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Anonymous
Dear /an/. I'm looking for a perfect pet, and I've narrowed the choices down to a few pets that I feel are for me. Now mind you, I'm going to do all the research that I can for these pets to make sure I'm taking care of them, and time isn't much of a factor, either. I'm flexible. I'd just like the pros and cons of these pets:

A pair of leopard geckos.

A rough green snake.

Some African dwarf frogs.

Hermit crabs.

Some small koi or goldfish for a tank.

Feel free to recommend anything else you particularly like - I'm open for anything. As long as it doesn't full-sized rats or mice, I'm fine with pinkies or bugs or anything like that. I already own a cat, a ferret, and two rats. I'm particularly interested in the geckos and snakes, though.
>> Anonymous
I meant doesn't eat adult rats or mice.

Also: I won't get a pet that eats live pinkies. They must be dead, since I've had too much experience with rats and mice to feel right about it.

I also considered sugar gliders or chinchillas, too.

Oh yeah. And no spiders/insects for pets, either. Or birds.
>> Anonymous
Leopard geckos are cute but obscenely, obnoxiously boring. In fact, all of these pets are. Wtf is wrong with you? The exception here are the fish, but you picked fish which really don't do well in a tank. Koi DEFINITELY are not tank fish, and goldfish... well, if it's a fancy, sure. If it's a comet, no, they're also a pond fish.
>> Anonymous
>>204178
Also, sugar gliders are the devil.
>> Anonymous
>>204207

Oh, oh, no, of course I wouldn't put koi in a tank.

I don't care if they're boring, I have enough hyper pets (ferrets, rats, dogs). So now I'd like something a little more laid back.
>> Anonymous
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Anon seems to love bashing leopard geckos, but I love them. I am a lazy person. The leopard gecko is an animal after my own heart.

I think they're extremely cute when they lap calcium powder from a dish, climb complicated ornaments to sprawl out on the top and sleep, and stalk like prehistoric monsters across their tank after a cricket.

Not to mention, they're pretty cheap, even when you take their entire setup into consideration. Leopard geckos are just easy to care for, bottom line. They're also easy to find, and come in a ton of cool color morphs.
>> Anonymous
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African Fat Tail Geckos are pretty cool, too. I knew one female that was just completely mellow. I think the care for them is pretty much the same as leopard geckos. Maybe another anon would know better.
>> Anonymous
>>204212

They sound like the pet for me! But I have two questions:

Are meal worms or crickets better?

And...

I heard that sand was good for them when it comes to bedding, but I also read that they ingest it, and that paper towels or newspaper was better for them.
>> Anonymous
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>>204214

I think a variety would be best. And since mealworms can be kept in your fridge for a little while, it's nice to have them on hand.. especially if you can't go get crickets for whatever reason. There are canned leopard gecko foods, too, but individuals might get kind of picky about it, I guess...

And yeah, impaction is a big concern. Personally, I like reptile carpet. Easy to clean, even washable once or twice I think. Pic related. Just gotta be careful, crickets and geckos alike will crawl under it. :<
>> Anonymous
>>204207
I agree. All of these animals are pretty fucking boring. But maybe that's what you're going for...? If cats, ferrets, and rats don't do it for you, it might be time to give on getting more pets.
>> Anonymous
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pretty much all cool cold-blooded animals require mostly "live" food like insects and small mammals. I went in to buy a fuzzy (small baby mouse) to feed my Argentinean horned frog today. These are incredibly inactive (which I find endearing) 'pacman' frogs. The man in front of me was distressed that I was buying a more mature feeder mouse to feed my frog than he was purchasing to feed his sugar glider.
Yes, I learned today that sugar gliders need insects and apparently like small live feeder mammals as supplements. Its almost impossible to avoid.
Frozen food (including frozen mice and rats) are apparently sometimes a necessity.
Some cool cold-blooded animal pets rely partially on vegetables and fruits to eat, which seems awesome, although I am unsure whether they can survive solely* from such things.

I heard bearded dragons are awesome active reptile pets that dont mind being handled so much
Also, although I love and own cichlids (agressive tropical fish) as pets, goldfish are awesome. They're like happy-go-lucky retarded dogs of the water. They will happily eat scraps of vegetable or insects as well as pellets like the other similar animals.

