What is the ideal pet? (Mammal Edition!)

[Cpt Toellner]

Foxes for obvious reasons.

Rat/mice because they are cool pets.

Goats because why not?

 

[Drifter]

Foxes top the list and my nostalgia for my almost pet bat keeps bats high up on that list. Third spot was a tough call, but had to go with sloths just because...

Who doesn't want that?

Dogs will always have a spot in my heart, but I wanted to keep away from the more mundane and viable options for the sake of this poll.

 

[Brovo]

I'm disappointed by the lacklustre voter base for ferrets. Obviously it's just a case of voter apathy.

 

[Ashi]

I have made my decisions!

CANIDS: FOXES

OHMAIGAWD OHMAIGAWD OHMAIGAWD!!! That is so freaking adorable! Look at those smiling eyes! That fluffy tail! Cute overload! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!!!


On another note, why aren't opossums listed here? Where are the opossums?

 

[Kestrel]

Dogs. They're social animals that become an active part of your family rather than 'thing you keep around the house.'

 

[Holmishire]

On another note, why aren't opossums listed here? Where are the opossums?

Are opossums marsupials? They are, aren't they?

I may have left out all marsupials once I realized I ran out space. But it's not like they're that important, right?



Right?

 

[Ashi]

Are opossums marsupials? They are, aren't they?

I may have left out all marsupials once I realized I ran out space. But it's not like they're that important, right?



Right?

Yes, they are. They're the only marsupials in the western hemisphere and are commonly only found as far south as Mexico, I do believe. =3 Not to be confused with the Australian "Possum;" although, people do refer to the opossum simply as "possum." But I love them! =D I have a stuffed one!

Edit: Excuse me, I meant the Virginia Opossum, or the North American Opossum. The species found in the US. There are other species that can be found elsewhere - apparently, mostly in South America.

 

[Dervish]

Foxes top the list and my nostalgia for my almost pet bat keeps bats high up on that list. Third spot was a tough call, but had to go with sloths just because...

Who doesn't want that?

Dogs will always have a spot in my heart, but I wanted to keep away from the more mundane and viable options for the sake of this poll.

Foxxie, let's start a sloth sanctuary.

Best job ever.

 

[Dervish]

Also, the lack of marmot love is sickening.

Look at this chubby happy bastard. LOOK AT HIM.

 

[Thought Manifest]

I find myself really disappointed by the fact that so many people have chosen wild animals as ideal pets. It's actually both cruel and dangerous to keep pets that haven't been bred over many generations to actually be domesticated. I've seen what trying to keep wild animals as domesticated pets does to them, and it's heartbreaking.

For those reasons, I chose the more obvious choices of domesticated cats and dogs (because I've had and loved both). I also chose rabbits because I am a current, domesticated bunny owner.

 

[Brovo]

For those reasons, I chose the more obvious choices of domesticated cats and dogs (because I've had and loved both). I also chose rabbits because I am a current, domesticated bunny owner.

What? What about ferrets ma'am?! Romans used them to hunt Rabbits, so we've obviously been domesticating them for many many years.

Also, the only way other animals will become domesticated is if people capture them, raise them, and breed them as such, it's how we did it with the ferret, dog, and cat... Though I definitely agree that people are most often unprepared for such a responsibility and should be slapped.

Then again, anyone unprepared for the responsibility of pet ownership and who just want to own a pet because it's adorable or cool should be slapped, so... Yeah.

WEASEL WAR DANCE!

 

[Thought Manifest]

@Brovo, ferrets are incredibly adorable, but I was only allowed three choices, so I stuck with what I know! Rats would have been fourth on the list because I love them to pieces, but if I had five or more options, I'd have gone straight for those fuzzy noodles!

Rabbits have been domesticated for a long time, too, though not that long! Go ferrets!

Are ferrets related to stoats because I learned this super awesome factoid a year or so ago that stoats will act super crazy and leap back and forth and move their noodley bodies in ways that hypnotize rabbits... sort of... I think it just activates some weird loophole in the rabbit's brain that disables its ability to react. Not sure on the exact science of it, but by the time the rabbit notices there's any danger, it's too late because the stoat already has its meal. It's super interesting! Do ferrets do similar things to their prey?

While I do agree that the only way to domesticate an animal is to capture it, I also agree and feel more strongly about the fact that most humans have no idea what they're getting themselves into and don't have an adequate space or adequate resources for wild animals. People don't even always have adequates homes or resources for domesticated animals, either, which... ugh... makes me feel horrible, too.

