Looking to get a new pet, any input?

So i haven't posted in awhile, but recently started a new job were I sit at a computer most of the day. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas as to which pet is the best (subjective, I know.) I can't get a dog (which would be ideal) but a cat, or anything else is fine. I've been looking at hedgehogs online, and there's a couple of breeders in Mass. I used to have ferrets, but the maintenence on those guys is ridiculous. I'd really like a pet that's low to medium maintenence, and something that I can actually interact with. Any helpful ideas would be great, especially if anyone has experience with hedgehogs.

Sorry, I know there was a thread about cats as pets at one time, just didn't want to bump an old thread.

Pot-bellied pig?

Sorry, I have no idea. I was going to recommend a ferret :(

My brother is allergic to cats and dogs so he got 2 ferrets. They are pretty damn cool. Very low maintenance and fun to interact with. I think he just wants to be like Marc Singer.

I had 3 ferrets at one point, they are awesome but they smell pretty bad if you don't clean the cage at least every other day. A pot-bellied pig would be pretty different but I think they are kind of expensive. The best part about ferrets is when you let them out of the cage and chase them all over the house, and when you turn around they try to nip at your socks.

every caged animal i've had has been smelly. I don't think a hedgehog would be any cooler than a hamster really, and it'd probably smell too. I say get an adult cat from an an animal shelter. Let it poo in Red's bathroom.

I hate pets in all forms.

Get an octopus.

Instead of getting a disgusting pet, go make a new friend.

One of my co-workers has a ferret, and his apartment smells like horrible ferret everytime I go in there.

My girlfriends roommate has a lizard (iguana) and they seem very low maintenance, and dont smell. Only time it gets annoying is when she feeds it live crickets and he doesnt eat them all. And its pretty damn hilarious to see her walking it down the street with a leash like a dog.

But imo,If you cant get a dog, then I say just dont get a pet.

will you be my friend g0zen?

Pigs actually seem pretty cool from what I'm reading, $250 isn't too far out of my price range either.

Find a way to get a dog, dammnit! Golden Retrievers >>>>>>>>> other animals.

Barring that, cats and full-size parrots are alright.

Dont get a cat.

They lick the butter.

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Originally Posted by redstar.division

will you be my friend g0zen?

Pigs actually seem pretty cool from what I'm reading, $250 isn't too far out of my price range either.

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And hey if you get tired of him, he'll make a delicious meal!

hahaha, that reminds me when of when Homer cooked Pinchy...when I still laughed at the Simpsons...thank you.

rats are better pets than most people think.
much better than hamsters.

also, bunnies.

Don't get a wife.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Don't get a wife.

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So very true. Freedom never, ever gets old. :chunobi:

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Don't get a wife.

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Dog > wife.

Dogs are fun but can be hard to take care of. I would probably get a cat if I had the option but dogs are pretty nice too, you just have to make sure you get the right kind that'd you'd like the most. Some people like the little dogs (which I can't stand) and some like real big dogs, etc.

I'd probably get an adult cat, some companies let you have the animal for a bit and you decide whether you want to keep it. Kittens are cute and all but they tend to grow up and have personalities that you might not like, while if you get an adult cat you'll get to see how it acts.

I have two ferrets. They're awesome since they beat the shit out of each other when playing (every time someone first sees ferrets playing, they let out a "holy shit" and think they're killing each other or have rabies), but they really are high maintenance as shit. Cleaning their shit every single day and barricading your entire house from them is such a pain in the ass. I have cinder blocks all over my kitchen and bathrooms.

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Originally Posted by Gohron

I would ... get a cat

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Well hello Mr. Faggypants.

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Originally Posted by Josh

Well hello Mr. Faggypants.

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I always used to prefer dogs until I finally have one now and it pooped/peed on my floor several times for no reason after having never done it before, always wanting to eat everything, go outside, bark, get beat up by the cat, etc.

I still like dogs and wouldn't mind having one but I've always had cats growing up (very large 30 pound cats, might as well have been a dog).

