Suitable pets for small apartment

Cheese Princess

My boyfriend and I live in a small apartment (one bed) and we would really like to have a pet.
We both love dogs but we know it would be too cruel to keep one in such a small space with no garden.
We've been thinking about other alternatives so I was wondering if anyone had any experience of keeping a pet in an apartment. We don't want anything like snakes or lizards, maybe a bird or rabbit or something might work.
Any ideas?

Strokesfan

Speaking as someone who's had a fair shot of pets in our household throughout my life - I would say if ye love dogs - hold out for a while and get a dog rather than something ye are not too keen on now (and possibly regret it later)... I find any animals we've had tend to stink out small spaces even hamsters smell of hamster pee..haha... Birds are headwrecking if they have a fit of singing and you want peace and if you are letting them out to fly around the apartment to spread their wings they can poop everywhere..

If you would like something cuddly in your life - I would say a couple of guinea pigs (I think it's nice to have two cos we all like companionship) or a couple of hamsters - no matter what your living arrangements you could give them a good quality of life and they are easy pets compared to some others.

Glowing

I know it's probably a close second place, but if you really love dogs, why not volunteer to do some dog walking at a local pound/shelter. You'd be going out walking *anyway* if you had a dog, and it might help you get to know a few breeds so you'll know what to get when the time comes It's very rewarding too!

alexdenby6

greyhounds are really low maintenance and dont need lots of exercise, so if it got out a few times a day it might be ok. anyone else comment on greyhounds?

comongethappy

I recommend cats - they are brilliant! Best if you can get them as kittens (and if you are away for more than 7 hours a day best to get 2) so that they don't mind being indoor cats. Mine are mostly indoor (we only let them out occassionally if supervised or on a cat harness) and are quite happy. Give them food before and after work, cuddles in the evening, clean their litter everyday, and toys to keep them entertained - and you'll have a very happy pet!

Greyhounds are suitable for apartment life, but would need a brisk, long walk in the evening and at least a short walk in the morning to do it's business. See http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/exerciselow.htm for a list of dogs with low exercise requirements. Read up on the breed (health conditions, etc) and see if there is one you'd like and would be able to look after. If you want a breed that requires more excerise, could you hire a dog walker under the week?

Glowing

Yeah greyhounds would make great apartment pets, but love their routine so you'd have to be a stickler for taking him or her out twice a day. I wouldn't recommend leaving him alone for the entire day either if you're out at work.

Do you both do 9-5 jobs? It's a bit long to leave any sort of dog alone, especially if he is cooped up in the apartment.

http://www.paws.ie/greyhounds.html

Nala

Highly recommend gerbils. I have two, they have bundles of energy and are even more curious than kittens. They don't smell as long as you keep the cage clean. Unlike hamsters they come out during the day and are much more active. Just make sure you get a same-sex pair, they don't do well alone.

wyk

alexdenby6 wrote:

greyhounds are really low maintenance and dont need lots of exercise, so if it got out a few times a day it might be ok. anyone else comment on greyhounds?

I highly suggest Greyhounds. Very clean, gentle, quiet, loving, and beautiful, and take up little space. They need very little exercise, and do not eat much, and are extremely healthy as full breeds go. As long as you've a soft place to sit in a flat, you are already providing far more comfort and space than the tiny crate many Greyhounds spend the day in at the tracks. And you'd be saving a life, most likely.




Wez

Glowing

The lad on the left is well camoflauged!!

Here are my two cuddling up!

Sigma Force

Gerbils would be a good option, housing them in a fish tank with a wire lid is the safest and cleanest way to house them. If you have the space a 3 foot tank is fine for a pair of gerbils, some people use 2 foot tanks but I find them a bit small but if they were allowed out to run around a gerbil proof room it would be ok and given lots to do but I would really go for 3 foot.

Hamsters only smell if you don't clean them, a syrian must be kept on their own but they are clean they use one area for their pee and you can buy hamster loos or just a little plastic shallow tray will do, once you find out where he's peeing clean the area and put some pee soaked litter into the tray in that spot. White vinegar is excellent for cutting out smells and pee stains from small animals from gerbils to hammies to rabbits to guinea pigs.

