5 Best College Pets

5 Best College Pets

College and university can be a stressful experience for many students. There are many ways to blow off steam: working out, playing organized sports, joining some extra-curricular activities these are all viable options.

However, for students with a rather heavy workload, or are simply not interested in any of these diversions, taking care of a small pet is another choice.

Pets provide a level of companionship that both provide comfort and a level of focus for students; after all, nothing makes you more eager to get back to essay writing than cleaning out smelly cages.

Here are five pets that are suited to the life of a university student.*

*Note: Most college/university residences do not allow pets of any kind. Therefore, keep this in mind for when you get your own place in second year.

1) Hamster

Pros: The hamster is a classic pet choice. Available at pretty much every pet store, hamsters are small, cheap and easy to care for.

Their diminutive size means they don’t take up a lot of space, and they can survive with minimal interaction from their owners as long as they are fed and have some form of exercise, like a racing wheel.

Cons: They like to be active at night, so buy a silent running wheel and be prepared to move them into the bathroom if you’re a light sleeper.

2) Guinea Pig

Pros: Guinea pigs are much more amenable to handling than hamsters. Over time, they can develop a bond with their owner and begin to whistle on their approach.

Cons: Guinea pigs are much larger than hamsters, and therefore require a significantly larger cage.

3) Hedgehog

Pros: Hedgehogs are surprisingly cute, and make a great conversation piece. They are similar to hamster, requiring not much human interaction, and sleep during the day-so they’re usually awake by the time you get home from school.

Cons: Be prepared to get pricked if you get a hedgehog. Being naturally defensive animals, it may take a while for your hedgehog to warm up to you before they yield to your touch.

4) Crested Geckos

Pros: Crested geckos look cool, stay relatively small, and don’t require a consistent heat source (such as a heat lamp) to survive.

Cons: They eat insects and tend to be jumpy. If you’re looking for something that likes to be handled on a frequent basis, take a look at the previous pets.

5) Fish

Pros: They look cool and don’t require too much cleaning.

Cons: …They’re kind of boring.

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About Author

David Weiszloff is a writer for Edulocator. For more information about college pets visit Edulocator.com

18 Responses to “5 Best College Pets”

  1. Gapfruit says:

    can’t believe it’s drawn out of nothing, could be a photography!

  2. MustLoveDingos says:

    *sub*

  3. surferdude says:

    Geckos for one have pads on their feet making them more able to climb on different surfaces like glass for example. the anole has claws, they can climb on many surfaces, say brick, but don't have the advantages of the sticky pads. Anoles also don't stay green they can turn brown to adapt to their surroundings unlike the gecko. The life span I'm not sure of, when I kept anoles as a child they never lasted longer than 6 months to a year, but maybe they just don't do well in captivity. they both run wild here in florida, but I've never tracked one to see how long it lived. I do think geckos live longer.

  4. *Unforgiven* says:

    well save ur money for a beardy cant go wrong with em

  5. Sky says:

    Sounds like a perfect match for a crested gecko. Remember to do loads of research before purchasing any reptile! Heres a few links.

    forums.repashy.com

    pangeareptile.com

  6. HappyNotGrumpy says:

    Excellent work. Pleasure to watch. Perfect music :-) ))

  7. foshizzle says:

    I heat mine using a UTH (mini by zoo-med $20.00 at petco).

    Shouldn't have any trouble housing them together. You actually have to set the conditions just right for them to mate. They're not like mammals that get busy at the first sign of life in a potential mate.

    Just make sure you don't house two males together. They will fight and end up hurting or killing one another.

  8. champ0y says:

    You’re really good man. You’ve got excellent talent.

  9. Forbidia says:

    Brilliant Willy, Just Brilliant =D

  10. ShootNhowl says:

    none, zero , zip, nada, dont do it !

  11. imtrudil80 says:

    Incredible! He looks so life like. Just amazing…and what a beautiful subject

  12. jzucker12 says:

    http://www.thegeckospot.com/pictuscare.html

    This is my favorite gecko website! They reach maturity at 7-10 months or so. Check out this care sheet and see if your husbandry (how he is being cared for) is all correct. :)

  13. saxplayer4@sbcglobal.net says:

    Whoa – twice a day would be too much.

    Make sure you're dusting them with gecko vitamin powder and gut loading them first. Then put about five in the tank and if he eats all of them, put a few more in. If you put too many in, they'll just annoy the gecko and will also die faster than they will in their own house w/ food and water.

    Every other day or every third day should be fine. We know when our leo is getting hungry when she hangs out below the hole we drop the crickets in.

    If you over feed, you'll know, b/c he won't go after the crickets.

  14. monkeymanbob says:

    Nice work, you did pretty good.

  15. Sampson I says:

    that is sad you want to kill it.
    leave the windows cracked a little and he will crawl out.
    don't kill it… it will eat lots of bugs and that is good

  16. Hermann759 says:

    Great talent Der Mann.

  17. antoniob35 says:

    whoa!!it looks like a PICTURE!
    ur an amazing painter!:D

  18. attackgecko says:

    Well, it depends. Most geckos, like Leo's and Fat tail's, are "adult" when they are sexually mature. Females are sexually mature at age 6-10 months. Males are born mature, but they become adult when they are around a year or little less…

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