What should i do, i have a strange question?

Question

so im 16 and ill be in college when im 17, the whole year i will be 17. so im going to college fall of 2009 and i really want to get a pet, a chinchilla really. i know weird choice but i like them alot and they live 15 years and my past pet died a few months ago and he was only 3 years old so i want a pet that lives longer, the problem is should i get a pet when im leaving for college in a year, would that be ok u think? i mean im staying in CA but i want to be fair to the animal, id have a yr with it and then i wouldnt be able to spend everyday with it but my mom will take care of it, do u know if u can have pets in a dorm? i dunno im really confused what i should do cuz i really want a pet , pls help me make a decision be honest pls?

Answer 1

It's probably not a good idea for you to get a pet right before you leave for college. I run a rescue for exotics like chinchillas, and most of the animals we get in come from people like you who have to give them up because of college or moving.

If you go to any college that requires you to live on campus, you will not be able to take your animal with you. Chinchillas require a fairly large cage, and I don't know of any college that will allow you to bring one with you to the student housing. Some people are able to sneak pets in, but doing something like that is very unfair to your animal. If you get caught, you would have to get rid of it immediately, or move out immediately. You would need to have your own place, or rent an apartment that allows animals.

Are you sure that your mom wants to be the owner of a baby chinchilla? They aren't exactly the easiest pets. They can be very messy, noisy at night, and they aren't very cuddly either. They need several hours of playtime every day, and if you don't supervise them every minute, they can get themselves into trouble. If you only spend a year with it, you might as well be getting it for your mom. Do you think that's fair to her? Do you really think she wants to take care of it after you're gone?

Are you going to have a steady, reliable job while you are in college so you can pay for your chinchilla's needs? You should probably budget at least $100 a month for a chinchilla. You will have to be able to have a steady supply of bedding, food, hay, toys. And what if something happens to it? Chinchillas are one of the most fragile furry pets you can get. They are very sensitive to temperature changes, they can go into shock or have a stroke if they get scared, they can break their bones very easily. Taking one to the vet can cost $100 just for the visit. Fixing a broken bone can cost $250 or more. Will you be able to afford that?

And what about time? Are you going to have time to spend a few hours playing with your chinchilla EVERY single day? If not, your chinchilla will become depressed and it will slowly become aggressive and waste away.

This is probably a very bad time in your life to be getting a pet, especially one who needs such specialized constant care for up to 30 years! Things are going to be changing for you. Instead of getting one and only spending a year with it before you have to cruelly rehome it, just wait until college is over and you can get whatever you want! Make a mature, responsible, ADULT decision instead of going "gimme gimme" like a child.

Edit:

No matter WHAT pet you get, there is still the problem of colleges not allowing them. You need to figure out where you will be living and whether or not pets will be allowed. Then you need to think about cost. Will you be able afford the monthly costs of that animal. Mice are cheaper, but they still aren't free. And then you have to think about time. Will you have time to spend with that animal. Even mice can live up to three years. I can't think of any pet that only lives a year if you take care of it right. Even Betta fish live longer than that.

Could you foster an animal for a local rescue or something until you leave? If you DO decide to get a pet while you're in college, you should at least wait until you know what your living situation is like.

Answer 2

Pets are not usually allowed in a dorm setting. I would wait at least until your sophomore year before even thinking about have a pet. You will be way to busy to give a loving pet the attention it deserves.

Answer 3

Wait till you go to college, and find out if your dorm allows pets and if your roomate will accept living with a pet. If the answer is yes to both of those then get a pet. Other wise, if you have the money you could live in an apartment near campus that allows pets.

Answer 4

You can have things like sea monkeys and triops...

Answer 5

a mouse lives a short life.  they live about one to two years so that is perfect! i wanted a cat but instead i got two gerbils because i have only four years till college and cats live much much longer than that so my mom wouldn't let me get one.  my gerbils fit the time frame for me and so does the mouse for you. mice are great pets and really fun and cute! good luck! oh and pets are great friends sometimes when nobody else in your fam cares.   a mouse is definately a good pet.

Answer 6

No.

I would not advise you to get ANY pet right now, or at least not one that lives over a year.

I'm glad you're interested in animals, but it will make it harder on YOU to find a dorm, and also be hard on the animal, and not fair on your mother- you don't live at home but your mother will end up caring for YOUR animal? No, not fair on you, the animal, or your family.

Just leave the animal thing for now. Chinchillas CAN be great animals, but only if you have the time to handle them, or they can grow aggressive and difficult- you won't have the time to look after it at college, and your mum will probably just feed and water it, not handle it.

If you find a dorm/roommate who allows pets, I still wouldn't advise a chinchilla, for now- they need a LOT of care and handling which you can't give if you're at college and potentially doing extra things like having a social life and/or working. They also need a big cage which may not fit in your room very well, and costs a lot.

But something like a hamster, gerbil etc. is a nice idea if you know you CAN get pets.

***

A mouse or a group of mice is fine, but only if you KNOW you can have animals in the dorm. Please, please don't buy them before you find the dorm- if you buy them and you can't have pets, what happens to them? Wait until you're moving into the dorm and find it out, get yourself settled, and then get the mice.

Answer 7

No, you arent allowed pets in the dorms at any CA college...

What you can do to be less lonely is make friends with dormmates, classmates, its not hard you guys will bond sooner or later. The earlier the better. When you first get to the dorm they'll have gathering to make friends etc.

It's not as hard as you're probably thinking to become less lonely. really its not. I thought it was but it was actually a piece of cake.