Anybody with birds? Rats? Ferrets? Sugar gliders?

[MidnightCafe]

We're in a bit of a pet dilemma right now. Mane is finally old enough to want one, and Vespera definitely wants one. And, well...I do, too. I think Mango is indifferent, but he's game.

We've been discussing the pros & cons of various animals. We seem to be interested in rats: small, furry, friendly, smart...and birds: small, fluffy, friendly, smart. If we get a bird, we're leaning toward parakeets, cockatiels, and parrotlets. We don't have a ton of money to spend, though. So, it may be parakeets we end up with if we go that route.

We're also moderately interested in ferrets & sugar gliders, as they are also friendly & smart.

We're definitely NOT a fish or reptile family, nor are we interested in hamsters or gerbils.

Sooooooooo, Here's your opportunity to tell me the good, the bad & the ugly about these types of pets. Help us decide! Thanks! :kiss :kiss

[amstermarie]

ferrets dont live long.. i had 8 6 died of cancer.. :cry 1 threw her back out slipped disk like the little doxys get we fixed it w/ high pred doses but then she got an infection from the high pred doses and she passes the last one i gave away
other than that they are neat

[Mother of Sons]

Parakeets are boring and they throw their food. Unless you get a hand raised bird or clip their wings, you will probably never be able to hold it. Vacumming up after a smelly bird is no fun to me (I had to do it every day when I worked in a pet store)

I liked my rats. I don't know anything about the other animals.

[churchpunkmom]

I've never had birds, not much of a bird person. They just seem so impersonal to me.

I had rats as a kid (and one recently for my kids). I LOVE them! They are GREAT pets. Very friendly, very playful, and probably the next best thing as far as personality and bonding ability goes to having a cat or dog. The most important thing with rats is giving them lots of handling and lots of attention. The more time you spend with them, the more 'people friendly' they become. :)

[Naked Camper]

I think rats make great first pets. They're friendly, hardly ever bite (unless it's an accident or has been abused), and the caging doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive.

I'd like to persuade you against sugar gliders. They can be very high maintenance pets. They have a very specific diet, are not nearly as social as you would expect. They can get stressed out very easily. I really do not think they make a great first pet. They are nocturnal and chirp/bark all night. Because of how social they are within their species they do best with a companion - adds to the expense. Yes, they are cute, soft, and funny looking - but not a great pet for kids. They are also very fragile and wouldn't take to small hands well, if you know what I mean. Oh, and they can be very hard to catch if they get loose since they're such great jumpers. We had a few gliders for awhile and they're not worth the upkeep IMO :shrug

oh, and gliders smell kinda musky and are guaranteed to pee and poop on you every time you hold them.

[domesticzookeeper]

Love rats. Absolutely great pets :yes

Ferrets are wonderful, but they are also highly mischevious (think kittens that never, ever grow up) and kinda stinky :shifty They also do much better with companions, which can be entertaining but also increases the troublemaking/stench factor.

[LadybugSam]

I say go for the rats. I have 2 (and they prefer to be in pairs, but hoenstly its not much more work than having one, in fact less, because they dont' get as bored) and i LOVE them. They are so much more friendly than the other rodents that i've had (mice, hampters, and guinea pigs) and super cute.

[MidnightCafe]

Ok, so we have FIVE votes for rats. :jawdrop I have to admit I don't have a great fondness for rats. At least, I don't think I do. I have heard that they can be quite dog-like, though, and that's attractive to me. We don't have space for a dog or that would be my first choice.

I really, really appreciate the info on sugar gliders. Thanks!

I lean toward birds. I like the idea of hand-taming a bird & having it sit on my shoulder. And I like to talk to birds...even if they don't talk back. :O But the kids would probably play with rats more. :shrug

So, we know somebody who has baby rats for sale...not a pet store, not a breeder. We're thinking we may buy from her.

Any more thoughts?

[SouthPaw]

Want to buy a lovebird? :shifty I love my lovies. They sit on your hand or shoulder and play... and they are small and pretty quiet. :grin

[MidnightCafe]

We've thought about it. I think I probably don't want to pay shipping from wherever you're from. You're not in MN are you? :)

[SouthPaw]

:giggle :no

[Amber]

Another vote for rats. If you teach them, they will sit on your shoulder as you walk around the house then you can talk to them just like a bird :shifty

[Naked Camper]

yes, rats will sit on your shoulder and sometimes they talk back :shifty

adult rats can be a little hard to take if you're not use to rats - something about that tail! But if you get them when they're real small it allows you to get use to the tail gradually and it won't freak you out as much when they're adult rats.