On the domestication front, it can actually completely change the animal. There were these scientists who ran an experiment with silver foxes, domesticating them over generations, and it basically just turned them into regular ol' dogs. Their ears got floppy, their tails started curling, and they began to exhibit traditional, domestic dog behaviors. It made me sad. I mean, I love dogs, but many of the things I love most about foxes are taken from them when they're domesticated.

I got to play with a fox once. She was in a wildlife refuge that was filled to the brim with wild animals who a-hole owners had tried to do things to domesticate them. She was one of many animals who actually just had to live the rest of her life there because she'd been too screwed over by the previous owner too much to ever be taught to live in the wild again. There were also declawed racoons, descented skunks, and others. The ones that can't be rehabilitated are used to teach people about how messed up it is to try to take a wild animal as a pet, but it's done completely on the animals terms. Like... once the fox decided she didn't want to play with us any more, we were asked to leave her enclosure which we did.

It's also where we saw our first Flemish Giant bunny which is probably how we ended up wanting one so badly when we finally decided to get a pet, and end up with one we did! When my boyfriend and I were looking into getting our bunny (we're not outdoorsy enough for dogs, and I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to cats, and rats don't live long), we did tons of research. I learned so many things that I didn't realize (or straight up believed incorrectly) before I ever decided to get a rabbit. It actually made me feel really bad for any previous pets I had because even though they were just cats and dogs, I feel like they'd have lived better lives if I'd just known more about them that even just having them around couldn't have taught me.

Research is so important.

 

[Brovo]

Are ferrets related to stoats

Ferrets are direct descendants of the European Polecat, which would make sense seeing as how Romans domesticated them to help spread and hunt rabbit populations throughout the rest of Europe to feed their troops on the move. (Yes, Romans were so brilliant at war they actively changed ecosystems via rabbits & ferrets so as to feed marching armies and thus reduce supply train strain.) The European Polecat is a cousin of the Stoat, so they're genetically likely as similar as Humans are to Apes, possible moreso.

While I do agree that the only way to domesticate an animal is to capture it, I also agree and feel more strongly about the fact that most humans have no idea what they're getting themselves into and don't have an adequate space or adequate resources for wild animals. People don't even always have adequates homes or resources for domesticated animals, either, which... ugh... makes me feel horrible, too.

People who capture wild animals without a large backyard and ample time to help them adjust are dipshits of the highest calibre. That I can definitely agree on.

On the domestication front, it can actually completely change the animal. There were these scientists who ran an experiment with silver foxes, domesticating them over generations, and it basically just turned them into regular ol' dogs. Their ears got floppy, their tails started curling, and they began to exhibit traditional, domestic dog behaviors. It made me sad. I mean, I love dogs, but many of the things I love most about foxes are taken from them when they're domesticated.

Part of domestication is genetic selection to acquire ideal traits in animals. (ex: Breeding out paranoia and aggression, breeding in trust and happiness.) This has physical consequences on the animal. For instance, with ferrets, because people had no idea what incest did for many years, ferrets underwent several generations of incest before people figured out it was damaging them. x.o Now they're prone to cancer and other diseases and they can even contract the flu from humans. For them it's potentially deadly, too, cuz' weaker immune systems, cuz' inbreeding.

To "properly" domesticate Foxes like this would take several generations and a lot of fore-planning and backup plans in the event of diseases and sterile specimens. It could be done, feasible, but it would be done well after you and I were dead. Whereas the tests for silver foxes was mainly to see how rapidly it could be done and what kinds of effects it could have as part of a good ole' science experiment.

Research is so important.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.

Also, important note to keep in mind about ferrets: Contact a local rescue society and adopt one. Not only are they better taken care of, they're also checked for diseases, fleas, have their vaccinations done, and any necessary operations done long before you even get to see them. Most of them are also already partially trained too, which makes it easier for you to domesticate them. Plus, you know, rescuing an animal and giving it a good home. The breeders you have to really be careful with, some are pretty douchey and will just inbreed them still despite knowing the consequences and keep them in horrid conditions that usually cause them to contract diseases and die in infancy before you can even try to save them. It's really rather depressing.

 

[Thought Manifest]

@Brovo, people who kidnap wild animals without proper knowledge, equipment, housing for them, or time are not just dipships, they're also assholes.

That's so sad about ferrets being inbred. People do that with dogs and rabbits and such, too, and it's really heartbreaking. We don't buy from pet stores because the animals aren't cared for well enough and they tend to come from nefarious places like mills and crap breeders. I think people that do that to animals deserve to be put into comparable positions because that's the only way they'll learn. Ugh... Money should not have a stronger call than empathy.

