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Small pets
I want a small pet. I was thinking of, geril, hamster, ferret, sugar glider, chinchilla... Ferrets I heard can be aggressive, shed too much. Hamsters may not be personable enough for me. Chinchillas and SUgar Gliders Are adorable but I do not know much about them as pets. I want a pet that will sleep and poop in there own cage. A pet I can take out daily and spend some time with him/her. A pet that will be friendly and is legal to have as a pet in canada. Any ideas of which small pet I should get and what store in toronto would sell it? Thanks
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Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
I know it sound grows but rat make great pets. they are like little dog. you can train them tricks and the love to be apart of thing. Most large chain pet stores have them. though I would suggest getting a pair as they are social.
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I had a domesticated rat when i was a child and he never bit once and i put him through hell lol i remember putting him into my barbie convertible and whizzing him around. When i got older i did have a sugar glider and mine was MEAN. The males are less aggressive. i got mine from a pet store, so if you are interested i would get one from a breeder, and not a pet shop. My mother recently got two of them from a breeder, and they love people and attention, and are very well tempered. A ferret on the other hand, you can get a leash and walk them like a dog, the stink glad should also be removed. They love to dig, but on the down side they poop all the time, and you have to clean their cage at least once a day. I had a friend who dug in the ground and put a layer of plastic down and put the dirt back, and built chicken wire around the area, with obstacles and hammocks.
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I had a guinea pig for a couple of years. They are great pets! His name was Carl. And they each have their owm personality which is awesome. So I think should get one of those.
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Guinea pigs and rats are the best small animals I have had experience with. Hamsters/mice/anything extremely small tend not to bond with humans, and you basically just watch them...and they eventually become boring and just a lot of work.
Guinea pigs and rats both require a good bit of room and exercise, but you are repaid with sweet pets that love you! I personally have ratties, and they are wonderful little animals when they are tamed. Another bonus, they are pretty inexpensive. The main cost is the cage, and I recommend you go ahead and invest in a good one.
Rats cost $6-8 at a store such as petsmart, but you can probably find a healthier and better socialized rattie if you look for a local breeder, and I think these cost around $30. Expect to spend at least $100 on a cage, and it needs to have several square feet of floor room. I bought one with multiple levels, but this proved too much trouble to clean (and they decided it was their pooping area), so I took it out, and now I get discount fabric for $1/yard and hang disposable hammocks, and they love this. I recommend Mazuri rat food--$6 per bag at petsmart, and a bag lasts my 3 ratties three weeks.
Rats are extremely social, so you'll probably want to get more than one. The easiest thing to do is to buy 2 that are already somewhat bonded. You'll have to handle them a lot the first couple of months to tame them, but after that you can cut back and the two ratties will keep each other company. They'll love you to death once they bond with you. You can take them out daily, and hold them or let them ride on your shoulder. It also helped my bond with my new ratties that I would give them little treats through their cage bars. When I first got my ratties (they were full grown, I got them from a friend who had to get rid of them), they bonded with me in a week. I woke up one morning without realizing a rattie had escaped (they had a whole table top to run around on at night until they figured out how to climb down), and as I was looking at the window, I felt something on my foot. When I looked down, the little escaped rattie had joined me and was looking out the window with me. It was so cute. Just a note, make sure they bond with you--it's very easy, but if you don't they can be a bit aggressive if they feel threatened.
Rats are very smart as well, and I think they are pretty easy to care for. For a while, I used Yesterday's News litter, and I only had to change the cage every two weeks or so. Now I'm on a budget and they are on cardboard and newspaper, and I change them about once per week. I think that rats get used to where they potty, because I have never had one poop on me or on the floor when they are out. Males will spot a little, so you'll want to watch that, but it is so little, I rarely notice. Rats will learn their names pretty quickly, and I've heard that they can learn tricks and things, but I've never tried. Mine just ride on my shoulder, and one gives kisses.
The only downside to rats is their short lifespan. They only live two years or so. Mine are two years old, but they seem to be going strong. Guinea pigs live 6-7 years I think. I have never had them, but my friends keep them in their apartment, and they are very sweet. Anyway, I hope that helped!
Good luck and much love!
~TD
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I do not suggest purchasing a sugar glider or a chinchilla. They are both fairly expensive and very hard to care for. When either one of these pets get ill, they go down very quickly--sometimes in a matter of minutes from the time you notice they're ill to the time they pass away.
