Small Pets?

[Taboo]

I know a lot of you have furbabies! What would you suggest for apartment dwellers?

No cats (roommate is allergic) or dogs (landlord won't allow them). Also, no ferrets, because as much as they're adorable they're also illegal here so I couldn't take them to a local vet. I have experience raising guinea pigs but not much else. What do you guys have or recommend? The roomie is leaning towards rats or hamsters. :)

[Seshat]

Whatever you get, make sure it has sphincters, and can either be taught to use a litter tray/piddle pad/etc, or can spend most of its time in a cage. And really, if you want something to cuddle, you don't want it to spend most of its time in a cage.

Learn about the damage it WILL do. Cats WILL need a scratching post, and will need to be trained to use it. Dogs WILL bark, and have breed-dependent other behaviours. Rats, mice and rabbits WILL chew, and love chewing on wood - like your landlord's mouldings.

Honestly? I'd go talk to your local vets. They and the vet techs will have suggestions - and you'll know which vet in your area knows and loves the animal you've suggested!

[elsporko]

How about a hedgehog? Not exactly fuzzy but they are small, can come out of the cage to play, and from what I know are not destructive.

Bunnies are easy to litter train and can be trained to be free roaming. The downside is they can be pretty destructive and enjoy chewing on everything including electrical wires.

I had hamsters. They fought alot and chewed their way out of the cage alot. Could be a hassle

I've heard rats can be very loving and will return to the cage if they get out because they know thats where the food is.

[Giggle Goose]

I had a guinea pig. She liked to chew on my hair. Sadly, she didn't live that long....:cry: That's why I prefer dogs and cats. Cats most definitely for apartment living.

[Magpie]

Bunnies are easy to litter train and can be trained to be free roaming..

For various definitions of train. Our rabbit left pellets everywhere. We trained him to urinate in the litter box (which he did except when it was too dirty or if he really objected to something). However, I'm not sure that he realised that "oh, I'm leaving a mess now too". And they're not normally as friendly as ours was, so it might not be great for snuggling.

[jedimaster91]

If your neighbors don't mind a little noise, you could go with parakeets or cockatiels. Both are highly sociable and friendly. Not so much "cuddly" in the normal sense of the word (especially male 'tiels), but definitely affectionate. Both are easily trainable (in theory ;) ), and will chew on your curtains, clothes and couch unless you direct them otherwise.

Other downsides include pricier vet care and can get screamy if left alone too much. Leaving a radio on while I'm gone has helped my 'tiel not be so screamy. There's also a bit more of a time commitment than with other small pets. 'Keets you're looking at about a 10 year lifespan, 'tiels 20+ if well cared for. They can be messy with the flinging food and feather molting, but nothing a vaccum won't fix. And since they're small, the potty messes are as well.

[Imprl59]

How about a hairless cat? http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Hairless_Cats

[MaggieTheCat]

From what I've read about rabbits, they generally like to sit next to you, rather than on your lap or cuddling with you. They can be affectionate in their own way, but not quite like a cat or a dog.

If you don't want something fuzzy, have you considered fish, crabs, or lizards? A small, freshwater fish tank is relatively low-maintenance (I would sometimes leave mine alone for days, not feeding or doing anything to the fish and they were still fine. Not recommended, but freshwater fish are pretty hearty to begin with.) Hermit (land) crabs sound completely awesome and I want to get some someday...they're a little more work than fish, and you really gotta do your homework to learn how to set up an environment for them (they need a place to be able to submerse themselves in water to bathe, and the tank needs to maintain a certain heat and humidity level) and what kinds of shells and food to get for them, etc. I don't know much about lizards, but Fashion Lad! has a gecko that he adores so he could probably give you more info on how hard they are to take care of.

[elsporko]

For various definitions of train. Our rabbit left pellets everywhere. We trained him to urinate in the litter box (which he did except when it was too dirty or if he really objected to something). However, I'm not sure that he realised that "oh, I'm leaving a mess now too". And they're not normally as friendly as ours was, so it might not be great for snuggling.


I haven't had trouble with mine urinating outside the box unless they stick their butt over the side and miss it. The pellets can be a problem if they feel a need to mark their territory but if they aren't then they don't leave them around too much. At least thats the case with mine. All rabbits have their own personalities.

[Taboo]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Again, cats are out due to allergies, but I'm still considering some other animals. Hedgehogs are a good suggestion. I think I may end up going with rats since they're social - whenever we get our new furry friends, I'll post photos!

[Bright_Star]

How about a hairless cat? http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Hairless_Cats

They're called Sphynx cats & they look weird...lol.

[shankyknitter]

I love hedgehogs! I've got one. I highly suggest them. They can be litter trained, its not as easy as with say a cat but it can be done, they are affectionate little buggers when they know you. Winston loves exploring the outside, especially with people he trusts. They are hypoallergenic so they won't set off anyones allergies. you need to clean their litter about once a week so they keep using it and it doesn't smell and you do need to socialize them every night.

[TheSHAD0W]

Fish.

No, they're not cuddly, but I find watching them to be soothing.

[Andara Bledin]

Again, cats are out due to allergies, but I'm still considering some other animals. Hedgehogs are a good suggestion. I think I may end up going with rats since they're social - whenever we get our new furry friends, I'll post photos!
Rats actually make excellent pets, but be aware of the chewing thing. Rodents chew; it's what they're really good at.

And, as mentioned, there are cats you can get that won't cause allergy problems. Hell, if you groom a shorthair regularly, you can still avoid most allergy problems, but that's a lot of work, and most people aren't willing to really deal with that. I know I wouldn't.

