The Perfect Pet...

[Rafael Domination]

On a lighter note...

What would be considered the perfect pet, and what animal exhibits this/these trait/s the most? Is it a cost-efficient animal, a playful one, one that just sits there and looks nice, or one that helps around? I know it might vary with some people, but that's what this debate is all about: what is logically the best pet for the general public...

(This can prove useful to people trying to find one, too...)

(Try to include something besides dogs...)

Discuss! :D

[Imelda]

Rabbits. Small, not too difficult or costly to look after, males are incredibly friendly, easy to breed ;), don't need massive amounts of space, and they don't live for decades either, so it's not a huge commitment.

And they're cute and snugglable. :love:

[Andy]

Guinea pigs are the perfect pets, because they follow these good-pet guidelines: :D


They can fit in your hands, but are not so small that it's easy to accidentally hurt them
They're covered in fur
They're easy to care for and maintain
You can do fun activities with them (mine liked to play a form of tag where I'd touch her and she'd run around, then come back for another round)
They can sit in your lap and fall asleep
They do amazing things like hear your footsteps when you roll out of bed in a completely different area of the house, and go nuts about it :)Guinea pigs are really the perfect pets.

[Carraka]

Shrimp living in self-supporting systems are the best pets because:

- They're non-maintenance. Set them up on a shelf where they receive plenty of sunlight and they'll live and grow and thrive by themselves
- Every day they survive is a day of joy and excitement and mystery. If they're still alive after six months, you can check back periodically and say, "Wow, it's still moving! Look, it moved! Woot!"
- You can name them. That's right, folks. Name them after your brothers and sisters and make bets on which one will die first. Of course, it might be difficult to tell them apart at first, but you'll get used to it.
- People aren't allergic to them. Yeah, there are a few people who would die if they ate one, but they don't shed on the couch.
- They aren't dangerous. These are non-violent creatures, and even if one did bite you, you probably wouldn't feel it.
- You don't have to bury their corpses. I'm not sure what happens to their dead bodies. Maybe they eat each other.

I'll add more to the list later.

[Andy]

But shrimp do not express love. :P

[Carraka]

- They express love. It is unfortunate that we humans lack the capacity to see exactly how it occurs. However, I am a proud owner of a shrimp living in a self-supporting ecosystem. And I can say that whenever I approach Scampy, an inexplicable feeling of love glows inside me.

[Andy]

My guinea pig loved me because of the food I gave her. That's a sincere, loving relationship. You can't say the same about a shrimp.

[Carraka]

... You doubt my inexplicable feeling of love! Bring it on! I shall fight to the death for my Scampy. I gave him a home! I gave him a room temperature!

[Andy]

When you let your shrimp sit down and relax on your lap, do you experience a warm feeling, or a cold one? That's what I thought... :D

[Carraka]

... You're starting to agree with me. Although holding the self-supporting ecosystem in my lap is cold temperature-wise, my heart turns warm and fluffy anyway. Such is love. Nothing can transcend it.

[Rafael Domination]

I consider (besides dogs) fish to be an excellent pet. They're cost-efficient, reproduce well and look nice in your living room. Plus, if need be and if they're not goldfish, they can make a fine meal...

[Carraka]

Dogs make nice meals too.

[Nyx]

I consider (besides dogs) fish to be an excellent pet. They're cost-efficient, reproduce well and look nice in your living room. Plus, if need be and if they're not goldfish, they can make a fine meal...

I don't see the point of having fish as pets...they're sorta boring, they swim, eat, swim and then eat some more. If I had a pet I'd want to be able to play with it and such, not just watch it swim around.

[Rafael Domination]

(That's why I said 'besides dogs...)

But back to the topic of fish...

Yes, that may be so...but to someone busy and cannot devote a lot of time to maintaining their pet's well-being, fish are ideal and more interesting than land-dewlling creatures...

[Carraka]

Well, you can play with fish. If you take them out of the tank, you can watch them flop around. If you put them back in the tank, they will love you.

There it is! Love again!

But shrimp are better, because they require no maintenance at all.

[Rafael Domination]

Yes, I agree...

The only thing with shrimp is the fact that everyone can't eat them...

[Nyx]

Yea I'd love yo have a Shrimp!

[Rafael Domination]

Especially in light olive oil, with some herbs, cooked to tender perfection...

Woah...let's get back to the topic of pets :D

And how about birds? What birds would make good pets?

[Nyx]

I don't think any birds make good pets, but then again I don't really like birds. Their beautiful and all in nature but having them in my house isn't exactly my idea of fun...

[Carraka]

I can't help but say this:

Birds are yummy also. Fish and dogs and birds yum yum. xD

I've never had a bird as a pet either. And I still stand by my previous argument. Otherwise, I'll be envious.

[Rafael Domination]

We have a new nickame for Car:

Greedyguts

Anyhoo...what person would birds be an ideal pet to...a person with a large greenhouse who needs a good way to naturally monitor pests or something? What advantages to birds have over other pets?

[Imelda]

I want a shrimp now. Forget the bunny wabbits! SHRIMP!

