What's the best pet to get for someone who has never had a pet before and has a busy lifestyle to keep company?

[VirusDumb]

What's the best pet which is easy to care for and maintain for someone who has never had a pet before with a 1 bedroom apartment and not burn it down when their at work, while also making them feel less lonely?

[Needfuldoer]

Pretty much anything that lives in a cage or tank (amphibians, lizards, rodents, fish) would work, logistically. Fancy rats can be smart and affectionate and you know fish won't escape and wreak havoc.

 

None of them will be exactly like having a cat or dog, though.

 

Of course, for the absolute lowest maintenance, there's always the classic:

(Googly eyes sold separately)

[porina]

How much interaction is desired? The problem is, the more interaction you expect, the more effort it generally takes. Also check any rules on pets on the apartment. Random thoughts below but I'd suggest considering a Gerbil.

 

I've bred crested geckos in the past. Refresh feed and water ideally daily, deeper clean as needed. But they don't really interact so you might as well buy a plush.

 

Fish can vary a lot. Higher order fish like Oscars can be trained to do tricks even, but they require a massive tank. Probably not a good idea in a 1 bed apartment. Smaller fish might follow you for food. Best screensaver but not that interactive.

 

Mammals will take more attention. Larger ones like a dog or cat might be a bit much unless you're 100% sure about the responsibility. Smaller ones like Gerbils are pretty self contained and you can just top up food/water as required. If you interact with them regularly when young they can quite friendly.

 

I'm not familiar with pet birds but they might be an option too, if they're not too noisy.

[dalekphalm]

5 hours ago, VirusDumb said:

What's the best pet which is easy to care for and maintain for someone who has never had a pet before with a 1 bedroom apartment and not burn it down when their at work, while also making them feel less lonely?

Okay, so, my first piece of advice:

 

DO NOT GIFT SOMEONE A PET UNLESS THEY WILLINGLY CONSENT TO IT AHEAD OF TIME.

 

Pets are living creatures, they have needs, and their owners will have responsibilities. If the owner isn't properly committed, the pet will experience neglect, and possibly abuse.

 

With that out of the way? Probably a cat. I'd stay away from birds personally, and dogs require a lot of attention (especially when you first get one), and will require a lot of dedication for training.

 

Maybe fish or some kind of lizard? Every pet has their own unique quirks and needs, so please please please do lots of research first.

[Needfuldoer]

30 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Okay, so, my first piece of advice:

 

DO NOT GIFT SOMEONE A PET UNLESS THEY WILLINGLY CONSENT TO IT AHEAD OF TIME.

 

Pets are living creatures, they have needs, and their owners will have responsibilities. If the owner isn't properly committed, the pet will experience neglect, and possibly abuse.

Seconding this. Absolutely do not surprise someone with the responsibility of caring for the life and welfare of a living creature. Get them one of those animatronic plush toys instead.

 

I didn't even think of that, I assumed OP was looking for a pet for themselves.

[Stahlmann]

I would only recommend a cat if they can go outside on their own while you're at work. If they can't go outside and are home alone for most of the day, then they will turn a small apartment upside down.

[BrandonLatzig]

I would say just
a fish. Doesnt even need to be a fancy fish, give them a few baitfish and ifthey like it, the nthey can get a beta or a goldfish

[VirusDumb]

4 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Okay, so, my first piece of advice:

 

DO NOT GIFT SOMEONE A PET UNLESS THEY WILLINGLY CONSENT TO IT AHEAD OF TIME.

 

Pets are living creatures, they have needs, and their owners will have responsibilities. If the owner isn't properly committed, the pet will experience neglect, and possibly abuse.

 

With that out of the way? Probably a cat. I'd stay away from birds personally, and dogs require a lot of attention (especially when you first get one), and will require a lot of dedication for training.

 

Maybe fish or some kind of lizard? Every pet has their own unique quirks and needs, so please please please do lots of research first.

Oh no I'm getting it for myself 

 

Also I don't think a cat would be settled in a 1 bed room apartment and absolutely massacre my couch and mattress 

[dalekphalm]

30 minutes ago, VirusDumb said:

Oh no I'm getting it for myself 

That's good to hear. You need to do a deep dive into pets and research the different requirements of each type.

 

As others have noted, pets that are "more interesting", tend to also be more intensive in their care requirements. Maybe a small caged animal might be a good start, but either way, every pet requires some level of care and interaction.

30 minutes ago, VirusDumb said:

Also I don't think a cat would be settled in a 1 bed room apartment and absolutely massacre my couch and mattress 

Having a cat in a 1 bedroom apartment entirely depends on the cat.