I had chinchillas and they are not very hearty. They have extremely fragile bones so you have to pick them up carefully. They are very, very active so they usually will not simply sit with you. They also do not like being held because of their activeness. They are nocturnal. They develop respiratory illness very easily. They have to be kept in certain temperatures or they die (temperature is needed to be around 47F to 67F--70F is the MAX they can survive at safely). Simply put, chinchillas do not bond with people like, say, dogs do--they are fairly nonsocial beings when it comes to humans. (They also shed a lot and can be VERY aggressive)
Sugar gliders can be very pricey. When you purchase one, you should always purchase another. If you don't have two then expect the single one to die shortly after purchasing him/her because they become lonely. They do not see humans as other live beings but as trees so nobody what sort of time you spend with him/her they aren't going to be happy and social with you like they would their own kind. They go down very quickly too--you can find one ill and within a few hours he/she could be completely dead. They eat specific food that you pretty much have to purchase from the grocery store (fresh) and cut/grind up for them. You have to be careful to not accidentally get a intact male and female or the breeding can kill the female and the babies she could be carrying. Also, if you get a pregnant female she may kill her babies if you startle her and are not bonded. You must spend hours each and every single day bonding with a sugar glider before they will be semi-comfortable with you--the big tree--handling them. This probably is not the pet for you, despite they're cute qualities.
With chinchillas and sugar gliders you have to be prepared to spend a lot of money on veterinary bills. Either one can rack of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per vet. visit, depending on what the issue may be. If you're not prepared to pay at least a few hundreds in vet. bills right off the bat then please stop considering either one of these beautiful creatures.
The issue is going to be that most small rodents that you're wanting as pets are simply not sit-still, in-your-hand, loving-humans pets. They simply aren't and you can't just find one that is because it's WHAT they are.
I suggest guinea pigs for the simple fact that they are said to be simple creatures to care for.
Gerbils run a lot and like to be active, active, active!
Hamsters are just not that friendly toward humans. For the most part they are simple creatures who like to be with other simple creatures, if that. They're fairly happy just being WATCHED instead of held in place. Hamsters would probably be your best bet in pet choices that you have listed.
Ferrets smell and are very active, as well. They're also said to not be very intelligent and injure themselves easily because of this.
May you should look into a small sized dog? Dogs are fairly social and love human beings. They can be taught to only go potty in one particular area, too.
Another idea may be a rat. I know, I know, rats SOUND like not a good pet but, from what I've read, they are excellent. They love humans and are quite social. You can even find rat breeders if you want a particular nice or handsome one. They are fairly hearty when it comes to rodents and can live quite some time just fine. They can live in just about any sort of cage just happily. Also note that I am NOT suggesting mice--just a pet rat. Look up some information on pet rats if you're interested :)
Any way it is, whatever pet you choose, PLEASE be prepared for the worst. PLEASE spend HOURS, if not DAYS looking up the care needs of the pet. So many people jump into pets that will die or weeks because they weren't fully prepared.
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me! :)
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hey!
okay so i used to have hamsters but you're right -- they're really small and not too responsive. and they have a very, very short lifespan. so after they passed away a few years ago, my family and i decided to get guinea pigs.
i love them to death. they squeak when they want food or when they want to be pet, they go to the bathroom in their own cage, and they're really easy to take care of. they start out small but if they get fat like mine, they become a nice size so you can hold them and cuddle with them and they love it.
hope i helped :)
EDIT:
if you clean their cages often, they don't smell bad!
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Whew!
Okay if you are deciding on a ferret I highly don't think you should go for it. As a friend to you I tell you, They STINK! I had two ferrets at one time and I cleaned their cages 3 times a day and on top of that I got air freshener for the room and no matter what I seemed to do the smell was always there. I had them for about a month and then I decided I couldn't handle them and gave them away. On top of that they sleep during the day and they are up all night long and require a ton of attention. Ferrets alone cost about $130.00 just for the ferret then the food, shaving, cage, toys, water, bedding, vet checks. etc.
I've never had a Chinchilla however I looked into getting one at one time and the pet store employee told me that they are extremely messy and again they sleep during the day and they are up all night long. Chinchilla's are hard to hold and cuddle with only because they are jumpy and hyper again they cost alot of money.
If you are looking for a small pet here are some I would suggest.
Bunny, Gerbil, Hamster, Fish, Rat, Small bird. (Bunny's are also a bit messy I had 5 at one time but they are do-able) Something that doesn't require too much care, Attention, and that doesn't cost to much I would suggest.
BahaiMa22
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