I am writing on behalf of us "kids" (I am 19) who have owned pets and have
been responsible with them. I noticed in the FML there has been some
discussion about this. I hope BIG will print my letter so you can see that
some of us are very responsible.
I got my first four pets (goldfish) at the age of around five or six years
old. We also had a cat at the same time, but she was a family pet -- in
fact, she was a pet between us and our neighbors since she arrived as a
stray and both of our families claimed her! :o) Three of my goldfish died
right away, but the fourth one lived for -- get this -- twelve years. This
was my first individual pet.
My second pet was a guinea pig. I took SUCH good care of her that she lived
to nearly nine years. Yes, I took care of her, but when I was younger my
mom helped a bit with cleaning the cage. She got sick and died from old age
last year. I took her to the vet to get his opinion on whether or not to
put her down. Instead of doing that, he gave her medicine and said she was
too happy -- yes, too happy! to put to sleep. She was determined to live
because she was happy and satisfied living with a "kid" as her caretaker.
Since then I have also had other pets live long enough to be a shock
to everyone I tell. I have been their primary caretaker.
It is true that SOME kids do not take good care of their pets and are not
responsible. But classifying everyone in one lump group doesn't do a lot of
us justice. Remember, "one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch." I take
time to play with my pets. My parents do share two of the pets as "family"
pets, but the rest are mine, and I believe I take care of them very well,
and I'm sure they would agree. :o)
To kids and college students wanting to get a ferret, I do have five good
questions:
1) Do you have enough time? Remember a ferret takes a long time to care
for, play with, give baths, etc. If you have a lot of extracurricular
activities, you may not have enough time to take care of the ferret.
2) Do you have a job, or will your parents help you with costs? You will
need an allowance, budget, and/or job in order to take care of the ferret.
With your parents, write down expected costs and figure out who will cover
what. For example, your parents may not want to help at all, or if they
want the ferret as more of a family pet, they may be happy to help with some
of the costs. Remember that once you move out on your own YOU will be
responsible for the costs. Figure out whether or not you can afford the
vet, food, etc. costs on your own.
3) Do you think "If I don't like the ferret, I can get rid of it?" If so,
don't buy a ferret, or any other animals. Animals get attached to their
owners -- you should be in it for the long-haul.
4) Have you completely thought this through? Sometimes we see ferrets in
the mall or see other people with them. As young folks, we are influenced
by peer pressure and fads. Make sure you know for sure that you want this
ferret!
5) Have you done a lot of research? Before making a final decision, READ
and do other research. I read 300+ pages of ferret-related information
before I decided to adopt one.
After you have decided to purchase a ferret, you may want to go to a show in
your area and see what other people think of their pets.
Remember, everyone, some of us are very responsible and are wonderful pet
owners! :o)
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[Posted in FML issue 1743]
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