DD9 wants a pet..UPDATE we adopted a Lionhead Bunny bringing him home in 3 wks! YAY

[Tinkbellfan]

That is one cute hammy!

 

[DawnM]

Would you like my hamster? I will ship him to you for free!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Would you like my hamster? I will ship him to you for free!

You had the missing hamster right?? Sounds like it's too bad he was found eh....

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That is one cute hammy!

Thank you!

Would you like my hamster? I will ship him to you for free!

Wait a minute - did we know that you found him? Or did you get another?

 

[DawnM]

We did not find the missing hamsters, one of whom was our current hamster's mother. This is one of the babies.

He is ok. The one I gave to a good friend was personality plus. I am glad I gave her to them though as they give her so much attention and love.

The boy we have is just kind of a blob....not much personality, prefers to be left alone, doesn't even use his wheel, and has had a mite problem. We are treating his mites, but the poor thing has suffered.

Dawn

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We did not find the missing hamsters, one of whom was our current hamster's mother. This is one of the babies.

He is ok. The one I gave to a good friend was personality plus. I am glad I gave her to them though as they give her so much attention and love.

The boy we have is just kind of a blob....not much personality, prefers to be left alone, doesn't even use his wheel, and has had a mite problem. We are treating his mites, but the poor thing has suffered.

Dawn

I wonder what happened to hammy 1 & 2 - no odd smells in the house I hope

 

[DawnM]

No, no odd smells.

They either ran away or were eaten by the dogs.

Dawn

I wonder what happened to hammy 1 & 2 - no odd smells in the house I hope

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

i would casually take DD to petsmart when they have a kitty adoption day.... try to sway her

of all the options... i'd go for the chinchilla.

 

[gillenkl]

A rabbit is a 8-10 year commitment. We have a rabbit - "Tinkerbell" lives indoors in our basement in a penned space that is 4 X 5. She is litterbox trained and only uses that for her business. Her pet run area doesn't spell at all. The litterbox which is lined with newspaper and filled with timothy hay is changed daily and fresh hay is added during the day 1-2 times.

She goes to the vet every 3-4 months (not a regular vet, an exotic animal vet) for teeth trimming, nail clipping and ear cleaning - $180. If we need to board her it's $40 a day.

She eats 2-3 bowls a day of romaine lettuce/carrots and 1/4 cup of pellets in the evening.

I also wanted to add that female rabbits should be "fixed" or not only will they reproduce alot, but also have a higher risk of developing cancer. Don't listen to what they told you at Petsmart - please do not put your rabbit on a leash - it's not a dog, they frighten easily, and there is not need to put them on a leash, they could be seriously injured.

 

[mrseace711]

great info to review here!! Options still open I will have to research the vets in our area!! I am so glad I am not finding all this info AFTER we adopted a pet.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

A rabbit is a 8-10 year commitment. We have a rabbit - "Tinkerbell" lives indoors in our basement in a penned space that is 4 X 5. She is litterbox trained and only uses that for her business. Her pet run area doesn't spell at all. The litterbox which is lined with newspaper and filled with timothy hay is changed daily and fresh hay is added during the day 1-2 times.

She goes to the vet every 3-4 months (not a regular vet, an exotic animal vet) for teeth trimming, nail clipping and ear cleaning - $180. If we need to board her it's $40 a day.

She eats 2-3 bowls a day of romaine lettuce/carrots and 1/4 cup of pellets in the evening.

I also wanted to add that female rabbits should be "fixed" or not only will they reproduce alot, but also have a higher risk of developing cancer. Don't listen to what they told you at Petsmart - please do not put your rabbit on a leash - it's not a dog, they frighten easily, and there is not need to put them on a leash, they could be seriously injured.

You can prevent those teeth clippings by having wood chews or apple branches for their natural chewing habits will keep them as short as they are supposed to be. I clip my rabbits nails myself by using a cat nail clipper and a flash light. My Mable loves pine cones (washed thoroughly) and willow baskets, and I have never had to have her teeth clipped.

Do you not give her more of a variety of vegetables? She shouldn't have romain and/or carrots everyday, that is not good for her. Rabbits have a sweet tooth and should only have vegetables/carrots once a week and at a minimum. They need more darker green leafy vegetables.

