I watched Web Soup yesterday, and they showed a YouTube video of a Slow Loris[1] being scritched under its arms, which elicited coos of joy from me (not the loris - they buzz or chitter). They are adorable.
However, they NO IZ PET.
Exotic cuddly animals with big eyes and little tiny paws are incredibly adorable, yes, but good pets they are not (as the site says, they're poisonous, pee everywhere to mark territory, and bite incredibly hard). Not to mention the whole ethical considerations of taking a wild animal and turning it into entertainment, and oh, hey, they're on the threatened and endangered lists, too.
Bush babies (to whom they are related) have a similar death-from-cuteness ratio, and, like all prosimians, they get nachos, since they have thumbs.[2]
One site I looked at suggested getting sugar gliders if you just have to have an exotic cuddly-appearing pet that will sit in a cage and ignore you, but I'm not that hep on the idea of anything that jumps a lot and likes to bite.
Of course, I'm a total hypocrite, and dream of getting a hedgehog someday, but I would argue in my defence that hedgehogs do not jump (though they do like to swim, apparently)[3], therefore are not as difficult to catch, which makes them more suited to being a pet.
That this rationalization makes no sense is part of what gives it such effectiveness. Bow to my superior powers of not-reasoning!
The other possibility is a rat, and this I do not feel bad about, because rats and humans have a somewhat symbiotic relationship at this point (I give you food, you give me plague; everyone wins). But in the end, one should probably stick to the animals one knows best - cats and dogs.
Now, I do not deny that a slow loris, is, on the surface, cuter than a cat (you know, except for when they're itty-bitty kitties and, for me, hairless, but that's my obsession, not yours), a cat does have certain advantages over a slow loris, to whit:
1. Cat less likely to bite for absolutely no reason (biting reserved for when hungry, playing, or pissed at human).
2. Cat's bite marginally less poisonous (staph infection, ahoy).
3. Cat less clingy on day-to-day basis (except when it senses human needs to do something important, at which point, it hangs on like radioactive flypaper)[4].
4. Cat more likely to choose one place to urinate (next to the litterbox or in human's shoes preferred).
And a slow loris requires a lot less walking and grooming than a dog, but the dog, too has advantages the slow loris lacks:
1. Dog much less likely to bite for no reason (biting reserved for when toys are taken away, and mailman arrives).
2. Dog eliminates waste outside (unless purse-sized dog). (Recommended: Waterproof purse.)
3. Dog better at guarding house at night (though the possibilities of a nocturnal creature biting intruders' ankles with no warning is intriguing).
4. Dog will play Fetch for hours (and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...).
So, clearly, though considerably less likely to bump your YouTube viewing stats once past kitten/puppyhood, a dog or a cat is a far more sensible choice.
Personally, I'm still leaning towards a rat. The similarities are remarkable:
1. Rat will also chomp on stuff all the time.
2. Rat also fuzzy and likes tummy scritches (once trained with cattle prod).[5]
3. Rat also pees everywhere.
Not to mention the advantages:
1. Rat much cheaper than slow loris (free, if you hit the DC sewers with a live trap).
2. Rat shorter-lived, so committment is less long-term.
3. Not neccessary to fly to Thailand/Malaysia/Vietnam/Bangladesh for fresh rat food (rat usually happy with whatever you are eating)[6].
Plus, owning a rat does not require an investment in bite-proof gloves.
Or, I could just get a fake one.
[1] I'll update with a link when I am at a computer that does not block access.
[2] My friend Tracy and I used this completely arbitrary critera to determine the relative sophistication of animals - any animal that can hold a nacho chip laden with cheese and other good stuff and eat it without sticking its head into the bowl (therefore violating the "double-dipping" rule) gets nachos (and the keys to the car). Therefore, mice, raccoons, bush babies, lemurs, and all primates get nachos, but squirrels, cats, and dogs do not (squirrels prefer corn chips, cats will lick the cheese off everything and leave you with soggy bare nachos, and dogs can't really grok the concept of sharing). The idea of giving a slow loris the keys to the car is amusing, but rest assured they can't do too much damage, since they only drive 3 mph. That, and they can't reach the pedals.
[3] Link, non-blocked computer, etc.
[4] I am well aware that this joke makes no logical sense.
