mouse? rat? hampster? gerbil? guinea pig? what's the best pet?

Don't get a great dane then! With your luck it might fall on Noah. Get a Basenji, they don't bark and are small. I'll have to find Priscilla's pic then. But what kind of dog do you have in mind?

 

I don't want a little yippie one, and I don't mind a really big one... I just want one that's good-natured and chilled out and would make a sufficient watch dog, should I ever move out of my mom's house and need protection. I thought about a German Shepherd.... if you find the pic of Priscilla (I think it might be on the last page), I think she was a good size. I'm not picky. I just don't want something annoying or potentially dangerous.

 

Phew...good lord you have more pics than deck the walls...hehehe...Was she a lab mixed with an irish setter? Pretty dog though. German Shepards are great. They listen really well. My sis has one. They do shed a lot though...And cute kid.

 

Thank you! I'm not sure what she was... I knew she had some lab, but I was never sure what else. My mom had a German Shepherd when she was young that she still talks about....haha... we had one when I was a kid who was half coyote or something, but he had the coloring of a Shepherd... he was crazy. Don't get a coyote dog. We didn't know what we were getting into when we adopted him.... but we figured it out.

 

hehehe...a coyote dog...I will make a note of that. Are you going to get one from the SPCA or look for a pure breed? My sis also has a Rotty. Which one wouldn't think was good with kids be she loves my niece and nephew. They are very protective dogs. The only problem with her is she is 185lbs. She also tends to drool when she eats.

 

haha.... eew. I thought about going to Happy Tails, a no-kill shelter here, or the Humane Society place... I don't know. I've also been asking around my circle... or dot... of friends to see if they know anyone who is looking to get rid of some puppies or whatever. I thought about going to the pet store in the mall, because I always feel so sorry for those things and I want to rescue them... but my good deed would be cancelled out by the fact that I would be supporting the pet store people so they could just do that to more puppies.... I guess I could break one out... haha

 

If I see someone being chased on Animal Cops I'll know who it is...hahaha...Yeah I think people should get all their dogs from shelters. I feel bad for mall dogs too. Why anyone would pay large amounts for a dog is beyond me. I've gotten some very good dogs from shelters myself. And they only charge for the fixing, at least where I live anyway. I hope you get a dog, because I'll know at least one more dog will have a good home.

 

Awww... I hope so, too. I miss having someone to go out and talk to when I can't sleep. Priscilla was my Dr. Phil, without the Texan nonsense...

 

hahaha...well that's interesting...what about your mom, child, friends??? Don't misunderstand me dogs are still great for that. Heck I talk to my tortoise.

 

Well, it's usually them I'm whining about.... I just need a good listener.... haha

 

Well I'm willing to bet every animal is a good listener...hehehe...maybe you could get an elephant, they have to be good listeners, look at how huge there ears are...

 

haha... that would be awesome. I want my own Neverland Ranch.... I love giraffes...

 

Oh... nimh.... sorry...


I still say you should get a little bird. They're pretty.

 

They don't seem to be good listeners though. They have there head in the clouds. A zoo would be great, however I don't know about the neverland ranch thing. Maybe a Bloodhound...

 

On the subject of the thread. I have had all of those except a rat. And I think that the best one is a Guiena Pig. They are not bitters, love to cuddle once they get used to you, and all those little noises they make are awsome. Here is a couple of sites that you can take a look at:


http://www.cavycages.com/

http://guinealynx.info/

Hope this helps

 

my first instinct was "guinea pig", but my hubby says that they smell bad. i dont think smell would be a problem if the cage was cleaned often enough though.

my mom had a hedgehog for a bit (until it escaped!), and it was sooo cute. not very furry for petting though.

mice are cute, and cuddley and can be bred to be really friendly and social but they're so teensy. a guinea pig has a bit of substance to it.

decisions decisions.

 

I have a thing for ferrets. I can't see myself ever not having one in my house. They can't spend their lives in a cage though, sorry.

Maybe a sugar glider? Even when you have them out of their cage their favorite place to be is in your pocket or a little fleece pouch that you can buy for them.

 

are they easy to look after? this is going to be a christmas present for my 3 yr old. and for me! i'll be doing all the cage cleaning and feeding and whatnot, but our new pet is going to get a lot of love from a little kid too, so it definitley needs to be gentle and non-biting.

 

My advice is to not get a pet. Instead volunteer at your local shelter. There are lots of cuddly animals there who need love. It helps them survive. Seriously. The happier they are in the shelter the more likely it is that they will be adopted and not get sick. Animals can only stay in a shelter so long before they get sick.

I don't think you should get a pet for two reasons. 1- I don't like the idea of people having pets in a house where the pet isn't welcome by anyone. You have your whole life to have a pet. Think about the animal. Get a stuffed toy to cuddle instead.
2- I don't like the idea of an animal living in a cage. All animals need exercise and a few minutes a day on your lap just doesn't cut it.

Ok. So I know my advice is not reasonable and that you probably won't take it.

In that case I want to tell you not to get a rabbit. I have three. I love my rabbits. They have a whole room to themselves. They are very active and need to exercise for HOURS a day. They love to hop, jump and play games. Maybe they can sleep in their cage at night but they can't stay in there all the time. Rabbits can be litter trained and trained to do lots of things. They are similar to cats that way. The pet store people may tell you otherwise but they just want to sell you an animal.

Whatever cage you get make sure it is MORE than big enough for your animal to play, poop .... Most of those smaller prey animals poop in one spot and they shouldn't be forced to sit next to it.

Ok. That was a little bit of a rant but i had to say it.

Good luck on your pet hunt

Saje

 

you know what? that is such a wonderful loving idea. on monday, when everything is open, ill phone around and try to get some information about that. i can see that some animals might not do very well around a preschool aged kid, but the people running the shelter would know which animals would be okay with my son. volunteering would be such a great learning experience for both of us, and we'd be giving something back to our community too.

we'll still probably get a small furry critter too, but i like your suggestions about making sure that it has adequate room to roam and all of that.