Pet Suggestions?

( I know there is a good handful of knowledgeable animal lovers here)[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]I could use some help...
[/QUOTE]Now that I have a relatively stable source of money and am living back at home, I have decided that it's time I satisfy that little lonely space in my heart and get  a pet. I'm 19, not some 10 yr old who thinks a cage will clean itself. I understand about care and responsibilities etc. I've always wanted a dog but that's going to have to be put on hold until I move out for good into a place of my own.  Same goes for cats--right now I need something that can live in a cage/tank....in my room. [/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]In the past, when I was younger, I had a rabbit that lived about 10 years. He spent most of his time in a big hutch in the backyard, but if I were to get another one, it would need to be happy with living in a space indoors year round, and I'm not sure if that's a bad idea?  I'd love one, but I don't  know if it'd work out.[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]I'd love something that doesn't mind being picked up and handled,and it'd be even better if it was capable of showing a little bit of affection.  I heard rats are like this, but only live for about two years. However, I'm still not ruling it out.[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]I've been reading about degus the past couple of days, I have never even heard of one up until recently. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and could tell me first hand what they are like?[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]I guess the creatures I am ruling out are:[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]Dogs/cats (although would love to get one)[/QUOTE]Ferrets (they are cool but their pee is so potent)[/QUOTE]Fish [/QUOTE]Tarantulas
[/QUOTE]Birds (I think they are neat, but I have a feeling they may make too much noise)[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]...everything else is fair game, as long as its small/medium in size.[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]I've been thinking about a snake, but they live for so long, I'm not sure if I'm willing to make a 50 year commitment...[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]Thanks for any advice you can offer![/QUOTE]

You should have a dog, golden retriver, it's a really smart and cool dog...

i had one, he died with 1 year old[img=http://www.queenzone.com/images/smiley/msn/sad_smile.gif][/img].... i loved have one, and i guess you'll like to have one too!

search about this dog, and see!

I suggest you to think one more time about a rat. Or how are you feeling about a small tortoise?
I had a rat myself long ago. I tell you- it's a marvellous creature! I wish I could have one now! They are so cute and funny. A tortoise is not funny for sure, but still quite nice. And it won't bring  you much trouble like fish.

i  got a shitload of baby elephants you can have! :-p

I'll second the rat idea. They are very charming, colorful, and not noisy. 

Rabbit pee is also very strong when you have one inside in a contained area. They can be housebroken, but it is kind of a process from what I've read. It didn't look like anything I wanted to do, so I crossed that one off of my list.

You are right to rule out birds unless you will be around a lot as they can be noisy and destructive and need more attention than you might be able to give them, which would make them noisier and more destructive, possibly picking their own feathers off in boredom and/or despair.

Have you considered a girl friend?

You have to keep them watered and their cage cleaned, but they can be useful...

A TARANTULA??!!

Jess, I know you're heavily into Alice Cooper and a lot of horror stuff, which is pretty cool, but C'MON!!

;-)

[QUOTE]

[b]Micrówave wrote: [/b]

Have you considered a girl friend?

You have to keep them watered and their cage cleaned, but they can be useful...[/QUOTE]
I don't think Jessica is into girls.

She does have a boyfriend, but I don't know if that counts as a pet.

Hi Jessica! :-)

I have an indoor rabbit.  She is a spayed female mini-rex called Bebe. She is very clean, and is litter box trained. She loves to be petted and is very interactive with us (she adores my husband, the little hussy!). She is a really nice pet.

Guinea pigs can be an absolutely wonderful pet that respond to affection and attention and will actually communicate with you (when they hear the fridge open, they "wheek" for their veggies, or when they want attention.) Mine purr when I scratch them and pet them. They are a lot of fun,  and can live 5-8 years with good care. I've kept them for years. Lisser has a lot of experience with them as well.

Degus...well, I have had two of them. One was very sweet, and the other terrified no matter what we tried! They are not cuddly pets, but they do love to take food out of your hands and crawl on you, etc.

I'd be happy to answer any questions I can for you!

A goldfish has to be the most useless pet ever.

[QUOTE]

[b]Rick wrote: [/b]

A goldfish has to be the most useless pet ever. [/QUOTE]
The way I see it, if you can't pet your pet then it's not a pet.

Fish are more of an ornament rather than a pet.

I've had goldfish I could pet.  They would come to the top of the water when I stuck my finger in the tank.  I know they were looking for food, but I liked to tell myself they wanted to be petted. ;-P

[QUOTE]

[b]Erin wrote: [/b]

I've had goldfish I could pet.  They would come to the top of the water when I stuck my finger in the tank.  I know they were looking for food, but I liked to tell myself they wanted to be petted. ;-P[/QUOTE]

lol! :-)

I used to have a betta fish that i fed frozen brine shrimp out of a baby spoon! lol!  And my oscar would eat dry catfood out of my hand.

[QUOTE]

[b]Micrówave wrote: [/b]

Have you considered a girl friend?

You have to keep them watered and their cage cleaned, but they can be useful...[/QUOTE]






great pet.... great idea!!!!! lol kkkkkk

I do have a wHEEkness (no pun intended) for piggies. I just love them. At one point I had 8 of them bc I had adopted 2 from my local animal shelter and I guess when people would drop them off there they would call me and ask me to take them. I found that I couldn't say no but when illnesses would happen, they are very expensive to have treated. You have to take them to an exotic vet. I was spending $300/visit. I had to put a stop to it and from then on decided I would not have more than 2-4 at a time in my home. I made a deal with the animal shelter to call me if they had pigs and I would pay for all of their food, blankets, toys, etc but they would house them until they were adopted.

They are a lot of work if you take care of them properly which I know you would. They must have a big enough cage with access to pellets and fresh timothy hay at all times. They must have fresh water available to them at all times as well. They drink a lot. I feed my pigs a salad made of any type of lettuce except for iceburg with fruits in the am and a salad with veggies in it in the evening, so twice a day they get fresh food. Guinea pigs must have vitamin C given to them through the food they eat. Oranges and red and yellow peppers are the best ways to get them the Vitamin C they need. Do not buy a vitamin C supplement in the store. Guinea pigs are social animals and love to have a friend so as long as it is not a male and a female pair. Two females would be the best.

You should check your local animal shelter for guinea pigs that need to be adopted. I do not support buying animals in pet stores, there are far too many animals that are in need of homes. Do a google search on guinea pigs if you are interested in owning them. There is a really good site called cavycages.com I believe it is.

If you don't want all the responsibility of a guinea pig, get a pair of gerbils. I keep a pair in my office and they are so friendly and fun to watch. I've had them for 2 years now. I know they do not live very long but mine show no signs of aging at all. I feed them fresh food along with their seed/pellets. They barely drink any water at all. They do not smell and are very clean.

Let me know if I can help at all with anything else. Guinea pigs are great but you must give them time and space. They are very shy but will eventually warm up to you...some quicker than others.

Good luck and let me know what you decide!