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Originally Posted by Jetman

Dont get a cat.

They lick the butter.

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And then you'll eat it and then-!!!

I've always thought a snake would be cool.
I don't think I'd ever get tired of watching it eat a live rodent.

Get something that would kill you easily if it flipped out.

Dogs are soooo sweet (at least the right breeds). They are a pain to take care of (especially if you get a puppy), but it is so worth it. You leave the house for 30 seconds (to get the mail) and when you come back, they will greet you like they haven't seen you in 20 years.

I have goldfish there awosme i have a oranda, and a ryukin right now
and some commons in our pond..

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

You leave the house for 30 seconds (to get the mail) and when you come back, they will greet you like they haven't seen you in 20 years.

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My dog gets really upset when people leave if she's in the car. I was dropped off at school this morning, and my stepbrother and stepmom had our dog in the car. As soon as I closed the door, my dog started whining SO much. She kept barking at my stepmom, sticking her head out the window and fidgeting... As soon as I turned my back on her she did her damn hunting bay/howl. It was pretty funny to see how upset she gets if you leave.

To add to the discussion, I've heard great things about sugar gliders, it might be worth looking up online. Also, +1 on rats. I've owned two rats, and while one was probably the best pet I've ever had, the other rat was pretty much just... "a rat."

Anyhow, my first rat, named Fleece, was such an amazing pet, that I'm still heartbroken when I think about her 10 years after the fact. It acted like a dog and was every bit as smart as one. I could walk her outside and play games with her, and she loved attention. When I'd put her back in her cage at night, she'd always find a way out (they can jump to incredible heights when motivated) and come into my room and crawl up onto my bed. She loved to play little hide and go seek games and get chased around the room. Unfortunately, a couple of years later we discovered a bump on her side, which only got worse. We had to put her down shortly afterwards. Now I'm depressed as hell thinking about her. :cries:

I'm sure you don't own any cats Napalm. I know how much you hate pussy.

http://www.petsovernight.com/

What a useless link.

Nobody cares about Rockstar games.

Get a black man.

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Originally Posted by Josh

What a useless link.

Nobody cares about Rockstar games.

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Wow, the "buttons" aren't even real links on that page.

But yeah, any pet you get has its problems, right down to something as seemingly simple as a goldfish. There's no win/win situation when it comes to pets.

I've never understood how anyone could like cats. It's like having a stupid PMSing girl constantly jumping around your house/all over furniture. Snapping for no reason, biting and scratching like evil little bitches. And no matter what people say about kitty litter covering up smells, it's lies. Cats reek like utter shit. I hate cats and honestly don't care if I accidently run them over.

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Originally Posted by Aurora

I've never understood how anyone could like cats. It's like having a stupid PMSing girl constantly jumping around your house/all over furniture. Snapping for no reason, biting and scratching like evil little bitches. And no matter what people say about kitty litter covering up smells, it's lies. Cats reek like utter shit. I hate cats and honestly don't care if I accidently run them over.

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Cats aren't a problem if you live in an area where you can leave them outside. In fact, outside cats are the ideal pet in my opinion. Getting an inside cat is one of the worst things you can do, though.

I guess I've never really known anyone that let their cats go outside too often. Still, I despise cats.

Doggies are perfection! Well, the right breeds. Whoever mentioned golden retrievers is awesome. I prefer collies, however. They are usually of such good nature, and make excellent pillows :)

All animals suck. They leave hair all over the house, and you have to buy those stupid lint rollers. Once they get old there's a good chance they will start to piss and shit everywhere. You cant buy good furniture because it WILL get scratched up. Dogs are marginally better than cats but taking them out in the rain and snow sucks ass. And they get expensive. It's just not worth it.

edit: if I sound really bitter and hateful... it's because I am. But I wont get into it.

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Originally Posted by Aurora

I hate cats and honestly don't care if I accidently run them over.

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I've personally killed three. On purpose.

pugs are cool.

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Originally Posted by Josh

I've personally killed three. On purpose.

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Hopefully with your heels, you filthy Asian slut.

