you filthy animal - pet - quick one

[CTinline-six]

Hamster, gerbil, etc will still require cage cleaning.

I vote for cat as well. Cats are literally the easiest thing to take care of. They make automatic food and water dispensers and automatic litter boxes if you want to get really lazy.

[nyalpine90]

ferret
finger monkey

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Hamster, gerbil, etc will still require cage cleaning.

I vote for cat as well. Cats are literally the easiest thing to take care of. They make automatic food and water dispensers and automatic litter boxes if you want to get really lazy.

Trouble with cats are sharp claws, can go berserk seing a dog, a gerbil cage is easy to clean quick.

[nazali]

wow this blew up quickly LOL
THANKS ALL

[nazali]

I was thinking that, but OH is alergic

Originally Posted by Joe T

get her a cat. Very little maintenance, food water clean litter box.

We now have a cat and an 70# lab. I rush home from work to make sure she's been fed and walked and pay someone $150 a week to walk her 1/2 hour a day while we're at work.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by nazali

I was thinking that, but OH is alergic

I'm allergic to cats, but ferrets don't trigger me in the slightest. And they're awesome pets! And my aunt co-authored a great book on keeping them. They sleep for around 20h per day, and will coordinate their sleep cycle with the daily routine of the house (wake up when someone is around to play with them). Oh, they can be a bit smelly (musky).

Also just want to reinforce the no chinchillas vibe...they're such fragile creatures! You should never keep one alone (they need company), but when one dies (eg from getting a fright - seriously), the other will follow suit soon after. Hilarious while they're alive, but just really not fun pets in the long run.

[nazali]

The betta, then BETTA'S and TANKS, I tried a sorority, eventually ended up with a male and a femal in 2 separate tanks, the main trouble was tank cleaning and filters.

Keep looking out for them, making them better isolation tanks, I mean, it was eventually after a week my gig, I did enjoy it

every now and again DD would look at the tank tap the tank and that's it LOL, no real responsibilty

A nice glowing tank was quite a nice centerpiece oh and the fun we had when one tank leaked, and water went down from a 20 gallon tank into the basement behind drywall

I still like betta's, was contemplating something bigger and hardier, but that would cost more, and more energy for me.

Originally Posted by obert

Lol I am in the exact situation. Have a beta for a few years and I told her she can have a cat once he dies lol.

[bhowelett]

Originally Posted by nazali

I was thinking that, but OH is alergic

If she is allergic to cats, she may also be allergic to guinea pigs.

My son is terribly allergic to guinea pigs. Can't even go in the same room as them without sneezing his head off.

Strange thing is he isn't allergic to cats.

[nazali]

LOL nice description, very apt

OH is talking about getting DD a puppy,

I said that critter is not going to be my responsibility

There all like, "yeah mom dad I'll clean up the puppy's poop and walk it "etc
shit, you don't even pick up your socks and underwear off the floor

Originally Posted by Alfisti

, it's a baby that never grows up honestly.

[nazali]

apparently horsemeat is quite popular in some european countries ?
just in case... I mean if there are any issues and we like need.. ermm

anyone want any glue

sorry

Originally Posted by King Rudi

In before Sara. Don't even argue it. Just buy a damn horse. I hear they are really cheap to own and maintain.

[Alfisti]

Problem is, the pragmatic parent comes off looking like an asshole. My kids want a dog and I am an absolute HARD no, so I look like a cock. But I know what it means and I know I do not have the bandwidth. And frankly, I cannot cop spending huge money on animals, on the 5 acres, if animal got sick, we buried it and it was done, i reakon a dog will cost you $10K+ over 10 years. No thanks.

[unluky]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I grew up with a lot of animals, couple dogs, maybe 10 cats, 100 rabbits, few cows etc and they were great BUT we had 5 acres and the animals were never allowed in the house.

In the climate here, animals have to be inside and FMD what a colossal disaster. The house stinks, it just does. Walking a dog twice a day, cleaning up, taking it to the vet, jesus, it's a baby that never grows up honestly.

Exactly. And I live alone. I took my fathers 12 year old dog in when he passed. Good dog, he is just a giant and lived outside his whole life. Hair? everywhere. Mud hole? He walks straight thru them. My house is destroyed. He is a great dog, but what I thought would be 6-12 months has turned into almost 4 - and he is still going strong. The prospect of another winter with a giant dog coming in and out makes me want to scream.

EVERY single decision I make has to start with "Well what about Jake....." I can't even go to happy hour for a drink after work without factoring him in.

Last pet I will EVER own at LEAST until I retire - maybe ever. Not his fault - I just don't like living my life around a pet.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by unluky

Exactly. And I live alone. I took my fathers 12 year old dog in when he passed. Good dog, he is just a giant and lived outside his whole life. Hair? everywhere. Mud hole? He walks straight thru them. My house is destroyed. He is a great dog, but what I thought would be 6-12 months has turned into almost 4 - and he is still going strong. The prospect of another winter with a giant dog coming in and out makes me want to scream.

EVERY single decision I make has to start with "Well what about Jake....." I can't even go to happy hour for a drink after work without factoring him in.

Last pet I will EVER own at LEAST until I retire - maybe ever. Not his fault - I just don't like living my life around a pet.

