Find Out Who is Your Best Suited Pet Companion

In the last few years, the trend of adopting a pet has surged to humungous popularity worldwide which had made people research about what pets are they eligible to adopt. Adding a pet to one’s life and family can be a huge task and hence before adopting a pet, one should be conscious of their requirements and personality traits. For example, if you live in a small house, you might want to consider adopting a small pet that does not take much space to roam around. Alternatively, if every member of the family is busy and ventures out for their day-to-day business or chores, you might want to consider a pet that does not demand long walks and much of your time. Every pet has its specific requirements like its feeding pattern, behavior, care, shelter, etc. It also depends on your lifestyle and personality and whether you will be able to gel well with the pet!! Taking care of a pet is not less than raising a baby. These days a lot of people address their pets like their babies and thus, adopting a pet requires a lot of research.

Points To Consider Before You Adopt A Pet

1. What kind of lifestyle do you have? Do you stay out often or are you mostly stay-at-home type?

2. What do you do for a living and will you be able to provide for the food, shelter, safety, toys, training, grooming, and in case of any medical crisis of the pet?

3. What type of home do you have? Is it big, small, open-spaced in case you decide to adopt a big pet, or need a netting/fencing in case you decide to adopt a small pet?

4. Do you have elders, new-born, pregnant women in your family at the time of adoption?

5. How comfortable are your family members with the idea of adopting a pet?

6. Will you and your family will be able to spend enough quality time with the pet?

7. Is there any secondary caretaker in case you and your family need to travel and will the person be able to take care of your pet properly?

Once you are through with these queries then comes the stage of researching about different kinds of pets you can adopt and their specifications.

Pets You Can Adopt Easily

1) Dogs/Pups

Dogs are a man’s best friend!! This proverb is true in every sense that makes dogs the most wanted and loved pets owing to their loyal and caring nature. But at times we as humans become a little selfish while adopting dogs as the most preferred and desirable kind are the purebred pups.

Animal shelters and pet shops have all kinds of dogs, right from the purebred to the strays, young pups to the grown-up and older dogs. The most ignored are the ones that are strays and old since people mostly prefer to adopt newborn pups specifically purebred because they are easy to train and acclimate with the new home to coexist with humans. While this notion cannot be completely negated, people are requested and advised to give a fair chance to the older, full-grown, and stray canines for a nice lovely comfy home. Yes, it will require a little extra patience to train them but you will eventually fall in love with these beautiful furry friends!!

Dogs are needy pets by nature as they require a lot more than just food and water, like love, attention, and care, and hence if your lifestyle is too busy or mostly outdoors until you can take your pet dog to your place of work, it is recommended to not adopt dogs and instead go for a lesser demanding pet.  Some of the very famous purebred dogs – Labradors, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Siberian Huskies, Pugs, Beagles, Pitbull Terriers, Beagles, and many more. Most dogs have a life expectancy of about 10 years which means the companionship with your pet dog will go a long happy way!!

2) Cats/Kittens

These beautiful felines do demand love and attention in addition to food and water but are lesser demanding than our pet dogs. Contrary to the behavior of dogs, cats need not mandatorily be taken for long walks for fun or litter, but they would expect a cuddle or petting once in a while. Also, due to the fear of them running loose or getting injured or diseased, pet parents are advised to keep their pet cats indoors as much as possible.

If your home has an open space or terrace, it is advisable to get netting or fencing done for your cat’s safety and prevent them from jumping about as cats are small-sized and light-weighted. The pet adoption agencies make it mandatory to have netted the open spaces at homes before adoption.

Cats are very particular about using their litter trays so they need to be kept clean at all times by disposing off the litter regularly. Cats also tend to frequently scratch surfaces so a scratching pad is a mandatory accessory to buy if you are thinking to adopt a cat. Thinking of declawing your cats to save your furniture from being scratched?? DO NOT!! Declawing is illegal in most countries and so, a better technique to save your furniture would be trimming your cat’s nails. Just like different dog breeds have different personalities, cats belonging to different breeds differ in personality. But you cannot always expect a certain breed to act in a certain way. 

So, these felines, even if they belong to the same breed, might have different personality traits.  Some of the popular cat breeds are – Persian cats, Siamese cats, British Shorthair, Ragdoll, Siberian cats, American Shorthair, Himalayan cats, Chartreux, American Bobtail, and many more. Most cats can live up to 15 years and hence a pet parent should be prepared to get into a long-term commitment!!

3) Fish Aquarium

It is such a beautiful sight to watch those goldfish, catfish, or koi fish glide across the artificial diver and plants with pebbles underwater in an aquarium. Not only it is aesthetically breathtaking, but also refreshing to see those beautiful gliding creatures in the water. It takes you to that long-awaited underwater diving dream vacation that you have been thinking to take for since long!! The advantage of having an aquarium at home is that it brightens up the place, the fish do not require playtime, long walks, or training, and hence it is comfortable, convenient, and calming in every way.  

However, certain points have to be kept in mind before buying an aquarium. The fish should be fed with the right kind of fish food at regular intervals in specific amounts only. Also, the water in the container should be cleaned frequently to avoid the buildup of fungi, waste, or germs.

4) Rabbits

Rabbits are popular as pets among small kids and while growing up they enjoy the company of these cute little bunnies very much. Known to be low-maintenance pets as all they need is their space to hop around, some grass to sleep on, and tasty carrots to munch, bunny rabbits are an excellent choice of pets for toddlers and small kids. These small furry creatures are primarily considered indoor pets due to their size and tendency of hopping around. The potential pet parents are advised to ensure that their kids do not carry these little pets outdoors. 