Have you seen my video?

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Originally Posted by Josh

Have you seen my video?

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You're not a pudgy white guy?

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Originally Posted by Josh

Have you seen my video?

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It's the reason I get up each morning.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

You're not a pudgy white guy?

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I'm not pudgy anymore. A year of rock and roll and cocaine took all that shit away.

I look good.

my mom has a boy one of these

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/a...id=19456&stc=1

I joke with my sisters about how if my mom had those before she had one of us that she wouldn't have bothered. Its kind of sad but Yorkies, like many dogs, are more loving than most people.

Her dog sets with her, sleeps with her, brings her gifts when she gets home, and licks her face when she feels bad. He also does that with me and anyone else in the family that gives him attention. He is also very possessive of our family. He loathes cats and pretty much anyone else that he can see from the kitchen door. I think that he thinks he can kill people with barks.

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Originally Posted by Gohron

I always used to prefer dogs until I finally have one now and it pooped/peed on my floor several times for no reason after having never done it before, always wanting to eat everything, go outside, bark, get beat up by the cat, etc.

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It's not the dog's fault that you're a shitty trainer.

you could always get a bird.They do take a lot of your time though and their enviroment has to be very clean. Once you have the type of bird that you like it's so much fun to teach them how to talk and play games.

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Originally Posted by Kano on the Phone

It's not the dog's fault that you're a shitty trainer.

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It's not my dog, she always been wild. I don't know why she went to the bathroom on the floor in my room, but I just started closing the door and she doesn't do it anywhere else.

She gets scolded when she barks but she always always wants to go outside. I hear her jump up like a bomb went off everytime somebody upstairs moves because she thinks they're getting up to let her outside.

Plus, the cat beats her up. We brought a dog over my house when I was little and we had this huge hulking 30 pound cat and the cat kicked the shit out of the dog and it peed all over the floor and tried to hide and it was a pretty big dog.

I don't mind dogs and I would like to have my own one day but cats are easier and can be very friendly and loyal depending on how it's personality develops.

I've also yet to meet a single dog that doesn't want to eat everything in site that is even remotely edible.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

Dogs are marginally better than cats but taking them out in the rain and snow sucks ass. And they get expensive. It's just not worth it.

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Fenced yard FTW.

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Originally Posted by Glitch

http://www.petsovernight.com/

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I've decided on the fighting bitches. I can hardly wait till they arrive. What do fighting bitches eat, coke I'm assuming. Actually I've decided to hold off for a dog, I think it's best just to wait till I can get a yard and give him/her more room to run around. Plus the cost of a dog is astronomical. If anything I'll get a rat, napalm's story of Fleece touched me. Plus they're like what 4 dollars? Thanks for the input.

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Originally Posted by Gohron

It's not my dog, she always been wild. I don't know why she went to the bathroom on the floor in my room, but I just started closing the door and she doesn't do it anywhere else.

She gets scolded when she barks but she always always wants to go outside. I hear her jump up like a bomb went off everytime somebody upstairs moves because she thinks they're getting up to let her outside.

Plus, the cat beats her up. We brought a dog over my house when I was little and we had this huge hulking 30 pound cat and the cat kicked the shit out of the dog and it peed all over the floor and tried to hide and it was a pretty big dog.

I don't mind dogs and I would like to have my own one day but cats are easier and can be very friendly and loyal depending on how it's personality develops.

I've also yet to meet a single dog that doesn't want to eat everything in site that is even remotely edible.

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I believe Kano said it best. If you could train your dog you wouldn't have these problems. I can put a treat down in front of my dog (even setting it on her front paw while she's laying down) and she won't take it until I give her the command that it's OK.

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Originally Posted by napalm

To add to the discussion, I've heard great things about sugar gliders, it might be worth looking up online. Also, +1 on rats. I've owned two rats, and while one was probably the best pet I've ever had, the other rat was pretty much just... "a rat."

