Best small animal for me?

I've finally got the go ahead to get a small critter (from the boss, aka mom lol). I'm trying to find something that can be handled/tamed (maybe to ride around being held or on a shoulder - just for an example). I'm not a big fan of pets that you can just watch - like fish.

Mom's criteria is that it not have tails (like rats), and something that is not very escape prone. No bugs, no snakes, no spiders.

I'm leaning right now to a tortoise, or a gecko, or perhaps a beardie. If anyone could share some personal experiences, or other pets I am forgetting, please let me know! Thanks!

Ooh, geckos!! No experience here, just find them cute. lol

Bearded dragons are cool, and they feel so nice to hold

Leopard geckos are an excellent choice!

Tortoises require a lot of specialized care, and not really a good choice if its going to be your first reptile.

Bearded dragon!!!!!! My brother has one, and she us so mellow an cool. There diet is not that hard once you get into the swing of things. The most expensive thing would be the initiall purchase price for the tank and heat lights and stuff. he got an adult rehome, babies are harder I think. Anyway, She'll hang out on your shirt all day if you'd let her

If you're really interested in rats, there are tailless rats out there.
My ex was apprehensive about my rat fancy-ing for the same reason. Until I showed him what a tailless rat looks like. He realized they look plain weird really, though not ugly, and after meeting a few he didn't even mind the tail.

I think your mom needs to open her mind to rats. They are AWESOME little creatures and the tail creepiness you get over REAL quick!

tailless rat? Rats are awesome pets. Kinda like little dogs in many ways. Smart, trainable, sociable and really quite cute once you get to know them.

Manx rats, I used to have one! He looked like a mixture between a rat and Syrian hamster!

I used to have rats and so did my kids. They make great little pets. They're snuggly, sociable and slow. They don't race around to get away like a hamster or mouse. They're laid back and love snuggling in the crook of your neck and under your hair if it hangs down past your shoulders they like to make that into a little cozy spot, sometimes nibbling or fiddling with your hair. The tail, your Mom would get use to. It's just a tail without all the hair. They're definitely smart and trainable....fun little animals and much more snuggly than a reptile. (jmo) I'm partial to mammals. Or birds. I had parakeets for years too. They're lots of fun.

I find that reptiles are more of "just watch" pets like you mentioned you didn't want. I'm sure that some are handleable, but I haven't met one that had much personality. I had a leopard gecko for years, and didn't enjoy owning him much, because like you, I don't really like pets that you can just watch. (Though oddly enough, I love fish- lol!) We held him some, but the old her got, the more he didn't like being handled, and even when he did allow you to catch and hold him, he didn't do much. He was cute as a button, though! Gorgeous coloring, and awesome looking eyes!

I have the same problem with my dad and rats. He can't stand the tails. I personally love syrian hamsters. They're really fun pets! We had one, Bailey, who was like a little dog. She had tons of personality, and loved to be let out of her cage, running around, having fun! She also would settle down and let you hold and pet her, and even fall asleep in your lap!

Though, if you're willing to get a bit larger "small pet", rabbits and chinchillas are cool as well! In my experience, rabbits are easier to handle than chinchillas, chinchillas like to run off and be on their own, but I've had some really cuddly rabbits, and prefer them to chinchillas, but like I said, both are very cool pets to have. Hedgehogs, I've not owned, but I've handled a couple, and they seem really cool, too!

It's really up to your personal preference. If you can get your mom to let you have rats, that would by my first choice. If you're set on a reptile, I think bearded dragons are really pretty!

I really liked my guinea pigs - no tails, not prone to escaping or biting like other small furries, decent lifespan (5-7 years, one of mine lived to be 5, the other died at 6 or 7), make cute noises, and if handled from the start loooove to be held and snuggle into you (mine liked the crook of my neck, but I never felt comfortable having them ride on my shoulder since they are kind of oddly shaped lol).

Plus you can get lots of nifty toys and accessories for them and the C&C cages are tons of fun to put together imo.

If I didn't like dogs with high prey drive, I'd seriously consider having them again.

Guinea Pigs are great!!!! They are super personable and loads of fun. I really miss mine and would love to have some again when they don't have to share a room with the ferrets. I can't reccomend them enough!

