# Too many pets?



## RosieRedfoot (Oct 3, 2012)

My boyfriend thinks I have a pet problem... He agrees that 2 dogs and the tortoise are fine, but in addition to that I have 5 gerbils, 2 rabbits, and possibly soon 2 rats. The gerbils are more of watching-pets, although they do let me hold them and the bunnies are so fluffy and cute (although messier than my other pets)... My boyfriend seems to think I don't need any more pets but I want a pet I can hold and carry around! My gerbils don't enjoy being carried around, the tortoise prefers to do her own thing, and the rabbits don't really like being held either. I already have the cage, bedding, and water bottle, plus toys. Which is really the expensive part anyway (other than possible vet care).


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## StudentoftheReptile (Oct 3, 2012)

Well, really the most expensive part if the on-going feeding bill. Everything else you mentioned are more or less part of the one-time intitial cost of the set-up. Its the regular maintenance that gets ya!

Too many pets is always a subjective. The first thing you need to evaluate is: 1.) are all your pets currently cared for properly?

2.) do you reasonably have the space, time and resources (money!) to add to your menagerie, taking into account monthly costs?

If the answer to both of those questions is "yes," and your BF still has issues, then perhaps you both need to sit down and discuss why he against it. Perhaps he simply thinks you spend too much time/attention on your pets, and not him (a subjective, but understandable notion). Perhaps he is just worried that you will keep adding and adding until one day, you WILL have too many pets, more than you know what to do with (another somewhat reasonable concern).


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## wellington (Oct 3, 2012)

What kind of other pet are you looking for? A rat makes a great pet and they like to be held and with you. As for too many. If you can take proper care of them, and pay for them, then, what business is it of theirs, I say . Whenever someone says to me that I don't need any more animals. This is what I say to them. When you pay my bills, clean my house and manage my house hold, then you can have a say in the animals I get. It shuts them up pretty fast


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## shellysmom (Oct 3, 2012)

wellington said:


> What kind of other pet are you looking for? A rat makes a great pet and they like to be held and with you. As for too many. If you can take proper care of them, and pay for them, then, what business is it of theirs, I say . Whenever someone says to me that I don't need any more animals. This is what I say to them. When you pay my bills, clean my house and manage my house hold, then you can have a say in the animals I get. It shuts them up pretty fast



Ditto to everything!!!


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## RosieRedfoot (Oct 3, 2012)

He says that I have enough because I'm between jobs... And sometimes I do forget to change the rabbit litterbox the twice a week minimum so it can start to smell if close by to the cage, and he's sensitive to their hay. I used to run a small animal rescue when in highschool and had like 50 gerbils, 5 rats, 12 degus, 3 hamsters, a few mice, a hedgehog foster one time, the occasional guinea pigs, and 4 rabbits. It was crazy, or should I say that I was/am . While I loved it, I could never do that again. One, my parents basically paid for all the food/bedding which would be nice to have now, and two I don't have that much spare time (or energy) anymore! Looking back, I'm amazed my friends tolerated me and all the time I spent on my pets. 

I've always had pets (and not just one or two). Even in college I had a smuggled in hamster when I wasn't allowed anything... Maybe he worries that without keeping me in check I'll become a hoarder. Some days I wonder what it would be like to have no pets, but since I've never been pet-less except for 1 year at college in the dorms I can't really imagine it. 

Maybe in the future when we're retired and want to travel... lol


Oh, and he says that rats creep him out. I told him that's because he's never snuggled a rat but he says he never will... Party pooper! 

He says my love of small furry rodents is unnatural.  In movies when a rat/mouse runs across and they all scream, I go "aww". At the zoo I even thought the naked mole rats were cute. It's probably why I don't own any reptiles other than a tortoise who's happy to eat bugs and plants.


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## wellington (Oct 3, 2012)

I think if you read your own last post. You will have answered your own question. Sounds like your already overwhelmed, not really enough time to give and the expense is more then you can really handle. Also, your already looking forward to a time with no animals. I say enjoy the ones you have and concentrate on giving them the best care and as much of your time as possible.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 3, 2012)

Take a good look at some of the hoarding TV shows. All those people think they are doing the best thing for their animals, but its quite obvious that the animals are suffering.

If you keep in mind that your animals come first, and you MUST keep them clean and well fed, the "too many animals" thing shouldn't come up. If you find yourself not keeping them as clean as they should be, or you have trouble buying food, then you have too many animals.