Anyhow, my first rat, named Fleece, was such an amazing pet, that I'm still heartbroken when I think about her 10 years after the fact. It acted like a dog and was every bit as smart as one. I could walk her outside and play games with her, and she loved attention. When I'd put her back in her cage at night, she'd always find a way out (they can jump to incredible heights when motivated) and come into my room and crawl up onto my bed. She loved to play little hide and go seek games and get chased around the room. Unfortunately, a couple of years later we discovered a bump on her side, which only got worse. We had to put her down shortly afterwards. Now I'm depressed as hell thinking about her. :cries:

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LOL you were 8 and impressed by a rat.

My vote is for a Border Collie. Or fighting fish.

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Originally Posted by K3V

I believe Kano said it best. If you could train your dog you wouldn't have these problems. I can put a treat down in front of my dog (even setting it on her front paw while she's laying down) and she won't take it until I give her the command that it's OK.

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Or you could just not have a stupid dog.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

Or you could just not have a stupid dog.

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She is not stupid, but she had behavior problems when we got her from the SPCA. She had separation anxiety and would destroy things when we left for work for the day. But through training and consistency we can now leave her out in the whole house whenever we leave with no problems at all.

Check out this show sometime. It proves that any dog can be properly trained if you know how to do it right.

I'll second the bird notion, as they are very easy to take care of. You can buy bird seed super cheap that lasts forever, they shed only feathers, you can feed them some of your uncooked fruits and vegetables, they are generally very loving, they don't smell (assuming you only have 1 or 2 birds), and cleanup = taking off the top sheet of newspaper in side of their cage.

Be very careful about the breed of bird you decide to choose, though. There is a breed of bird for every temperment you could imagine. Even the males and females of each species differ. Some birds, like cockatoos (the huge white birds with the crown of feathers that go up) are the most loving animals on earth, but they needs hours of affection each day, and can be loud as hell if not handled right.

I've had two parrots so far. My families first parrot, Pepper, was an African Grey (gray birds with bright red tails, the smartest breed), which adored my mother. Unfortunately, he wasn't so kind to me. I was in grade school and he made me his bitch. We generally always left the cage open, because he would only fly (fly like a chicken) off if he got startled. One summer day we opened the doors on our deck, and he dissapeared... we're guessing he flew off the deck.

The 2nd parrot my mom owned was really fun loving, affectionate, and smart. The bird was one of my favorite pets. It's about 6 years old now, and my parents have been divorced for 3 years, so it went with my mom. If I play with it everytime I visit my mom, it's a nice little bird. If I end up not seeing my mom for a while it will bite me as punishment, and then I have to choke the little bastard and we're okay. I don't really bother picking her up anymore, since the bites break skin, and it gets old every week.

That parrot is not my doppleganger!

Arangatang FTW. He can learn to shit in the toilet and you could even give him house chores. Plus you could feed em with cigarettes and beer.

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Originally Posted by EvilMog

Arangatang FTW. He can learn to shit in the toilet and you could even give him house chores. Plus you could feed em with cigarettes and beer.

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That only works if your Tony Danza or Clint Eastwood.

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Originally Posted by JefmcC

My vote is for a Border Collie.

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My parents have two of these... you better have a big yard you can play with them in and a good amount of time to do so or they will go insane. Even then, expect to have a tennis ball incessantly dropped in your lap every second they're around you.

I love 'em, but I don't think I'd ever get one myself. I think I'll probably go for a beagle or a dachshund when I'm ready to get my own.

For the love of God don't get anything with beagle in it. We have a beagle/boston terrier mix and she's a fucking nightmare. Destroys EVERYTHING (clothes, and entire sofa, constantly in the garbage) and they never stop barking. Whines all night, barks non-stop outside even with a shock-collar. We've taken her to three trainers with good reputations and nobody could do shit for her except teach her to sit for 5 seconds if you're holding a treat. She's incredibly loveable and really mellow as a lap-dog, but she needs constant supervision.

We're really hoping she'll grow out of it, but it's been a year and she's only settled down a bit, so... Yeah, fuck beagle mixes. Too much chewing.