A rabbit or guinea pig would suit as well but be sure you have persmission from your landlord. They must be kept in pairs though and rabbits need vaccinations and neutering. Don't house rabbits and guinea pigs together.
Only down side of having rabbits or guinea pigs in a small apartment is that you need to have somewhere to put the waste, they do produce a good bit of mess so you need to have space in your bin as they need cleaning daily.
However zooplus.ie and some other places do plastic cages for guinea pigs (a pen is better for rabbits) go for the rabbit sized cage for guinea pigs these are easy to clean and with plenty of floor time a pair of guinea pigs need a 4 foot cage at least.

HTH

wyk

I hear gerbils and rabbits can turn on their owners without warning. It's prolly best one sticks with Greyhounds and such...safety first and all...

Wez

Ruu_Old

Maybe an Italian greyhound (mini version of a greyhound basically).

CathyMoran

We can not have dogs at the moment so we have goldfish, yes, I know that you can not cuddle them but they are very cute. Ours come up to us when they want to be fed and each one has it's own character.

Demonique

Guinea pigs are better than rabbits IMO (I've had both), they squeak and chatter at you.

Birds - how thick are the walls of the apartment, some bird species can be loud, I wouldn't recommend a parrot for example

What about an indoor cat?

You say you don't want lizards, but what about a tegu? They're dog tame and will beg and plead with you for food. Bearded dragons are the same, big lazy slugs that will quite happily lie on your lap watching TV

Nala

wyk wrote:

I hear gerbils and rabbits can turn on their owners without warning.

Wez

I don't know where you heard that but it's a load of rubbish.

wyk

Nala wrote:

I don't know where you heard that but it's a load of rubbish.

No it's not, it's a load of joking.



Wez

SpicyNoodle

What about a ferret, they can stay in a hutch during the day and are not high maintenance. They can be trained to walk on a harness and are very friendly and clean to keep. Don't know if you like the idea of keeping a ferret though.

Cheese Princess

Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions everyone....a few there that I hadn't even thought about.

moneyblues

I really think dogs need company especially if confined to a small space. If you both work full time two cats would be better - they will be perfectly happy without you! Guinea pigs and hamsters are nice pets but their habitats smell even when cleaned properly. I've read that gerbils don't tend to smell so much as they are desert animals and don't pee much. (I'm researching this for my son at the moment!) Apparently when handled regurally they are nice pets and fun to watch.

Sigma Force

I hear gerbils and rabbits can turn on their owners without warning. It's prolly best one sticks with Greyhounds and such...safety first and all..

Stupid statement.

Moneyblues..gerbils don't smell unless you they have been kept badly if handled a lot they become very good pets. Any animal with teeth can nip or bite. Gerbils don't tend to be aggressive pets, any animal that hasn't been handled regularly which includes dogs can become nervous and aggressive.
A clear tank with metal lid is great so you can watch them in action, you're recycling waste will go down too they love to chew up cardboard.
Bedding like carefresh is brilliant, it lasts longer than woodchips (although a bit more pricey but it evens out because it does last longer) and is good at masking odours but as said once cleaned out when they need it they don't smell.

Gerbils make great pets there's also some in rescue I believe atm looking for homes. Check out petsireland for that.

Glowing

wyk wrote:

I hear gerbils and rabbits can turn on their owners without warning. It's prolly best one sticks with Greyhounds and such...safety first and all...

Wez

Lighten up everyone, he was only being sarcastic! :rolleyes:

Nala

moneyblues wrote:

I've read that gerbils don't tend to smell so much as they are desert animals and don't pee much. (I'm researching this for my son at the moment!) Apparently when handled regurally they are nice pets and fun to watch.

Yep they are great, mine can reduce a toilet roll tube to nothing in a matter of minutes!!! Just don't get an all-wire cage, you'll have shavings everywhere, gerbils love digging!!! They are great when you let them out in a (safe) room, you wouldn't believe how fast they are!!!

00112984

We have two rabbits in our apartment and they've worked out very well. We had the first one on her own for the first year but noticed she was getting a bit dominant so got her a little friend. We now have two neutered females who share a large cage. They're quite clean (can be easily trained to use litter trays) and don't need a huge amount of room so they can be left in a large rabbit cage during the day. We usually leave ours out for 4 or 5 hours in the evening and they usu allyhead back into the cage out of choice.

