Ask HN: what's a good pet for the working programmer?
So, here's the deal: I'd quite like a pet of some kind.
I'm a programmer. I work quite long hours sometimes, and I'm not keen on taking things out for walks, so I don't want anything that's very high-maintenance. I have my own apartment, so no roommate drama, but no garden, so no outside poop-space. I want something that's small, low-maintenance, isn't going to chew cables or scratch out the eyeballs of visitors, and is ideally cute and/or cuddly.
What pet do you have? Does it fit well with your lifestyle?
87 comments
[ 9.3 ms ] story [ 2325 ms ] threadI think a hermit crab might be ideal for you.
Third best will be a cat as long as you understand that you can never own a cat, she will own you.
How much "fun" did you have in mind? 2, 3, 100?
Either way there will be cage/tank maintenance, but it might be more frequent with the rats.
{edit} A tarantula could be good too {/edit}
You could use it as an excuse to visit an exotic location to find the perfect pet rock.
( this suggestion made me laugh. Thank you for that )
Overall, however, I'd rather be owned by a cat than have some other animal around.
(in case you give up programming ,you can kiss it & turn it into a beautiful princess) ;-)
Kittens need a lot of attention though, as do strays you've adopted. But they are the lowest maintenance of any pets.
Dogs are great but are like having developmentally disabled children; they require a lot of attention, patience and forgiveness.
And it is possible to find a cat with a lot of dog like qualities. I had an awesome cat who passed away unexpectedly a couple of years ago that was pretty much a dog. He liked to be walked (on a harness) outside, loved water, playing fetch and other things. He turned a lot of my anti-cat friends into cat owners, he was that kind of awesome. RIP Johnny.
I agree with jawngee that a cat is the way to go. The problem with adopted cats is that if the cats do not get human interaction when they are fairly small most times they will not grow to be very affectionate. They will not be mean but they will be very nontrusting of people in general. Also, kittens will chew cords that are around them so you will probably lose a few corded devices that you forgot to hide. Though, they do seem to grow out of this trait as far as I can tell.
Good luck!
I'd love to setup some automated webcam -> nerf gun system to automatically hit any cat in the head if they enter my property. Maybe a project for when I'm old and bitter and have time on my hands :)
If you live anywhere near other people, a cat is probably the most antisocial pet to have. (Assuming you let them out on their own)
Nothing like being woken up at 3am to two cats duking it out. Or having you garden ruined because the neighborhood cats like to poop there.
Very irritating.
As for the sex of the cat, I'd suggest tomcats. If female cats get in heat, it'll get quite annoying for both you and the cat and the only way out is sterilization. It's a routine operation, yet much more invasive than castration of a tomcat.
I highly recommend Litter Robot (http://www.litter-robot.com/). I've tried 3 other automatic litter boxes and this is the only one that doesn't make a mess of things. I can leave it alone for several weeks with no smell and then just swap the bag and add some litter.
For an automatic water supply, I recommend the 360 Drinkwell (http://www.amazon.com/Drinkwell-D360WB-RE-360-Pet-Fountain/d...). Stay away from any water fountains that require you to take them apart to clean/refill. With the drinkwell, I just pour in a cup of water every week and clean every 2-3 weeks.
For food, I've been happy with one of the simplest dispensers out there: http://www.amazon.com/Doskocil-Petmate-Café-Feeder/dp/B0002D.... No need for a timer or anything like that. My cat did overeat a bit initially, but I switched him to light food and it's been great ever since.
Good luck!
They're personable - you can "cage-train" them and they learn not to bite. They're hilarious when they roll around in their ball -- and remember to cover your stairs! They do the cutest thing with stuffing food into their cheeks. You can easily build elaborate living environments for them using cheap tubing.
You do have to change their cage at least once a week, but it's easy - dump it out and pour in new mulch.
Think of the cheeks.
We had one rabbit, then two, and the difference in the original rabbit's (OR) personality after getting the second was unbelievable.
I suppose getting two at the same time that were living together at the pet store would be the best option. Make sure you know their gender first or you'll end up with more hamsters.
If you need something more fury there always are hamsters. http://www.hamsterific.com/SelectingAHamster.cfm
(For the record, I have the highest-maintenance sort of pets, three kids, who all want additional pets)
Fish are also great mood enhancers but can be a bit more work in my opinion than cats, at least for the initial setup and routine tank cleaning. But overall - just sitting back, reflecting on some code while staring at the fish tank has worked wonders for me producing small epiphanies.
Not all at the same time, I grew up with cats, dogs, iguanas, fish, ferrets, hamsters and rabbits. By far for me cats have been the most worthwhile investment. Dealing with the small inconvenience of the litter box is something I shouldn't complain about since simply having my cats around for companionship has paid off such valuable dividends.
I really want to know what this one trick was.
He has learned that when I come near the terrarium, I'll open it, so when he wants to come out, he will come up to the screen and look for the opening. I did not expect a tiny reptilian brain to be capable of learned behavior, it was a nice surprise.
The one big caveat is that rabbits do eat cables. There is a genetic drive to do this, probably because they have evolved to keep their warrens clear from tree roots. Geeks with rabbits need to engage in some serious cable management, and supply distractions. The cable management isn't that bad - you only have to do it once, or you can board off very cable-heavy areas, and everything looks neater as a result anyway. Also, don't go for rabbits if you have antique furniture - some rabbits will attack wood furniture (not all do).
The one downside of Spaniels is that they steal socks and underwear and hide them. Ah well.
We have boxers. They suit us. If you take a dog, you should research the breed before deciding. Some breeds will suit you more than others.
Dogs need to be walked daily. If humans were pets, they would say the same about us. It works out for the best.
I see you've gotten lots of other suggestions for cats, but I hope I can add a bit of info for you. From what I've been told, male cats really like to be let outside from time to time so they can go hunt/explore/whatever, while females are usually content with napping, bathing, and watching out a window. Further, longer haired cats are more mellow, while short haired cats can be a bit wild.
What I have is a longer-haired female cat, she is totally great. Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for in a pet!
Apart from that, +1 for the general awesomeness of ferrets :)
There is no problem keeping them in aparments.
Nothing like a good walk to get over a tedious bug in your code.
They are expensive, but they are low maintanance and quite intelligent.
A guy I know bought two dogs because it seemed so 'nice', then he found out how much work it is to have two dogs (and how much it costs), so he ended up giving them away to some lady.
Some people make these decisions much too light and I'm quite happy that the OP takes it serious and is not going on the spur of the moment.
Dogs especially can get very attached to people, if you don't want to make a dog-life-long commitment then please don't get a dog.
Here's a pic of one of our cute rabbits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollered/3896940499/
She's called 'Poppy', but I affectionately call her 'two face' (Batman villain).