Pet as gifts? - Please not!
This post is not just for christmas, it is about pets as gifts in general
We see many videos in the internet with people who have different kinds of pets. Some can do great tricks and are very smart, others are funny to watch or very cute.
And after watching all these videos or seeing these pictures, we think "This pet is so amazing, I want it too!" Because we saw how great they are and start to imagine all the funny things, we could do with them.
We tell our parents/friends/aquaintances about our new favourite pet and if we are lucky, they will buy us one of these. Then we think "Awesome! I have finally have my own favourite pet!" ... But the fun continues sometimes not for too long
Some people start to bond with their new companions and they get best friends, but others realize how stressful they can be or get bored after a few weeks/months and start to neglect them ...
Or some of them don't find anybody who can watch after them during the holidays, or they get too big for their homes, or they are too noisy, or too "filthy" ... Sadly there are numerous reasons why people start to neglect or abandon their pets
And the first and the most important step to prevent this, is to inform yourself about your favourite pet:
That is the reason why I decided to make this post. I want to prevent people reselling their pets, leaving them in animal shetlers or even abandoning them by informing them.
Will you have enough time for them?
Do you have any allergies?
Can you deal with their needs? (For example food/water etc.)
Will you love them and care for them, even if they won't like you?
Do you have enough money to care for them? (Vet costs/foodprice/toys etc.)
Can you deal with their volume? How will you neighbours react to them if they are very loud? (like birds/dogs ...)
Can you deal with their way of life or special needs they have? (Are they diurnal or nocturnal?)
Do you have enough space for them in your house? (Some pets can be very big when they grow up or need more space than other pets, for example some dog/bird/rabbit kinds)
Can you deal with their poop/dirt or with their smell? (rabbits can smell if you keep them in your house, birds will poop everywhere on anything, you have to pick up dog poop, feathers or fur will be lying around etc.)
Is it okay for you if they destroy your stuff? (Puppies chew often on furnitures, cats like to scratch thing, birds and rodents like to nibble wooden things ...)
What to do if they get old/older? Can you care for them when they get old? (Some pets need special care when they get old)
How long do they live? Can you give them a happy life? (Some pets live longer than you expect! Budgies can live for 15 years and some parrots can even get over 50!)
What about vacations? (Will you have somebody who can watch after them or can you take your little companion with you?)
Is your home safe enough for your pet? (Invisible dangers)
You can prevent a lot of stress for you and your potential pet, if you make enough research before bringing them home!
You can watch videos from people who have experience with the pet you want or read articles in the internet. You can also ask your friends/neighbours/aquaintances, if they had this pet before and ask them about their experiences.
I think it is also very important to know that not every product in pet shops are good for your pet. Not many people know that! If you are unsure what product you should buy, make research! (Some treats or foods are not very healthy for your pet, bird/rabbit cages are often too small ...)
Having pets is not cheap! No matter if someone gives them for free or for a low price, you still have to bring it to a vet if they are sick and buy them their stuff they need
Be patients, especially with smaller pets like budgies. Just give them their time and they will maybe come on their own or try to feed them with your hands to gain their trust
Advices for parents: If you still want to buy a pet for your children, then you should have enough time to watch after them too. Children can be easily get bored of them or be overchallenged easily. Or you can buy robot-pets, we bought my sibling a robofish when she was younger and they had their fun with it until they got bored ... But it was better then getting real fishes, because even they can let you do a lot of work and nobody in my family was ready for that!
Be careful and let your kids play with their pets only under supervision, if they are younger. Many accidents can happen, especially with small pets like hamsters, mice, budgies etc. ... Sadly I made my own experiences with that
If you are unsure about bringing a pet home, then you could ask your friends/neighbours if your child could watch after them sometimes (for example when they are on vacations or your child could walk with their dog etc.) or bring them to an animal shelter to let them have contact with pets and learn more about the pet that you child want
Or just get them one if you know that they are responsible and old enough to take care of the pet they want
Even if your pet will have the chance to get a second home, it won't be easy for them to move from home to home and you can never get 100% sure if their second family will look after them better than you. If you have experiences with a pet and would love to get one, please give pets a chance who weren't wanted by their first family!
It is not always the meat industry or some maniacs who harm pets/animals ... Sometimes it can be the owner himself, without noticing
You are free to write your own thoughts and experiences about this topic, I would love to read your opinions! Please share it, maybe we can save some pet lifes with it💜💙
And if you have budgie related questions, you are free to ask me! 🐦💙💜 I would love to answer your questions!
@jenny-jinya @serakyla @prussias-blog
