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 key as a pet is for life, so be 100% sure, otherwise do not have one.
A bit negative there, but there is such a large choice of pets to choose from, all of them can be engrossing, but have diverse advantages and disadvantages. You can select from a dog, cat, gerbil, rat, fish, rabbit, bird and the list goes on and on.
You must to involve one and all in the choice, it needs to be a complete family decision. Due to its importance I recommend you thrash out and write down your objective for desiring a pet. Add to it on a large sheet of paper, with a column for the pet, some columns to rank each pet. The headings for a pet include, time (yours), cost (pets are costly), pet care, space requirement, aptitude to fuss, interest, collective activity, any phobias, other issues.
Pets take time, some necessitate more than others. Time hungry animals are those that necessitate regular exercise such as dogs and horses. Dogs originated from wolves and maintain 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 routine and done rain or shine. Other pets may have need of a lot of grooming, changing water etc. A pet sitter often spends a lot of their visiting time to grooming long haired cats, though the cat and the sitter enjoy it. You may desire a certain animal, but do you have the time for him? Be straight with yourself and the potential pet.
Cost, consider all costs. There is the potential cost of the pet to start with, which for a pedigree pet can be steep. I would strongly advise you to consider adopting a abandoned pet, there are increasing numbers of these now as households are unfortunately discarding them to the pet charities – is this an opportunity for you to help out? The other starting costs include cages, leads, grooming aids, blankets / beds. Then there are the ongoing pet costs, food, which for a large per can be substantial. I strongly urge you to have your pet neutered, many pet specialists and research have shown that you will have less behavioural problems with a sterilized animal. There are routine veterinary expenditure such as vaccinations, however some are impossible to plan for. For this reason I strongly recommend you to take out pet insurance, so you can handle with any situations that may occur. There are routine costs for flea treatment etc. These costs mount up.
Is your house large enough for the pet? Some pets can be interesting, but you may not be able to fuss them, what is the most important for you? No pet has it all. Can you handle the pet? Rats are outstandingly interesting, but a few people do not like the scaly tail, or the idea of one.
You may want to review the summary paper, you may not have the time for dog walking 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 pet, there are lots of diverse types and breeds to decide on, taking hamsters there are five basic types, with very diverse features. There is also the choice of how many, some animals are better off alone, others as a pair because they must have the company. Then there is what 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 recommend you to organise a pet 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 effort that is required, and do not forget the pleasure that the animal gives. An alternative is to do some animal charity work.
Pet breeders and dog trainers are very knowledgeable, so visit and talk with them.
I hope this helps, go and enjoy a new pet.
