What To Consider Before Bringing Home a New Family Pet
Choosing your next pet is such an exciting time for everyone involved, and it is an especially important time if you have young children who are getting their very first pet. There are lots of different kinds of animals that people like to keep as companions in their homes, and some are more popular than others. With that said, some take more money, time, care and responsibility than others so it’s not a decision you should rush into.
For example, if you have fish in a tank with a timer for all the electrical bits you may only need to spend a couple of minutes per day on average to check in on them and feed them. On the other hand, more intelligent and demanding pets such as dogs can take hours of our time each day for feeding, exercise, playing and bonding.
If you and your family have decided that it is the right time to welcome a new pet into the family, the very first thing you need to do is plenty of research into what kind of companion animal or animals will suit you, your lifestyles and your budget. You will also need to plan who will take responsibility for all or part of the care, and be realistic about whether you will have the proper time to dedicate to them.
On top of this, there are other vital considerations you’ll have to make, such as whether you can afford potentially expensive trips to the vets for routine or emergency care. You also need to think in advance about who will look after the animal if you were to go on holiday or need an overnight stay somewhere. There’s a lot to think about but it’s important that you do so you can guarantee the health and care of your new pet. They are family after all!
Planning for a pet
If you have never had a pet before then this will all be new to you, but if you are an old hat at keeping companion animals then you will already have a reasonable idea of what to expect - especially if you have chosen the same species again this time around. If you are getting a cat or a dog and have never had one before, you may be surprised by how much cleaning you have to do as they are toilet trained. Make sure you have some high quality pet carpet cleaner on hand to take care of those little accidents.
For other pets, hygiene products can be as diverse as water conditioning tablets, certain kinds of disinfectant, and even different kinds of substrates. Whatever hygiene products your chosen animal needs, do your research to make sure that you pick the right brand and type. You also need to read the instructions carefully so you know exactly how to use the product to avoid mishandling of the chemicals.
If you are getting a cat or a dog then the housing requirements are pretty simple and very similar. Make sure your house is pet proof, get them a nice comfy bed or two, and decide when and if they will have access to the outside. Other animals have more specific housing needs, for example fish, reptiles and small mammals will all need very different housing that is unique to their species.
Even different species of fish, reptiles and small mammals will have very different housing and care requirements, so make sure you do plenty of research. For example, a corn snake and a royal python will need very different housing and care, as would a chinchilla and a hamster. Likewise, a goldfish and a killifish will not tolerate the same conditions, so you’ll need to be prepared to do some learning that can get quite technical.
You will need to get this right in order to allow your animal to be happy and healthy, and thrive with your family. These are just some of the absolute basics, we have not even touched on enrichment such as toys that many kinds of pets will need, and it doesn’t stop there either. If you are not sure of anything, reach out to online communities of people that own the pet animals you have or want to have in your home for help, or speak to your vet.