Don't buy unless you can properly house

[IRescue452]

I cannot stress this enough. Do your research and buy the proper equipment before you buy a pet. I've been seeing too many people lately who have the animal in substandard housing while they wait for enough money for a proper cage, ect. Buy the stuff you need before you buy the animal! Or at least make sure you have enough money after the initial cost of the animal that you will be able to properly care for it. Mostly I've been noticing this for our small animal companions, but it doesn't matter the size or replacement cost of the animal, treat it right.

[critter crazy]

Absolutely!! I wouldnt dream of buying an animal unles i could afford al that goes with it! You dont buy a dog, and not buy food forit, so why would you buy any thing else, and not be able to afford the bare necessities. I have seen it alot, and it irritates me.

[Flatcoatluver]

I cannot stress this enough. Do your research and buy the proper equipment before you buy a pet. I've been seeing too many people lately who have the animal in substandard housing while they wait for enough money for a proper cage, ect. Buy the stuff you need before you buy the animal! Or at least make sure you have enough money after the initial cost of the animal that you will be able to properly care for it. Mostly I've been noticing this for our small animal companions, but it doesn't matter the size or replacement cost of the animal, treat it right.
I completly agree with you, there has been numerous thread that have made me angry, because people are not being a responsible owner and reserching. Some animals live for atleast 20 year if proberly cared for, and no one is realizing this before buying. If you want the animal, get the right size tank, before you get the animal. :o whoo that was a realif!

[Chilli]

Ditto! I was about to make a similar thread until I saw this one. =]
It seems like just because an animal is pretty cheap to buy, some think that their housing requirements would be equally cheap.
No matter what, a small hamster cage is not enough for a rat.
No matter what, multiple goldfish aren't given proper housing in a 10g.
No matter what, a parrot isn't properly housed if its cage is "a little on the small side".
No matter what, bettas aren't housed properly in a small jar.

I haven't seen all of the above statements on the site, but I have either witnessed them or heard about them in real life.

Don't buy a pet unless you can properly afford everything in my opinion. If you don't have the money right away to get the right size aquarium or cage, or if you have to wait to get proper housing.. that means you can wait for the new animal.
Just because the animal is in a petstore or in a similar situation, does not mean that you are the only one who can give it a good home.

I find it pretty selfish when you buy an animal, when you are unable to properly house it, just because it was really pretty. There are other fish in the sea, as some say! Just wait until you are able to give proper care. As my mum always says, "Good things come to those who wait".

And most of all, don't get mad, or call someone rude or mean when they are just trying to inform you. Alot of people here on this site know alot about certain animals... more than half of the time, the person giving the info is right. Don't take it as a personal attack, we're all just concerned if an animal isn't taken care for properly.

Haha. Just had to vent. =D

Thanks so much for making this thread!!

[DrKym]

I completely agree! Funny because I was just talking to another PTer about my desire to have anothe Rainbow Lorikeet. Sad fact is I have no room for one, no where to put up the proper cage , the proper wall protection(they squirt dont poo per se) no place to fit it :( . Can I afford the animal ? Yes, the food ? Yes. The cage? Yes. can I give it and its home the proper space and precautions ?? NO. So maybe at a later point in life, or maybe after all the remodeling is done, or my kids finally leave home and stay left................. :p till then. I am Lorieless.............. :cool:

Thanks for the thread I too have seen this lately, maybe cause the season brings on a rush of new adoptions??

[Sevaede]

Indeed, I agree!

I joined a corn snake forum to learn all I could about corns. I had received a 33 gallon (according to forum goers) tank as a gift. I was then informed by forum goers that this would be *TOO* large for my future hatchling. Not to worry, though, I do have another tank that is ten gallons! :D

[luckies4me]

I completely agree 100%! Glad someone mentioned this.

[areias]

LOL I was just coming on here to make a thread similar to this one asking for advice. I definately agree. My cockatiel has a cage that could house a parrot, and I used to have one mouse in a 20g aquarium. I think it's important to have enough space for them.

[elizabethann]

This is a very good thread and a wonderful point. Why do I think so?

Because I remember when I adopted Fenway. His adoption councelor did a house inspection on a Thursday night, I met him on a Friday night & they said I could take him home on Saturday morning! HELLO! I didn't have a thing for him.

So I had to run all around town late at night (and not too many stores are open late at night around here) looking for food, toys, crate, blanket, food bowls, leash, collar, bed. I was sooo exhausted. Luckily I had the means to pay for everything. But I just didn't realize how much dog things cost (I had had cats all my life).

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Good post!

[Twisterdog]

This is a good post.

I can't tell the number of small animals I have taken home and properly housed when they would come into animal control or the humane society in horrible habitats.

I once built a cage for two rats that came into the shelter. These were BIG rats, mind you, probably the biggest ones I've ever personall seen. And they were living in a 5 gallon glass aquarium - two big rats, some cedar bedding, a too-small water bottle ... that was it. They could barely turn around.