[mollobe]

I got a hand-fed parakeet when I was 13 - I named him Blueberry. He lived until I left for college (then my parents gave him away and he died a few months later) :cry

That said, I had a lot of fun with my parakeet - he learned to talk, although he wouldn't do it on command. When he was in a "talking mood" we would hear him say all sorts of words and phrases - some of his own mixing (like "pretty Blueberry" instead of what I tried to teach him - "pretty bird"). :giggle He talked to his reflection in his toy mirror all the time - it was cute. Because he was hand-fed, he was also very freiendly and would let anyone pick him up and carry him around. He especially loved my dad for some reason and would try to fly to him every time he came in the room. Blueberry was messy with his food (a Dust Buster worked great), but his cage only smelled bad when I let it go too long without a cleaning.

Now that I have a "big" bird (a Severe Macaw) I've done a lot of research on birds - I wish I had known that even little Parakeets need fresh fruits, veggies, and grains (like pasta or bread). Pretty much all I ever fed Blueberry was bird seed, which is only a very small part of what their diet should be, and now I feel aweful about it. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did and was healthy as far as I could tell. So, if you do get a Parakeet, please find a good pellet to feed it (we use Roudybush - they have a tiny version for small birds) and give him little bits of fruits and veggies at least a couple times per week. :yes Your kids will probably enjoy feeding him "human" food anyway. :) Birds are also very social animals, and love to be included in anything his "flock" (your family) is doing.

One last thing, I didn't notice how old your kids are, but be sure that they are supervised when the bird is out of the cage - my little cousin went through 3 Parakeets before giving up because she kept killing them (accidentally while she was playing with them) - they are pretty fragile little guys. :(

Feel free to ask me any questions about birds if you have any, I like to help people get educated on animal care. :yes
~Molly

[klpmommy]

I have had birds. I didn't like them. We had parakeets. Blech & boring to me. Plus ours bit & it HURT.

My dad had a ferret once. That was neat, but he was mischevious & he did stink. A part of me would like to try one someday, but I have enough furry critters as it is (dogs & cats) so I don't think I need one more.

Now, my rat was a *great* pet. She was in my classroom & was very calm around the kids & the noise. She liked to sit on my shoulders & hide under my hair to sleep (so that only her tail hung down which was funny- she was the same color as my hair). She never peed or pooped on me, she would get really restless & I would put my arm down to her cage, she would run down my arm & potty in a particular corner. She neer bit me or anyone else- even in the craziness & loudness of the classroom full of 4th graders. She only lived for about 2 years which was the only bad thing. I would get another in a heartbeat except for 1) I have enough pets & other "critters" (P, E & dh) to take care of & 2) dh refuses to have a pet rat. Silly man.

[churchpunkmom]

J wasn't real excited about the idea of a rat when our friend gave us one a couple years ago. But he ended up being the one to handle her the most. ;) She loved to sit on his shoulder while he worked at the computer - and, yes, they do talk back. ;) Once we have our house all set up (still unpacking and organizing.. and getting ready for another baby! :phew), I'm hoping to get a rat to add to our school room. :yes

[domesticzookeeper]

I would looooove to have rats again. Unfortunately that's not exactly in the budget at the moment :shifty

[Naked Camper]

we plan on getting a rat as soon as DS starts asking for a pet. Fortunately :phew we have a few years to go as he is not yet 2 years old.

[kazoo]

It looks like rats are the popular, but I have to put in my :twocents about birds. At the risk of offending bird owners, :duck I have to say please don't get one -- their dander can be hard on the lungs and can dramatically increase the chances of lung cancer. I had one as a child and started coughing chronically. My dad researched it and we had to get rid of the bird, which was sad for me. I met a lady just the other day who has oxygen attached to her -- never smoked, but did own a parrot and had been told that was the cause of her problem. :(

Again, my apologies for offending everyone -- birds are so fascinating -- but if you have other choices, lean toward them.

[MidnightCafe]

Thank you so much for all your input. I appreciate ALL of you!! We just brought home two female rats. (Gonna post a question about them in another thread.) I am, personally, in love with the idea of getting a bird, but we weren't sure about letting a bird fly around & what to do about it pooping on stuff while it's out. :O Birds are also a longer term commitment & we need some more time to think about it. Thanks for helping me decide. :)

[domesticzookeeper]

Congrats on the new additions! :mrgreen