Betta fish. You can go get the fish, the cool cage and the food for less than ten bucks. They're really smart, they recognize you and if you take care of them well, they'll be happy to see you just like dogs (even if you don't feed them).

Hamsters are cool, too, but high maintenance.

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Originally Posted by K3V

I believe Kano said it best. If you could train your dog you wouldn't have these problems. I can put a treat down in front of my dog (even setting it on her front paw while she's laying down) and she won't take it until I give her the command that it's OK.

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Some dogs are naturally more wild then others. My grandparents previous two dogs (Huskies) were like that, I don't remember the first one much but the second one was a good dog, he never barked and didn't do much bad stuff, he liked to kill small animals out in the yard but that's about it.

This dog was an old puppy when they got her and she's always been wild, likes to run around and spend a lot of time outside and is in love with eating. She gets scolded and if she gets bad enough the stick gets brought out and she lays down before it has to be used. She's not a bad dog at all, but she's definately wild and gets pretty excited sometimes, she especially likes to fight with the cat, who has no claws but still beats her up a good deal.

Just come to NY, and get yourself a NY rat. They are as big as a ferret, hamster and whatever else. Hell, its a replacement of a cat.

I never really thought much of birds until my friend Mariel bought me my first cockatiel. They are so sweet and loving. You do have to make sure to give it lots of time and affection. I think birds are very underestimated when it comes to how smart they really are. Mariel had an Amazon and she was the shit. She would make star wars noises and would imitate my friends laugh and her fiances. But anyway yes, birds are awesome.

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Originally Posted by Nomi

For the love of God don't get anything with beagle in it. We have a beagle/boston terrier mix and she's a fucking nightmare. Destroys EVERYTHING (clothes, and entire sofa, constantly in the garbage) and they never stop barking. Whines all night, barks non-stop outside even with a shock-collar. We've taken her to three trainers with good reputations and nobody could do shit for her except teach her to sit for 5 seconds if you're holding a treat. She's incredibly loveable and really mellow as a lap-dog, but she needs constant supervision.

We're really hoping she'll grow out of it, but it's been a year and she's only settled down a bit, so... Yeah, fuck beagle mixes. Too much chewing.

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I've heard a good big of negativity, but my old neighbor and an ex-gf had beagles and they were no problem at all, well behaved and only barked at people walking by near the fence like any other dog would.

In a similar fashion, Border Collies are renowned as the smartest dogs in the world and yet one of mine is borderline retarded, probably the dumbest dog I've ever seen period.

There's always exceptions to the rule.

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Originally Posted by 46 and 2

I never really thought much of birds until my friend Mariel bought me my first cockatiel. They are so sweet and loving. You do have to make sure to give it lots of time and affection. I think birds are very underestimated when it comes to how smart they really are. Mariel had an Amazon and she was the shit. She would make star wars noises and would imitate my friends laugh and her fiances. But anyway yes, birds are awesome.

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I had finches. Started off with 2 and within a couple months, I had like 10. After 6-8 months, I had almost 20. The make a fucking mess. I had to give some away. Eventually I had to give them all away since I was remodeling the house.

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Originally Posted by Calliander

Betta fish. You can go get the fish, the cool cage and the food for less than ten bucks. They're really smart, they recognize you and if you take care of them well, they'll be happy to see you just like dogs (even if you don't feed them).

Hamsters are cool, too, but high maintenance.

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But you can only have ONE PER TANK.

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Originally Posted by Bacon

In a similar fashion, Border Collies are renowned as the smartest dogs in the world and yet one of mine is borderline retarded, probably the dumbest dog I've ever seen period.

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You should bring your dog to my place and we can have a retard-off, because we're pretty sure ours is the stupidest dog ever. It was pretty funny watching him throw a grill with lit charcoal at himself (no, he didn't get hurt), and his penchant for running into solid objects is awesome.

I prefer female cats myself. No marking of territory, very easy to train to not shit and piss all over, they generally don't chew on anything, and they can take themselves to their own bathroom. There is that whole thing about how sometimes you get an asshole thus ending up with little more than standoffish extra mouth to feed, but I still <3 them. Maine Coon for sure.

