(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

My new lease, as of yesterday, puts no restrictions on what kind of pet I can keep. I asked my landlady to make sure it wasn't an oversight. She really trusts me now. (Last Saturday was the fifth anniversary of me moving in.) I might just get a new pet after my extended vacation in March.

The trouble is, I don't know what species. Cats haven't worked out so well in my small suite, tho that might have more to do with the two cats in question being unusually neurotic. A dog would surely need more space. I gave some thought to a hedgehog, but research tells me they're not allowed in the District. Neither are ferrets. A rabbit could be nice, but I don't know how to protect the cords and whatnot. Most tank dwellers don't interest me.

Oddly enough, the top two choices in my mind at present are a rat and a snake. Either one would better inform my webcomic writing.

...Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned my vacation plans on LJ before: a 16-day Topdeck singles tour of New Zealand. I've finally paid for all I expect to need, and several of my Christmas gifts, such as an Ultra-Sil Day Pack, may prove useful.

Comments

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

Standard solution for rabbits is to keep them in a large cage for most of the day and let them out for supervised playtime, so they won't eat your TV cords etc. while you're out of the house. Best to get a neutered male-female pair so they don't get lonely and don't fight like same-gender pairs would.

If you prefer to go the rat route, http://www.furaffinity.net/user/nyaasu/ can give you plenty of tips.

[thefoxaroo.livejournal.com]

Strongly agree with Nefaria; that's good advice about rabbits. Also be careful of their claws; they can scratch and also bite if ill-tempered. Same goes for a rat of course. A plus about rabbits - they're very clean and easy to toilet train; they have an instinct to return to the same location to excrete each time.

You'd make a friend of both Jenner and Uncle Kage for keeping a rat. Jenner didn't randomly choose Ben to be a rat; he really likes them.

Other possibilities (not that I'm an expert on these):

Turtle (snake that can't move slowly or leave its shell). Small (but not tiny) lizzard. Guinea Pig. Frog. Small bird.

A ferret if you're willing to show it a lot of love and attention when you let it out of the cage for exercse.

If you want to be exotic:
Some states will allow you to keep de-scented skunks. I don't know if having a Sabrina would appeal to you.
Blonde or white raccoon: Joe Racoon who drew those great vividly coloured drawings of my characters is very keen on pet racoons, though I don't know anything about them myself.

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm sure all animals can hurt people when provoked, and I don't take complacency for granted even from domestics. Also, it turns out I already know some rabbit owners, so I'd have further guidance and pet-sitting possibilities that way. Nobody screams upon seeing rabbit, except in Night of the Lepus.

Of your added suggestions, the guinea pig is most promising, being cuddlier and/or more traditional than the others. Again, I'd have to move out of the city to own a ferret legally; you can bet that skunks and raccoons are right out.

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Great Nef.