National Pet Month Care Tip - Deciding Whether to get a Pet

You must think very carefully before you decide to get a pet to make sure that it is the right decision for you and the animal. There are numerous factors to consider as a part of making this hugely important decision. You owe it to yourself and the animal to make sure that you have really thought it through and are sure that you can provide a good life for the animal and that it is really what you want too, otherwise you will end up caring for a pet that you don't really want after you have gotten bored of it. You also need to make sure that it is the right pet for you too and that you know enough to be able to look after it properly.

Hopefully this guide will help you to think through the decision thoroughly and come to a decision about what type of pet to get, if one at all!

Things to consider:

• Life-span of the animal - Even small animals and birds can live a surprisingly long time so think hard before you get a rabbit, guinea pig, parrot, etc.
• Responsibility - Your new pet will rely on you entirely to take care of it. It is not something that you can pick and choose when you can be bothered with it. If it needs cleaning out, then it needs cleaning out now, not when you are in a better mood or less tired! DO NOT rely on children to take care of it - they get bored quickly!
• How much time do you have - This is a very important thing to consider that so many people don't. If you don't have the time to look after a pet properly, then do not get one. It's just not fair on the animal.
• Cost - Can you afford to have a pet? You need to consider the cost of the cage/tank/hutch and all of the set up costs as well as purchasing the animal in the first place (parrots can cost thousands for instance), but more importantly can you afford the ongoing costs too of food, toys, bedding, etc and don't forget vaccinations, flea treatment, and unexpected vets bills or pet insurance. Pets are expensive!
• Space - Do you have the room for a pet? Where is its housing going to go? Where is it going to be exercised? Have you got a lawn for a rabbit or a guinea pig?
• Are you house-proud? - If you are very particular about your house being clean and tidy and the thought of a smelly cage in your lounge, or a pet weeing on the carpet, or chewing holes in your sofa, or the husks of seeds all over the floor, or of finding droppings on your favourite rug all send panic through you, then maybe you should not get a pet, or should at least think carefully about what type of pet you should get. Remember pets need to be taken out of their cages for company and exercise, the mess is not just confined to their house!
• Family pet? - If the pet is for the whole family or for a child, then you need to consider what type of pet is appropriate for the age of the youngest child. Parrots do not tolerate being poked and will bite hard! Rabbits are heavy for little children and will bite and scratch if mishandled or scared but make great pets for slightly older children if handled correctly. Guinea pigs on the other hand, although they can bite, they are very tolerant and will put up with a little more. Gerbils are fantastic pets for children and have a great temperament but may be a little too fast for very young children to handle. Rats make interesting pets for teenagers (particularly boys who seem to love them) but be aware that they can give a nasty bite so they are not appropriate for young children to handle. Whatever, you decide to get, it is VERY important to supervise children with pets and teach them from day one how to handle the animal correctly and to respect it, not torment it!
• Long-term care - If your pet is for a child or teenager, who will look after it when they leave home or go to university? Rented accommodation do not usually allow pets. If you are considering getting a parrot, you may also need to think about whether it is going to outlive you. It may seem morbid but some species of parrot can live for 70 or 80 years. You need to be realistic and think about who is going to look after it when you are not around.
  
• Knowledge - Get books out of the library BEFORE you get the pet so that you know as much as possible about it BEFORE you bring it home. Then you can make sure that it is the right pet for you and you know what you are letting yourself in for and what to expect. It also means that you can give the animal a better life and provide for all of its needs. Learning about the animal is very important and you owe it to your pet to learn as much as possible about how to make it happy. Once you know everything there is to know about an animal, sit down and completely re-evaluate if you still want it and if you think it would fit in with your lifestyle.
  
• Lifestyle - Think about the needs of your potential pet and then think about a normal day in your household. Do they fit with each other? For instance, if everybody is out at work all day, a parrot will not like being on its own all day, a rabbit will need to be put out on the lawn in a run and supervised in daylight, etc.
• Holidays - What will you do with your pet when you go on holiday?
• Consider the breed - Not only do you need to consider what type of animal to get, but you also may need to consider the breed too. For instance, if you do not have a lot of time, you may want short-haired rabbit or guinea pig, rather than a long-haired breed which will need regular grooming.
• Will it be happier in a pair? - You need to research whether the pet you are getting is best kept on its own or in a pair or a small group. Some animals will be miserable if they are kept on their own (gerbils are happiest in pairs or small groups) but some animals need to be kept on their own (male Syrian hamsters will kill other males). Of course, if you are going to keep more than one then you need to know the sex of them. If you do not want babies then either do not keep a male and female together or consider neutering. If you want a same-sex pair, research whether two males will get along with each other or if two females will fight. There is a lot to consider here and you need to get it right if you are going to have a happy and well balanced pet.
  
• Existing pets - Will the pets that you have already co-exist safely with the new pet? Is it realistically possible to keep them completely separate. For example, if you have a dog, do you have somewhere safe that the dog cannot go to be able to get your hamster out of its cage. If you have cats, is there somewhere safe that your rat's cage can go where they will not be tormented by a hungry cat?
• Is your house suitable? Does the whole family want the pet? - Do you live in flat? Do you have a garden? Is your house big enough? Do you have neighbours that complain about noise? Do you have a baby? Is anyone in the family asthmatic or allergic or phobic? These things all need to be considered as the whole family needs to be comfortable with the new arrival.
• Get everything ready - My final bit of advice is that once you have decided on a pet and are convinced that it is the right decision, get absolutely everything ready for it BEFORE you bring it home. Make sure that you have bought everything that it needs and then set up its housing where it is going to go. Even put the bedding in along with its toys, water bottle, food, etc so that as soon as the new arrival comes home, it can be put straight into its new house with no fuss or stress. It can then be left to settle in COMPLETELY UNDISTURBED for at least 24 hours. It will have been confusing and stressful for your new pet to have been taken from its old home to its new one so it needs to some calm and quiet time to get used to its new environment. I know its tempting, but resist the urge to get it out to play on the first day. Make sure that all members of the family respect this rule too.

I know it may seem like an awful lot to consider but it is an important decision and your new pet will be with you for a long time (8 or more years if its a rabbit or even 70 years in the case of some parrots). You owe it to yourself and your new pet to put the time in now to make sure that you will both be happy sharing a life together.