When to buy a pet?

Lots of people want to buy a pet and it can be a great idea to get one. There are tons of benefits, even beside just having a new best friend! However, there are some things to consider before you go out and buy one. So please read these considerations before welcoming your new bestie in!

It’s all about the money

Pets cost a lot! Not only do you have to buy the pet, you also need to buy stuff. Depending on the animal, you need a cage, food, hay, medicine, collars, and much more. Many of these expenses repeat, like food, but also bedding or toys. Also, you have to consider the costs when the animal gets sick, since going to the vet will cost you. Therefore, you might make to want a financial overview of the possible costs, so you know what you are in for.

Time is precious

In addition to money, pets also cost time. You need to feed them, wash their stuff (and them sometimes) and play with them. This differs per animal of course, but there is no pet that doesn’t need any attention. Are you willing to find pet-sitters all the time when you are away for longer than a day? Are you willing to go back and forth to your home when you are relaxing with your friends to walk your dog? Do you really want to spend a few hours of your weekend off to clean out the cage or aquarium?

And this is not only at the moment. You might be in a position now to care for a pet, but will you still be able to in a few years time? As a student, you might be home a lot for instance, but is a pet still manageable when you are working full-time? This may not be fun or easy to think, especially when you are feeling lonely now, but it is very important.

Research

I am the kind of girl that loves doing research, especially about animals. However, if you want your pet to have a happy, healthy life as well, a lot of research goes into owning and caring for a pet! What does he or she eat, how much exercise does he or she need, how big must the cage be? A lot of things might surprise you and (as is common on the internet) a lot of information contradicts each other. Therefore, a lot of time might go into the research about the conditions that suit your pet.

Where to buy your pet?

Pets are sold in most pet stores and on trading websites like Craigslist or the Dutch Marktplaats. However, many of these pets come from animal mills. If you don’t know what that is; it is a business that breeds animals as a routine task. Animals are often enclosed in far too small, dirty cages, females have to breed way too often and since they don’t care about the health of the animals, a lot that come from these mills have severe health issues. Many people on the trading websites often cause the same issues. I hope however that they act out of ‘not knowing how to breed’ rather than to willingly mistreat the animals. However, the problems stay the same and I would thus not recommend buying animals from either of these options. The argument that ‘you rescue an animal if you but from them’ is true in a way, but you also stimulate to those companies to continue, since it brings them money. This means another animal will get hurt.

I would rather recommend you to buy a pet from ethical breeders, who do care about the well-being of the animals. With ethical breeders, you do have to ask them a lot of questions, like why they breed, to find out if they are ethical, since a lot of bad breeders also call themselves ethical. You can also choose to adopt from shelters. In that case, you do need to be extra careful which animal to choose. Many of the animals there might have gone through traumatising experiences, so you do need to make sure you know how to help them get better. However, if you have kids for instance, a traumatised animal might not be the best choice.

So, which pet is for me?

First of all, look at what you like! You should never get an animal that you’re not drawn to, so this is of course a huge part of the consideration.

You should also consider what you want from a pet. Do you want someone to look after, to play with, a companion or someone to really be there for you? Fish and reptiles are beautiful to look at, cats and rodents are often fun to play with, but are generally (not always!) less cuddly than dogs. Hamsters like to be busy, so they love to play, but since they are pretty fragile, they are less ideal for (younger) kids.

Another part of the consideration is how much time you have. Dogs are your best friend forever, but they want a lot of time and attention in return. If you have time, they are amazing and they will give you so much joy, but otherwise, it would be sad for them. A solitaire pet might be best for you if you don’t have much time, like cats or hamsters. Another option is to buy multiple fish, so the school they live in will keep them company.

Do you like to clean? Then animals should be no problem. If you hate it, you might want to think about ‘cleaner’ animals like fish, some rodents and some reptiles. They only dirty their space instead of your whole house. However, animals will always be a little bit dirty, so if you won’t clean up, you shouldn’t buy one.

This post might sound a bit harsh, but it happens too often that people get an animal for their own needs, without considering their pets’ needs. This causes them to not take good care of them or to return them to shelters in a few months, which is all very sad for the animal.

Are you ready to buy a pet?

However, I love animals so if you have ‘checked off this list’, you should definitely go for it! Animals are great for your connection with nature, mental health and often also for your physical health, since studies have shown that pets are often good for building up resistance. Also, the friendship they bring is great and caring for someone else can really make you happy (and more responsible)!

Do you own a pet and if so, which one?

Lots of love,

Lisa