New Pet Ideas

cheap easy to care for pet??? PET ROCK ...i'm sure there are still some around to be had

 

Chilla's are great but beware especially if you let it roam free for periods of time. They can and will eat anything. Some are worse than others, but books and woodish type furniture will be destroyed if they are exposed to a chilla. Wires are a bad thing too. Chilla proofing is paramount and never underestimate their jumping range.

Also because of thier spazziness, they do require a large multileveled cage, even if you do let them out. If you can't afford a large cage, do the chilla a favour and find another pet.

They are also not a cuddly animal and do not like to be held. While they can be trained to tolerate some petting and scratching and perching and climbing over you, most get really cranky at being fully held.

Chilla's can have a life span of up to 18 years. Be prepared to be committed for that long.

I could go on, but I guess my point is - if you want to have a chilla and take care of it properly, then I woudln't call it a cheap or easy pet. They are fatally cute and worth the effort though.

Next year I plan to breed my female het-beige with my male black velvet. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

My vote for cheap and easy is a bunny. Next in line is a guinea pig and then only if you're half deaf! All my pigs over the years have had squeaks that could rival my smoke detector!

Total Sith rodent count: 2 Chilla's, 1 guinea and a bunneh!

 

okay Im gunna apologise ahead for the EXTREMELY long post I'm about to write...


1) Chinchillas (like sithinheels said) need alot of time out of their cage, they also need a fairly large cage to live in. Females and males need to be housed in same sex pairs.. a chinchilla also has a very specific diet, they need to ALWAYS have Timothy hay available. The best diet to have a chinchilla on is a comercial diet called the mazuri chinchilla diet. Chins are also escape artists, they can squeez into very small spaces. They also have been known to bite, or spray urine at people when provoked. They are VERY high maintenance animals. They are also almost extinct in the wild, because of the fur trade.


2) Ferrets are simply not for people who arnt experienced. They are very smelly, and require a VERY specific diet. They also need baths, and alot of time spent out of a cage.

3) Hedgehogs would be a better pet to start out with, they are quiet, and nocternal (only up at night). They eat a diet of mainly high quality cat food, crickets and mealworms as a treat. They dont need a very big cage *you can house one fine in a 20G aquarium.

4) Iguanas are VERY high maintenance. 30 to 50 gallon tank is a min requirment for a baby iguana, Both male & female iguanas can get extremely large. The average length at adult hood is 6ft long. The record length is 8 ft. They need a cage two times as long as they are to live confortably. ..they also need baths, and must be tamed at an early age. They also need specific lighting/heating in their invironment.

5) Rats are great pets, but a warning to ya... they can have ALOT of health problems and if you cant afford a vet, dont get rats. They Must be housed in pairs, and have to be fed a diet that isnt comercial. In a rats average life they can cost more in vet bills then a dog!. remember that.

6) Guinea pigs, need to have alot of vitamin C in their diet, which means you'll have to toss up a salad EVERYDAY for them. They also shouldnt be housed alone, males due tend to be agressive and dominant towards other males though.. so its best to have one nutered male and two females. Rabbits cannot be housed with guinea pigs, they can kill them with one kick to the head..

7) Rabbits, can be hopused alone, but are happier if housed in pairs.. But because they mate, well, like rabbits, they need to be sexed properly.. They need constant attention from their owners to be happy if they dont have a friend.

8) Skunks are rare and illigal inmost states.


Honestly if you want a furry animal thats low maintenance... Dont get a pet, they all have specific needs.

Get a fish.. bettas are usually pretty mellow, can handle living in a small invironment, and dont need much attention.
(PS) Im not ignorant.. I've owned/wanted to own all these animals.

 

NOT ALL rats come with health problems.If you find a reputable breeder then the rats are less likely to come with health problems as they are bred for health.Of course I am not saying they cannot get sick...but I have owned rats for years now and noticed that breeder rats rarely get sick if you provide proper care for them.Pet store rats on the otherhand are not bred for qaulity or health and are usually inbred, therefore they usually come with a ton of health problems.Because of this I am no longer buying from a pet store.My last pet store rat came with an outer ear infection,respitory infection,scabby and tumor...I got her in april 2005 and she died in november 2005...it was too hard having her for a short period of time and most of that time was spent at the vet and with her on meds.But I cherish the good memoeries of her.Since then I vowed no more pet store rats.There is a reputable breeder here and her rats are guranteed to be healthy.I have 3 of them and they are all healthy.It is really all in the way they are bred and cared for.


Other then needing a reputable vet (not all vets specialize in rats),good housing,bedding and food and other then their short lifespans they are a very rewarding pet.They are sooo loving and affectionate.Rats bond with their people as well.They are not a high maitanence pet.

 

Yup, most people think of "pocket pets" as something they can get with pocket change, and don't give them much more thought than that. But guinea pigs are social little buggers that require ever so much more room than the stinking pet store will tell you. The same is true with any fuzzy animal. The pet store will tell you x, and sure your pet will live just fine that way... but not for nearly as long or as healthy as they could be.

I have 3 intact male guinea pigs. Everyone will tell you that they can't get along unless they're neutered. And yeah it takes a bit of luck and a ton of patience, but boars can be housed together. Even better though, is a couple females.

Any kind of pet you can think of is gonna come with it's own unique set of needs & potential problems. Rather than starting with what type of pets are out there... what are you able & willing to support, and how much room have you got to devote to pet "stuff?"
love,
mom