trancejeremy
Adventurer
In college, one of my roommates had a cockatoo. While it was pretty neat, it was also messy as heck. If you get one, don't expect to get your cleaning deposit back.
Help me choose a pet...
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Birds and fish were meant to be eaten... 
Get a kitty!
Get a kitty!
LightPhoenix
First Post
Have you talked to your landlord about it, and do you intend to?
If you don't intend to, because you think the landlord will object to any pet, I strongly urge getting something relatively quiet, relatively odorless, and most of all innocuous. Of the three you listed, only a lizard really qualifies.
If you have talked to the landlord, or intend to, and you think he'll be okay with a pet, I'd plan on either the parrot or the lizard.
Ferrets, IME, are generally on the "no" list for most landlords - they tend to be messier than even dogs, even when trained (which they can be), and they tend to be smelly. This is especially true if you're going to let it run around free from the cage. On the other hand, they are a lot of fun, and a friend of mine even brought his to the park on a leash and let it run around.
If you don't intend to, because you think the landlord will object to any pet, I strongly urge getting something relatively quiet, relatively odorless, and most of all innocuous. Of the three you listed, only a lizard really qualifies.
If you have talked to the landlord, or intend to, and you think he'll be okay with a pet, I'd plan on either the parrot or the lizard.
Ferrets, IME, are generally on the "no" list for most landlords - they tend to be messier than even dogs, even when trained (which they can be), and they tend to be smelly. This is especially true if you're going to let it run around free from the cage. On the other hand, they are a lot of fun, and a friend of mine even brought his to the park on a leash and let it run around.
Thurbane
First Post
Thanks for all the replies.
OK a few answers:
Cats - no. Sorry, I'm just really not a cat person. I dont dislike them as such, but would never have one as a pet. Either you need to keep them cooped up inside all the time, or you let them out and they go killing native fauna (it's their nature, so you can't blame them). Also, there are already a ridiculously high number of cats in my neighborhood...
Mice/rats/gerbils/guineapigs - maybe. But most likely not. I know people who have owned most of these at one stage or another (had a friend who bred rats and guineapigs), and to be honest, they all strike me more as vermin to be kept out of a house than as a pet I would be interested in keeping. No offense intended to owners of any of these, BTW...
Fish - no. I've owned fish before. Too boring, die too easily.
My lease firmly says "no pets without landlords permission", and since my housemate is really, really anal about sticking to anything vaguely resembling a legal document, I would be compelled to be above board about it. So I guess, if the landlord says "no" to any pet, I'm outta luck. But I know people with the same landlord, and from what I heard, they are quite reasonable about things like this.
The issue of "why" is harder to answer. I miss my dog (a lot), and I'm hoping a new pet would help fill the void. I realise that birds and mammals are a lot more likely to return affection than a reptile, but ever since I was a kid I've been fascinated with reptiles, especially snakes and lizards. When I was living with family, they were all pretty "reptilephobic", so owning one was never an option. Same with birds, to a degree; no one in my family really wanted a bird in the house. Also, of the three animals I mentioned, my housemate is most comfortable with a lizard.
In terms of a parrot, I would like to spend a lot of time with it, and teach it to speak. The flat probably isn't big enough for a decent sized cockatoo or galah cage, so I'd be looking at something smaller, like a parrakeet or budgie. I'm told that parrakeets are quite good talkers.
I'm also told that ferrets are a lot of fun - probably the next most interactive mammal to a dog or cat. The smell wouldn't really bother me (my dog used to pong quite a bit, too), and I have a good friend who is a vet who could remove it's scent glands.
It's a hard choice...
OK a few answers:
Cats - no. Sorry, I'm just really not a cat person. I dont dislike them as such, but would never have one as a pet. Either you need to keep them cooped up inside all the time, or you let them out and they go killing native fauna (it's their nature, so you can't blame them). Also, there are already a ridiculously high number of cats in my neighborhood...
Mice/rats/gerbils/guineapigs - maybe. But most likely not. I know people who have owned most of these at one stage or another (had a friend who bred rats and guineapigs), and to be honest, they all strike me more as vermin to be kept out of a house than as a pet I would be interested in keeping. No offense intended to owners of any of these, BTW...
Fish - no. I've owned fish before. Too boring, die too easily.
My lease firmly says "no pets without landlords permission", and since my housemate is really, really anal about sticking to anything vaguely resembling a legal document, I would be compelled to be above board about it. So I guess, if the landlord says "no" to any pet, I'm outta luck. But I know people with the same landlord, and from what I heard, they are quite reasonable about things like this.
