You Know What Stinks?

[timmystood]

I've only got room for a 55litre tank! Imagine how I feel! I've not even got enough room for a betta tank!

 

[NinjaSmurf]

A ferret could have the run of your room, provided you do a few things to make the room a little ferret proof, and it would need a litter box just like a cat....

I have to admit, I know I'm facing a problem when I get my own place even though I've cut down my tanks to just one and I only have a cat.

 

[Tolak]

Even though I own my own house, I find myself in this predicament. Besides my wife & I, my 2 adult children live here, along with my son from a previous marrage on weekends. Adults accumalate a lot more stuff than kids, if we ever had to move it would take 2 large trucks.

Think vertical, build your own racks for tanks, cages, or general storage. I have turned this into an art, having 4 full time & 1 part time adult living in a 3 bedroom house, with a 4th bedroom doubling as a fish room.

The 4th bedroom, which doubles as a fish room, or vice versa, has 12 tanks, a bed, set of shelfs, and computer desk. It's just shy of 8 foot by 16 foot, no betta size tanks. 3 10 gallons, 3 20 gallons, 4 29 gallons, and 2 55 gallons. You can still move around believe it or not.

I hate to see a youngster so interested in a hobby limited by space, measure out your room & furniture, draw the room to scale on a piece of paper, 1 inch=1foot usually works well. Do the same with the firniture, cut them out & rearrange the room on paper.

If you need a hand building racks or shelfs, pm me with what you're looking to do. I could scribble up something for you, no cad or anything like that, good old pencil & paper. You really can do more than you realize with a given space if you give it a little thought & planning.

Tolak

 

[Ethos]

I don't even know if my parents'll let me have another pet.
It took months, maybe years of convincing them that I could handle a simple 10G fish tank....then, here I am now with a 55G, 10G nano, my origanal 10G FW (Not origanal fish though) plus a few bettas....muahahah..

 

[Durbkat]

I know how you feel ethos because on one wall it is full with my long 20g and my 10g and my computer desk and computer then on another wall it is take up with the head of my bed and a night stand on one side a a little tv dinner table with fish stuff on it on the other side the on the wall next to that my bike and 2.5g take up that wall with my other desk. I want so badly to move my bike to a storage bin down the street and get a 45g and put it where my bike is and I might get to do that if I get a 45g for x-mas.

 

[Synirr]

Hamsters are very nice and don't smell (as far as I remember).

Oh they do, trust me

If you want a small furry, I highly recommend rats. They're very intelligent and personable.

 

[Durbkat]

Rats stink also and they only live for 2 years

 

[Ethos]

Yeah, maybe a rat.
Anyways..... I'm hoping to be able to use my brothers room as a fish room next year. He'll be a sophmore in college, so he won't need his room at home anymore right?

 

[Vegan Peaches]

I keep rats, they don't stink, and my oldest is well over two years ^^

I have a pretty similar situation, all animals must be in my room, may not smell up any other parts of the house, and I have to pay for everything involving them. I appropriated (stole) a 2 layer cabinet from upstairs and put all the big tanks on top, and the fry tanks on bottom. I got that, a bed, my rat cage, and comp desk in my room and it's packed. My snake lives in my brothers room and I actually pay him with free Subway sandwhiches to let me keep him in there. Fun times.

 

[blue_ram]

Rats stink also and they only live for 2 years

May be a pair of gerbil? I know they don't smell, although I think they live only around 2 years as well.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I wouldn't pull that "no normal teenager lives like this"- line on your parents when arguing for a new pet- it's too easy for them to refute. They will know that for various reasons lots of teenagers can't have furry pets; most can't have a 55 gallon tank either, come to think of it. Also, it makes you sound too immature, never good in an argument.

Go for positives instead: this is where I would fit in my rat, this is how I would look after it etc. And don't forget to work out a budget. If they don't want the animal, it is only fair that you should pay for it and all additional costs, so you will need to have a careful plan. If you can show them that you can run your fishtanks out of your normal pocketmoney/Saturday job etc without having to ask for subs and still have money over for another pet, that might be a good argument. Don't forget to tell them if it's likely to snuff it before you go to college, lots of parents worry about being stuck with their children's old pets.

P.S. Dont forget that lots of grown-ups can't have what they want either. I really dream of a 45 gallon tank, but I know we can't afford it, either moneywise or in terms of space. 19 gallons is going to be our limit. And we cant have a furry pet because we need to go away from time to time.

 

[Synirr]

Rats stink also and they only live for 2 years

They do indeed stink, but they're supposed to live around 4 years. Unfortunately pretty much all small fluffy pets sold in stores are inbred to the point that they all develop cancer long before then (this is how every single rodent I've ever owned died,) so it's probably wiser to buy one from a breeder if that's an option.

 

[annka5]

I reckon that's really good advice from DwarfGourami.
I've my own house, and there isn't room/ money/time for everything I want - thats just life, though. Whatever age you are you have to compromise on what you want with the people you live with, the space you have, the money you have, the time you have... etc.

 

[Lynz781]

Way I see it, End of day, Its your folks house and what they say goes. They pay for the electricity bills. If you can't fit anymore animals in you room then its tough. Just keep taking care of the animals you already have and be grateful your even allowed them in the first place. I really want a puppy but have been deprived of one all my life and will never be in a position to look after one when I move out as I will be working all my days You can make up for it when you move out if thats still what you want.

 

[catxx]

i had that problem ethos when i was a kid. but that's because my mum only "put up" with the various hamsters and gerbils we had, only later did we find out she was a bit squeemish of gerbils! never had fish as a kid though, my mum didn't like the idea of goldfish much. and she did end up doing most of the cleaning out!

now i'm in a shared house and have somehow fitted 3 small tanks in my room (unknown to my Landlord..shh!) will be moving to my own flat in the new year, but that'll probably be smaller than the room i'm in now! yay for london!