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Originally Posted by Cowutopia

But you can only have ONE PER TANK.

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Your sentence applies to both hamsters and betta fish, too.

Unless you want well-trained "fighting hamsters," you don't put hamsters together. Bettas are brutal together, but one is all you need. I have Phoenix and even in the dark, he knows me from across the room. If I'm close, he'll dart back and forth, opening his mouth and closing it real quick, and he sometimes jumps right up out of the water. I trained him to follow my fingers around his little betta fish bowl thing for his food.

Click for full size

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Originally Posted by MechDeus

I prefer female cats myself. No marking of territory, very easy to train to not shit and piss all over, they generally don't chew on anything, and they can take themselves to their own bathroom. There is that whole thing about how sometimes you get an asshole thus ending up with little more than standoffish extra mouth to feed, but I still <3 them. Maine Coon for sure.

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I got a male, but I got him when he was like a day past the "too young to take from the mother" point. He does all of the stuff that dogs do like playing fetch and getting mega excited when Elaine or I come home, even if we took the trash out or something. I had him neutered as early as possible so that it wouldn't affect his behavior and he doesn't mark anything. I'm also training him to use the toilet instead of the litter box, like the cat from Meet the Parents.

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Originally Posted by bandit

I had finches. Started off with 2 and within a couple months, I had like 10. After 6-8 months, I had almost 20. The make a fucking mess. I had to give some away. Eventually I had to give them all away since I was remodeling the house.

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yeah I hate finches. My dad has zebra and spice finches. They make a lot of mess and are noisy as hell. my dad has to change thier water every 4 hours. Individual birds are way better. They bond to their owner that way.


Bettas are freaking great too.

heres a pic of min above my bed . you can't really see but you get the jist.

Having a bird as a pet makes less sense to me than having a cat. Annoying creatures from start to finish.

Who was redstar.division before he changed his name?

He has like 4000+ posts.

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Originally Posted by Calliander

I had him neutered as early as possible so that it wouldn't affect his behavior and he doesn't mark anything.

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The Maine Coon my family had was also male and also did not suffer from the traditional male cat problems, but he was an odd one and I wouldn't want to risk it.

My grandparents had a lot of bird feeders which is what originally drew him to our yard, as he enjoyed hunting and feasting on the little guys. My grandfather then made up a bed for him in the garage and we started feeding him with food other than bird and eventually he moved in with us. We were never sure where exactly he came from but whoever his previous owner had been took really good care of him, he had a fantastic coat and was in great shape. I loved that cat. :(

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Originally Posted by 46 and 2

yeah I hate finches. My dad has zebra and spice finches. They make a lot of mess and are noisy as hell. my dad has to change thier water every 4 hours. Individual birds are way better. They bond to their owner that way.

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Yea, I had the zebra finches. My mom fell in love with them when we went to a relatives house. When we first got it, we all sat infront of the cage just looking at it.

Thank god we got rid of them. The house smelled, food, poo and feathers were all over the floor. Newspapers and cloths cover the cage didnt do anything at all.

We had a canary as well. A relative had it but didnt want it any more so we took it in. Didnt last too long. Saw it die. Body got all stiff and everything. Poor thing.

We also got fishes as well. They didnt last. At first we had little guppies and little neon ones. They kept dying. When they gave birth, we had to watch the tank or the bigger ones would eat it. After a while, we gave up. But then a family relative was raising Discus (sp?) and my mom wanted them. He gave us about 4 total. For some reason we have bad luck with fishes. They kept dying on us and had holes in their faces. Those fishes werent cheap either. O wells.

We dont have any pets right now, but I want a dog. My dad doesnt want any pets since he doesnt want to take care of anything. I think when I move out with my gf, we'll get a small dog or something.

See your dad is smart. If he keeps saying that he won't be forced to do all the shitty stuff.

"I'm not cleaning up any god damn poop. I didn't even want the damn thing."