# What pet for good company? [Update 8/4/10]



## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I have Narrowed my Choices down.

I want Either a Hedgehog, or a Ferret.

I just have some questions about both animals.

*Firstly the Ferret.
*
-Can it be housed in Martins rat cages? I have several not in use, including a 690, a 695 and a 680.
I have a Ferret Nation, but it houses my rats  hahaha.

-Does it need a partner? Or can they be housed alone. I would love 2

-Whats the best ferret food? I have heard good things about the EVO brand.

-Whats the cost of owing them? Including vet care, adoption fees, stuff, and basic care like food.

-Can they be Fully litter trained?

-Should I worry about my other pets if they are safely cages while the ferret is free ranging? 

-Anything special i should know about? 

I Just really wanna do it right.

*Now the Hedgehog*

-Whats housing? I have a large store bought cage. Super pet my first home large, guinea pig cage.

-Do they need wheels? I have Wodent Wheel Wobust, and 12 inch Comfort Wheels

-Can they be litter trained? Or do I need a bedding at the bottom of the cage.

-Whats the lifespan?

-Whats the total cost estimate?

-Whats the Dietary needs?

*Sorry for the Essay xD, I just wanna make sure I do it right. I am looking into rescues near me to see if I can foster a ferret, hedgehogs are much harder to find and illegal in NYC which I live very close to. I decided against the Suger Gliders as they have to much special care needed and are very expensive to maintain. And no birds for me, If i do decide to go to college away, I don't want my bird heartbroken. Even though I am having online classes mostly, I cant risk that. Also in about a year I will probably be getting my first dog, and need a pet that does not require 100% of my time.*


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## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

With all your pets why do you want more? Are you saying that they are basically happy without you and you want something that's more dependant on you?

I can't really picture anything except maybe a dog or cat, but I haven't had too much experience with animals so I can't really say either way...

I do have to throw this in though. I have a pet hissing cockroach and they are the easiest things in the world to take care of and you can hold them all day. Mine licks my hand sometimes, and you can tell when they're happy because he'll groom his face like a cat. =] You can have them with you all day long and they make great pets.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

You could have your rats with you all day long... maybe get a bunch of youngun's to liven up your current rat pack?

Also I would worry more about a bird, rather than a ferret, attacking your other animals. Ferrets can be trained, but they require a LOT of attention.

If you need something extra to do, and since you will be going back to school at some point and already know now you will have less time for that extra pet, you could contact a rescue and see if they need any help. Maybe you could foster a litter of babies? 

Or contact a wild life rescue and see if anything needs raising? I know they have baby deer on raise and release programs, where you can keep them for 8 weeks and bottle feed them.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

Ema thats a great idea 
I might try and look into a rescue where I can foster an animal.
And i decided against the bird for those reasons.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

 Thats great, its really rewarding to be a foster parent. Keep us updated on your adventures! Maybe you could also foster an animal you were interested in adopting, so you can have an idea at how much time they require and how that animal fits in with your current household. 

I really want an African Grey Parrot, but I would not think its fair to cage it, and I could never put my rats at risk so for the time being I can not have one. :[ Maybe one day though!


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

I am in the same boat I hate to cage birds. Maybe in the future I will have one.

Perhaps I will look into fostering a ferret, or maybe a Sugar Glider.

And I will also look into fostering some ratlets if I have the time.


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## Knoahe (Jun 11, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*



Kiko said:


> I am in the same boat I hate to cage birds. Maybe in the future I will have one.
> 
> Perhaps I will look into fostering a ferret, or maybe a Sugar Glider.
> 
> And I will also look into fostering some ratlets if I have the time.


Sugar gliders are great companions, but they are very social like rats and need to be housed together, but they also need lots of out time with people. I used to have some and they were so sweet, I remember they would hide in my pockets and then crab at me when I tried to take them out  They also have very complex diets, though. I had to order wallaby milk formula and bee pollen to make their staple 

But if you do decide to foster some sugar gliders, it is a very rewarding experience. They can grow so attached to someone  fostering for joeys would be such a great thing to do, but it is time consuming.


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## Nienor (May 1, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*



Kiko said:


> I was thinking maybe a bird, like a Love bird or a Conure. No large parrots.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas for smaller animals that make great companions to keep me company?
> I can't have a dog (sad face)
> And I don't want a ferret, I would worry to much about it harming my rats or rabbits.


All mentioned animals (maybe exept the dog) are too social to be housed alone. They all need at least one companion. Even cats kept in the house will need an other cat.
You know why that bird is called love bird ? For they love their partner so much some even die when their partner died or was given away. Birds are mostly as social as rats so don't keep them on their own.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

Dogs are a pack animal also. Its just as cruel to keep a lone dog, as it is to keep a lone rat.


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## Blue (Jul 29, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

Actually, A full grown female ferret is smaller than an adult rabbit . If you get them as a kit, they can become friends. However, they will still go after the rats. I had 3 ferrets, and I absolutely loved them. Unfortunately my husband developed sever rashes whenever he was around them (despite people saying its not possible), and we had to find them a home. (We still get to visit them which is awesome!) Someday were going to make a ferret room. So that we can have them again. We never had a problem with them getting our rats. We just "time shared" the space. Since they sleep 16-20 hours a day it wasn't that hard. They make great companions, are very loving, smart, and of course are dreadfully cute. 