[5] It should not need saying, but joke.
[6] And anything edible you have thrown out, electrical wires, and the stuffing from soft toys.
Comments
Cats in my opinion make ideal SCA pets. They aren't particularly needy, and with a big bowl of food and an automated cat box, they can be left for several days.
Best part is if you get two you get added benefits:
* They have a playmate to mess with so they don't put on a ton of weight.
*They have a playmate so they occupy each other instead of tearing up your house or peeing in your shoes for attention.
* Watching them attempt to beat each other up or "make out" (mutual grooming) beats tv any day.
However, if you would like a combination dog/rat, I am sure I could get Yap Yap to you. I just have to wait till Munky is gone for a weekend....
And yesterday, he "helped" me paint Donal's banner -he now has a yellow paw and ear.
Cats! Gotta love 'em.
Me, I'm a ferret junkie. Cute and curious like kittens for life, loyal and loving like dogs, and SUPER portable and low maintenance. Downsides are the huge medical bills and short life spans :(
Sugar gliders - just no.
Hmmm, would you like the story about the guy who bought his girlfriend a golden retriever pup, then couldn't find it when he got home? And didn't realize what had happened until his boa constrictor wouldn't eat for weeks.
Chinese water dragon - no.
And there's the woman who hates me because I referred to her goat as "livestock."
Oh, and as a side note - naming your cat or dog "Precious" seems to have the side effect of opening a gateway to hell and causing said animal to become demon-possessed. Please don't.
I shouldn't laugh, but so help me, I did. That takes remarkable absent-mindedness.
I always point out to people how they'd smell if they lived in one room with no running water. After a week, we'd smell a whole lot worse than they do.
Oh, it's so cute. Look, it's turning it's head towards me. Oh, look, it's opening it's mouth. Ouch!
It apparently bit her breast. I don't think she was as amused with the slow loris after that.
There's a funny story on the research site I linked to of a visitor thinking the lorises were cute and "why do you need the gloves? I don't need gloves". Needless to say, she was less amused an hour later, nursing the bite.
"I will love him and squeeze him and call him Bitey". :)
They don't actually pee everywhere, and they love scritches (no cattle prod required). My daughter once accidentally trained one to give kisses.
The thing is, it's best to get one from a breeder. Pet store rats are mass-produced, mostly as reptile food, regardless of what an individual store's policy is. Good temperament and disposition is VERY much learned from their mother and from early socialization, and while you can train a non-socialized rat to be handled, most never get completely trusting. You can get a terrific rat from a pet store, but it's a crap shoot - it's very difficult to judge adult temperament in a baby, even with experience.
That's the closest I've gotten to exotic pets. I did find a drunken hedgehog in the garden when we lived in Walsingham. We had apple trees and the hedgehog had been eating fermented windfall apples. It was *very* drunk and very thirsty.
We have three cats. All three are almost dog-like in their attention and devotion to us. They're completely indoor creatures.
Cat psychology is fascinating. With humans they bond with, psychologically, they are still kittens. But they can turn feral and adult if need be. It's an interesting adaptive mechanism.
I do wonder how "domesticated" the slow lorises become if they are raised by hand from infanthood. A grade school teacher of mine had a descented skunk as a pet (it had been orphaned) and the thing was a complete cuddlebug.
And exactly the same story repeated itself with a chinchilla a couple years later. Another example of IZ NOT PET, in my estimation. I'm happy to report that she has learned her lesson now, and is getting along fabulously with the "I don't really need you" attitude of a cat.
You need to PET it regularly. Animals that are taken on by humans need to be loved regularly and lots. It kills me when I watch programs where parrots have been left alone in cages with no conversation or play for months on end, or dogs have never learned what it's like to have their tummy rubbed.
Some people should have their animal taken away and replaced with a soft toy replica; it won't make any difference to how they interact with it, after all. >:(
Also, as for the "aloof kitty" syndrome... we have two cats and both are about as clingy as velcro (a case of be careful what you wish for).
I've had a hamster and a cockatiel, but pound for pound (or ounce for ounce if we're talking about the bird... you can't beat a dog for that whole "unconditional love and affection" thing
Also, obviously if you need to scritch a belly, Ladybug is always ready and willing. :)
Cats are super cute (I <3 sphinx, too, sooo cute!)