Non-Fish Pets

[Cinnebuns]

I like fun little threads that aren't necessarily a question or typical post. So here's one! What are some of your non-fish pets?  Tell us their name(s) and maybe a little about them!  What's a pet you would like to try but haven't yet? Or even a specific breed. 

Extra points for anyone who has rats! Quadruple points for siamese rat!  I want one some day!

Here are my 2 cats. Lore is the orange one. He is named after my grandma Lorine. He is 13.5 and acts it. He has some arthritis going on and sleeps most of the time but occasionally will play with the kitten. She helps keep him young. He's the best pet I've ever had. He loves to cuddle with me on my recliner while I play games on my tablet.

The lynx point cat is Mikomi or Miko for short. Her name means "hope" in Japanese. She is the third cat I've gotten in my life but the first I got as a kitten. She just turned 1 year old. It wasn't as hard as i expected to raise a kitten although I imagine puppies being far more work. She cracks me up with her antics. She LOVES to play fetch and will randomly drop a toy in my lap and wait for me to throw it. Once, after messing around in the fry tanks and taking the Java moss out, she plopped a clump of Java moss in my lap. I didn't throw that lol.

I look forward to seeing your non-fish pets and hearing about them! Don't forget pics!

Note: The 2nd pic is of Miko after trying to jump on top of a tank before checking if the lid was on lol

Edited May 8, 2022 by Cinnebuns

[TheSwissAquarist]

A Dalmatian and a furry Ukrainian rescue.

[Flumpweesel]

Nothing else here, I hanker after other pets (dogs and birds mainly) but I don't have the lifestyle they need.  Growing up I was very lucky and lived in the countryside so I had a menagerie. Dogs, cats, rabbits, guineapigs, a budgie, geese, a terrapin, a donkey and of course fish. So maybe I've had my quota.

[Katherine]

I currently have three cats. But in the past I've had rats! And house rabbits. In my experience the male rats are much more sociable and cuddly, but not everyone can get past the huge testes.

Here's a rare shot with all three of my kitties. The tabby is Howl, and he's 14 years old and definitely showing his age. The black and white is Kiki, the black is her brother, Totoro. They're about a year old.

[Guppysnail]

Two cats SIMBA and BOOKIE (MONSTER CAT(RIP) a north eastern grey tree frog FROGGIN, Bearded dragon BOOPS (RIP)

I have had dogs, goats, a bunch of parrots, turtles, rabbits 

 

[Ken Burke]

I like cats, in other peoples houses.  
We have dogs.  Currently 2, but as many as 4 at one point.

[Katherine]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:08 AM, Ken Burke said:

I like cats, in other peoples houses.  

This is how I feel about dogs. I love to play with them. I do not want to take care of one.

[Cinnebuns]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:16 AM, Katherine said:

This is how I feel about dogs. I love to play with them. I do not want to take care of one.

Same. I don't have the right energy level to deal with a dog. 

On 5/8/2022 at 8:06 AM, Guppysnail said:

Two cats SIMBA and BOOKIE (MONSTER CAT(RIP) a north eastern grey tree frog FROGGIN, Bearded dragon BOOPS (RIP)

I have had dogs, goats, a bunch of parrots, turtles, rabbits 

 

I love seeing pets that aren't dogs or cats on harnesses. It's fun! First time seeing a bearded dragon on one tho!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Rats were my favorite pet- but after I lost my last girl who I was especially attached to, I couldn't do it anymore. All my girls knew their names, came when called- played games- and were the best companions anyone could have. This was my most favorite of all, Story:

Edited May 8, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[TheSwissAquarist]

bearded dragon and cat photobomb

[Cinnebuns]

On 5/8/2022 at 10:09 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Rats were my favorite pet- but after I lost my last girl who I was especially attached to, I couldn't do it anymore. All my girls knew their names, came when called- played games- and were the best companions anyone could have. This was my most favorite of all, Story:

That's the biggest problem with rats: short lifespan.  Mine knew their names too. Makes it easier to round them up after free roam time!  Your girl looks beautiful and precious!  

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Very true @Cinnebuns I got my girl Story to the max lifespan of 3.5 years (exactly 3 yrs, 6 months). I discovered the secret to get them far- spay them early- it cuts down on their chance for tumors 90%

[Guppysnail]

On 5/8/2022 at 11:09 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I couldn't do it anymore

I understand this well.  I cannot even look at dragons anymore without choking up.  

