If you have a small place birds can be an excellent choice. You’ll want to do some research to find out which bird is right for you though. We’ve had parakeets before. They’re not too noisy and one even learned to say a few things. We have a Red Lori now. She’s a hoot, but I don’t recommend Lories if you have close neighbors who would complain of noise. Mine screams when she wants attention. She goes into the corner and meows like a cat that’s mad about something when she doesn’t get her way. If things are too quiet she starts “barking” until my dog starts howling then she stops and giggles at him. She eats fruits and veggies so she can be messy, but she’s a joy. Oh, another thing. Lories can bite, HARD even when just playing so if you have a low tolerance for pain, don’t get a Lori.
I keep my mouse in a house…
There is no argument.
The Giant Malaysian Praying Mantis is the coolest creature on Earth.
Mine is called Pattario. He cost $5. I spray some water in his plastic tank once a day. Twice a week I go into the shed, catch a fly/spider/worm/beetle and put it in the tank. And that’s it! He’s only an inch long at present, but when he gets big he can eat [url=http://www.mantisuk.com/keeping/feeding.asp]mice.
Put in several different insects and you have another TV channel.
Sorry, mice. (Warning, unpleasant picture).
They tend to be about $120; cage prices vary depending on size and materials. They can be litter trainded like cats. They’re social animals so I’d recommend getting a pair but that’s not really necessary. We waited about a year before getting a second.
Go to Ferret FAQ to make sure they’re legal where you live and any other info you require.
Ferrets are very active little critters who can be very, very nippy. My roommate in college had one who’d never bitten a single person, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. If you get one from a private breeder who’s handled the kits from birth you shouldn’t have nearly as many problems as one from a pet store who’s been mass-bred and rarely handled by people. They have a rather strong, musky body odor if you’re not used to them. They’re great fun, and big smartasses, so you’ve gotta have a sense of humor to live with them. A good choice for a highly active, interactive pet, but not the sort of critter you can stick in a cage 24/7 and expect them to be happy and good natured.
If you’re looking for a less action intense pet, rats really are the best pocket-pets out there. I bred fancy rats for years, and they’re sweet, friendly, charming, very clean little critters. Extremely social. In the years that I had them, and all the rats that I had, probably around fifty, I was never bitten by a single rat other than once when my roommate’s ferret tried to eat him. Ferret latched on to the rat, rat screamed and latched on to me. Can’t say as I blame him.
And no one’s mentioned hamsters yet because they’re evil, nasty, vile tempered little beasties ;). Never was I ever bitten by a rat, but I was bitten by hamsters on almost a daily basis.
~mixie
Hamsters and mice are vile bastards, agreed.
Rats and rabbits are the way to go if you want rodents, although there are space considerations. I live in a dorm room and would never have a rabbit (or two) in here, as there is no way that I could fit a big enough cage, and they would get so bored that they would be destructive.
A big set-up for rats with food and all is not too expensive, especially if you get them a fish tank with bedding instead of a wire cage. I agree that getting two is a good idea, of the same gender, of course. Hooded rats seem to have nicer dispositions overall than the traditional white lab rats (although in our lab, we use hoodeds).
Although I work with rats a lot (psych major), I’ve only ever been bitten by the one I have at home. To minimize bites, don’t present your fingers in the same way you present food, don’t handle them if your hands smell strongly of food, don’t pick them up in such a way that they are slipping around, don’t approach with your hand from directly overhead, and if a rat is carrying a piece of food, don’t try to take it away from him.
In a home setting, the two things you can do to minimize cord chewing (for rats and rabbits) is to make sure that the little guys are getting plenty of exercise (less nervous, destructive energy) and rub bitter apple lotion on the cords (it is available at most pet stores).
One advantage of rabbits is that they can be litter-trained, while I don’t think rats are cognitively capable of bladder control. Rabbits can also be neutered, and are generally more vet-friendly, as most of the medical literature about rats involves doing things to them, rather than curing them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that rabbits generally live quite long, six to ten years, I think. Most rats conk out after two or three. Some people (like me) see that as a benefit. I know I won’t have to haul Jingo to whatever city or country I get to after I graduate.
Tarantulas. Start with Chilean rose hairs (the most common pet store variety) and then work your way up to more exotic species.
Just to let you know, rabbits are not rodents.
Perhaps a ferret?
Or, if you’re more adventurous, a Komodo Dragon.
I second rats and chinchillas.
Seriously? Well, learn something new every day. What are they, then?
They’re lagomorphs. They were classified as Rodentia until 1912, however.
Brent, I’d suggest you steer clear of ferrets or birds unless you’re willing to spend a fair amount of time socializing with them and can put up with some mess. I suppose it all depends on what kind of interaction you want - I love my bearded dragon, but she’s not exactly demonstrative (unless I have crickets with me). My daughter had a hamster who was truly personable, but I understand that’s not necessarily the norm, and they’re nocturnal (as are some lizards - do your research before getting anything).
We bought an exotic without doing enough homework first, and there were times the learning curve was rather severe. I didn’t realize, for instance, that I’d spend almost as much time interacting with the nasty crickets as I do with the lizard. It also cost far more money than we’d anticipated to get a decent set-up for her (the pet-store guy had more enthusiasm than working knowledge, I think).
Whatever you do, once you narrow down your list, try to find a store or a vet (or a messageboard) that specializes in the type of animal you’re thinking of. They can give you specific information and maybe alert you to catches you might not have thought of.
If you do decide to buy a bunny, DO NOT buy it from a store. They’re over paid, usually too young to be sold, frequently sick and if it lives, you have to get it fixed which costs a whole lot.
My first bunny came from a pet store and was fine. The next two we bought together because they were bonded. The little one, Icarus, had pasturella. We had to put her to sleep a couple of weeks later. The bigger one, Daedalus, managed to not catch the pasturella but she spent 8 months sick and on antibiotics. We think she may have been in mourning.
Nothing sucks more than paying $80 for 2 bunnies, $200 to put one to sleep, over $100 on meds for the other one and then having to still pay $150 to get it fixed.
If you get one from a shelter, they’re already fixed and shelters will not sell a bunny that’s sick.