Fish can either be really interesting, or deadly boring. Mine are boring. My mum's are great, they have such differing personalities. :D

[Guessed]

I've always been a cat person. Probably because I can relate to them so much. Yeah, they're lazy, prudent, inactive pricks, but I'm no different. :D Plus, they're just fluffy-wuffy adorable.
I watched a movie last night in which some guys found a wounded rabbit, and they cared for it and nursed it to health, then their innkeeper boiled it up and served it with a delicious sauce the next day.

[Rafael Domination]

OOh...I've never tasted rabbit...

Ahem...

Any favorite Fantasy pets?

(I bet TN fancies a unicorn, and Nyx, her own boy-toy elf...)

Should they be useful in some way? e.g. getting rid of bullies? Doing your homework? Make you garden look nice? What?

[Carraka]

Well, there's Tooth. He's just adorable and cute and everything lovely.

Yup. -hugs Toothie-

But I wouldn't mind one of them Hellhorses either.

[Rafael Domination]

A hellhorse...you gotta be kidding me :D

Do you know how hard that will be to maintain? But, hen again, it could be useful for chasing pesky siblings away.

I want a Genie. For obvious reasons...

[Carraka]

Excuse me, but I know more about cruori than you, and I can safely say that I personally would be capable of handling a cruoran if I wanted one.

Genies aren't pets. They're slaves.

Then again, some cruori are pets, and some are slaves. And some are -- other things. It all comes down to how you see it.

[Nyx]

OOh...I've never tasted rabbit...

Ahem...

Any favorite Fantasy pets?

(I bet TN fancies a unicorn, and Nyx, her own boy-toy elf...)

Should they be useful in some way? e.g. getting rid of bullies? Doing your homework? Make you garden look nice? What?


a boy toy elf?:huh: Where did that come from?

[Carraka]

People often forget how young you are.

-cough-notmeofcoursenotme-cough-

Excuse them. xDDD

Some people are also perverts.

-cough-notmeofcoursenotme-cough-

[Nyx]

Yes some people are -cough-Raffy-cough-

anyways a boy-toy elf? That's just creepy. But...erm...no I'd rather get a younger version of Orlando Bloom, now there's a fantasy pet for you:P

[Rafael Domination]

I rest my case :D

[Nyx]

:D

ok so what would be your fantasy pet Raffy? Princess half-girl half-llamas?

[Rafael Domination]

As I said...I want a genie...or Djinn...those ones are free, and will obey me out of sheer loyalty, provided I treat it kindly like I would any normal pet...

I can get all the girls I want...

Including Car...

KIDDING!!! :D

[Nyx]

genies do not count as pets, Car pointed that out!

And also if you fantasise about llamas turning into hot girls then...:P

[Rafael Domination]

Not genies! Djinn!

Ever read the Bartimaeus Trilogy? Ol' Bart was a powerful, albeit cocky, Djinn used as a slave, but not by one of his masters: Ptolemy, who was a friend to him, and let him loose. That Djinn obeyed out of puer loyalty and because he wanted to...

I wan't a Djinn that looks like a puppy...

[Imelda]

Yes some people are -cough-Raffy-cough-

anyways a boy-toy elf? That's just creepy. But...erm...no I'd rather get a younger version of Orlando Bloom, now there's a fantasy pet for you:P

Ooooh that's a good idea for a pet! I wouldn't really need a younger version, either. ;)

*Hides from Shaun*

[Carraka]

...

I highly doubt it. I would kill you with my cruoran. Or I would just ignore you. I'm very good at ignoring people now. Yes.

Aaand as for djinni -- unless you're like Ptolemy (and you don't seem like Ptolemy) I think the djinn will spend half the time trying to kill you.

Following the fantasy people thing: Jav. Always always Jav.

[Rafael Domination]

Actually...I may be a joker sometimes...but I have no desire to maltreat Djinn. I'd personally rather have one as a pal...or a pet...maybe one that I raised up from birth.

And, on the other note...a little pixie could do...(yeah right...)

I'd also like a high-tech robotic pet. The only costs would be electrical bills.

[Nyx]

aww a pixie....that'd be cute but I think it'd get on my nerves....:P

[Rafael Domination]

Maybe if it looked like one of those anime Chibis and didn't sound like a broken tape recorder...

[Nyx]

yes, that'd be perfect:D

Now by the way, I'm thinking that an elf would be a cool pet... (and NOT the kind of elf that Raffy pointed out:P)

[Rafael Domination]

Umm..hmmm....

And what are elves used for but their good looks? :wink:

Well...besides sniping your teacher from a mile away...

[Nyx]

Elves could be very useful...for one thing they could build toys for you all year... I know that sounds like slavery but hey if Santa can make them build toys then why can't I?:P

And I am going to ignore the good-looking comment because my response to that would include about :llama: in it:D

[Rafael Domination]

Okay! Sorry...just stop with the llamas! :eek:

Oh...you mean those Santa elves...why not spice them up, and instead of just toys, maybe a brand new computer, a car, or jewellry?

[Nyx]

Or maybe a new ipod:D

[Rafael Domination]

I know...

They'd also be handy with the repairs...I wonder what's the cost of maintaining them, though...