[Cinnebuns]

On 5/8/2022 at 11:03 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Very true @Cinnebuns I got my girl Story to the max lifespan of 3.5 years (exactly 3 yrs, 6 months). I discovered the secret to get them far- spay them early- it cuts down on their chance for tumors 90%

The ones I had were feeders so not good genetics. Only lasted 2 years and were basically all bleeding tumor in the end. I personally would have put them down before it got as bad as it did but my bf at the time couldn't let go

[Fonske]

On 5/8/2022 at 12:52 PM, Cinnebuns said:

Extra points for anyone who has rats! Quadruple points for siamese rat!

My sweetest, most affectionate and funny girl... Will always be remembered and deeply missed.❤️💔❤️

These two whiskered faces greet me every morning hoping for treats and tickles. It's amazing how different their personalities are, rats truly are like people in this respect. Love them both to pieces... ❤️ 

[Cinnebuns]

On 5/8/2022 at 10:04 PM, Fonske said:

My sweetest, most affectionate and funny girl... Will always be remembered and deeply missed.❤️💔❤️

These two whiskered faces greet me every morning hoping for treats and tickles. It's amazing how different their personalities are, rats truly are like people in this respect. Love them both to pieces... ❤️ 

I am a color point fan in all animals but my goodness is that blue a cutie!!! I just wanna rub her little face!

[Fonske]

On 5/9/2022 at 1:03 PM, Cinnebuns said:

my goodness is that blue a cutie!

She is, and she is also a very sweet girl! She is much younger than the B&W, but behaves more like her caring mom than a companion, pulling her back from any perceived danger... The whitey is a strong-minded adventurous female with more courage than ability so their interaction is endlessly fascinating to watch.  

[Hannah Parker]

My fiancé and I currently have my dog and adopted our first cat together. My dog was bought from a mall pet store for me when I was a teen by my parents and most definitely came from a puppy mill, so she has a lot of temperament issues. I am allergic to dogs and can only have certain breeds, so my parents were uneducated and didn't think they could adopt a "mutt" at that time. This is Ellie, our Shih-Tzu/Bichon Frise.

She's my best friend, and I truly believe she has the intellect of a toddler. She's so emotionally tuned in to her surroundings, and greatly suffers from anxiety and resource guarding. Once my fiancé and I got our own house and she became an only dog (my moms dog stayed at my parents' house) she really blossomed. She's played with toys for the first time in her life. I knew she could live with a cat once she got adjusted so we adopted our little grey cat Charmy.She is the sweetest cat I've ever met, and is extremely vocal and affectionate. She really made us a little family. We adopted her from the animal shelter I volunteer at, and she was born with only 1 eye. They found her very sick with her kittens dead inside her, so she had to have an emergency spay.

We had to get Ellie in-home training to help her adjust to living with a cat, and we have to feed Ellie super expensive subscription food (The Farmer's Dog) so she doesn't starve herself so she can stand guard over her kibble, but with all that combined we've finally got the happiest pets. They even lay together sometimes, which is HUGE for Ellie. Charmy is so sweet of course and would cuddle with her all day if she could, but Ellie isn't about that. Most nights she warns her away, but sometimes Ellie even lets Charmy sleep in bed with us. I'm sure I didn't explain it all the best, but replying to this thread made me really just want to brag on my girl because of how far she has come, I'm so proud of her. Like @xXInkedPhoenixX with their rat and @Guppysnail with their dragon, I don't think I'll ever be able to have another dog after Ellie. My fiancé and I talk about it a lot, and emotions combined with the toll it takes on me physically (I'm still allergic to her but it's manageable), I'm not sure we'll have a dog again. She loves my fiancé so much too, she really is like our child. We've been together since we were 15 and I got Ellie when I was 14, so she's know him almost her whole life. Thanks for letting me gush about my kids 💜

Edited May 9, 2022 by hannah662parker

[Lots Of Loaches]

Rats make great pets, although for far to short a time! I had them when I was younger and my wife had them when I met her. Now we have 2 dogs, 4 cats, a horse and a cow. I can't imagine a life without all these great animals.

Frog

 

Bubba

 

Wink (The one-eyed cat. That's how he came to us)

 

Cochise

 

Rosie

Edited May 10, 2022 by Lots Of Loaches

[Lots Of Loaches]

On 5/9/2022 at 9:22 AM, hannah662parker said:

My fiancé and I currently have my dog and adopted our first cat together. My dog was bought from a mall pet store for me when I was a teen by my parents and most definitely came from a puppy mill, so she has a lot of temperament issues. I am allergic to dogs and can only have certain breeds, so my parents were uneducated and didn't think they could adopt a "mutt" at that time. This is Ellie, our Shih-Tzu/Bichon Frise.

