What pet to get

abutler101

Hello, this is my first post and I think this is the right section to post this question, sorry if it's not. I want to get a pet to keep in my bedroom.

The space I have is around 1 cubic meter (27 cubic feet) but I could extend it to 5' long x 3' wide x3' high if necessary but that is about the maximum amount of space I could give. They will be allowed out for a couple of hours a day for exercise though.

I would like something friendly that can be handled and played with and I don't mind doing some work to gain trust and that. It would have to be a fairly quiet animal, it doesn't have to be completely silent just not noisy. Nothing that will have a strong smell. Not like a smell that would come from improper cleaning, I will clean any droppings a couple of times a week or even daily, I'm talking about an animal that will have a bad smell itself.

I am very limited in the type of animal I can get. I can't have anything that needs artificial lights or heat pads so no reptiles. Mam is terrified of birds and would kill me if I brought one into the house and I'm not allowed get rats. I was thinking about guinea pigs or a chinchilla but I want some more ideas for pets. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Phil_Lives

In other countries you'd visit the local community petting zoo a few times a week and help with cleaning\feeding the animals and then you 'd have no need for your own pet. I don't they're common or exist at all in Ireland.

Nody

I think the space you have is on the small side for most animals in the bunny/guinea pig range but I could be wrong on that. What about pet mice; very friendly and you can point out they are not rats to your mother :P

PucaMama

How about hamsters or gerbils?

abutler101

Phil_Lives wrote: »

In other countries you'd visit the local community petting zoo a few times a week and help with cleaning\feeding the animals and then you 'd have no need for your own pet. I don't they're common or exist at all in Ireland.

I'm not quite sure what you are talking about but if you are talking about chinchillas, they are pretty common in Ireland as pets. I would also like to ad that I am already responsible for nearly 40 animals already but all of them are outside. This would be my first indoor pet other than a couple of fish.

abutler101

Nody wrote: »

I think the space you have is on the small side for most animals in the bunny/guinea pig range but I could be wrong on that. What about pet mice; very friendly and you can point out they are not rats to your mother :P

I thought that the general rule for guinea pigs was 4 square feet per animal, and even at my smaller space I would fit two, but if I made a cage with a couple of levels. I could increase the square footage to include another one. I know The space is way too small for a rabbit,a I already have rabbits outside and I don't think they would make good indoor pets. This/these pets are supposed to relax me while I am studying in my room for the JC next year. My mam hasn't specifically said no mice but I'm pretty sure they would fall into the "not allowed" animals list but I will see if they would be ok.

ShaShaBear

abutler101 wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what you are talking about but if you are talking about chinchillas, they are pretty common in Ireland as pets. I would also like to ad that I am already responsible for nearly 40 animals already but all of them are outside. This would be my first indoor pet other than a couple of fish.

I'd recommend a well-bred, hand-reared hamster (although if your mother is against rats, there is a good chance she will feel the same about hamsters and mice or gerbils). Chinchillas need quite a big cage. Rabbits or guinea pigs are pretty much out of the question if you plan on keeping in your room. Hamsters can be quite noisy and not as simple to house as a pet shop would make you believe!

TBH if reptiles, birds and rodents are out, there really isn't anything you could keep in your room.

abutler101

PucaMama wrote: »

How about hamsters or gerbils?

They wouldn't be very sociable would they. My brother used to have a hamster and he was terrible, he used to bite, would escape all the time and hated being handled. I'm not sure about gerbils though I will look them up.

ShaShaBear

abutler101 wrote: »

They wouldn't be very sociable would they. My brother used to have a hamster and he was terrible, he used to bite, would escape all the time and hated being handled. I'm not sure about gerbils though I will look them up.

Hamsters are extremely sociable and friendly if you get them off a reputable breeder and not out of a fishtank in a petshop

PucaMama

abutler101 wrote: »

They wouldn't be very sociable would they. My brother used to have a hamster and he was terrible, he used to bite, would escape all the time and hated being handled. I'm not sure about gerbils though I will look them up.

I have loads of hamsters and gerbils they are lovely pets. We only have one hamster a Syrian called Jake at the minute

abutler101

I don't think it is all rodents that my mam is against just ones that she would be used to seeing outside in the wild and has bad experiences with. I think I might try and convince her that rats might not be that bad.

On the hamsters, I'm not sure where my brothers one was gotten but it was probably a pet shop. I will look into one from a breeder.

ShaShaBear

abutler101 wrote: »

I don't think it is all rodents that my mam is against just ones that she would be used to seeing outside in the wild and has bad experiences with. I think I might try and convince her that rats might not be that bad.

On the hamsters, I'm not sure where my brothers one was gotten but it was probably a pet shop. I will look into one from a breeder.

I'd nearly bet my barney it was - it's one of the most common pets to get for young ones out of a petshop next to fish, and there are almost no pet shops in this country that professionally and correctly deal with either. There has been mention of one particular shop that is great for hand-reared rodents, someone else might be able to put you on the right track.