[Nyx]

True...they could be obnoxious and hard to keep track of. But if they're helpful with repairs and building stuff (and if they're goodlooking:P), then maybe the maintenance is worth it...

[Rafael Domination]

They're also useful if you're an only child...

Any mechanical pets?

[Nyx]

What do you mean by mechanical pets?

[Rafael Domination]

Robots...y'know, like those puppies form Japan which act like real ones...

So far...the topics:

Normal Pets
Fantasy Pets
Mechanical Pets

Should I add plants?

[Nyx]

How about talking plants?

[Rafael Domination]

Maybe ones that sing according to your mood...they should also crack jokes and diss each other using witty remarks...yeah, that would be neat...

[Nyx]

that'd be cool...now I want one:D

[Rafael Domination]

Alright...lets turn this back into a debate...

Cats or Dogs? Which is better?

[Shaun]

I personally like both equally, but I'll likely never own either. I keep lizards, turtles, and tortoises. I have no desire to keep non-reptilian pets. Reptiles are kickass pets in my opinion.

[Eve]

Difficult question. I once licked a stray cat and kissed a dog. Personally, dogs are better because they don't scratch as much as cats. They are also more sociable and will take orders from humans unlike cats.

[Guessed]

"Difficult question. I once licked a stray cat and kissed a dog." What, are you judging on taste? xD

Edit: One pet you're all forgetting is the lovable tarantula. I honestly want one, but my mom is... not very enthusiastic about it.

[Imelda]

I have a pet fly in my room.

I didn't want one, it just happened and I'm too slow to catch it ...

They interact with humans very enthusiastically and perform a number of fascinating aerobatic tricks!

[Nyx]

I have a pet fly in my room.

I didn't want one, it just happened and I'm too slow to catch it ...

They interact with humans very enthusiastically and perform a number of fascinating aerobatic tricks!

Strangely enough, I have one of those too!:P

As for cats vs. dogs the answer is definately easy for me: dogs. Cats (at least the pet ones) are often very spoiled and demanding, while dogs aren't.

[GeorgeMichael]

I don't have any pets :( We're not allowed to have any since my sister has like a curse on her or something. She's killed all the pets she's ever had. (I've never had any, and I don't plan on having them really especially since she might "accidentally" kill them)

She's gone through over ten fish, several hamsters, and a dog we knew died three days after she pet it... We're scared too.

[Rafael Domination]

Ah...the 'everything I touch dies' curse...

Very serious...

Have you tried virtual or mechanical pets? Maybe on of those talking dogs? Or maybe try the Neopets website :D......

[Shaun]

I think it all depends on the cat. One of the cats we have is demanding in a good way. He just wants to be pet...all the time. Other than that he just wants food and to be played with. Sort of like a dog really. But some cats are really annoying mean bitches (pardon the expression, but it fits). Then again, some dogs are evil...so...yeah.

[Rafael Domination]

Oh...did you know there was a reason why cats tend to favor old, grumpy people, or just onwers that don't give them much attention?

I read in some Yahoo news article that cats like being independent, and if you approach, make eye contact, or cuddle them a lot, they treat it like an invasion of space, opposite of a dog's reaction.

However, the people I mentioned above don't tend to do that, and the cat starts to become more comfortable with them, eventually treating them like another house or family memeber...

something like that...

[Nyx]

I thought cats liked being pet? All my friends who have cats, they keep following us around and meowing untill we pet them...and there's why I dislike cats:D

[Shaun]

Some cats LOVE being pet, some only like being pet sometimes and if you pet them when they don't want to be pet they'll be pissed. Cats are varied. If you get a good cat they'll just sit there and sleep on your lap and not do much, but they'll purr if you pet them :P. I like the cats that like lots of attention to be honest...

[Nyx]

Hehe, those are the kind of cats that I strongly dislike

[Rafael Domination]

I'll take any cat but Garfeild...

[Nyx]

I don't know if I'd mind Garfield, he'd grab a lot of attention for me...:P

[Rafael Domination]

Imagine him sitting on your lap...he'd crush your thighs so bad, its not even funny

[Nyx]

I'd never wanted a cat to sit on my lap anyways, I'm not a very touchy person and I like my personal bubble....

[Rafael Domination]

Now then, back to the debate:

Can mice make good pets? Or are they just gross? :D

[Nyx]

They're just gross...:O

[Rafael Domination]

Even white mice?

[Nyx]

All of them. Their tails just creep the hell out of me...

[Rafael Domination]

Ahahahahahah! (And llamas spitting by the gallon don't?)

Don't worry, I understand...

Oh well, gotta go! :D C'ya!

[Eve]

Mice? Oh, they're okay just so long as they keep their manure at bay which they never can.

[MetallicGryffon]

Gryffons! They are playful, they catch their own food, you can ride them, and they love. Gryffons FTW!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lykaios]

Dude! The last post in this thread was three years ago - watch dates on stuff before you post, yeah?

[Angelique]

Old thread - yet I want to say:

Balto.

[Locke]

did not know this was an old thread... taking comment back... oh and please dont grave dig old threads...its just annoying.