@Random_Matt said:
Rat, just about any rodent actually.
I've actually loved rats a lot, but I've always decided not to get one because I hear they're kind of depressing to have. Like, they only live a few years and they almost always die from cancer. Also, the whole thing about them needing company. That's part of why I like reptiles, because reptiles don't constantly want me to play with them and stuff. So I also avoid rats because I'd feel bad if they got lonely if I avoided them for several days at a time.
But yeah, rats are actually really freaking cool. When I was a kid my parents would take me to the pet store when they bought food for their pets, and I'd always beg to go see the big rat. His name was Lucky. Sort of weird that I actually remember that shit. But anyway, the store owners would let me play with Lucky (and he was a big fat-ass rat) while my parents got what they needed. But I remember it being sad. Because no one ever bought Lucky. Either because he was a big fat-ass rat, or because he wasn't for sale and was being kept as a breeder. Point being, over the years I'd watch Lucky's health deteriorate to the point where he could barely even even recognize me. Then the next time I went there, I was told that he died.
That was really sad. Part of why I don't really keep pets that actually like my company. It makes it a lot harder when they just straight-up die.
@korvus said:
Not much of a pet person; they're too much work I don't really need...
That being said, think I'd find it fun to have a pet raven...love them :D
And this. I think that birds are also really cool! But the thing with birds is sort of the same thing with the rats. Birds need socialization and stuff, and I don't trust myself to be a good enough "friend". Add to that the fact that birds have a higher metabolism than reptiles so it's a lot harder to just ignore them for a few days without them straight-up dying. And the increased shit production. When I was a kid my mom bred parakeets and lovebirds, and they were constantly just shitting all over the place. They'd process more food than reptiles, which meant more shit, which meant more time just cleaning up shit. I don't think I want that right now.
Furthermore, people say I'm insane for keeping pet snapping turtles, but what really scares me are PARROTS. Especially the bigger ones like Maccaws, those things' beaks are designed to open up shit like freaking macadamia nuts. So imagine what they can do to your damn finger bones.
Having said that, I REALLY like crows and ravens. If I was ever going to get a bird, I think that's the one I would get. But I just don't think I can provide for their needs (and I also think I recall it being illegal to own them in my state). So, that's that. Birds are incredibly cool, but I don't think they're for me.
As far as my favorite pet I've ever had, that would DEFINITELY be common snapping turtles. Maybe not the EASIEST pet I've ever had (though that's likely largely due to me housing my turtle in an outdoor pond instead of keeping it in a more controlled large stock tank), but I'll be damned if it wasn't fun raising my bigger female turtle to its size.
The thing I like about them (especially when raising them from hatchlings) is kind of how they provide the best of both worlds. They actually tame down pretty easily and constantly follow you around pretending to be your friend once they realize that you aren't going to eat them and that you provide their food. But they also don't really like you, so you don't have to feel the least bit guilty about totally ignoring them for a couple of days.
And yes, they can be dangerous. But people sort of exaggerate how dangerous they are. As long as you're careful, there's really not that much risk. Just last week I got my first really good bite from my bigger snapping turtle, but it was because I was being careless. For starters, I'd carelessly left the gate on its pen open, so I thought the turtle might have wandered off. So then, I carelessly just started feeling around in the water to see if I felt a turtle shell. Then I felt something big and soft on the bottom of the pond, so I carelessly grabbed it and started squeezing it and feeling it to try to see what it was.
Then I got a big CHOMP on my fingers and was like, "oh, I guess that must have been my turtle's headd." Still, despite me bleeding all over the place and the skin on my fingers basically being shredded, it didn't cut deep and the wounds basically healed in a few days. So they're dangerous but not THAT dangerous. Frankly, I'd much rather deal with a big snapping turtle than a large parrot.
But I think my favorite thing about snapping turtles is how adorable it is when they're trying to be badasses. Like, they sort of want you around (to feed them) and then they get all pissy when you try to touch them. And you're like, "aw, isn't that just adorable? It's like that Simpsons episode where Ned flanders caught a Gremlin and was like, "isn't that cute, he just tried to claw my face off."
But yeah, there's just nothing like sitting at the edge of the pond and then seeing a monster turtle raise its head and come charging towards you asking to be fed. And it's just so adorable when it then gets an attitude when you reach down and touch it. It's a self-centered monster asshole who kind of likes me, but not really, and who is totally fine with me ignoring it, and who is careful to watch its ass because it knows I can f*** it up, but is also JUST sociable enough to PRETEND to like me as long as it thinks it's gonna get fed. That's actually pretty damn fun. About the closest I'm going to get to having an ACTUAL pet Gremlin. I just love these guys. They're adorable. And when they're trying to be bad-asses, it's even more adorable.
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