You are definitely right.  It's the living conditions, not the number of
animals.  One of my dearest friends has 13 snakes, 4 lizards, a turtle,
some fish, 5 birds, 3 dogs, 3 ferrets, 10 tarantulas, and a rabbit.  We
don't live close and inwardly I would groan everytime she mentioned a new
animal.  However, recently I was able to visit for the first time in a
long time and while she lives in a one room studio apartment with all
these animals, it's a very pleasant, relaxed environment.  Everyone was
quiet, content, clean, well fed, there was no animal smell, no dirty
birds, no cast skins or reptile poop in the habitats.  The only untoward
thing I saw were a few escaped crickets from her cricket breeding farm
(which she breeds to feed her crew) and that was more humorous than
anything.  Even the cricket farm itself didn't smell (and crickets
STINK!).  She herself, too, was content and happy in her menagerie,
with none of the stressed demeanor associated with someone who has too
much to do.  She happily gave me the tour of her jungle.  She knows the
scientific names of all of her pets and will go on for hours about
behavior, nutrition, health, and anything else she knows (which is a
LOT!) She is definitely not a hoarder, just has a lot of happy, healthy
animals.
 
Anna and Shar, Se'lune, and Tyr
Greenwood, SC
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See my foster kitties in need of loving homes at
www.holisticat.com/rescue1.htm
[Posted in FML issue 4186]