I’ve always liked having other living things in my living space. But currently I’m living in a small studio, and next month I’ll be living with my boyfriend for a couple months, and after that I’ll probably rent an apartment with a friend. I do have a cat but it’s currently at my parents’ house - she’s much happier there than she would be with me, I think.
I would like to keep another pet, but it needs to be something small that I can transport fairly easily. It also needs to be something that is not going to bother other people (so a bird, for example, would probably not work). Nothing that would be potentially noisy or smelly. Something in a cage or a tank, but nothing that requires a lot of equipment (i.e., a tropical aquarium).
Are there any kinds of fish that do well in simple tanks by themselves? Or maybe a turtle would work? Are hamsters smelly/noisy? (Never had one.)
My sister keeps hamsters in her apartment. In my opinion they’re not much of a pet, but she adores hers. She also has a rabbit, but there’s the poo component if you let them roam around.
I had a cat in an apartment and she was very happy.
Hamster cages can get very smelly since they’re very liberal as far as their bowels are concerned. They’re also incredibly noisy at night (nocturnal bastards), especially if you give them a wheel rather than a ball for exercise. Depending on it’s temperament it may also take to chewing on the bars and making a racket. Although you can sort that by getting a plastic cage. Rotastak do some good ones. I always figured hamsters were a kids things though.
Fish don’t seem easily transportable to me. Goldfish seem to do pretty well on their own, but frankly I find fish incredibly boring.
You’ll want a tank for a turtle too, so I doubt that would be easily transportable. They usually want deep water so it can swim fully submerged. Since it will be indoors, you’ll want to fit the tank with the right kind of lighting, since they do kind of require the sun to stay healthy. You also need to keep the water at a consistent temperature (I forget what) to feed it (helps with the digestion). The pet shop people can help with that.
Long story short: Reptiles are a pain to keep alive and don’t give any love.
Why not wait until you’re more settled? I mean, a goldfish or a turtle isn’t exactly going to provide you with companionship, and they’re a pain in the ass to move, so why the hurry?
A betta fish is one of the easiest pets. A 5 gallon aquarium would be like a palace for one male betta fish. They dislike strong currents and can breathe from the surface of the water, so a water filter really isn’t needed. Just change a percentage of the water on a regular basis to keep the water healthy for it. Do not get a goldfish - they actually require a lot more space than most people realize, and a “goldfish bowl” is much too small for them (and really the only fish that could thrive in a goldfish bowl would be a betta - but even with a betta, I consider a 2-5 gallon tank much better). To do well and live a full lifespan, one goldfish needs 10-20 gallons.
Water turtles are also harder to keep than a lot of people realize. The small baby turtles grow up to be rather large adults that need huge aquariums. The only kind of turtle or tortoise I think would be manageable for an apartment dweller is the Russian tortoise: http://russiantortoise.org/
Most of the other kinds of tortoises become huge so are absolutely not good apartment pets (especially the sulcata tortoises, who eventually grow large enough to break through fences and eat like horses), but russian tortoises reach a maximum size of 6-8" so they are much more manageable.
Russian tortoises don’t really smell (unless you didn’t clean their habitat) and don’t make noise. They do require a relatively large habitat, but something like a 50 gallon rubbermaid tub will suffice if you can let it out to roam a bit (they also need a heat lamp and a UV light for their habitat but that is easy to get at any pet shop). They also benefit from having room to roam and exercise outside. If you have a friend who has a yard that the tortoise could “graze” in during summer months, that would be best.
I’ve had gerbils, guniea pigs and hamsters and they can get smelly but not if you clean their cages properly. That means once a week. They also need lots of egg cartons (not plastic) and stuff to chew on and make a nest out of. They will gnaw on anything so you need wood too.
They don’t really make that much noise, except they are active when the lights go out, so they run on wheels and chew things and it seems noisy 'cause you’re trying to sleep. They can be fun and you’ll get attached. A gerbil or hamster will get you 3 -5 years of enjoyment. But a cat can make them a nervous wreck.