 

[gillenkl]

You can prevent those teeth clippings by having wood chews or apple branches for their natural chewing habits will keep them as short as they are supposed to be. I clip my rabbits nails myself by using a cat nail clipper and a flash light. My Mable loves pine cones (washed thoroughly) and willow baskets, and I have never had to have her teeth clipped.

Do you not give her more of a variety of vegetables? She shouldn't have romain and/or carrots everyday, that is not good for her. Rabbits have a sweet tooth and should only have vegetables/carrots once a week and at a minimum. They need more darker green leafy vegetables.

I guess it's safe to say especially after reading this whole thread that everyone has different opinions about their pets care and feeding. I give my rabbit the foods our vet has prescribed and she is 100% healthy and happy. It seems we both love our pets and take care of them the best we can.

 

[Bonnie151]

I will preface this by saying that I am not a small animal person at all!! I like cats and dogs. However, due to DH's allergies and my work (I have a licensed kitchen so can't have cats/dogs), we bought 2 guinea pigs for our children about a year ago and I love them! They live in my son's room and they absolutely adore him. They are very shy skittish creatures, but have such presonalities - they whistle at me every time I go past the room in the hope that I'll give them some salad. One is very cuddly and loves to be held/pet on your lap. The other one is an absolute monkey and if DS is lying on his bed, DJ will run down to his toes, give them a bit of a nibble then run up and settle down smack on top of DS' head.

I give their cage a quick clean every day to get the worst of the poo/urine out and a deep clean once a week. They do smell if I don't do it every day, but I don't think it's that much work.

They do need their nails clipped every 4-6 weeks. I can do Henry's no problem with DS holding him, but DJ will bite and draw blood so he goes to the vet!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I guess it's safe to say especially after reading this whole thread that everyone has different opinions about their pets care and feeding. I give my rabbit the foods our vet has prescribed and she is 100% healthy and happy. It seems we both love our pets and take care of them the best we can.

I am quite surprised that is a diet ok'd by a rabbit specialized vet. Our vet recommends the diet recognized by the House Rabbit Society.

 

[mrseace711]

I am thinking we should get Sea Monkeys after reading all of this Just kidding =) But WOW this is not like buying a pet fish

 

[Merida]

What about a hedgehog? If I remember correctly, they're legal in Indiana (it varies state to state). I finally got my own when I moved out here to Colorado and he's a great pet. Super low maintenance (just give him a bath and dump out the shavings once a week or so. Most hedgehogs love swimming which makes bathtime easy. Ours doesn't, which seems to be a bit unusual), funny, and everyone loves him. Yes, they're nocturnal, but our hedgehog lives in our bedroom and we sleep fine. You do have to get a heat lamp (they prefer an environment ~70 degrees F) but that's really the only thing special we've gotten him (his favorite toys are toilet paper tubes).

If you do want a hedgehog, they typically come from breeders and are a little more expensive (males are usually a little cheaper because they're less popular). But you only need one since they are introverted! A good breeder has a warranty just in case the hedgehog has wobbly hedgehog syndrome and usually only sells young hedgehogs (right after they've weaned, before they shed the baby quills) which is the perfect time for bonding (hedgehogs are pretty blind due to being nocturnal and go by smell so they usually attach to the person that deals with them the most).

 

[mrseace711]

I came across the hedgehogs when looking at adoptable pets I had NO idea they were also kept as pets! Very cute though.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

My brother had a hedgehog years ago *Ben - was the hedgehog's name* he was sweet.

 

[Lassie Lynne]

I am thinking we should get Sea Monkeys after reading all of this Just kidding =) But WOW this is not like buying a pet fish

We have had many, many small little critters who thrived well....but alas, our Sea Monkeys kept dieing on us.....they didn't reproduce guess I had all one sex or they were saving themselves for marriage

Any pet, small or large, is a lot of dedication, and each pet can be different. I have had piggies who were less work than some gerbils and a hamster who was really really difficult to live with (but cute and funny as can be). The most important advice is to read many different credible sources before chosing and also keep the animal's best interest in heart.

 

[mrseace711]

We have had many, many small little critters who thrived well....but alas, our Sea Monkeys kept dieing on us.....they didn't reproduce guess I had all one sex or they were saving themselves for marriage
QUOTE]



I contacted one of our local adoption agencies via email and am now corresponding with them I think a pet or 2 may be around well before Christmas