kid who is 2.5 years from college, wants a pet....

[katilac]

Now I’m starting to want a couple of rats.

 

I've often considered rats, but I can't get past the tails, lol. Sorry, rats! I have sugar gliders instead. 

[stutterfish]

Guinea pigs can be very personable and they aren't messy and are easy to care for.

 

Cats are awesome and pretty easy to take care of. I can't fathom a church that wouldn't allow their pastor to have an ordinary pet or two in their church owned residence. (I'd find a new church if that were the case!)

 

Yes, you'll have to take care of it after he goes away to college.

 

There can be profound mental health and social benefits to pet ownership, FWIW.

I've had friends wuth guinea pigs that lived for 12 years. Not a short-term pet :)

[katilac]

OP, I think that "no" is a perfectly acceptable answer in your scenario. However, if you are willing to let him have rats, I wouldn't let the distance to a breeder disturb you. Three hours there and three hours back is just a one day trip. You can have ds pay for the gas, and do extra chores to make up for your time. If he has older friends with cars, you could even say that it's up to him to make the arrangements, and leave yourself out of it completely. 

 

I bring this up for two reasons. One, if you don't object to the rats themselves, and they satisfy his desire for a pet, giving up a day to get them is no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It could be a fun day with picnic lunch, etc. Two, if you give that as the reason, there is no teenager in the world who won't immediately start countering that argument, lol. 

[Kassia]

One issue with a breeder since you are kind of pressed for time is that they don't always have babies available.  Many times they have litters planned and already reserved well in advance so you could have to wait a while before actually getting your rats (also, the babies have to stay with their mothers for a minimum amount of time).  We ran into this when dd wanted rats. 

[hornblower]

Rescue rescue rescue. 

Never buy animals from pet stores. They come from mills. Just like puppy mills.  If you want to see pictures of small animal mills I can send you links.  They will haunt you forever. 

 

 

And don't get a pet with the idea that 'oh well, they might have to go to a shelter'. Just please don't.  

The number of rats & other small pets that are in local shelters and rescues is crazy. And yeah I've heard the "kid got busy, kids don't like it anymore, kid is going to college' excuses and all of these make me think very bad thoughts about the people involved. 

 

fwiw, I do know a handful of rat breeders and the reputable ones steer people to rescue all the time.  Rescue, shelter, or reputable rescue & only if you're making a financial & time commitment. 

[katilac]

 

The number of rats & other small pets that are in local shelters and rescues is crazy.  

 

This varies a lot by area. I've never seen rats for adoption in my area, ever. Never any sugar gliders, either, although online groups constantly told me shelters are overrun with them (mine were a rehome, but it took quite a bit of time to find them). 

 

Around here, there are lots of rabbits and guinea pigs, and usually a few chinchillas. 

[hornblower]

There's a group here trying to get sugar gliders banned from our area's pet trade...we don't have many & I'd like to keep it that way.  :leaving: 

Rats are cyclical. It only takes a couple people who have a couple oopsie litters to get situations where we have dozens and dozens spread around all the shelters and rescues....