Tux, Chloe, Isabel


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

Ferrets might be the route I go.

Either Ferrets or Sugar gliders. Both take large cages, and lots os special care so I am gonna talk to my vet and a few people about it.


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## Knoahe (Jun 11, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*



Kiko said:


> Ferrets might be the route I go.
> 
> Either Ferrets or Sugar gliders. Both take large cages, and lots os special care so I am gonna talk to my vet and a few people about it.


I have met a lot of ferrets, but never owned them. They are quite adorable, they love to play, but are also destructive in most cases. :

I have owned sugar gliders before, if you have any questions let me know and I will try to answer them for you.


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## marciemp (Aug 3, 2010)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

What about a cat? Cats are awesome pets, and if you get the right one, very cuddle and playful. I have a hypoallergenic Siberian Forest Cat. She is hilarious, very cuddle and playful, but she was very expensive at $1000 (worth it for this cat loving yet allergic family). Cats can be kept alone as long as you are usually there a for several hours a day. They are not as much work as a dog and can be left for a weekend if you go away as long as you leave lots of food, water and a super big or extra cat box. They can even be left for longer with a pet sitter who checks in. Siamese cats are very cuddle and talkative if you get the right one. If you go to a shelter or call a place that has rescue cats in foster care they would be able to point you to a cuddly lap cat. If you really want a companion animal a cat or dog is the best as they are really the only domesticated house pets out there that have been bred forever to be companions.

Marcie


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

*Re: What pet for good company?*

My family has several cats haha.
We have a Hypo Allergenic cat, she was a rescue. She is an ugly thing xD Looks like a rex rat almost but much fluffier.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

To answer some of your questions.....

-Can it be housed in Martins rat cages? I have several not in use, including a 690, a 695 and a 680.
I have a Ferret Nation, but it houses my rats Cheesy hahaha.

*I would say a single FN is the bare minimum size for two/three ferrets. Being such long agile animals they need a lot of room and generally a lot of out time.*

-Does it need a partner? Or can they be housed alone. I would love 2

*Defiantly needs a partner, they are extremely social and playful like rats.*

-Whats the best ferret food? I have heard good things about the EVO brand.

*I am not sure what would be considered the best ferret food. I fed my ferrets cat food, raw meat and veggies and they did very well. Although I'm sure there would be something better out there... I have not had ferrets for several years now!*

-Whats the cost of owing them? Including vet care, adoption fees, stuff, and basic care like food.

*Ferrets tend to be expensive to buy, from pet stores they usually come already neutered/spayed and descented - so I guess its not that bad in that case. Their cages have to be large, so they are expensive as well. Mine were fed a raw diet, which was expensive but the cat food was a good price. Ours remained healthy during the time we had them, but vet fees can be expensive for any animal. We spent a lot of money on toys, pens, leashes, supplements etc. All in all they were very money and time consuming.*

-Can they be Fully litter trained?

*Yes, again if your having issues use a all natural clay cat litter and limit how much space they can roam in*

-Should I worry about my other pets if they are safely cages while the ferret is free ranging?

*Smaller pets, such as rats yes... these are prey animals for ferrets. If introduced at a young age, it can be done. I have heard of most peoples dog playing with their ferrets.*

-Anything special i should know about?

*They are like toddlers and need A LOT of attention, I would say AT LEAST six hours of playtime with you a day. They get into trouble REALLY easy, and are super smart and great at escaping. They are not happy in a cage all day. I would say they are six times the work of one rat.*

I Just really wanna do it right.

*Sometimes its better to concentrate and better what you already have, instead of adding more. If you just need a new project maybe you could build a play area, or cardboard castle for your other pets?*

Now the Hedgehog

-Whats housing? I have a large store bought cage. Super pet my first home large, guinea pig cage.

*I would say a guinea pig cage would be okay, as long as they get some excersize each evening.*

-Do they need wheels? I have Wodent Wheel Wobust, and 12 inch Comfort Wheels

*Yeah, they love wheels and its great excersize for them during the night when they are most active. They tend to need a thicker wheel*

-Can they be litter trained? Or do I need a bedding at the bottom of the cage.

*Some can, some can't. Its hard to explain, but some just will never catch on and others pick it up really fast. They are not like dogs or rats in their training, they do whatever pleases themselves.*

-Whats the lifespan?

*5/6 years*

-Whats the total cost estimate?

*Expensive to buy usually over $100. Not very expensive to maintain. Possible large vet bills, like any living creature.

-Whats the Dietary needs?

*I fed my hedgehogs Mazuri Insectivore Pellets, along with a cat food, wet cat food and live insects.*


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Wow thanks for all the info. it was very helpful.

I am not looking into getting any at this very moment. I am ONLY looking into a foster for now.

But in the future I would love either a Ferret or a Hedgehog.


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## Knoahe (Jun 11, 2010)

I have had hedgehogs too xD I can help out with questions when you have them with those, also.


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