I once basically forcibly took four budgies away from someone ... they were living in a little travel bird cage ... probably no more then twelve inches square. They had one perch, that they could all barely sit on together, and a food dish and a water dish ... that took up all the space.

I could on and on .... :mad:

BTW, I think this post belongs in "Pet General". It's not at all controversial, and more people would see it there, I think.

[Husky15]

I agree. But I think I know who this is aimed at. :rolleyes:

[Kalei]

I truely do agree with this thread and I think too I know who this is aimed at and a person doesn't have to hear advice a dozen times after they've already heard it over two or three times, sometimes people can hear differently as to what a pet needs, you can look at sites and listen to what people are saying pets need for space and they are always different, no one ever says the same thing so some people may not know what the right size is, they jsut know if their animal is happy, healthy and well looked after.

[Sevaede]

I truely do agree with this thread and I think too I know who this is aimed at and a person doesn't have to hear advice a dozen times after they've already heard it over two or three times, sometimes people can hear differently as to what a pet needs, you can look at sites and listen to what people are saying pets need for space and they are always different, no one ever says the same thing so some people may not know what the right size is, they jsut know if their animal is happy, healthy and well looked after.

No. If you look on web sites where there are people experienced in whatever critter, they all usually agree on what the critter generally needs.

For instance, on the corn snake forum I frequent, most everyone is pretty much in agreement that 20 gal long or 30 gal is the *minimum* tank size requirement for a full grown corn. Heat should be kept at 80-85 on the "hot" side and 75-80 on the "cool" side. etc etc etc. People agree that you don't feed rabbits iceberg lettuce, you don't feed your dog a diet of table scraps, etc. So, yes, people do agree once in a while on things.

[Vela]

I have to agree I am always saddened to see this and the "revolving door policy" on some pets. Oh I want this! Buy it now, figure out what do to with it and the proper care it needs later. Oh dang that's a lot more work than I expected, don't want THAT one! I'll get rid of it and get something else.

What people fail to understand is that ANY animal is a whole lot more work and money to !properly! care for than they are led to beleive by pet store employees and/or unehthical breeders of whatever animal, thus the animals are the ones who suffer from lack of proper housing, proper medical care, and proper socialization for their needs. There are NO cheap pets! I paid 4.99 for a rat...I then paid 50 dollars to the vets two days later for a checkup and medication when she came home with a respiraotry infection and pneumonia. I paid 85 dollars for a cage for them, then paid another 25 when they ate the bottom off and I had to modify it to safely house them...This was a 4.99 rat, almost the cheapest pet you can buy except maybe a fish!

[Kalei]

I agree with you, alot of people do agree with the same thing, but also some don't. Some people can't help what happened, for instance when I got my fish two years ago. I got it from a petstore and it was marked as a comet and looked exactly like a comet and was a baby, certainly a 30 gallon tank was big enough for 1 comet, but then now 2 years later I find out that the pet store was wrong, my fish is a koi/comet hybred and can get to 4 feet long, I just found that out not too long ago, and that made since as to why she just doesn't stop growing, now that I coiuldn't help, I had no idea and obviously the pet stores didn't know that it wasn't just a Comet. Now that I do know, i am going to get her a much bigger tank:)

Like my rabbit, I knew what breed she was and I got her the proper space and everything, she has more space than she even needs because I knew how big she'd grow, but I didn't know how my fish would get that big because it was listed as a comet.

But please, don't get me wrong, I very much agree with all of you, if you know what animal you want to get, you should get the proper tank size, cage size ect before purchasing the animal.

[Vela]

Well obviously nobody meant a situation like yours, where nobody knew the fish was a mixed fish. That's not the same thing at all as intentionally buying pets with no idea how to care for them and not providing the proper environments.

[zoey]

I agree!!!
If you don't have the time or money to devote to an animal, don't get one. You can always volunteer to walk dogs at the shelter, or something!

[Miss Z]

Finally! THANKS FOR POSTING ABOUT THIS!

I've seen this from a few members, even more times in 'real' life, and held my tongue a fair few times. It's just not fair on the pet at all. It doesn't take much to buy a book or do a little research on not just the equipment and commitment needed but on the pet itself. I hate it when people just seem to go out and come home with animals when they feel like it. :(

[Zippy]

I agree totally.I have some family members who don't get that. :rolleyes:
Sweet P.has a big cage really he has 2 cages.Piglet was in a cage the size for a hamster when we got him he is now in a nice cage.My bettas are also in nice tanks.Let me tell you for my 5 or so dollars I bought my bettas for I have spent a whole lot more money then that on there tanks,plants,decor,meds,ect....I love my bettas very much and know I would be spending more then 2-6 dollars on them when I got each of my bettas.