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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 5:31:42 PM

windchymes

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Instead of getting a dog or cat of your own, what about volunteering at the local animal shelter? Animals there need walked and played with and loved until they find their "forever homes." You could teach them simple tricks like heeling on a leash, sitting up, fetching a ball. The more socialized and trained an animal is, the more adoptable it is.

This way, you could do something good for animal-kind and get your "pet fix" until you are able to own one of your own.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 5:33:27 PM

Sinergy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: swtnsparkling

A bunny and littler box train it

Rabbits defecate and urinate when they eat.

Never feed them anywhere but where you want them to go to the bathroom; their cage, the back yard, etc.

Sinergy

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 6:29:58 PM

Najakcharmer

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quote:

ORIGINAL: darkinshadows
I had a pair of cockatiels and unfortunately had to let them go (It was heart breaking)

I don't know if you mean that you found them other homes or literally let them go. I'm hoping it's the former. Just in case, here's a few facts about releasing non native birds into the wild.

While the individual survival prognosis of exotic psittacines in some areas of moderate climate is reasonably good, it's both an illegal and horrible thing to do to the local ecosystem, as it introduces the potential for devastating disease and parasite vectors that native wildlife have not evolved defenses for, as well as the issue of invasive species out-competing the natives and generally throwing the ecosystem out of whack.

Please don't ever release any of your pets into the wild.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 7:10:45 PM

Sinergy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Najakcharmer

quote:

ORIGINAL: darkinshadows
I had a pair of cockatiels and unfortunately had to let them go (It was heart breaking)

I don't know if you mean that you found them other homes or literally let them go. I'm hoping it's the former. Just in case, here's a few facts about releasing non native birds into the wild.

While the individual survival prognosis of exotic psittacines in some areas of moderate climate is reasonably good, it's both an illegal and horrible thing to do to the local ecosystem, as it introduces the potential for devastating disease and parasite vectors that native wildlife have not evolved defenses for, as well as the issue of invasive species out-competing the natives and generally throwing the ecosystem out of whack.

Please don't ever release any of your pets into the wild.

I agree with this completely, but.

On a related note, I live in a port town in southern california. People here have been breeding non-native species of parrots for almost 100 years.

Many of these have escaped into the wild.

They mate. They breed. The locals try to climb trees to steal their eggs to make pets. They make obnoxious parrot noises, fire engine noises, they defecate on people and their cars.

Cracks me up to drive around Point Fermin and look up into the trees.

Sinergy

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 7:16:22 PM

Adelphus

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quote:

ORIGINAL: windchymes

Instead of getting a dog or cat of your own, what about volunteering at the local animal shelter? Animals there need walked and played with and loved until they find their "forever homes." You could teach them simple tricks like heeling on a leash, sitting up, fetching a ball. The more socialized and trained an animal is, the more adoptable it is.

This way, you could do something good for animal-kind and get your "pet fix" until you are able to own one of your own.

I used to do this all the time at cat shelters until my allergies caught up with me. Now I just bring them catfood. I miss my kitty friends...
Now that I think of it, one of my profile pics is of me at a cat shelter.;-)

< Message edited by Adelphus -- 5/16/2007 7:59:19 PM >

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 7:57:28 PM

swtnsparkling

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quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: swtnsparkling

A bunny and littler box train it

Rabbits defecate and urinate when they eat.

Never feed them anywhere but where you want them to go to the bathroom; their cage, the back yard, etc.

Sinergy

You can train them to use a litter box

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/16/2007 8:20:32 PM

subrob1967

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We have all types of critters here, (Holly has a Wildlife Conservation Degree) and for the most part I agree that rats are excellent pets, except for the short life span (average 2 years).

Even if you remove the scent glans from a ferret, they still have an odor to them, very musky.

We currently have 4 cats, 4 dogs, fish, turtles, a newt, an african pixie frog, and rats, and have had in the recent past, hermit crabs, anole lizards, crayfish, mice, an oppossum, and hamsters.

Of all the critters, fish are the easiest to care for, but the least interactive of the bunch.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/17/2007 4:44:38 AM

darkinshadows

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Hi Sinergy.

Rabbits eat their own faeces, which is why it should not be cleared away immediately (they cannot digest immediately and need to re-eat their poo in order to gain the correct nutirents) - but they can be trained to use a litter box exactly like cats, so I would disagree that they defecate when eating.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/17/2007 7:19:33 AM

mistoferin

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quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

I've lived around wild monk parrakeets and I think they likely would make a good pet. A beautiful green that is fairly smart for a bird and hardy enough to survive Chicago winters outside. You might want to find out how they do in a cage though.

These do make great pets. They are also called Quaker Parrots. I have a brand new baby that I am handfeeding. His name is Limerick. They have HUGE personalities, love to cuddle and are great talkers. They are also fearless little birds and are not intimidated in the least by my two big dogs.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/17/2007 11:21:13 AM

Najakcharmer

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Sinergy
On a related note, I live in a port town in southern california. People here have been breeding non-native species of parrots for almost 100 years.

Many of these have escaped into the wild.

They mate. They breed. The locals try to climb trees to steal their eggs to make pets. They make obnoxious parrot noises, fire engine noises, they defecate on people and their cars.

Yeah. I know. Have you ever read any of the state biologists' environmental I'vimpact reports on that colony, or on invasive species in general? They're pretty scary.

quote:

Cracks me up to drive around Point Fermin and look up into the trees.

It's a lot less amusing after you've read the papers, I promise.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/17/2007 11:34:48 AM

DomKen

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quote:

ORIGINAL: mistoferin

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

I've lived around wild monk parrakeets and I think they likely would make a good pet. A beautiful green that is fairly smart for a bird and hardy enough to survive Chicago winters outside. You might want to find out how they do in a cage though.

These do make great pets. They are also called Quaker Parrots. I have a brand new baby that I am handfeeding. His name is Limerick. They have HUGE personalities, love to cuddle and are great talkers. They are also fearless little birds and are not intimidated in the least by my two big dogs.

If you ever get to Chicago go to Hyde Park and ask around for a place with an outside dining area near the parks where they have their big nests (Trust me if you find anyone who has lived in the neighborhood for a while will know about the parrakeets). During warm weather they hang around because people feed them and they "steal" stuff left on plates.

They won't get close enough to touch but are pretty bold about taking bread crusts or grain/seeds from nearby if you set it out and remain still.

So much more pleasant to have around than the pigeons and gulls which pretty much dominate Chicago.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/17/2007 2:03:20 PM

mistoferin

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I have an uncle in Edgewater, NJ and many relatives in Brooklyn, NY. When I visited them last I was delighted to see such large numbers of them....the residents there don't seem to be as happy about it as I was though.

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RE: Pets..of the nonhuman variety - 5/17/2007 2:58:39 PM

DommeChains

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I vote for the rats also. My pair were very friendly, smart and provided much companionship. I am also a huge fan of guinea pigs. They are sociable, love to be handled and capable of learning simple tricks. Reptiles get a bad rap for not being petable or enjoying handling. It does depend on what you get and the investment of time you put in. A small constrictor like a ball python or even a California King snake can be accustomed to being handled and enjoy climbing on their handler. I loved my snake and spent a lot of time with her every day. Plus, if you ever have any undesirable door to door salespeople or religious extremists answering the door with a python draped around your shoulders or a rat perched on your shoulders works amazingly well for stopping them in their tracks lol.

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