The issue of "why" is harder to answer. I miss my dog (a lot), and I'm hoping a new pet would help fill the void. I realise that birds and mammals are a lot more likely to return affection than a reptile, but ever since I was a kid I've been fascinated with reptiles, especially snakes and lizards. When I was living with family, they were all pretty "reptilephobic", so owning one was never an option. Same with birds, to a degree; no one in my family really wanted a bird in the house. Also, of the three animals I mentioned, my housemate is most comfortable with a lizard.
In terms of a parrot, I would like to spend a lot of time with it, and teach it to speak. The flat probably isn't big enough for a decent sized cockatoo or galah cage, so I'd be looking at something smaller, like a parrakeet or budgie. I'm told that parrakeets are quite good talkers.
I'm also told that ferrets are a lot of fun - probably the next most interactive mammal to a dog or cat. The smell wouldn't really bother me (my dog used to pong quite a bit, too), and I have a good friend who is a vet who could remove it's scent glands.
It's a hard choice...
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Tewligan
First Post
Umbran's right about ferrets being prone to health problems. I got lucky with mine - he was healthy until he finally passed away, with very little trouble through his life. However, a friend of mine who owns a couple of ferrets got into the habit of setting aside money every month in a bank account to be drawn from specifically for ferret health problems.
That warning aside, ferrets are fantastic pets. They're friendly and inquisitive, and can be trained to a litter box. They DO have a distinctive scent, but it's certainly not overpowering. Don't get one if you don't have the time to play with him occasionally, though. That, or get two so they can keep each other company. Make sure he has a place of his own to nest, and be prepared to have to go in there every now and then to retrieve small items he's "borrowed."
Sheesh - now I want a ferret again! Apparently they aren't allowed in California, though. Sigh.
That warning aside, ferrets are fantastic pets. They're friendly and inquisitive, and can be trained to a litter box. They DO have a distinctive scent, but it's certainly not overpowering. Don't get one if you don't have the time to play with him occasionally, though. That, or get two so they can keep each other company. Make sure he has a place of his own to nest, and be prepared to have to go in there every now and then to retrieve small items he's "borrowed."
Sheesh - now I want a ferret again! Apparently they aren't allowed in California, though. Sigh.
Get a small dog, and learn where you can let the twit run free. Lots of toys, confidence training, and friends who'll babysit when it's needed and you're golden.
Thurbane said:
A couple notes:
Indoor cats live fine, happy lives. Humans have some romantic notions that cats need to go outside in order to be happy, and that's just not true. Your cat would not be "cooped up".
The average lifespan of an outdoor cat in the US is approximately three years. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is, if I recall correctly, at least three times that. So, in terms of long and happy life, the indoor guy wins, hands down.
That is definitely an important consideration.
Well, not having room for the cage of a larger bird is probably a good thing. When I said you needed a lot of time to devote to them, I was not kidding. I'm talking several hours a day devoted to playing with the thing - they are highly social, and if not given attention and enrichment, they suffer from sensory deprivation, and that isn't good. And they get noisy and messy.
Parakeets (also called budgies), are a far different beast. Technically a member of the parrot family, they are far less needful of human interaction.
Your landlord might mind the smell. It has a habit of settling in to carpets, furniture, walls and floors, and in some circumstances it can be nearly impossible to clean out.
Yes, it is. And it is darned good you're giving it solid consideration before jumping in. My recommendation: call a veterinarian in your area who deals in exotics, and ask them for a pre-adoption consult. They can give you details on what the animal will need for living conditions, what expenses you ca expect, what you'll need to feed it to keep it healthy - the best way to have a healthy pet is to have an educated owner.
Aeolius
Adventurer
Thurbane said:
Well, the cat people didn't leave you alone (I have 7 of those, as well), so I'll go on about fish.
You might consider a saltwater reef tank. They are infinitely more interesting than a stock freshwater setup, though they do require a great deal of patience.
Envision a compact ecosystem with bacteria-laden "live" sand and coralline algae encrusted liverock. Add to that the typical "clean-up crew" that keeps reef tanks happy; hermit crabs, snails, sea stars, abalone, sea cucumbers, and more. Then add a touch of symbiosis with an anemone and clownfish. Or perhaps a "species tank" is more to your liking; seahorses are mesmerizing but don't get along well with many other fish.
Granted, some landlords are hesitant to allow aquariums on upper floors, just like they used to disallow waterbeds.
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