petcarefun.info

July 2nd, 2009 by KittyKitty

 Where do I start a new pet for the family? What is the ideal pet for our family? Good start by collecting information. This is vital as a pet is for life, so if in doubt do not have a pet.
However there is such a large choice of pets to choose from, all of them can be pleasurable, but have diverse pluses and negatives. You can choose from a dog, cat, hamster, guinea pig, reptile, rabbit, snake and the list goes on and on.
I can advise you to involve everybody  in the decision, it needs to be a complete family decision. Due to its importance I recommend you thrash out and write down your objective for wanting a pet. Add to it on a large sheet of paper, with a column for the pet, some columns to rank each pet. The considerations for a pet include, time (yours), cost (pets are costly), pet care, space needed, ability to fuss, interest, joint activity, any phobias, other points.
Pets take time, some need more than others. Time hungry animals are those that necessitate regular exercise such as dogs and horses. Dogs evolved from wolves and still have many of those characters. They are used to regularly covering large areas every day to search for food, so most breeds need at least an hour or two a day walking. This needs to be part of a regular schedule and done rain or shine. Others may necessitate a lot of grooming, changing water etc. A cat sitter often uses  much of their visiting time to brushing long haired cats, though the cat sitter and cat enjoy it. You may hanker after a specificpet, but do you have the time for him? Be honest with yourself and the potential pet.
Cost, think of expenditure. There is the potential cost of the pet to start with, which for a pedigree animal can be costly. I would like everyone to consider adopting a salvage pet, there are increasing numbers of these at the moment as families are unfortunately abandoning them to the pet charities – is this an opportunity for you to help out? The other set up costs include cages, leads, grooming aids, blankets / beds. Then there are the regular pet costs, food, which for a large dog can be substantial. I strongly recommend you to have your pet neutered, many pet experts and research have indicated that you will have less behavioural problems with a sterilized pet. There are routine vet costs such as vaccinations, however some are difficult to plan for. For this reason I strongly recommend you to invest in pet insurance, so you can deal with any problems that may occur. There are ongoing costs for flea treatment etc.  This expenditure rapidly mount up.
Do you have the space for the animal? Some pets can be exciting, but you may not be able to fuss them, what is the crucial for you? No pet has it all. Can you handle the animal? Rats are exceptionally exciting, but some individuals hate the scaly tail, or the idea of one.
You should to review the summary paper, you may not have the time for walking the dog during the week due to work pressures, but this may pay for a professional dog walker. Not enough space for the horse, use stables, but watch the cost.
So once you have chosen a type of animal, there are lots of different types and breeds to choose from, taking hamsters there are five basic types, with very different characteristics. There is also the choice of how many, some animals are better off alone, others as a pair because they need the company. Then there is the choice of sex, some pets have very different behaviour between the male and female. Male rats are less active than females and urinate more.
After all of these decisions, I would advise you to take the pet for a test drive. Do you know anyone with a similar pet, that you can borrow for a few days, or even be a pet sitter for them during the summer vacations. Discuss with the owner about the costs, the work that is required, and do not forget the pleasure that the animal gives.  An alternative is to do some animal charity work. 
Pet breeders are very knowledgeable, so visit and discuss with them.
I hope this helps, go and enjoy a new pet.