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Separation Anxiety

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that's too bad - domestic rats rarely bite, are very smart & personable, & readily learn tricks. :(

Their only downside is a short lifespan, of a mere 2 to 3-years, but that makes them ideal for anyone between 7 & 18-YO, as they won't need to worry about how they'll cope with a pet & [pick one or more: middle-school / high-school / extracurricular activities/ college / job / finding an apt / etc] and a longer-lived pet, such as a dog - living 10 to 15-years, or a cat - who can easily reach 20.

Gerbils are very twitchy & prone to escape if U have them out to handle; rats hang-out with U.
Guinea-pigs are nice, but need considerable space; hamsters are extremely nippy, & they're solitary animals, not very sociable.

- terry

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Oh it's a shame you don't like rats - but I do understand, I hate spiders and it would be a waste of time someone trying to persuade me that they're very cute and friendly really! I've just read about housetraining ferrets and it does look like they're unlikely to be 100% reliable outside their cage. I would guess they also nibble everything, including any wires and cables. Just things to bear in mind.

I've no experience of interactive cameras, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they freak some dogs out. Probably smell is a very important part of how they 'see' us, so it could be confusing for them. And when you've disappeared, they might be more stressed than before you appeared. I could be wrong - but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't work for my dog, who is 5/8 greyhound.
 
I know very little about ferrets (if that turns out to be your choice) but I do remember reading something along the lines of the females remaining permanently in season, which is very bad for their long term health, unless you have them neutered.
 
JudyN said:
Oh it's a shame you don't like rats - but I do understand, I hate spiders and it would be a waste of time someone trying to persuade me that they're very cute and friendly really! I've just read about housetraining ferrets and it does look like they're unlikely to be 100% reliable outside their cage. I would guess they also nibble everything, including any wires and cables. Just things to bear in mind.

I've no experience of interactive cameras, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they freak some dogs out. Probably smell is a very important part of how they 'see' us, so it could be confusing for them. And when you've disappeared, they might be more stressed than before you appeared. I could be wrong - but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't work for my dog, who is 5/8 greyhound.
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Yea, thanks. With the ferrets thing I will only let them out when I am present, sorry for not including that. I have heard of some people rubbing their clothes and stuff on interactive cameras so the smell is familiar, but I'm still not sure.
 
JoanneF said:
I know very little about ferrets (if that turns out to be your choice) but I do remember reading something along the lines of the females remaining permanently in season, which is very bad for their long term health, unless you have them neutered.
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Yes, I am planning on keeping male male (neutered of course)
 
leashedForLife said:
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that's too bad - domestic rats rarely bite, are very smart & personable, & readily learn tricks. :(

Their only downside is a short lifespan, of a mere 2 to 3-years, but that makes them ideal for anyone between 7 & 18-YO, as they won't need to worry about how they'll cope with a pet & [pick one or more: middle-school / high-school / extracurricular activities/ college / job / finding an apt / etc] and a longer-lived pet, such as a dog - living 10 to 15-years, or a cat - who can easily reach 20.

Gerbils are very twitchy & prone to escape if U have them out to handle; rats hang-out with U.
Guinea-pigs are nice, but need considerable space; hamsters are extremely nippy, & they're solitary animals, not very sociable.

- terry

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Thanks for the suggestions. I have looked at both gerbils and hamsters but compared to a ferret, they are really quite boring. As well as this, I'm not sure how much space I could be able to give to a guinea pig in an apartment.
 
JoanneF said:
I know very little about ferrets (if that turns out to be your choice) but I do remember reading something along the lines of the females remaining permanently in season, which is very bad for their long term health, unless you have them neutered.
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I've had ferrets, & while they're insanely busy & endlessly, endlessly curious, they DON'T chew cables & cords [unlike rabbits, rodents of all kinds, & some cats].

re the estrus issue, here in the USA, pet-ferrets are practically universally S/N before sale - when they're de-scented, they're desexed at the same time. // Even descented, they still need good husbandry to remain low-stink: frequent litter cleaning, litter changing, & at least once-weekly baths for the critters themselves.
Both their urine & their feces are smelly - but they are as much fun as a boxful of kittens, & stay playful all their lives [most cats will play for a few minutes, & get bored - ferrets will pay for 30-minutes or more at a stretch].

If U buy an intact ferret-kit, whether M or F, i'd get her or him desexed & descented ASAP.
- terry

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I'm guessing you've considered cats?

I've not found the hamsters I've had to be nippy, so a lot may depend on how they're reared & handled, but I agree they're boring compared to rats or ferrets. Are you sure you can't be persuaded even by really cute rats like most of these? really cute rats - Google Search
 
JudyN said:
I'm guessing you've considered cats?

I've not found the hamsters I've had to be nippy, so a lot may depend on how they're reared & handled, but I agree they're boring compared to rats or ferrets. Are you sure you can't be persuaded even by really cute rats like most of these? really cute rats - Google Search
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Yes, I have considered cats but ehh I want something that wants to play all the time. Also, those rats are cute but the tails! I know they are scaly but they still terrify me.
 
JudyN said:
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I've not found the hamsters I've had to be nippy, so a lot may depend on how they're reared & handled...
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as species & based on experience in pet-shops [where i worked] & classrooms [ditto], Goldens tend to be the worst, & Fs are often nippier than Ms, unless U get them out of the cage without intruding Ur hand to pick them up -
they do better if U let them out of the cage, & THEN pick them up.

Russian Dwarves tend to be less nippy than Goldens [the original wild-type, taken into captivity from the deserts of the Middle East & captive-bred ever since the 1930s].
I don't have enuf experience of the long-haired Teddy-type hamsters to say what their personalities tend to be - I've only met a dozen or so.

- terry

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On a scale of 1/10 how much better would a ferret be for my lifestyle then say a retired grayhound?
 
As well as this.. asked parents abut 10 times, ferrets "should not be a problem" (boom embedded quote from my mum.) We have decided on the name Waffle and Pancake.
 
Female ferrets can actually die if they aren’t mated with when they come in season. I always remember being told this.
 
I have had ferrets over the last 8years, all rescues and all have lived indoors. I currently have 2 polecat/ferrets. They make amazing pets and so long as they are out and about at least twice a day for play time they are an animal that seems quite happy in a suitably large cage so long as they have comfy beds/hammocks to sleep in and a litter tray!(and of course food and water..) I clean mine out twice a day and change their bedding as often as needs, so I don't think they are that smelly, especially as they are neutered. They do let off a stink occasionally, which is pretty bad, you can actually feel it and taste it in the air but it does pass;). They do take care and commitment like any other animal you adopt, but they are a lot of fun! You do need to ferret proof your rooms though as you'd be amazed at how small a gap they can get through, under or around etc.
 
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