 

As for it scratching your stuff, that can happen regardless of the size of your home. There are ways to manage that, such as getting anti-scratch tape (It's clear plastic tape that comes in large sheets, and there's adhesive on both sides - when the cat scratches it, they don't like the sticky sensation), or getting those silicone caps put on their nails (That's what I do with my cat - they last 3-4 weeks before they need to be re-applied).

 

But a cat isn't for everyone. If you don't think a cat is right for you, that's totally fine.

[VirusDumb]

On 10/11/2023 at 5:24 PM, porina said:

How much interaction is desired? The problem is, the more interaction you expect, the more effort it generally takes. Also check any rules on pets on the apartment. Random thoughts below but I'd suggest considering a Gerbil.

 

I've bred crested geckos in the past. Refresh feed and water ideally daily, deeper clean as needed. But they don't really interact so you might as well buy a plush.

 

Fish can vary a lot. Higher order fish like Oscars can be trained to do tricks even, but they require a massive tank. Probably not a good idea in a 1 bed apartment. Smaller fish might follow you for food. Best screensaver but not that interactive.

 

Mammals will take more attention. Larger ones like a dog or cat might be a bit much unless you're 100% sure about the responsibility. Smaller ones like Gerbils are pretty self contained and you can just top up food/water as required. If you interact with them regularly when young they can quite friendly.

 

I'm not familiar with pet birds but they might be an option too, if they're not too noisy.

I did some research on gerbils and found out pet shops in India don't keep them and only a few rare shady unlicensed exotic pet shops do 

 

 

But I guess I'll look for some other pet rodents that are self reliant and can live in a small apartment either between a hamster or a guinea pig 

[porina]

16 minutes ago, VirusDumb said:

But I guess I'll look for some other pet rodents that are self reliant and can live in a small apartment either between a hamster or a guinea pig 

I never looked at either of those in detail but I believe they're not too dissimilar from gerbils. Of course, do your research and whichever way you go, hope you have fun.

[wONKEyeYEs]

On 10/11/2023 at 4:37 AM, VirusDumb said:

What's the best pet which is easy to care for and maintain for someone who has never had a pet before with a 1 bedroom apartment and not burn it down when their at work, while also making them feel less lonely?

Have you tried a girlfriend?

With one of them your apt could be cleaner when you got home

and dinner could be ready.

And some are better than cats at conversation.

[Sil3nt1]

On 10/11/2023 at 2:58 AM, Needfuldoer said:

Pretty much anything that lives in a cage or tank (amphibians, lizards, rodents, fish) would work, logistically. Fancy rats can be smart and affectionate and you know fish won't escape and wreak havoc.

 

None of them will be exactly like having a cat or dog, though.

 

Of course, for the absolute lowest maintenance, there's always the classic:

(Googly eyes sold separately)

 

[djksm]

2 hours ago, wONKEyeYEs said:

Have you tried a girlfriend?

With one of them your apt could be cleaner when you got home

and dinner could be ready.

And some are better than cats at conversation.

heheheehheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ahaha  i cant get one

[VirusDumb]

14 hours ago, wONKEyeYEs said:

Have you tried a girlfriend?

With one of them your apt could be cleaner when you got home

and dinner could be ready.

And some are better than cats at conversation.

Had one, the maintenance was too high for me to afford and worst of all she didn't let me play my favourite song on the speakers (it's degenerate by blink182), saying I'm too gross and immature and needed to grow the fuck up 

[Mark Kaine]

Jump Spider. im serious.  it doesn't sound like you're ready for any pet tbh, but a jump spider shouldn't need a lot of time investment,  but you still need to care for it properly,  make sure it has the right living environment and play with it at regular intervals (at least 2 times a day) and feed it properly of course.

 

if it survives, great, if not, you're definitely not ready for a pet.

 

(i would get a jump spider myself,  but i have 2 cats, i don't think it's *that* good of an idea lol)

[VirusDumb]

4 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

Jump Spider. im serious.  it doesn't sound like you're ready for any pet tbh, but a jump spider shouldn't need a lot of time investment,  but you still need to care for it properly,  make sure it has the right living environment and play with it at regular intervals (at least 2 times a day) and feed it properly of course.

 

if it survives, great, if not, you're definitely not ready for a pet.

 

(i would get a jump spider myself,  but i have 2 cats, i don't think it's *that* good of an idea lol)

I don't think my landlady would allow that, she has a fear of spiders and my apartment is the only one in the city that has no spiders