*wow.. thats how it spelled? crap.

In response to others posts.. laid back animals are awesome as pets. Mealworms are much easier to take care of and dont escape and drive you mad with their in-wall breeding and mating chirps. My pacman frog wont eat insects anymore, so the point is moot for me as they say (no pun intended).

Picture is of a native skink I found in my home state. I find owning native and indigenous reptiles really rewarding
>> Anonymous
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Small goldfish or koi? SMALL?

get a pacman frog.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
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but.. why!? baaaaawwwww!
>> Anonymous
FYI: Ferrets will kill reptiles/amphibians if there is even the slightest chance he can get to it. No matter how nice the ferret is, it will pop the other critter in the skull and then leave it. Just an instinct thing.
>> Anonymous
>>204436

Ah, don't worry, I know this. I don't let him near my rats or any of my other pets, only my cat.

>>204327

Because you scare the crap out of me.

>>204320

Hmmm...I might consider that...thank you.
>> Anonymous
For the love of god if you get goldfish dont be one of those fucking idiots and buy a 5gallon bowl, or a ten gallon tank, fill it with tap water dump the fish in.

Thats why goldfish earned that sterotype as being shortlived throwaway fish that can alwasy be replaced. Set up a proper fucking tank, 30gallon minimum. Even then youd only be able to get 2 fish in there.

I bought a little tiny Oranda, and its 3 years old now and its like a fucking grapefruit with a mouth and fins now. Goldfish get fucking BIG. ot like oscares and cichlids big, but still pretty huge. Common "feeder" goldfish, and Comet goldfish can easily reach a foot long when full grown. Koi have been known to get up to 3feet long and live for 90+ years. Chances are if you are 25, and buy one now an dtake good care of it, its going to easily outlive you.
>> Anonymous
>>204449

Well, of course. I always hated when my parents threw their goldfish in a glass bowl with tap water and no stimulation. I always considered it a little cruel.
>> Anonymous
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Get a bearded dragon. They're awesome. I wouldn't get two leopard geckos, they are solitary as most lizards are and shouldn't have to compete for space/heat/food.

Check out www.beardeddragon.org/bjive for a great board that can answer questions...
>> Anonymous
>>204531
I second this. Bearded dragons make awesome pets.
>> Anonymous
>>204176I'm looking for a perfect pet

Here's the problem, perfect pets don't exist. Every animal has pros and cons. Stop buying new pets, you'll never find the "perfect" one and you'll only end up with a bunch of animals you only kinda like and kinda take care of.
>> Anonymous
>>204562

Oh, maybe I worided it wrong. I didn't mean the perfect pet, I meant the one that most suited me out of the list. I just wanted the pros and cons. I love all the animals I have, and wouldn't change a thing about them. I'm not a spoiled child that gets tired of a pet and tosses it aside.
>> Anonymous
Aquarium guy here - I've had a bunch of different kinds of fish and I'm enjoying the fancy guppies I have now. $2-3 at Petsmart, and tho the guys pester the girls a little, they're amazingly colorful and great to sit and watch, unlike the neon tetras, say, which just kind of hovered and twitched.

I'll have to raise the surviving fry and take 'em to the pet store in a month, but they may be the best fish I've had so far (along with the rubberlip pleco who lives there with 'em).

I had a betta fish last year who had a surprising amount of personality. One of those and three cory cats in a 5 G would be good.
>> Anonymous
The leopard geckos are nice, but feeding them crickets takes up a lot of money, and it's difficult to go to the pet store every other day. I suggest getting a hermit crab.
>> Anonymous
>>204876

Crickets are expensive now? I can get 20 for $1.00 at a pet store, where the hell are you shopping? You can buy them dead and in a can for even less. Just buy a vibrating bowl and the leo won't know the difference.
>> Anonymous
>>204876


Crickets? Expensive? It's less likely than you think.
>> Anonymous
Brazilian Rainbow Boa.

Pros: Beautiful, awesome, and worth a lot if you can breed them.

Cons: Need lots of humidity, can be temperamental, and they take a while to reach sexual maturity.

They're awesome though.