Recently, u/Txrxll asked r/AskReddit, “What pet would you strongly NOT recommend?” And we thought we’d share some of the most popular responses:
1.
“I knew someone with a pet pig, and it was not a pet I would ever want to own. It was stubborn, noisy, aggressive, and did a lot of damage to her home. It grew to be enormous, too. Those ‘mini-pigs’ you see don’t stay mini forever.”
2.
“My college gf and her roommate had turtles. They required way more upkeep than either of them expected and their tank would make their entire apartment stink. I would not recommend turtles if you’re not also partial to routine cleaning and maintenance.”
3.
“Parrots. Most people think parrots just live in a cage quietly aside from the occasional word, and that is absolutely not true. Parrots are loud and very vocal, they never stop making noises. They need a lot of mental stimulation or they rip their feathers out, and they need plenty of time outside of their cage. They can also live for 50 years, and need to be thought of as a lifetime commitment.”
4.
“Sugar gliders, they are not meant to be pets. You’ll see cute demonstrations of them being so docile and adorable but those are the very rare cases. Most of them are just wild animals.”
5.
“Ferret, believe it or not. I had three. they will destroy more than a dog will. I had one who dug below carpet, through the underlayment into the subfloor to try to get behind a door that he already knew what was on the other side. Then they will back up until they hit something and then shit, so a litter box often means they shit over the side.”
6.
“A hedgehog. They are very grumpy, painful to hold and spend the night running through their own shit and pee on their wheel. They stink. They hate everybody. There are very cute but that’s not enough payoff. Never again.”
7.
“Prairie dog. I know someone who has one. It bites, lives in a house in a tray inside a dog crate to minimise flung food and faeces. At least it’s relatively quiet. No, the zoo doesn’t want it.”
8.
“Ducks have no anal sphincter. They just drip poo wherever and whenever as they’re going about their business. As such, ducks are mid at best as indoor pets.”
9.
“Bengal cats. They may look like an athletic house cat. They really aren’t.”
10.
“One single rat. Please, always have at least two, with three being a better minimum. If you have three and one dies, at least those two remaining rats have each other while you look for another.”
11.
“Flat faced dogs. May be cute, but watching them struggle to breath with minimal exercise, or none, is awful.”
12.
“Savannah cat. They’re not a cooler version of a normal cat. They take as much work as a husky but it’s significantly harder to find places to take them outside.”
13.
Don’t get a Husky, Malamute, or Malinois unless you are ready to put them to WORK. I’m talking hours and hours a day of working, playing, training, etc. These are cute dogs, but extremely high energy, intelligent, and destructive if left on their own. You need to be realistic about your ability to care for them before you get them.
Any more to add? Let us know in the comments below!