Mans best friend...

[unluky]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Mans best friend...

Not this man......not while I still have a life anyway!

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by unluky

Exactly. And I live alone. I took my fathers 12 year old dog in when he passed. Good dog, he is just a giant and lived outside his whole life. Hair? everywhere. Mud hole? He walks straight thru them. My house is destroyed. He is a great dog, but what I thought would be 6-12 months has turned into almost 4 - and he is still going strong. The prospect of another winter with a giant dog coming in and out makes me want to scream.

EVERY single decision I make has to start with "Well what about Jake....." I can't even go to happy hour for a drink after work without factoring him in.

Last pet I will EVER own at LEAST until I retire - maybe ever. Not his fault - I just don't like living my life around a pet.

This was my exact experience with my father in law's dog, he was a widower so it helped him but jeeeeezus H nothing but problems.

[Maestro]

Guinea pig is a good choose and the live 6 to 8 yrs, stay away from the smaller rodents, most have the uncanny ability to get out of their cages. Daughter did the fish thing, then to Hamsters (2 times since they only live 2 or 3 yrs) and both manage to escape their cages and one ripped up the rugs under the doors. The guinea pig is more entertaining and you can let them run around your kitchen. Then our daughter sold the wife and I on getting a dog, and I mean sold. She did a whole power point presentation on all the reason we should get a dog. The Wife and I are both allergic to dogs so she research the all the hypoallergenic dogs. My daughter really loved her pets to the point we had funerals for all of her pets including the fish she would not allow the circular funeral for her fish. We have little stone grave marks she made in our back yard.

[2000cs]

I’m a dog person and definitely not a cat person, but I can see the point of a pet cat especially if (a) mouser, (b) apartment or frequent travel.

Whatever you get, read up in advance on breeds (even if mutt/adoption, understand breed traits and flaws that may be in it) and training. Do that right from the get go and it will be a great experience for the family; do it wrong and it will be miserable for you.

We have a rescue chocolate lab. Sweet as can be, easy to train although she needed some remedial training (which was partly for her and partly for us) when we got her. Oddly cat-like, rubs against the upholstered furniture like a cat, hates water like a cat (will walk around a puddle, won’t pee in wet grass). She’s a floor dog, we don’t let her get up on the furniture. But she has more beds in our house than we have for people, so I think she is fine.

I really didn’t want to get another pet when we got her, but my wife was going through some very dark days and I thought it would help her to have the focus, care and reciprocal love of a good doggo. It did, and the dog is part of the family now. Wife too.

[2000cs]

I’ll add that in my lifetime I’ve had an iguana, cockatiel, budgie, snake, mice, rats, gerbils, freshwater and saltwater fish, cats and dogs. I’ve cared for chickens, cattle and horses. I would only have a pet cat or dog because those are the only animals I ever felt something back from, and definitely dogs more than cats.

[tranquility]

Imho, rabbits are the best pets. You can play w them but not high maintenance like a dog, or aloof like a cat. They don't smell or make any 'annoying' noises and their poop is SOLID so easy cleaning. You can toilet train them too. They can live close to or beyond a decade so your daughter won't be bawling her eyes out in 1-3 years if she got a rodent.

[ToddBlack88]

Bearded dragon.

[Humdizzle]

i was just about to say bearded dragon. i think they are pretty low maintenance. although the tank does need to be cleaned.

i'm a cat person. extremely low maintenance. no need for walks, baths, rushing home in the middle of a work day to let them use the bathroom. shelter cat might be difficult if its used to being outdoors. ours was like that, so we eventually let him out to do his thing. kind of a pain to let him in and out but he at least used the bathroom outside 100% and was on somewhat of a schedule. The one downside to cats is the claws... they might rip up your furniture.

if you're in a rural area you could also consider just leaving food in the backyard. thats what my mom does. every time i go over there you might see a deer, racoon family, or turkeys chowing down. fun to watch.

[unluky]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

i was just about to say bearded dragon. i think they are pretty low maintenance. although the tank does need to be cleaned.

i'm a cat person. extremely low maintenance. no need for walks, baths, rushing home in the middle of a work day to let them use the bathroom. shelter cat might be difficult if its used to being outdoors. ours was like that, so we eventually let him out to do his thing. kind of a pain to let him in and out but he at least used the bathroom outside 100% and was on somewhat of a schedule. The one downside to cats is the claws... they might rip up your furniture.

if you're in a rural area you could also consider just leaving food in the backyard. thats what my mom does. every time i go over there you might see a deer, racoon family, or turkeys chowing down. fun to watch.

LOL - "One Downside"? I think cats have a TON of downsides - even though your comments on ease of care are spot on. My GF had some when I met her and they were horrible.

Can't leave ANYTHING on a counter.
Hair EVERYWHERE.
Wake you up every GD night multiple times.
Knock anything and everything off tables, etc.
Can't keep them out of/off anything.
Aforementioned claws on everything.
Hers clawed at any closed door - no matter who was in the room.

I refused to spend more than a nite or 2 in a row there as I would get so pissed at them constantly waking us up, I could not even sleep. She finally found a crazy cat lady who wanted them and they are annoying someone else now. I will NEVER live in a house with cats - ever.