^-.-^

[Taboo]

As an update, I actually may be moving extremely soon (read: this week! gah! not packed yet!). And this new place does indeed take pets. So, there's a shelter rabbit my roommate and I are going to go in and try to adopt if she is still there, the day after we move in. :)

[Lindsey]

I know you're already considering a rabbit, but can I put in my vote for guinea pigs?

http://i40.tinypic.com/35aus93.jpg
Butters (left) and Virginia

http://i44.tinypic.com/25gwgls.jpg
Butters, Virginia and Omar

They're relatively small but still big enough to be cuddly, especially if you keep a male. Females are nearly odorless if you use good bedding and keep their environment clean. Males smell a little worse but make up for it in cuddliness.

You could keep two females easily in an apartment setting, or one male.

All guinea pigs do better in pairs, but males can get aggressive as they mature and need huge amounts of room. Butters and Omar live in a 48" x 24" x 14" high Guinea Habitat, and I wouldn't think of keeping them in anything smaller because I know they'd drive each other insane without having that space.

For diet, they require pellets and timothy or grass hay on a constant basis, and require veggies on a daily basis. Mine get romaine lettuce, carrots, bell peppers, and kale, and fruits a few times a week as a treat - Apples, oranges, strawberries, melon, et cetera.

For bedding I use paper products (Carefresh or Sunseed bedding) or aspen shavings with a layer of hay on top. Non kiln dried pine (aka any pine you buy in the states) and cedar are huge no-nos, they cause respiratory distress and eventually liver damage and death from constant exposure to the aromatic oils they contain.

They may poop on the floor occasionally if you let them roam the room, but mine never poop on my lap, and rarely have accidents on the floor. I can leave Virginia on the floor for a half hour and not have to do any clean-up after her. They're very clean animals!

They're a little more high maintenence than most small animals but they'll love you forever! I've kept pigs my entire life, so if it doesn't work out with the rabbit and you want to consider guinea pigs, feel free to ask me questions.

Good luck!

[elsporko]

As an update, I actually may be moving extremely soon (read: this week! gah! not packed yet!). And this new place does indeed take pets. So, there's a shelter rabbit my roommate and I are going to go in and try to adopt if she is still there, the day after we move in. :)


I've had rabbits for almost two years now so if you have any questions feel free to ask

http://www.rabbit.org/index.html


That site is also really useful for learning what kind of food, litter, and other supplies to use.

[Gravekeeper]

Last place I lived at was Small Pets Only(tm) but no cats. I went with a chincilla. As they are adorable as all hell, are small enough to stay in a cage, but big enough to be let out or put in a chinchilla ball. Also, they sleep at the same time I do. =p

They're very sensitive to heat though, so they can't be kept anywhere too hot. You have to be really careful with them in that regard. I gave it to my ex when we broke up as she was quite attached to it annnd it was dead inside of a month from overheating. ><

She kept it upstairs in the summer with no windows open or something and baked the poor little thing.

[Taboo]

Aw, that's really sad GK. :(

I'm still leaning towards a rabbit, but there's a chance that I'll be out of the country for more than a month this summer for a job, so I need to find that out first.

[phantasy]

I just bought a hamster! They're pretty sturdy, I haven't read anything about them being sensitive to heat either. Mine is so tiny, I'm more worried about cold weather than about warm.

[Solumina]

I love my little hamham to bits, he is just so small and adorable that you can't help but love him. The only downside is that he is a bit to small to really have out much as he is quick, really hard to catch, and can fit under just about everything (including doors) but he is a dwarf hamster, my roommate has a honeybear hamster who come out all of the time and is loads easier to catch if she tries to wander where she shouldn't.

[fireheart]

If you go with rats/mice, you CAN train them to go to the toilet in a particular spot in their cage. Just make sure you give them a mix of greens-no meat, cheese or chocolate (the latter two can cause problems).

Guinea pigs-abyssinian (basically wild hair) guinea pigs require a LOT of work in terms of hair care. Ditto for peruvian ones (longhaired). Stick with a shorthaired one if you can in terms of maintenance. again, greens.

[Evil Queen]

How about a hedgehog? Not exactly fuzzy but they are small, can come out of the cage to play, and from what I know are not destructive.

Bunnies are easy to litter train and can be trained to be free roaming. The downside is they can be pretty destructive and enjoy chewing on everything including electrical wires.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal and, according to a friend of mine with one; "Hedgehogs are jerks" (whatever that means!)

Bunnies and rabbits are NOT quite critters. You ever hear one make noise? They scream BLOODY MURDER. GAK.

I won't mention the other two that was suggested here. They.. scare... me.....

However, if you do have your heart set on a dog, the Basenji supposedly doesn't bark. It's a breed that DataJager wanted (because it looks like the Egyptian god; Anubis) but they are very hard to find in our area).

[BrenDAnn]

I've had two...no, three hamsters, in the past. My first, named Wiggles because, well, all she did when I held her was wiggle, was the sweetest thing. I even had her tamed enough to sit on my shoulder and just chill while I typed. I cried so hard when Wiggles died! The second, I think was sick when I got her, and died shortly after. The third, a fuzzy longer haired cream-colored female, I made an extra special trip to Des Moines to find. She was also a sweetheart, but was an escape artist! With hamsters, you want a cage with metal bars, NOT plastic, with plenty of room to run and play in, and lots of wooden chews to occupy them. The bigger ones, I wouldn't recommend keeping in pairs, but dwarfs do well in pairs. Ah, this is all bringing back memories. I miss my hamsters!