With regards to the rats, you might want to rethink them as even with very regular cleaning, they have a distinct smell that takes some getting used to. But they are fantastically social, very lovable and fun to have around. Mind you, a well-bred and handled hamster would be the same, and I would consider them much easier to look after. My two ratties have become quite a challenge in their older age, one passed away a few days ago and the other isn't looking too sprightly

Knine

Guinea Pigs are fantastic pets. If you can make the space - much nicer then a hamster. They can be very friendly & they whistle when they see or hear you or the food bag rattling. They are more expensive to feed then hamsters though.

abutler101

Knine wrote: »

Guinea Pigs are fantastic pets. If you can make the space - much nicer then a hamster. They can be very friendly & they whistle when they see or hear you or the food bag rattling. They are more expensive to feed then hamsters though.

Personally I would prefer a pair of guinea pigs than a hamster or mouse because of the looks and size. I know that they are fed a very similar diet to rabbits except for extra vitamin C needs. I have an endless supply of guinea pig friendly leaves and vegetables outside in the garden too. Do you know how much room I would need per pig so I can see if it would be possible to make a suitable cage for some? If I made a cage with ramps and levels would the guinea pigs actually use them? Thanks

Silverfish

abutler101 wrote: »

They wouldn't be very sociable would they. My brother used to have a hamster and he was terrible, he used to bite, would escape all the time and hated being handled. I'm not sure about gerbils though I will look them up.

I had a hamster like that too, he was really mean! Then he went to live with my mum (terrified of rats / mice /hamsters) and for some reason they got on like a house on fire and she had no problem handling him.

I currently have a syrian hamster, she's LOVELY and I love her, she's super friendly and sociable and wants to be in the middle of whatever is going on all the time. However she does chew her cage a lot and she is loud. I got her from a petshop, but the lady who worked there bred hamsters and they were well used to being handled.

The most silent and friendliest pets I ever had were the mice, super smart and friendly, could do little tricks and had great little personalities. They were female mice too so they didn't smell much at all. They're not bothered with escaping as much either! Its just a big risk that you might end up with a male instead of a female and then babies everywhere.

If you had the space for guinea pigs though I'd get a pair of pigs, they're great pets too.

Magenta

If you are going to keep a hamster, keep it in an old fish tank with a well-ventilated lid. Mine used to always chew on their cage bars, no matter what size the cage was or what i gave them to chew on. Drove me mad at night.

abutler101

Magenta wrote: »

If you are going to keep a hamster, keep it in an old fish tank with a well-ventilated lid. Mine used to always chew on their cage bars, no matter what size the cage was or what i gave them to chew on. Drove me mad at night.

That was another problem I was thinking of with hamsters, the old one used to drive us mad at night running in his wheel and chewing on the bars of his cage. From what I understand, guinea pigs are not nocturnal like most rodents

ShaShaBear

abutler101 wrote: »

That to he's on another problem. I was thinking of with hamsters, the old one used to drive us mad at night running in his wheel and chewing on the bars of his cage. From what I understand, guinea pigs are not nocturnal like most rodents

I'm just not sure about the logistics of keeping them in your bedroom is all.

Knine

abutler101 wrote: »

Personally I would prefer a pair of guinea pigs than a hamster or mouse because of the looks and size. I know that they are fed a very similar diet to rabbits except for extra vitamin C needs. I have an endless supply of guinea pig friendly leaves and vegetables outside in the garden too. Do you know how much room I would need per pig so I can see if it would be possible to make a suitable cage for some? If I made a cage with ramps and levels would the guinea pigs actually use them? Thanks

Guinea Pigs don't actually have same diet as rabbits. They need much more fresh veg, grasses etc. Rabbits do better with less veg & plenty of hay.

The best way to get an idea of size for living space would be to look at the large cages for them on Zooplus & they give measurements. I find the guineas like to use fairly level ramps. They are not good climbers. I place a lot of toys in mine & also have an outdoor run.

abutler101

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I'm just not sure about the logistics of keeping them in your bedroom is all.

What problems would you see with keeping a guinea pigs inside a bedroom?

ShaShaBear

abutler101 wrote: »

What problems would you see with keeping a guinea pigs inside a bedroom?

Well for one I found when keeping them before that it was a nightmare getting the hutch outside to clean it and air it, pee is quite hard to get out of wood. As well as that, they are quite vocal, even if they are not that nocturnal. And until you have them well-trained, free-roam time could be a nightmare with the kind of furniture that one normally has in a bedroom with a specific designated space for a cage/house.

Knine

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Well for one I found when keeping them before that it was a nightmare getting the hutch outside to clean it and air it, pee is quite hard to get out of wood. As well as that, they are quite vocal, even if they are not that nocturnal. And until you have them well-trained, free-roam time could be a nightmare with the kind of furniture that one normally has in a bedroom with a specific designated space for a cage/house.

Mine are in a bedroom. Why would you put them in a hutch when you can get lovely big cages?

Ours are very vocal. Most people find it very endearing.

ShaShaBear

Knine wrote: »

Mine are in a bedroom. Why would you put them in a hutch when you can get lovely big cages?

Ours are very vocal. Most people find it very endearing.

He mentioned the studying, so I thought it might be something he would like to be aware of Hutch is just the word that comes to mind when I think of piggies or rabbits, since he mentioned making one!

abutler101

I wouldn't be keeping them in a wooden hutch, I would have a cage made of metal and plastic. I am willing to do the training needed.