Low maint pets

corblimey

Could do with some advice here. I want to get a low maintenance pet. I live alone and am at work all day (from 8am to 7pm usually) and with quite a small garden (c500sq.ft), I don't think a dog would be suitable, and cats are insufferable.

I was thinking about a gerbil or fish or a reptile of some description, but I wouldn't consider them to be very "interesting" pets. How about a rabbit? Or a chipmunk? Something small that won't crap everywhere when I'm out, that can live on very little food, but is still "interesting".

irlirishkev

Get yourself a Tarantula.. He'll be happy enough to roam around the house while you're at work, and you can invite friends around to play the 'find the spider' game at the weekends..

Seriously though, you could get a Gerbil or a Hamster. Hamsters are nocturnal, so he'll be asleep while you're at work. When you come in the door in the evenings he'll stand up and welcome you in. Just be careful, they're quite fragile. They're also prone to dieing of strange Hamster diseases.. Low maintanence though..

K.

Nala

Yeah, a hamster would probably be your best bet. Google "hamster care" and you should get plenty of info. One of the golden rules: if you decide you want a Syrian (normal) hamster, be sure to only get one! (they will fight otherwise).

There's loads of cool housing systems for hamsters, you can build him a whole network of tunnels etc to go through. Petstop in Blanchardstown have loads of this stuff.

corblimey

Hamster sounds good, but how compact are they? I assume that if I keep in a cage, he'll catch those strange hamster diseases irishkev is talking about. I can't really see myself building him a elaborate tunnel system (less maintenance, less! ).

Sigma Force

Before you consider getting any pet you need to realise that even low maintinece ones may need trips to the vets, will need cleaning out at least once a week..Rabbits are NOT a low maininence pet and guinea pigs would be higher maintinence than a rabbit.

Rabbits need a lot of space..it is cruel to keep them confined in a small hutch..they are the size of an average cat after all and need to hop and jump and run...plus they need vaccinations etc and to be spayed (they shouldnt live as a lone rabbit anyway).

For a pet that does not require as much work as a rabbit etc gerbils or hamsters are suitable, gerbils should be kept in same sex pairs..a lone gerbil is a sad site..plus you will get a lot more out of watching two gerbils interact. Getting same sex gerbils from a pet shop can be difficult..they often get the sex wrong so you need to go to a reliable one.

Just because the animal is small does not mean their housing should be small.
Most housing in pet shops is unsuitable and messy especially for gerbils and hamsters.

An aquarium tank (no less than 2 feet pref larger) with a ventilated lid is much better for hamsters or gerbils, less messy for you too..no bedding kicked out onto the floor etc.

Bad breeding/housing/care and irresponsible ownership..be it a pet shop or private owner will lead to an unhealthy hamster..wet tail is what they usually suffer from.
You need to get one from a reliable rescue or a responsible pet shop.

Chipmunks need an avairy..keeping them in a cage is cruel and pointless..they will spin and weave and get very bored, they need a lot of toys and attention.

Feeding a rabbit or chipmunk a handful of dry food a day is not enough either.

A smaller rodent like a hamster or gerbil sounds more suitable for you, a pair of gerbils will not cost too much to feed, bedding can be made from kitchen paper and their floor litter woodchips..although some have allergies to woodchips and need carefresh bedding which is more expensive but lasts twice as long.

No matter how small the pet the larger the housing the better..as I said just because they are small does not mean they are low maintinence.

SwampThing

irlIrish had a point there. Tarantulas are VERY low maintenance. Once setup, they can be left months at a time without going near them - not that I'm recommending you do that.

I had one for about 4/5 years - she was quite elderly when I got her and a bit narky.

There are many people here better able to tell you how to setup a tank for a spider than me, but it's not rocket science. A good glass tank is best, a heat mat, some good quality clean sub-strata (vermiculite is good) and that's basically it. Oh, and somewhere for your spider to call home - a hollow thingy, half-filled with vermiculite that they can dig out and call home. Some of those fish tank things are good.

Weekends away, 2-week break in summer,2 months in Australia - no problem. Feed her up a bit before you go. Happy hunting!

irlirishkev

SwampThing wrote:

irlIrish had a point there. Tarantulas are VERY low maintenance. Once setup, they can be left months at a time without going near them - not that I'm recommending you do that.

I had one for about 4/5 years - she was quite elderly when I got her and a bit narky.

There are many people here better able to tell you how to setup a tank for a spider than me, but it's not rocket science. A good glass tank is best, a heat mat, some good quality clean sub-strata (vermiculite is good) and that's basically it. Oh, and somewhere for your spider to call home - a hollow thingy, half-filled with vermiculite that they can dig out and call home. Some of those fish tank things are good.

Weekends away, 2-week break in summer,2 months in Australia - no problem. Feed her up a bit before you go. Happy hunting!

1) Call me Kev.

2) Dear God I was joking! But I don't particularly like spiders

3) Did you let her crawl on your hand?

4) How much does one pay for a Tarantula these days?

SwampThing

Right, Kev it it so.

When I got her first I let her out and about a bit - very cool to have something that size robotically crawling from hand to hand. She was a Chilean Rose - very docile, apparently, but noone bothered to tell her that. It just seems the more I handled her the more aggressive she got.
Once when cleaning the tank, I was trying to hoosh her into a lunch box with a flat steel ruler. She turned and smacked it with her fangs - the thing actually rung like a bell.
Anyway, I've no idea how much today - not extravagant I'd guess - less than a 100yoyos for a small one. They have their plus side - they'll moult more regularly as they grow. That's weird.

magnumlady

We have a lot of pets and they all require a fair amount of work and attention but I would also say a hamster is probably your best bet. We have had one for 2 years now and he's great a proper little member of the family! He is awake most of the time as well which is fairly unusual and they are ment to sleep all day.

Nasty_Girl

Guineapigrescue wrote:

Chipmunks need an avairy..keeping them in a cage is cruel and pointless..they will spin and weave and get very bored, they need a lot of toys and attention.

My Chipmunks live in a cage but its a whopper of a cage, its actually bigger than the one they lived in the pet shop.

I'd like to make a point to the OP that chippies and hamsters can be quite noisy at times particularly if the have a running wheel.

Hellrazer

SwampThing wrote:

. They have their plus side - they'll moult more regularly as they grow. That's weird.

Actually they moult less as they grow old.A Tarantula that moults too much will die from the exertion.The reason they moult too much is actually a hormonal problem(moults are triggered by a releae of hormones)
Normal moulting for a T is probably 5-6 times a year in the first 5/6 years(depends on species)then usually one per year until they die.


Heres my caresheet : http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=88569

Richie

SwampThing

Hellrazer wrote:

Actually they moult less as they grow old.
Richie

Yeah - I could see that coming.
What I meant was a younger tarantula will moult more often than an older one. As a pet owner, having a younger tarantula will mean you see this amazing feat of nature more often at the beginning and less and less often as they grow.

Mine only moulted once in the 4/5 years I had her - my guestimate as to her being quite old.

nesf

Terrapins!!!

Or turtles, they are great pets, very easy to keep, you can even train them to a little extent. They are very clean and no trouble to keep.

On the other hand I'd much prefer a warm blooded pet like a big golden retriever like my dog who has to stay at my parents place. Can't be having a big dog in an apartment in the city.