Pets

[LovelyBath77]

Can be a right pain in the arse? Or do most adore them?

We have zebra finches as the children and DH wanted them and the annoying beep beep shrill call goes right through me, I'm wanting to either cover them up or set them free, send them to an aviary or something. And a very smelly hamster which needs cleaned often. (I do get them to do it but it's a battle and easier myself).

But people ask me how they are, as if I am attached to them in some way. I put up with them (but for how much longer I'm not sure).

Sounds like you got the pets for the kids so no wonder you don't adore them!

I have dogs because I wanted them and I love them very much. I think some pets you get less back from, I don't like fish for example. Hamsters never seem to live that long either so aren't worth it for me. But the dogs? 😍

As long as they're well looked after and you don't set any free(!) YANBU to feel as you do. I must say I don't understand people that REALLY dislike animals though, I think it's so polar opposite to me that I just can't imagine it 😄

I mostly like mine, but I've been an irritable bitch this week (Since Monday I've gone from a fairly normal pregnancy to finding out they want the baby out TOMORROW!!)
So I must admit I have threatened the dog, cat & rabbit with bundling them in the car & setting them free in Epping forest when they've been naughty

Obviously we love them & I wouldn't really they're all microchipped they'd bloody well be brought back

I've had loads of cats over the years becasue I love cats but you really do have to love them becasue they are incredibly destructive and hard work.
If I didn't love them so much I wouldn't have any pets.

I adore my cats, but won't deny they can be annoying little sods. Wouldn't be without them though.

If the hamster is "very smelly" then you are not cleaning its home regularly enough or you're using something it doesn't like and is trying desperately to overpower the smell.

And the answer to "can be a right pain in the arse"?

They are being animals. You chose to have them. They are domesticated (so no, you don't set them free) you have to cater to their needs.

Not sure why you'd put this on AIBU though.
You'll get 50% saying "You're the adult suck it up" and 50% saying "Rehome the irritating little gits"

it the hamster is very smelly you are either not cleaning it enough, not giving it an appropriate environment or it needs to go to the vets.

Never buy pets for children that you are not interested in yourself and 100% on board with loving and caring for appropriately without help from the dc. dc are fickle and although they will profess to love their pets to them this means playing with for 10 mins a day/week if they have to.

We learned this with the bloody goldfish we got ds when young, who knew a goldfish would take so much caring for properly! After a few years we eventually rehomed to our dn and its 8 years old now!

We have a 4 year old dog now, and although we tell ds its his dog and he and the breeder choose the right puppy from the litter for him, it was only bought because dh and I wanted one.

I have cats here .

Did have rats but , well, wouldn't be fair on either species to buy more of them . Have had rabbits in the past .

I've always had dogs and cats but personally don't like the idea of caged animals - particularly birds :(

MissBax

Same . I believe birds should fly free .

Well many parents get the pets for the kids, but we end up having to look after the little blighters ourselves! We have 2 cats that we got when the kids were younger, and now the kids have left home we still have them. They are 13.5 and 11. They may well live another 10 years!

I love the little fluffy munchkins, and they give lots of love and cuddles, and I don't regret getting them, but they can be a royal PITA!

When the one pees in the litter, she misses it half the time, and I have to scrub the kitchen floor every day, they vomit on the carpet at LEAST once a week, and they bang the hall door to be fed at 6am to 7am most mornings, waking us up. Which is bearable in the week, but a PITA at the weekends!

In addition, they costs several 100 pound a year each for preventative vet care/flea drops/worming tabs etc, and 300-400 pounds a year or more for food, (plus lots more in pet insurance or high vet bills if you don' have it!) AND they run around my feet tripping me up sometimes when I am doing housework or putting washing out, which I find frustrating and annoying, as they have almost sent me flying many times!

Cats are easy pets to look after, but if you are buying one (or 2) for pets for the kids, it's important to remember that they last a LONG time, and will be living for up to 10 years after your kids leave home.

Same for dogs really. You really do need to think it through before you get pets, especially ones that live more than 4 or 5 years.

Also hate - with a passion - birds being caged, or any animal actually. When we had a rabbit many years ago, we had a 12 x 10 foot run for him, as well as his hutch, and for at least 4 hours a day, we would let him run around the garden, (which was safely fenced off from the outside world.)