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## dmmj (Oct 3, 2012)

One animal can be to many, if you can care and house them properly, then there is no problem. If they suffer from lack of care then he might have a point, the only one who can really answer that is you. I have quite a few turtles and tortoises, but they all have plenty of food, water and attention, if they started to lack care, I would have look at myself.


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## GBtortoises (Oct 3, 2012)

I agree wholeheartadly with the Captain! Along with the points that he and others have made you also have to look at how much time in your life that they are taking up. Are there other things that you should be doing or want to be doing but are caring for animals instead? Everyone has different limitations and thresholds. You have to be honest with yourself about how many you can and want to care for. At one time about 14 years ago I had upwards of 200 turtles and tortoises. I came to the realization that I was consumed by their care. I had other things that I should be doing. I greatly reduced the number of animals that I had to about what I have now, around 70 tortoises average. That may still sound like a lot to many people. But that's a number that I can reasonably and properly care for at this point in my life without neglectly other things in my life that I shouldn't. In about 8-10 years when I retire and my wife and I travel more I will probably have very few, if any tortoises. Everyone is different.


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## Kerryann (Oct 3, 2012)

I agree with everyone else that the amount depends on what you can provide for and care for well. I would love to have more animals and I do have the space but each time I want something else I have to think about what adding that animal will do to the time I have to spend with the other animals I already have.


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## RosieRedfoot (Oct 4, 2012)

I said that maybe I'll be animal-less one day, but most likely not. I really can't imagine my life without some sort of animal companion. The only animals I feel that sometimes don't get "perfect" care are the rabbits because some days they seem to pee a lot more than others, and like I said, their litterbox can get a bit too full but I do change it when I notice this. As for the expense, I don't skimp on their nutrition and buy fresh fruits, veggies, and quality pelleted food for them all. 

As for their proper care, all of my animals get enclosures/food/care based on educated research. I have a degree in animal sciences, so in addition to my own many years of research I also go off of biological studies and other people's experiences/advice. (Which is why I'm on this forum for the tortoise!)

I am not a hoarder (not saying anyone called me one, I mentioned it first), and even when I had the 100+ animals they all received proper care. Some could say they didn't receive the attention they needed, but I had a lot of rescues that did not enjoy handling (just like some torts don't like it) and I spent time with those that did enjoy attention. 

As for things going on in my life I really have nothing else but bf, pets, and house care. I don't have any friends in the area since moving and don't have a job anymore, so perhaps I'm filling a void with pets (if you wish to psychoanalyze). I have money saved up for pet care (and emergency vet fund too). I'm at a crossroads where I don't know what I want to do with my life and can't pursue higher education yet due to lack of residency. Sooo I just spend my days at home with the pets watching tv and going online. Which, if not for the pets, would make me go insane...

I haven't heard back from the person who needed to rehome the rats. Maybe if some in dire need of home come up I'll take them in, even if just as a foster, but I won't go out actively seeking them or buying any.


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## Tom (Oct 4, 2012)

wellington said:


> What kind of other pet are you looking for? A rat makes a great pet and they like to be held and with you. As for too many. If you can take proper care of them, and pay for them, then, what business is it of theirs, I say . Whenever someone says to me that I don't need any more animals. This is what I say to them. When you pay my bills, clean my house and manage my house hold, then you can have a say in the animals I get. It shuts them up pretty fast



I love it when you get saucy!


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## wellington (Oct 4, 2012)

Tom said:


> wellington said:
> 
> 
> > What kind of other pet are you looking for? A rat makes a great pet and they like to be held and with you. As for too many. If you can take proper care of them, and pay for them, then, what business is it of theirs, I say . Whenever someone says to me that I don't need any more animals. This is what I say to them. When you pay my bills, clean my house and manage my house hold, then you can have a say in the animals I get. It shuts them up pretty fast
> ...



LMAO


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## PeaceLoveAndReptiles (Oct 5, 2012)

LOL. My husband feels the same way your boyfriend feels but about me. I have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 dwarf hamster, 3 turtles, a chameleon, and a tortoise. I am always wanting something new. The good thing is that he applauds me for doing research rather than just buying an animal on a whim, but here lately I am on a reptile kick. There are several types of lizards I would like to get as well as a few more turtles. He says no, though. The chameleon and tortoise both just came on the 3rd of this month and I am already looking into different types of leopard geckos. What can I say? I can't help myself... I'm an animal lover.


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