ive only really had fish but ther enothing close to a buddy like, something like a dog or a cat. pets are also pricey and im allergic to cats and dogs plus my home is kinda messy. i do wish i could get something besides a fish but you know it is what it is.
so what type of pet do you have or what is the best type of pet to have?
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You should work on taking care of yourself/your home before moving to another life that relies fully on you.
your right, ok ill try…
With that said, I think that a companion pet can often help one make those changes. Since it sounds like money and allergies are a bit of an issue, I would suggest looking at rats. They are incredibly loyal and affectionate, clean, intelligent. They only live about 2-3 years, which sucks, but if you find that pet ownership isn’t for you (and it’s okay if it isn’t), you aren’t beholden to an animal that will live 4-5 times as long.
This is a good recommendation!
Rats are ace.
As I type this, there’s one scuttling about in his cage next to me. It pains me that he’s alone, but his brothers have all passed away now, and we aren’t planning on getting any more once Wilbur’s shuffled along. He’s getting old now, so it wouldn’t be fair to rehome him. So he’s a grumpy old bachelor boy who still loves his Cheerios and stealing my toast in the morning.
Rats are actually very good pets. You’ll need 2 because they are super social. They are very clean and smart, and it’s possible to train them. We had some when my kids were small and one would ride around on my shoulder. Super cute.
Also, they’re cheap. But they don’t live very long. They aren’t hypo allergenic but they’re so small it isn’t a problem, my wife is allergic to cats and regular dogs and she didn’t have an issue.
Or, get a non-allergy dog. There’s lots of doodles and shitzu mixes out there now.
Snakes require a proper setup.
But they only eat every 2-5 weeks and they dont make any noise.
They arent very cuddle though.
I had a boa which was passive once. But they do live several years so… be wary. Its a commitment.
I personally consider getting a parrot currently but not where i live right now.
I guess taking care of a handful of plants is always a good first step in getting your life back together.
Depends on what you want in a buddy. Dogs are the obvious buddy choice since every dog actually wants to be your friend. I have a very dog-like cat who is very affectionate and follows along on walks etc but it’s hardly the norm.
But I do want to mention reptiles, especially crested geckos, as being a surprisingly practical pet and while you aren’t going to cuddle with them much they give you a lot of attention during feeding and are very calming to be around and watch while they roam around their terrarium. Sadly many lose interest fast but that means craigslist and similar websites are crawling with them so you can get a terrarium and gecko pretty cheap and if you live where the indoor climate is steady taking care of them is very easy and lower maintenance that both an indoor cat or a dog.
Cats and dogs are surprisingly some of the least labor intensive pets. Things like rabbits, reptiles, birds, etc are all effectively exotic pets. Not all veterinaries can or will treat them. They have highly specialized diets, and social structures. They tend to have pens or cages that need regular deep cleaning. So on and so forth.
There’s also a personal preference at play. Personally, I’m a cat person. Dogs are adorable, when they are someone else’s.
Obviously, if you’re allergic to dogs/cats, that probably rules them out (I’m allergic to cats and have 2 but my allergy is relatively mild).
Based on the 4 sentences you provided a fish might be your best bet.
I think it depends. I have three snakes, and I feel that combined they’re less work than a single cat or dog. They’re all in bioactive enclosures with an automatic misting system, so other than changing out the water, care just involves feeding them once a week to once every other week, reading the temps and humidity whenever I walk into the room, and occasionally handling the to inspect for potential issues
The other thing with rabbits (and prey animals in general) is they don’t always form a good bond with a human; it can take a long time if they are fussy. Even if they do take to liking you, prey animals tend to only show subtle signs of illness until they are critically unwell by which point it might be too late. That’s before we get to whether there’s a vet nearby who has a special interest in “exotic pets” and who knows how to help.
Edit to add: the signs of illness are subtle because they actively hide it - key to survival is to avoid looking like easy prey.
The main reason I’m not interested in practicing on exotics, even though I love them, is because they hide their illnesses so well. It feels like by the they’re sick enough for an owner to notice and bring them in, 9/10 the prognosis is so grave they’re euthanized on presentation or die a few days later.
Agreed.
Iirc their diets are highly specialized too. It’s not what everyone thinks. You can just give them lettuce and the occasional fruit.
I’d say most animals mask their illness/injuries well, unfortunately. Pet owners really need to know their pet well and see the very subtle changes most of the time.
My friend let me in on it in university:
Dogs are better pets. Cats are more practical pets.
Can’t help you with the allergy part.
I had cats all my life. I was born into a home with cats. There has never not been a cat living with me.
That said, I finally got dogs a few years ago and they are so much better at being your buddy than cats.
I still love cats, but dogs are so vastly different they don’t even compare. Having dogs is, I think, as close to having children as you can get without having kids. They act like toddlers, but they also learn, have unique personalities, show their affection more like a human, and are loyal as fuck.
The phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” isn’t bullshittin’.
If you know how to take care of fish, there’s some fish that are more personable. I had a Butterkoferi Tilapia at work who was fun, he would play with a ping pong ball, we had a constant fight on how we decorated his tank, I like gravel to be nicely spread out, he liked it all in one corner.
There’s things like flowerhorns who like being stroked, or puffers who recognise their owners.
It’s not a dog but it’s definitely a buddy.
This is a highly subjective question. For me personally, it has been cats. Some people prefer reptiles. It very much depends upon the individual person.