She's my best friend, and I truly believe she has the intellect of a toddler. She's so emotionally tuned in to her surroundings, and greatly suffers from anxiety and resource guarding. Once my fiancé and I got our own house and she became an only dog (my moms dog stayed at my parents' house) she really blossomed. She's played with toys for the first time in her life. I knew she could live with a cat once she got adjusted so we adopted our little grey cat Charmy.She is the sweetest cat I've ever met, and is extremely vocal and affectionate. She really made us a little family. We adopted her from the animal shelter I volunteer at, and she was born with only 1 eye. They found her very sick with her kittens dead inside her, so she had to have an emergency spay.

We had to get Ellie in-home training to help her adjust to living with a cat, and we have to feed Ellie super expensive subscription food (The Farmer's Dog) so she doesn't starve herself so she can stand guard over her kibble, but with all that combined we've finally got the happiest pets. They even lay together sometimes, which is HUGE for Ellie. Charmy is so sweet of course and would cuddle with her all day if she could, but Ellie isn't about that. Most nights she warns her away, but sometimes Ellie even lets Charmy sleep in bed with us. I'm sure I didn't explain it all the best, but replying to this thread made me really just want to brag on my girl because of how far she has come, I'm so proud of her. Like @xXInkedPhoenixX with their rat and @Guppysnail with their dragon, I don't think I'll ever be able to have another dog after Ellie. My fiancé and I talk about it a lot, and emotions combined with the toll it takes on me physically (I'm still allergic to her but it's manageable), I'm not sure we'll have a dog again. She loves my fiancé so much too, she really is like our child. We've been together since we were 15 and I got Ellie when I was 14, so she's know him almost her whole life. Thanks for letting me gush about my kids 💜

Charmy is so beautiful! So glad you were able to give her an awesome forever home! You're a great mom to deal with your allergies so you can show Ellie all the love you have!

[PineSong]

Oh my goodness, so many lovely furry and scaly friends. The facial expression on Guppysnail's beardie just kills me. Perfection!

And those rats! And the perfect black and white spotted cowboy horse! 

Over many decades we've had mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, house rabbits, birds, a box tortoise, our own dogs and cats and about a million foster cats/kittens/dogs/ferrets/bunnies. I'm now out of the fostering rotation due to too many hours at work, but my heart will always be in it and I hope to return when I semi-retire 🙂  

Here is my best bud:

[Guppysnail]

@PineSong He looks like he could not be happier than with you on the water 😍

[Apulo]

I have two cats, brother and sister, a little over two years old.

They're named Fry and Leela and have the personality of their namesakes. Fry is a lovable doofus, and Leela is a prima donna.

[mouseturd13]

Weve got a cat named Lana and a little mini Aussie named Cassia 🙂 

[Bev C]

I just love this thread and seeing everyone's babies 

I grew up bringing every stray dog and cat home     When I got married  now divorce  my ex was allergic to cats. So we only had dogs  My neighbor had dachshunds and had  a litter and gave  me my first dachshund after that I am dachshund crazy  that has  been the breed I have owned since when My ex and I split up we had 4 of them he took 1 I took 3. All of them has passed away since then

But my sister-in-law brought me a rescue dachshund that had major problems they was thinking of putting him to sleep  We are not sure what happened to him before he came to me He hates men  the most  I have had him 8 years we think he was 1 when he came to me . he was not named   so I  named him after my favorite band Bon Jovi I named  him Jovi  but we call him Joey  

But it took a long time for him to trust me, and he has big social disorders .. only humans he trusts is me and my very close family that he often sees  

Around me, he is calm, mellow  & a  sweetheart  & I love having him 

But around others he is a  Devil 

He pees, chews  on them and growls and carries on awful like, and it takes a good while for him to calm &  settle down    .. The vet and I have tried working with him, nothing helps, So  if I have company I have  to have them call first, so I can cage him in his dog cage  and close the door ..  so I  can have a good visit with my company and to keep him calm .. It makes it way better on him & my  company  I have to walk him in the empty cemetery near my house  that has no living people 

When it is just him and me home he is a perfect angel, and he likes hanging around my fish tank . he watches them very  closely   

Don't let the sweet  face & photos fool you... Please meet Joey my brothers calls him the Little Demon 

 

Joey Likes To Help On Trash Day 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Bev C