[Pianoprincess]

I'd really like a pet, but I'm not sure what pet would be right for me.

I'm allergic to dogs and cats, and pretty much anything else with fur.

As for taking care of pets, I can always devote some time every day although I'm busy.

I'm wondering if there would be a good pet for me (besides a fish?)

[sammie88]

Birds are a great choice if you can only devote a certain amount of time to taking care of/playing with pets each day. I would start with something small, like a budgie or a lovebird (keep in mind that those breeds generally require a partner bird so they're not lonely in the cage,) seeing as parrots are a little more hassle, and a lot more clever so it'd be a lot more work taking care of one.

[Wondergirl]

When I first got married, I first went to the library to get books to read up on how to care for chameleons, then bought a good-sized rectangular fish tank, turned it into a terrarium, filled it with the proper materials, and bought some small chameleons for it. They were fun to watch, and didn't need a lot of care since I had planned ahead for them.

Tarantulas, hedgehogs, snakes, iguanas, frogs of various species (African Dwarf Frog, for instance), and of course fish can be good pets too. Just don't put them all together in the same enclosure. ;)

[geminichick]

Why don't you ask the pet store or a vet clinic. My guess would be a snake (as long as you're not afraid of them), turtles, tarantulas (again, as long as you're not afraid of them), birds, lizards. I would really recommend going to a pet store or vet to find out. Maybe someone breeds these kind of pets...

[Aurora_Bell]

Lots of people pass over the hermit crab, but I have recently gotten two and am STILL shocked at how affectionate the little buggers are. When I put my hand in the terrarium, they actually come towards me and crawl on my hand. One of them is really spunky and likes to scitter (the only word I can muster that describes what he does) across the tank and the other likes to sprawl totally out of his shell under the light and he throws sand up into the air on top of himself. I never realized what personality they had. They are SUPER low maintenance, they hardly require anytime at all. They too do best in a pair. I think it cost me $40 in total to have them totally set up (I already had a 10 gallon fish tank I wasn't using). But you can find used tanks pretty cheap, especially since the one you would be using doesn't need to be water tight.

They do eat a varied diet, but it's pretty inexpensive.

[Pianoprincess]

A bird just might be the right pet for me. Thanks!

[paleophlatus]

Birds raise a lot of 'dust', and you may develop an allergy for them too, so maybe you should ask your doctor for his opinion (or hers, my bad).

[Aurora_Bell]

Yes you can get allergies from birds, I wish our pets expert Alty was here, because birds really aren't as low maitenece as you think.

[shazamataz]

Lots of people pass over the hermit crab, but I have recently gotten two and am STILL shocked at how affectionate the little buggers are. When I put my hand in the terrarium, they actually come towards me and crawl on my hand. One of them is really spunky and likes to scitter (the only word I can muster that describes what he does) across the tank and the other likes to sprawl totally out of his shell under the light and he throws sand up into the air on top of himself. I never realized what personality they had. They are SUPER low maintenance, they hardly require anytime at all. They too do best in a pair. I think it cost me $40 in total to have them totally set up (I already had a 10 gallon fish tank I wasn't using). But you can find used tanks pretty cheap, especially since the one you would be using doesn't need to be water tight.

They do eat a varied diet, but it's pretty inexpensive.

I love hermit crabs, such interesting little critters and often overlooked as pets because of their appearance.

[Schoolmarm97]

I vote for hermit crabs too!

Birds are wonderful. We've owned many, have three right now, and I can honestly say that they make lovely pets, but they do require considerable care. I haven't had much of a dust issue, but I know it can arise. And birds can be fragile. Since I'm an animal lover who raised an animal-addicted daughter, we had tanks full of spiders (fascinating... if you don't mind catching live flies for them), lizards (much harder to keep than you'd imagine), various rodents, fish of all sorts, and a full assortment of the more standard pets. I think your local pet store is a good place to start. Someone who spends all day caring for the animals really understands what it takes to keep them alive, healthy, and happy.

Good luck!

[autumn19]

I think you should get a bearded dragon!! I have 2 and I love them!! They are very easy to care for. Though you don't want to breed them. I'm going to try and make my picture a pic of my beardie