The BEST and I mean BEST rodent to have as a pet is a chinchilla. They are so clean, and mine never smelled. They are so soft, (but they aren’t cuddly animals. They’ll let you hold them but they’d rather you wouldn’t). They make virtually no noise. In fact if it’s making a noise there’s a problem. Usually it’s lonely or scared if it makes a noise. But you can go weeks without hearing from them.
They need BIG cages though. It’s so fun to watch them take their dust baths. And they do need a cool room. They are moutain animals so they like it cold.
Most rabbits can be house trained pretty easily; not sure why your sister hadn’t. My fiance’s rabbit is awesome. She has her multi-level cage with her “sit n shit”* that she likes to spend time in, but during day time hours, the door is always open. She can wander anywhere and will know to run back either to the cage (or the litterbox in the corner of each room she has access to) and do her business. Then she can run right back out.
She’s only had two accidents in 3-4 years, which is less than any dog I’ve known!
her big hayrack and litterbox, so she can go to the bathroom and eat hay.
Rats require about the same care as hamsters (weekly cage cleanings), but are MUCH better pets. Rats are intelligent (some say as intelligent as dogs), affectionate, and full of individual personality. Their favorite place to hang out is on your shoulder or in your pocket.
They can be somewhat noisy at night, but not extremely. I would say the major, major downside to keeping rats is that they only live 2-3 years. It’s like having a dog or a cat that dies within a short time.
I agree. I’ve actually had my cat for five years, all in an apartment. Hazel sounds like she is in an impermanent situation, though. Being moved from apartment to apartment can be hard on a cat, plus many apartments don’t allow cats or dogs.
IMHO actually caring for a fish tank (cycling and water changes) is messy and requires space – might not meet your requirements. Plus they are heavy and dangerous to move, and most of the ways you can move the tank are dangerous to the fish.
Small rodent (rat or hamster) sounds better. IMHO gerbils are less personable than hamsters while matching them for nocturnal noise. A mouse is cute but they’re sooooo delicate when handled and they don’t seem that personable either. All these small rodents have short lifespans, which can be heartbreaking.
If bothering roommates at night is a consideration, ferrets are right out.
I’m gonna have to throw in the Leopard Gecko for the running. You can get everything set up for maybe 50 bucks, and they’re very low maintenance as long as you don’t mind handling mealworms for food. Very easy to transport, and as for affection, he’s not as cuddly as a hamster, but my leo lets me pet his head and will crawl on me.
And they’ve been known to live up to twenty years.
I missed this part. We had a chinchilla (rescued) for many years. He was a sweet-natured little guy who was happy hopping around and climbing on us when we laid on the floor with him, but he tested everything (including human flesh) with little nibbles which sometimes got old.
Chinchillas are subject to strokes at 80 degrees F. You MUST, MUST keep it colder than that at all times…including driving home in the middle of the day and taking emergency measures if the AC goes out in summer. We eventually bought a free-standing one-room AC unit just for backup after several scares.
Note that since they do not sweat, they can’t be cooled by fans – the actual temperature needs to be controlled.
Also, they can’t tolerate getting wet; they have the densest fur on earth and they are subject to skin fungus if they get soaked.
In the wild, they tunnel under broken rock in the Andes mountains, eating a very sparse, low-calorie diet, and hop up onto the rocks periodically to spot predators. Ours spent most of his life tunneling under stuff and hopping up to sit on it, mimicking these behaviors.
Note that, due to the “hopping up onto the higher rock” behavior, and the intolerance of moisture, open toilets are a major hazard to pet chinchillas.
I too must add to the chorus claiming rats make great pets. I used to have three. They are very intelligent and highly social. It’s interesting to watch them play and explore. They also enjoy cuddling–with each other and with humans. And, as Sage Rat has effectively argued, they are freakin’ adorable.
Yeah, that is my biggest concern right now. My parents have a nice house, plus my boyfriend is not a fan of cats in general so I don’t want to bring her over while I’m with him.
I’m not DESPERATE for a pet or anything at this point, but I do miss having something to care for, if that makes any sense. I know that fish are a lot of trouble but I’d heard beta fish do pretty well on their own and don’t need a lot of fancy stuff in their tank.
Rats sound interesting. I might look into that.
Or I might just get some potted herbs instead now that the weather is warmer.
