
Edit to add: the signs of illness are subtle because they actively hide it - key to survival is to avoid looking like easy prey.
Agreed.
Iirc their diets are highly specialized too. It’s not what everyone thinks. You can just give them lettuce and the occasional fruit.
I’d say most animals mask their illness/injuries well, unfortunately. Pet owners really need to know their pet well and see the very subtle changes most of the time.
The main reason I'm not interested in practicing on exotics, even though I love them, is because they hide their illnesses so well. It feels like by the they're sick enough for an owner to notice and bring them in, 9/10 the prognosis is so grave they're euthanized on presentation or die a few days later.
I think it depends. I have three snakes, and I feel that combined they're less work than a single cat or dog. They're all in bioactive enclosures with an automatic misting system, so other than changing out the water, care just involves feeding them once a week to once every other week, reading the temps and humidity whenever I walk into the room, and occasionally handling the to inspect for potential issues
Rats are actually very good pets. You'll need 2 because they are super social. They are very clean and smart, and it's possible to train them. We had some when my kids were small and one would ride around on my shoulder. Super cute.
Also, they're cheap. But they don't live very long. They aren't hypo allergenic but they're so small it isn't a problem, my wife is allergic to cats and regular dogs and she didn't have an issue.
Or, get a non-allergy dog. There's lots of doodles and shitzu mixes out there now.
This is a highly subjective question. For me personally, it has been cats. Some people prefer reptiles. It very much depends upon the individual person.
My friend let me in on it in university:
Dogs are better pets. Cats are more practical pets.
Can't help you with the allergy part.
I had cats all my life. I was born into a home with cats. There has never not been a cat living with me.
That said, I finally got dogs a few years ago and they are so much better at being your buddy than cats.
I still love cats, but dogs are so vastly different they don't even compare. Having dogs is, I think, as close to having children as you can get without having kids. They act like toddlers, but they also learn, have unique personalities, show their affection more like a human, and are loyal as fuck.
The phrase "a dog is a man's best friend" isn't bullshittin'.
Depends on what you want in a buddy. Dogs are the obvious buddy choice since every dog actually wants to be your friend. I have a very dog-like cat who is very affectionate and follows along on walks etc but it's hardly the norm.
But I do want to mention reptiles, especially crested geckos, as being a surprisingly practical pet and while you aren't going to cuddle with them much they give you a lot of attention during feeding and are very calming to be around and watch while they roam around their terrarium. Sadly many lose interest fast but that means craigslist and similar websites are crawling with them so you can get a terrarium and gecko pretty cheap and if you live where the indoor climate is steady taking care of them is very easy and lower maintenance that both an indoor cat or a dog.
If you know how to take care of fish, there's some fish that are more personable. I had a Butterkoferi Tilapia at work who was fun, he would play with a ping pong ball, we had a constant fight on how we decorated his tank, I like gravel to be nicely spread out, he liked it all in one corner.
There's things like flowerhorns who like being stroked, or puffers who recognise their owners.
It's not a dog but it's definitely a buddy.
Guinea pig maybe (perhaps a larger breed) although you might still be allergic). I find rabbits aren't really that interested in playing but don't know about guinea pigs. If fur is totally out, maybe something like an iguana (but the only one i know of is jubjub on the simpsons). I think this would depend where you live as well. Birds like budgies could be good but the only experience I have is of friends pets, and they stank.
FYI all of the animals you listed are effectively exotic pets, and difficult to very difficult to care for. Most vets won't/can't see them, they have highly specialized diets/needs. They have enclosures that require constant cleaning. They are not good first pets. Birds can also live for VERY long times (budgies are on the lower end of the spectrum for birds, but parrots can live more than 50 years)
While I concede your general point on the practicalities of responsible pet ownership and exotic pets, I imagine that what you are saying about vets be fairly region specific. Indoor birds are the 3rd most popular pet in the UK... albeit with only 3% of households as cats and dogs dominate here. There are 2 vets that service birds within 2 miles of me and one is an exotic specialist. Location was not specified so I suggested some of the more common options if the most popular ones are not suitable.
I mean, that’s great but that’s not the norm everywhere. Yes, there will be vets who can look at them. I’m in a big city so you can definitely find them, but it doesn’t mean they are taking new patients, or that your specific animal is going to be something they know how to deal with. You even said one of the two near you IS an exotic pet vet.
That also doesn’t change their diets, social structures, cleaning requirements, etc. since so many few people have those animals (3% according to you) it’ll be harder to find accurate info about care. Look at how many bunnies get adopted for Easter and then get abandoned because, surprise, they are WAY more work than people knew.
Guinea pigs and rabbits are not really exotic and are standard in the UK. Guinea pigs can be amazingly affectionate if they spend enough time around you and get loads of treats.
Obviously I'm partial to cats
But ferrets and bunnies are great too but, yeah, just remember pets aren't something you can get and then forget about. If you're going to get one, be ready for the commitment of caring for it - even if it's a fish or reptile. :)
Cats are nice, but dogs are man's best friend for a reason. Some cats will defend you, but most dogs are ride or die. And they can read you emotionality, just like we can read them.
Snakes require a proper setup.
But they only eat every 2-5 weeks and they dont make any noise.
They arent very cuddle though.
I had a boa which was passive once. But they do live several years so... be wary. Its a commitment.
I personally consider getting a parrot currently but not where i live right now.
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