But, if you want something more "exotic"...perhaps a Short Tailed Opossum? Reggie isn't really handleable, but that is because I didn't work with him. He's about like my mouse: not mean, just an aversion to being touched. If you adopt one young from a breeder that has hand raised them, they typically won't mind being handled and will climb all over you.


They do have a naked tail...but it is a cute tail that can grab things! My mom "hates" rats, but she doesn't mind him.

Guinea pigs are great. When I was very young, still living in N.J. my Dad raised them. He got one who came preggo. I think it was suppose to be a male, but it wasn't. We named her Maude. He got interested in them even more and had a real breeding program going on. We wound up with something like 22 Guinea pigs in several nice, big cages. In summer he had a huge area penned off for them in the grass and we'd go to the grocery store and they'd give us lettuce and things that weren't quite good enough to sell. It was like a special trip to the market with just my Dad and me, sort of a bonding time. LOL....

Anyhow, they were fun with personality. But a little more figity and wanted to get down all the time and not sit for too long on a lap. But again, I may be remembering wrong, as I was quite young. That's just my impression from what memory I have left. LOL. The rats though, seemed more laid back and go with the flow.

I love watching fish but if you're wanting a pet that you can hold and that gives you that "understanding" kind of response....interaction, between mammals type of thing, soft and cuddly...fish and reptiles don't come to my mind right off the bat. LOL.

I second (I think) the bird suggestion. Cockatiels are pretty awesome birds. Ours was addicted to baseball. He would watch games on the tv, and eat popcorn with us.

Once he got out of the house, and we got him back by my dad pitching to my brother. He flew right back down and landed on my dads shoulder.

That is actually how we got him, we were playing in the backyard and he flew down out of a tree, and we couldn't find his owners.

I had guinea pigs growing up. They were cute, and social, and made the most ADORABLE noises. But much like my rabbits, they weren't into snuggling. So they would more "check in" with me while playing, but picking them up and holding them wasn't really something they were into.

I still say rats Males tend to be lower key. Females are busy busy busy busy most of the time. But all of mine were very social. Just remember, if you do get rats (or guinea pigs) they are very social creatures so you would need to get them in pairs.


As far as birds: I had finches and parakeets and I hated them. Messy. Loud. I wasn't a fan.

I am a huge rat fan. There is a tailless variety but many breeders won't breed them due to a possibility of spinal issues and the fact that they can have cooling issues. Most people, once around rats, don't find the tails as creepy as they thought they would. (but then I've never found them creepy...just like I don't notice boy rat testicles *shrugs*) I have two female rats and they're very sweet

Guinea pigs are also a favorite rodent wise. When our kiddo is older and we no longer have a predatory little terrier we're going to have some piggies We both had them in our childhoods and are big fans. I just like the C+C cages and don't feel that I'd be able to have them secure enough with Jules around.

I like bearded dragons..if we were going to have a reptile, it's what we'd go with. I've always found them sociable

Grab, you took the words right out of my mouth about the tailless rats. haha

I would suggest rats or budgies. I love budgies. They sound so sweet and if you work with them they can be cuddly. My girl went everywhere in my hair.

I had pet ringneck doves in high school. They weren't super bright like a parrot, but they were VERY tame and sweet. I loved their cooing. It drives some people nuts so make sure it's a sound you can live with.

We just let Brooklyn have free range of the house during the day. I'd open her cage, and she only had two places she liked to perch. One was on top of the entertainment center, nestled in the fake plants, and one was on top of the china cabinet. We just put down a plastic tray and lined it with newspaper, and then changed the paper at the end of the evening. We NEVER found poop around the house. It kept surprisingly clean. She also loved riding on our shoulders, and cooing to us when we cooed at her.

Awesome story:

I had Brooklyn for two weeks solid before my dad even realized I had her. And that was with her sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS FACE on top of the entertainment center as he stared directly at her/the tv for HOURS. Daily. :rofl1::rofl1::rofl1:

He made an awesome face the first time she flew off the entertainment center in front of him.

I agree rats are awesome, mum doesn't like them so I'm not allowed to have one but I'm hoping I can get her to come around to them. I've wanted rats for years and I'm hoping she'll work out how special they are.