We went with a breeder for our rabbit because the rescue places didn't have any Flemish Giants (not even mixed breed ones), and we wanted our "starter" rabbit to be giant which has actually turned out to be the best thing we could have done because he's now too large to fit into all of those little nooks and crannies he could fit into when he was a baby (and thus the same size as a normal adult rabbit) which makes our lives exponentially easier. Anyway, we had three different breeders to choose from in my state, and we went with the one who completely grilled me like... three different times to make sure I knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into. She also told us that if at any point we decided we didn't want him for any reason, she would take him back. That was almost two years ago, and we're never giving him up. This house is no longer ours; it's his. His toys and boxes and paper rolls are all over the house as are his teeth marks in just about every wooden surface we have. Jonathan once said that if it came between the house and the rabbit, he'd choose the house, but after a day he was so in love with Fezzik that he completely changed his mind. We still deter him from chewing the house to bits, but we only care about it because of the rabbit's health, not because we care about the house over him.

Now I'm curious. You seem to know a lot more about ferrets than just how to care for them fantastically. How long have you had ferrets, and how many do you currently have?

 

[Brovo]

Now I'm curious. You seem to know a lot more about ferrets than just how to care for them fantastically. How long have you had ferrets, and how many do you currently have?

Precisely zero ferrets due to the fact that I live in an apartment that isn't pet friendly. Likely by the summer I'll be able to move into a pet friendly apartment, and then I'll likely acquire hundreds two ferrets.

Also, out here, Petsmart will get you into contact with ferret rescue societies and they tend to have a set of standards and practices that make them better than breeders for acquisition of ferrets.

 

[Thought Manifest]

@Brovo, ah. A ferret enthusiast. That's awesome that you're waiting and not just subjecting the ferret to an improper lifestyle. I know waiting can be hard.

That's cool that your local Petsmart will do that. The ones over here are kind of crap. Too many ferrets stuffed into a too-small enclosure. Cute to look at all of those fuzzy noodles snuggled together, but really sad when one realizes the implications of it. My boyfriend and I were there one day to get a doggy harness because the place where we usually get his food didn't have the right size for him. Anyway, we overheard one of the employees talking to a family about rabbits, and she was trying to sell them on a cage that was way too small and food that is actually really horrible for them. It made me really sad. I'm pretty sure she didn't succeed, but it made me wonder if they train their people to care about animals or if they just train them to make money because the two are often mutually exclusive. =(

Anyway, I'm really glad that your Petsmart is better about their animals or at least about ferrets.

 

[Brovo]

The problem is business ordering. They expect to sell X number of animals by Y date. Sometimes that fails, which results in overloaded cages. (Because what else can they do? Throw out the extra animals? That'd be immoral.)

As for waiting to get ferrets, it's the right thing to do. I really want my little fuzzy friends, but only if I can give them a good life. Otherwise I'll just do more harm than good.

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Okay, so I finally voted in this! My first choice would have to be cats, because...well...

My baby

My husband found her on the side of the road one day when he was working. She had a horrible eye infection that was so bad that you couldn't see her irises or pupils from under the cloudiness. I drove over an hour to go pick her up because he was still working and couldn't bring her home, and he couldn't just leave her in his work truck. The whole drive home she slept in my lap, and I was in love. Since then, I have been her mommy. I bottle fed her for the next five weeks. She would sleep on my neck every night, and she'd cry for me whenever I left the room without her. At eight weeks old, right before her first set of shots she came down with distemper, and I seriously thought that she was going to die. It was probably one of the worst days of my life. Fortunately, the vet (A wonderful, wonderful man who I swear should be a saint!) managed to save her, and she was able to get all her vaccinations and a clean bill of health once he was done. (And the best part is, he only charged me $60 for all of it!)

We named her Rakki, and she is still my baby. She kisses me awake when I won't get up with the alarm, and every night she snuggles against my belly to sleep. She wags her tail like a dog when she's annoyed, and she gives hugs to me and my kids whenever we're upset. She's like a little person in feline form. <3

My new baby

I had to add ferrets because of our new addition. It hasn't taken her long at all to become spoiled. Her new habits are sleeping on my pillow, crawling up my pants legs, and knocking her little ramp off in her cage so I'll get her out. She's also started giving kisses, which is completely adorable, and her and Rakki are becoming best friends, although Rakki gets pissed when Freddy decides to shove her nose in her ear. lol