After reading the 'What Pet/Animal Should I Get' thread, I'm now considering getting a chinchilla... Are they a lot of work? Do they smell bad?

Should I consider a different animal?

Thanks,
42

Get a platypus!

Dog.

Chinchillas are HORRIBLE.

I know, I used to own one. Felt like taking it to the Sheet Metal Shear everyday.

Get a ferret. Or a hamster.

Get a fish, if you get some kind of mammal your going to have to care for it and it will shit all over the place and make noise when your trying to sleep and smell like shit and require food and attention.

*edit* What ever you do DONT get a ferret their pieces of shit.

[This message has been edited by Nickel2388 (edited 03-17-2006).]

A pygmy marmoset.

its a little monkey....how cool is that....
http://www.rotfly.com/pygmy-marmoset.gif

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Originally posted by Violent Monotreme:
Get a platypus!

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If you do, be careful, they are venomous.

I would advise a small reptile,like a snake or gecko would be nice. Feeding them is cheap.

Get a nigger, they generally smell bad but they seem to take care of them self most of the time and they are happy to help around the house.

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Originally posted by NeoIceshroom:

If you do, be careful, they are venomous.

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Only the males!

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Originally posted by dead_people_killer:
A pygmy marmoset.

its a little monkey....how cool is that....

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How much do those go for? Google didnt turn up many results... Where could I get one?

quote:

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Originally posted by Storm:
Chinchillas are HORRIBLE.

I know, I used to own one. Felt like taking it to the Sheet Metal Shear everyday.

Get a ferret. Or a hamster.

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What was so bad about it? Why would a hamster be good?

Thanks,
42

Chinchillas can be cool. They need a dust bath once a week, they eat prepackaged chinchilla food, and they can't really handle temperatures above eighty degrees fahrenheit, so you need to keep them in an air conditioned room in the summer. They're not much for sitting still, so if you're looking for a pet to cuddle or whatever, go with something else. They are fun as hell to watch though. Also, they'll typically run you $80-$150, plus another $50-$100 for a good tall cage.

Ferrets are a lot more work. Think of them like getting a dog. They cost aorund $100, need about $200 worth of equipment to get started, require distemper shots once a year, and typically require a cage mate because they're very social. They're absurd amounts of fun though. They can stink if they haven't had their musk glands removed, but otherwise they can be litterbox trained, so their shit isn't that big a deal.

Personally, I'd recommend a pair of rats. They're about three bucks each(from the feeder bins at a pet store), require minimal care, and make great, great pets. You'd want to get a pair, because they're very social like the ferrets. Obviously get two males or two females, unless you want a shitload of babies. They're pretty easy to sex once they're weaned, males have big ass balls hangin under their asses, females don't. They liked a good sized cage, with vertical room, so don't stick them in some aquarium. In fact, they'd be very happy with the cage you'd have gotten for the chinchilla. They're very, very smart and as long as you spend some time with them they'll grow to recognize you by voice, smell, and appearance. Make sure you get them as young as possible(right after weaning). Since you're most likely going to get them from the feeder bin, you should check to make sure they're healthy. Their noses and eyes should be clear, their breathing should be strong and steady, without any bronchidal-type noise in their chest, and they should be active and curious.

As far as other small animals go, hamsters are fucking evil, gerbils are cool, but as hyper as the chinchilla and dumb as rocks, guinea pigs and rabbits are cute, sedentary, and boring as all hell, degus are like giant, slightly more intelligent gerbils, and hedgehogs are like prickly, high-maintenance guinea pigs.

This is all coming from years of experience in the pet store business, so I may come off as slightly cynical.

chinchilla smell awful and often cultivate fleas and worse. Small animal wise I'd go for a hamster or cat, possibly a ferret, as they're often very fun. Small lizards or snakes are also great fun... mice or rats too. Rats are quite intelligent

Smart.

Tough.

Cheap.

Cockroach!

What kind of small animal likes to cuddle? I think that would be the type for me...

I've always wanted a pygmy marmoset.

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Originally posted by nooner:
[Rats are] pretty easy to sex

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Ooh, get rats.

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Originally posted by K9:
I've always wanted a pygmy marmoset.

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I like those too... but where could I get one? How much are they?

Get a Rock!!1 Best pets ever .

Trust me, you want a ferret.

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Originally posted by Lovecraft:
Dog.

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A DOG?? What waz you thinking? Adopt a Shantak!

I recommend you Sea Monkeys... At least they don�t givr much problems

The Ronin13.

I think you really need a beaver

you better not stomp on it with a pair of high-heels...

ferrets are the fucking pwn

get a baby

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Originally posted by Blue Potato:
Get a Rock!!1 Best pets ever .

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Rock lobster!

Ferrets are really fun. They get stoned really easily, too.

quote:

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Originally posted by nooner:
Chinchillas can be cool. They need a dust bath once a week, they eat prepackaged chinchilla food, and they can't really handle temperatures above eighty degrees fahrenheit, so you need to keep them in an air conditioned room in the summer. They're not much for sitting still, so if you're looking for a pet to cuddle or whatever, go with something else. They are fun as hell to watch though. Also, they'll typically run you $80-$150, plus another $50-$100 for a good tall cage.

Ferrets are a lot more work. Think of them like getting a dog. They cost aorund $100, need about $200 worth of equipment to get started, require distemper shots once a year, and typically require a cage mate because they're very social. They're absurd amounts of fun though. They can stink if they haven't had their musk glands removed, but otherwise they can be litterbox trained, so their shit isn't that big a deal.

Personally, I'd recommend a pair of rats. They're about three bucks each(from the feeder bins at a pet store), require minimal care, and make great, great pets. You'd want to get a pair, because they're very social like the ferrets. Obviously get two males or two females, unless you want a shitload of babies. They're pretty easy to sex once they're weaned, males have big ass balls hangin under their asses, females don't. They liked a good sized cage, with vertical room, so don't stick them in some aquarium. In fact, they'd be very happy with the cage you'd have gotten for the chinchilla. They're very, very smart and as long as you spend some time with them they'll grow to recognize you by voice, smell, and appearance. Make sure you get them as young as possible(right after weaning). Since you're most likely going to get them from the feeder bin, you should check to make sure they're healthy. Their noses and eyes should be clear, their breathing should be strong and steady, without any bronchidal-type noise in their chest, and they should be active and curious.

As far as other small animals go, hamsters are fucking evil, gerbils are cool, but as hyper as the chinchilla and dumb as rocks, guinea pigs and rabbits are cute, sedentary, and boring as all hell, degus are like giant, slightly more intelligent gerbils, and hedgehogs are like prickly, high-maintenance guinea pigs.

This is all coming from years of experience in the pet store business, so I may come off as slightly cynical.

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Do you have AIM? I'd like to ask you a few qusetions...

a gross of feeder mice

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Originally posted by d0nnar:
Smart.

Tough.

Cheap.

Cockroach!

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Hahahaha. Great.

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Originally posted by ulTRAX:
you better not stomp on it with a pair of high-heels...

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A-Fucking-men

Did you watch the whole video?