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A lot of us don’t know that pets are stress relievers and they play a big role in keeping us sane and emotionally patched up. Unfortunately, not all folks get a chance to own and raise a pet. Some even don’t bother to have one, claiming that they don’t have enough time to spare for one. Raising one doesn’t ensure a stress-free life though. Why? Because the benefits of having a pet come with the responsibilities of providing their needs. Here’s the top 10 favorite pets in case you would love to own one after reading this:
10. Geckos
Those who wants an unusual pet, they usually keep a gecko. They are very much welcomed in homes since they feed on insects, including mosquitoes. You would simply love their specialized toe pads that help them easily cross indoor ceilings. What is fascinating about them aside from their ability to climb even smooth and vertical surfaces is that they use chirping sounds in social interactions! Since they are nocturnal species, they have eyes that can’t blink and that they lick to keep them clean and moist. These eyes are 350 times more sensitive to light than the human eye and its iris enlarges in darkness.
9. Ferret
If you love a typical brown, black, white or mixed fur yet you don’t want a cat, a ferret suits you. The ferret is a domesticated form of the European Polecat, a mammal belonging to the weasel family. They would stay a bit longer than other pets since their natural lifespan is 7 to 10 years. Before and still some parts of the world use them for hunting rabbits, but most of them are kept simply as pets. In fact, a government study by the California State Bird and Mammal Conservation Program estimated around 800,000 domestic ferrets kept as pets in the US by 1996.
8. Flowerhorn Cichlids
If you want a man-made breed of fish, one that is considered lucky in fengshui, you might want to own a flowerhorn cichlids. They are ornamental aquarium fish easily recognized through their vivid colors and a distinctively shaped heads. Flowerhorn cichlids lives for 10–12 years. Because of their aggressive and territorial nature, it is not advisable to keep them in an aquarium together with other fishes. If you have plans of breeding, note that female flowerhorns have an orange belly, especially when they are ready to breed.
7. Goldfish
This famous fish that stars in any aquarium that needs a swimmer is a freshwater fish and is one of the earliest fish to be domesticated. The goldfish is a small member of the carp family and was first domesticated in China more than a thousand years ago. Since then, several distinct breeds have been developed. The breeds are so many, you can pick from a lot of different kinds for your tank. Take note that they produce a lot of waste, when not cleaned, can actually kill them. Also, touching them endangers their health. Hands off and keep your tank clean so their their life span can even extend beyond 10 years.
6. Parrot
Though they are famous for their ability to mimic human speech and pirates usually have one in movies, parrots do not make good pets because of their natural wild instincts such as screaming and chewing. Impulsive pet buyers are easily attracted to this familiarity and their colorful feathers. Sadly, they may become aggressive and may bite when they mature. That is why rarely they are kept as pet for a long time. For this reason, most parrots are surrendered and rehomed or die prematurely due to neglect and abuse. Training is needed to keep these beautiful witty creatures.
5. Rabbit
Rabbits are not seasonal favorites. Even if it’s not Easter, we simply love this adorable furry creature. When you keep one, you need to provide a safe space where it can roam around freely and exercise. ome of the things you can prepare for them are shelves, tunnels, balls, and other toys. Just like cats, they can be trained to use a litterbox and some can learn to come when called. They are social animals that is why they make great pets. They are also easily-fed because their diet is typically timothy-grass or other hay, a small amount of pellets, a fair quantity of fresh vegetables and access to fresh clean water.
4. Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs are timid creatures that wouldn’t try to escape and show much curiosity when let out of their cage. They had to be handled correctly in their early years in order to be picked up and carried without biting or scratching the person. In fact, when they get familiar with the owner, they even whistle when owners approach them. They also whistle to things they establish familiarity with, such as the refrigerator where their food is mostly kept. They should be kept in groups because when alone, they suffer from stress and depression.
3. Hamster
One of the popular house pets are the cute hamsters who are active primarily during twilight. Since they are awake at night, they may be irritating for some because of the cage-biting and wheel-running while everyone else is trying to sleep. In the wild, they feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and vegetation that they usually carry in their elongated cheek pouches that extend to their shoulders in order to save food, back to their burrows. Their behavior varies depending on their environment, their breed and interaction with people. Since they are easy to breed, they are also often used as laboratory animals.
2. Dog
Known as the man’s best friend, dogs are the first domesticated animals. They’ve become part of human activities primarily because of their role in assisting people in their daily tasks. Dogs perform many roles such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protecting, assisting police and military, keeping people company, and, more recently, aiding handicapped individuals. What made it easy for us to connect with dogs is that they have the same response of voices and they use the same parts of brain compared to humans. This made them understand emotional human voices. Unfortunately, dogs are also a source of meat in some East Asian countries.
1. Cat
Make way for the most popular pet in the world – the cat. Often valued for their ability to hunt and no-sweat responsibilities in raising as a house pet, the cats had been chosen by a lot of people for companionship. Their ability to hunt roots from their flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, teeth adapted to killing small prey and their remarkable senses. They can hear sounds too faint for the humans, and they can see in near darkness. Though they are solitary hunters, cats are very social species. That is why cat communication varies from mewing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, grunting and even cat-specific body language. Though owning a cat is usually associated with women, a 2007 Gallup poll reported that men and women are equally likely to own a cat. Thus, cats are now found in almost every place where humans live. Unfortunately, people found cats pleasing for international fur production.
