More About How To Choose A Pet

Pets bring a great deal of joy and comfort, a sense of responsibility and companionship into a home but along with those undeniable positive aspects they can also be a great deal of work. In choosing the most appropriate pet for your home situation it is important to think carefully about how much time and attention you are able to give it.

For those who have very little time

If you have a very busy life and are out most of the day don't despair, there are pets that you can keep which don't require much of you and yet will give you huge rewards.

Caged animals such as hamsters, mice, guinea pigs and other small mammals are great for this situation. They can be happily kept in a cage while you are out and will be happy to play with you when you are home without recriminations. Caged birds too will be fine left for hours yet delight in your company on your return. They can be left with a neighbour while you are away and even taken on holiday with you.

African Pygmy hedgehogs are growing in popularity as pets but whilst they are caged for much of the day, they like to be active at night and need a much bigger space to exercise than many people realise. They are not naturally very sociable and have a very nasty bite and prickly skin so are not ideally suited in a family with young children.

Hens and ducks require very little time and so long as you have a garden, will provide eggs a plenty for little effort other than feeding and cleaning out. Both are hilarious to watch and can easily be tamed. If you have children, it is best to choose hybrids because they have a more docile nature and will sit on a child's lap. Their egg yield is higher than that of a rare breed and although their life is shorter on average, they still live for several years, providing about 300 eggs a year.

Cats are mostly nocturnal so they won't mind being left for much of the day when they would be asleep. They are naturally quite independent so their need for company is considerably less than that of a dog. See article 'What is the age expectancy of my dog or cat'. Although they may not like it, cats can be taken to a cattery when you go on holiday and although they may sulk with you on your return, this is soon forgotten. Cats don't need to be walked and because they are fastidious creatures, house training is a quick and easy process.

If you are at home during the day

If you are in the fortunate position to be at home during the day and have access to green space and time to walk them, a dog will give you a huge amount of companionship and warmth.

Do bear in mind though that your puppy will need house training which can take a week or so of attention taking it out every couple of hours and for a while, cleaning up in the morning. See the article 'How to house train your dog'. Puppies need training and this can go on for many months as you teach it the basic drills of coming when called, sitting, walking to heel and going down when commanded.

While it is still young, puppies need to be socialised and it is a great idea to take it to puppy training classes for this purpose. Here puppies can smell each other and play in a controlled environment so that when they are out with you they know how to behave with other dogs and don't act aggressively out of fear. Many vets even hold 'puppy parties' and these can be great fun as well as being another opportunity for your puppy to socialise.

Dogs unlike cats need to be taken for walks and need the stimulus of play and human contact. See the article 'What is the age expectancy of my dog or cat?' Some dogs need more exercise than others and it is a fallacy to think that small dogs don't need as much exercise as large dogs. In fact it can be quite the opposite in some cases.

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