Rabbits are intelligent, social animals, and hence they require constant attention. However, they would not like being held in arms all the time. Since they are mostly kept in large cages, these cages should be frequently cleaned to avoid any mess. An important point to be noted is that rabbits reproduce and multiply very quickly and so if you are not eager to have more than two rabbits at home (it is always a good idea to adopt more than one bunny at once), look out for a same-sex pair!! Animal shelters or adoption centers that have dogs and cats usually also have rabbits up for adoption. 

Also, ensure if you are keeping your bunnies indoors, they are trained to use the litterbox. Rabbits can live up to 7 to 10 years and hence if you are thinking of adopting those little bunnies, then you might as well be ready to take care of them for long.

5) Birds

Whether it is birds like parrots, pigeons, sparrows to parakeets, lovebirds that live in the cage indoors, or chickens playing in the backyard, there is a wide variety of birds that you can choose from to adopt as pets. 

Birds are high maintenance pets, need a clean cage, proper feed in specific amounts and a professional vet in case of medical crises since NOT all vets treat birds. In case you come across an injured bird that needs urgent medical attention, you might as well carry it home to nurture it, and once cured it can be kept as a pet. However, the pet parents need to consider that some birds like parrots outlive the average human life span and hence they might want to adopt a mature and grown bird to prevent it from ending up in an animal shelter eventually. 

Make sure your bird is well kept in an enriched environment with good exposure to sunlight and a regular supply of food and water. Birds not only look aesthetically beautiful but are also a source of melody through their chirping.

6) Small Rodents

 Those potential pet parents who are unable to take out time from their busy schedule to be with their pets and also those who might not have big enough houses can look into adopting small rodents as pets also called ‘pocket pets’. These include Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Mice, Rats, Gerbils, and Degus. Some of these rodents are easily available for adoption while others are lesser-known species. 

Such pocket pets are relatively very low maintenance pets but people are advised not to think that they will not be required to get involved in their pet’s life much.

Hamsters are extremely energetic, entertaining, and tiny animals that are popular as pocket pets. They are usually content living in small spaces or cages. Hence the best way to keep them busy is by installing an exercise wheel in their cage. Be careful of the strong foul smell when they get messy!! It is inevitable to regularly clean their cage owing to the unpleasant smell. Also, if you are looking for a companion in the day, a hamster might not be an ideal choice since they are nocturnal.

Guinea Pigs are rare animals to be kept as pets, though many people do find them adorable. Easy to handle, these cute little furballs rarely bite and are socially active. However, they do not like living in tiny spaces and require larger spaces to exist. Also, largely dependent on Vitamin C, make sure your guinea pigs get enough of it in their food. It is advisable to adopt more than one of these at once since they are most happy around other guinea pigs.

Mice generally sound like they are always happy!! Easy to handle, train and highly entertaining, these small rodents do not require large spaces and can lead their happy lives together in a smaller space. However, since they are very agile and fast, it gets difficult to get hold of them. Pet parents are advised NOT to keep them in bedrooms at night since they are nocturnal and make noises while moving around.

Animals that can be adopted as pets but are rarely done. These animals can be adopted by potential pet parents but are very rarely kept as pets due to their size, nature, personality traits, maintenance, spaces required for living. Such rare pets can be categorized as Big Rodents, Reptiles, and Farm/Barn Animals. Big Rodents include pets like Chinchillas and Ferrets.

Chinchillas are primarily natives of Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Famous for their soft dense fur, chinchillas prefer living in large spaced cages with multiple levels of climbing. Like other rodents, chinchillas are also nocturnal. They live up to 15 years and hence the adoption commitment by the pet parent is for long!!

Ferrets belong to the family of weasels and make highly energetic, mischievous, inquisitive, and active pets. They cannot be kept in a cage for long as they require playtime outside but under supervision. However, due to their poor eyesight, they are prone to biting and hence are not an ideal choice of pet for children. Ferrets are high-maintenance carnivorous pets that need a particular diet and constant cage cleaning. Ferret proofing is required at homes since these pets risk getting stuck in small spaces. Sometimes considered notorious and difficult, they enjoy sleeping for as long as twenty hours, have a high metabolism, and lifespan of 8 to 10 years.

Reptiles like Lizards, Iguanas, and Snakes are interesting animals to pet, if not as cute and warm as the other common pets. Almost all reptiles are cold-blooded animals and are unable to regulate their body temperatures on their own. Hence, they require a specific habitat to manage their temperatures. Reptiles are mostly carnivorous and feed on small rodents like mice and insects like cockroaches and crickets and so are useful to people allergic to such creatures. 

Snakes like Corn snakes, King snakes, Ball Pythons, Green Tree Pythons, Blood Pythons, Burmese Pythons, Red Tail Boas, and Kenyan Sand Boas are some of the species which can be adopted as pets. These snakes range from 1.5 to 20 feet in length depending on their breeds and can live up to a few decades. Beautiful scale patterns on their bodies make these snakes worth petting. Though keep in mind that they are fed well and the long-term commitment towards them.

Farm/Barn Animals include Horses/Ponies, Cows, Goats, and Potbellied Pigs. These animals can be adopted as pets by people who can take care of big pets, have large spaces to raise them, are willing to spend plenty of time with these lovely animals, or for a social cause. Potential pet parents are requested to save the lives of such animals by providing a safe comfortable home to them instead of letting them land up in slaughterhouses or for continuous breeding purposes. These animals are an excellent choice of companionship though raising them requires effort, patience, lots of time, and good finances. If you have a farm or a huge barn, have plans of retiring or settling in a town across that country road, and want a lifelong pet companion, these animals qualify as pets. Now that you are well aware of the specifications and traits of each pet, you might as well make an informed and conscious decision of adopting one!!