Suitable pet

[Bel04]

Hi all,
Been dealing with constant pain for several months now. No diagnosis so don't know how long this will persist. Have always loved animals and recently managed to get the train to my boyfriends house and found stroking his pet cat so relaxing at this horrendous time. Is there a pet I could look after while dealing with this type of illness? I live at my mothers house and she will go livid if any mess gets on her carpet etc, she's very house proud. I know I'm not in a good position to be looking for pets and if ya not realistic for me to have any type of animals companion right now I wouldn't purchase one. Just thought I'd ask in case there's an unconventional pet I haven't heard of that might just work for my miserable situation :) x

Having a pet has proven to be great for relaxing and de-stressing! I’m not sure about a low maintenance pet... but I have to say once you are past the house-training stage, cats are probably the easiest to look after.

They clean themselves and take themselves for a walk! I think with an indoor pet like hamster or bird… the mess would be an issue – you don’t want to annoy your mum lol!

I hope this helps!

She's opposed to having a cat :( any other ideas? Xx

A pair of guinea pigs would probably work. If you got a c&c cage and had it on a table you wouldn’t have to bend to care for them. They can be very friendly little things and mine definitely enjoys a cuddle and talks to me whenever I am in the kitchen with him. The Guinea Pig Forum website is worth a look.

Ok will have to check with the mother 🙄 but sounds like a good idea xx

I'll go look at that now xx

How about a rat ? Their intelligent and affectionate. Their lifespan is 2-3 years. So easy to train and you can carry it with you in a secured little sling bag.

@Maricia I really wanted to get one of those but then I read about rat bite fever and got scared x

Rats are fab. Rat bite fever? Surely that's a wild rat thing not pet rat.

Hamsters are great. I’m in severe pain and disabled. We’ve had hamsters for about the last 10 years. We don’t have one atm as our very old one recently died, we go on holiday soon so are waiting until we return to get another.

If you get a young Syrian you can train it to use one corner of its cage as a toilet so keeping it clean and not smelly is easy. They are quite easy to handle if they are young too. Mine end up so friendly that they sleep on me. They are really intelligent and come when you call their name. Our last one used to wait on his spot for his treat every night when I put him back in his cage.

We’ve got a pair of Guinea Pigs, too, who are very, very lovely but I can’t look after them on my own.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/rat-bite-fever-teenager-catches-rare-disease-from-pet-rodents-living-in-her-bedroom-a6784201.html%3famp

Xx

@TheFairyCaravan thanks for the info on hamsters and guinea pigs. Will have a look online xx

I have always had dogs and really no other pet ever seemed as though they could match up. Until I met Norman the guinea pig, who had such a funny, strong personality. I've always had a soft spot for them ever since, really adorable lad back animals. You ideally need outdoor space for them to run around in though, when the weather is good enough.

Thanks for the info. Sounds quite rare still though.

The most cuddly pet I had was a bearded dragon.... would snuggle down into my neck and nap. Once their habitat is set up perfectly (which can be a faff) I didn’t find her high maintenance. And no mess 😊

Doesn’t work if you can’t stomach the feeding of live insects though, which can be a bit grim.

What a lovely suggestions, hamsters are to cute , never had one so don't know their temperament. Same for guinea pig , love the ones with the funny hair do's. Would love to have a bearded dragon or any reptile (little snake) but would be last straw for my hubby so guess not (for now) Didn't think bearded dragons were affectionate but would like to rub the warm wrinkly skin ....
it's just that I think guinea pigs and hamsters are in more need to live in groups to be happy and I know rats don't have that need as long stimulated. I had one as a teenager and recently 2 for my kids and their easy and fun. Never heard of any danger of them passing diseases and think that's feral rats as that's a different ball game. Though my daughter always had a bit of itchiness on her skin after handing the rats so if your sensitive to allergies it might be unwise. Have you thought about a small dog as their so easy and affectionate. I have a chihuahua and he stole our hearts and he's so shocking smart. He outsmarts our Swiss shepherd and at the moment is becoming big buddy's with our new kitten ( who had one of my parrotlet is in its mouth today as I was cleaning cage and thought he will be cool like our other cat ). Do love whippets to and hopefully one day I will have one. All the best and hope you will find your snuggle , loyal and unconditionally loving buddy. It's great though to research loads as any animal is in your hands and responsibility so make sure you can be a matching pack !

Wow just read the link regarding rat fever. That's scary but seems really rare.
Notable that it stated that a rat was dead for 3 weeks in her room ?! That sounds a bit off.
My rat would never bite me , or scratch me on purpose, naturally they had a clean cage and a bath every week.
Still shocking read but positive if you take just one baby rat and keep them well cared for ( and isolated from interaction with feral animals or live stock etc) to contract such a disease would be same chance as winning the lottery

I am growing on the idea of having a pet rat. Do you think they'd be suitable for someone who travels around? X

For sure. They love exploring. It's essential to do this from young age to get them conditioned to that as otherwise it will be terrifying. I have a small plastic pet carrier which are sold in pet shops with transparent lid but a sling bag with secure zip and air vents could do. As a teenager I just carried him in my coat and he would crawl from my shoulder in my pocket. Would advise to maybe take as well a foldable small pet enclosure so you can create familiar portable home that he cannot get out of for a peace of mind. Their diet is easy as well as they can just live on left overs which they prefer to branded rat food. Again as I said a big plus is their relative short life span and they can really bond to one person. There are many variations so do your research and make sure it comes with certificate of breeder that states it's disease free for many generations

Hello, I need your help!

We're currently looking at getting a 5 month old cockapoo. Unfortunately the owners circumstances have changed and they can't have him anymore. They currently have another dog so this puppy has been living with another dog for 3 months. How do you think he would cope if he didn't have another dog living with him? Would he settle down?

Really!? You think he will miss his buddy ?
Of course not , animals live in the here and now and although memories are registered they don't store them like us humans.
As long as you can give a stable home and take him on walks, he will never look back. Actually a positive that social interaction was given as crucial at forming stages.
It might be that bad manners have become accustomed and it's harder to break them as to not have been created so would advise crate training and puppy school or training in home for few sessions as that would be the best money you could ever spend (on your pet) Be aware that a new (young) animal involves more attention for a certain period and almost equivalent to having a newborn. That time is crucial and need to be given patiently. Lovely combo though being one of the smartest and trainable dogs - poodle, and the cocker spaniel being rather smart as well but very affectionate and loyal

Circumstances have changed or they've taken on a high energy cross breed, not trained or exercised it and it's eaten the house? I think I would run a mile from someone suddenly having to "rehome" a puppy they've had for a matter of weeks. Especially one that's likely come from a puppy farm.

Not really understanding the thread sequence any more ....
Animals are a big responsibility in general but rehoming them needs an extra understanding of their displayed 'unwanted ' behaviour. Within a stable loving home along with crate training and maybe a few training classes should be a breeze.
Do NOT take on any puppy farm dogs unless you are ready to see suffering due to genetic medical ailments and pay the bank and cry your heart out. Afraid it's not fair for dog or owner to live through that misery.

Got my bfs cat snuggled on my lap purring her heart out. Wish I could have my own by my mum won't have them in the house and I live with her :(