They need constant access to water and food. Our two love treats and will beg for titbits of chocolate on occasion (we usually try and pass off a piece of carrot instead). They can be left alone overnight once they have a clean cage and ample food and water.

Rabbits can be prone to certain parsites and cancers (especially females) so I'd definitely recommend finding a good small animal vet ASAP. Get them neutered too- our older rabbit seemed to suffer from almost PMS-style mood swings and seems much happier now. When they get stressed, their urine can go an orangey/red colour. Since having her neutered, this has stopped and she just seems much happier in herself.

Rabbits are very entertaining and will play with anything! You will need to rabbit-proof the place if you plan on leaving them out and about unsupervised. Electrical wires are the biggest worry. They'll chew fabric, wood, leather, paper, cotton- anything!
They also love squeaky dog toys.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Sea-Monkey's

wyk

CaptainNegative wrote:

Sea-Monkey's

Worst part of Sea Monkey ownership is the upkeep of the diving kit. SCUBA gear is terribly expensive, and then there's the smell of wet monkey all the time about the place...

Though I've plenty of mates that have places what smell like wet monkey, and yet own no monkeys...

Wez

Eoin

Would a bulldog be an option OP? They are very fond of the quiet life and are very gentle dogs - their aggressive looking mouth is not an indication of their personality. Poodles are also known as good apartment pet's, as are many toy breeds.

I'll try and dig out the link I had a while ago - it's an online questionnaire type thing where you choose your preferences for a dog, as well as your house type etc, and it gives you a list the most suitable dogs. Even if it's not particularly accurate, it does have a good list of all the breeds and a brief character sheet on them.

Also - ring up all the various shelters and tell them your situation. They may be able to source a dog that will suit your situation. Glowing's suggestion to do some volunteering is an excellent one too.

Is your apartment ground floor, or will you have to take the dog downstairs each time it needs to go to the loo?

sillymoo

Myself and my boyfriend live in a small 2 bed apartment and we have a cat which is a great pet to have around in such a small space! I suppose we are lucky that my boyfriend works from home but sometimes we are both out for long stretchs of the day and the cat copes fine with it. Maybe 2 cats would be good to keep each other company. Once they have litter and food for the day they can generally amuse themselves for the day until you come home. Plenty of toys and attention when you get home is a must though-mind you we love the cat so much, giving it attention is not a problem!

Demonique

Rabbits can be aggressive, how would you like it if you were confined to a hutch 24/7? Rabbits who spend a lot of time locked in their hutch can become aggressive and when they are those teeth can give a nasty bite!

I saw a programme where a woman told of the time she was badly bitten by a large buck rabbit. He bit her on the wrist, and got her artery which resulted in her having to call 999.
The same programme showed a pet behaviourist meeting an aggressive rabbit. When let out of his hutch in the garden he ran at his owners and tried to bite them. The behaviourist said it was because he was frustrated at being confined to his hutch most of the day. His behaviour vastly improved when he got a new hutch with a large run attached.

Sigma Force

Rabbits can be aggressive, how would you like it if you were confined to a hutch 24/7? Rabbits who spend a lot of time locked in their hutch can become aggressive and when they are those teeth can give a nasty bite!

I saw a programme where a woman told of the time she was badly bitten by a large buck rabbit. He bit her on the wrist, and got her artery which resulted in her having to call 999.
The same programme showed a pet behaviourist meeting an aggressive rabbit. When let out of his hutch in the garden he ran at his owners and tried to bite them. The behaviourist said it was because he was frustrated at being confined to his hutch most of the day. His behaviour vastly improved when he got a new hutch with a large run attached.

Any animal will become frustrated and aggressive or depressed and go downhill, if they are confined to a small cage for most or all of their time.
That buck was probably not neutered coupled with the small housing if you did the same to a dog or cat they would end up the same.

Rabbits make exellent pets but as with cats and dogs they should be spayed/neutered for various reasons. Some rabbits are less nervous than others just like any person or animal. People tend to mistake a scared rabbit for an aggressive one also.

Rabbits esp. a pair are great fun to watch they get up to all sorts of mischief and are more clever than people think.

donspeekinglesh

Hamsters don't smell if their cages are kept clean.
We have three - in three cages - in our apartment. They're great fun and all have their own personality.