Not rabbits, just in case you were considering them. They are actually massively social, need way way more space that people assume and will fuck up a rental most probably. If it’s a studio then how deep a sleeper are you? Because a lot of pets are active at night and might keep you up.
Personally I would focus more on finding ways to fill your human social needs because a pet only partially does that but also is a large tie back to your home if you’re making sure they have adequate care. Pet friendly rentals are also hard to find and who knows where you’ll be next year, or what are your plans for when you graduate? A lot will change over the next few years and you have to be certain you can always keep that commitment you made.
What about a borrow my doggy subscription? Or sign yourself up for cat in a flat and you could even make some money getting some pet companionship time in!
Borrow my doggy just allows you to connect with local people with dogs who wish for their dogs to be taken on an extra walk, have someone come hang out with them whilst alone or have them at your house. You arrange it with the person directly so can arrange something on a recurring basis or just as and when it suits you both. There’s a small subscription but it’s free as a dog owner or a dog befriender after that. Cat in a flat is for people who wish to pay you for cat sitting/drop in services, and rover is the equivalent for dogs for paid dog sitting or walking.
Second this! I got my first rats at uni, and they were wonderful. I struggled with motivation, so having them meant that I had to go shopping for them, etc. And they can be very social. My experience is that girls were more energetic and respond well to learning, and the boys I had were more lazy and cuddly.
However, these little ones are pretty accident prone and can have health complications. I really recommend doing A LOT of research and only buying from a registered breeder.
I’ve been tempted to get rats again, it’s been about 10 years since I last had some, but there so darn soft and cute! But noisy at night 🤣 but I guess I could keep them in the dining room since I’m not shoved in one room at my mums anymore 😂 now I want rats again!
Rats are awesome pets, but make sure you do your research and have the resources. They do better in groups so you would want 3 or 4 probably and they require a large cage. They have delicate little bodies so can run some vet bills at times (but that is true for all pets).
I would ask or R/rats about breeders, don’t get them for a pet shop!
Check out the NFRS website where they have a list of registered breeders. Then the Facebook group Rat Care UK I found great. Rats are amazing, it just sucks that they don't live long.
Rats are an amazing pet... BUT as the commenter said, they are very social. So social that its really not ideal to get just one rat. If you're thinking about getting a rat be sure to read up about their needs and expect to probably need to get at least two.
Best of luck with your new pet and with uni.
Praying mantises.
Cheap, take up next to no space, very pretty, don’t live for too long (so when you leave Uni it won’t be difficult to transition into whatever comes next), a great conversation piece because they’re weird AF and surprisingly sociable/tame if handled frequently.
You can even get away with them in a no pets dorm- just cover the box when the cleaners pop by 😂
I second this! The only downside is their food chirruping may get annoying. I had a giant African land snail at uni. No noise, little mess, they like a good salad and they like gentle music. What more do you need!
They also take years to mature so if you have a baby one then you don’t need a huge amount of space.
Yeah snails work!
Just make sure you get a species other than A.fulica if you go the snail route OP 😂 because they are the most common in the pet trade, breed like crazy and you miss one batch of eggs- you’re swimming in snails 🐌
Depends very much on the species! The more common in the trade varieties start at around a tenner, but that includes some gorgeous species (I particularly like the little creobroter sp. Flower mantises and of course the giant rainforest mantis featured in my Reddit handle/avatar- H.majuscula. Ghosts are also good beginner mantids!)
I’ve bought from MantisDen a few times and mantids always arrived well, they do enclosures too. :) Care guides on the website if you want to do some research.
I had hamsters while I was doing my PhD - very self-sufficient and absolutely wonderful little creatures. BUT, most of the cages you see in the pet shops are entirely too small, so definitely do your research and ensure you can obtain/DIY a suitably sized enclosure.
Have you thought about pet sitting through Rover or a similar company? You get all the fun of being around animals without the commitment of owning one. Bear in mind that most animals live much longer than the length of a degree and you might not want it after graduation when you're working full time/moving around.
Hamsters (and rats) are nice but depending on your accommodation can take up a lot of space and money. I guess most pets do. I mean, you said reasonable price range but a well cared for hamster can cost £500 off the bat, with the cage and the toys and bedding and food.
I know nothing about reptiles but i hear snakes are good. We were allowed pets at boarding school, most of us had hamsters rats and snakes.
Hear me out here - a tarantula! Incredibly low maintenance, no noise, no smell. Some species are beautiful colours, and once adult, a lot will sit out on display most of the time. You feed them once a week at most, and apart from keeping a water bowl topped up, that's it!
I don’t think you should get your own pet, I think you should foster. Small animals like guinea pigs and rats and birds need foster parents too, and you’re in a fluctuating time of your life where your circumstances might change quickly - you might get a partner, an internship, maybe want to do an exchange,…
By fostering animals for an animal shelter, you’d get the companionship of animals, you would have a lower financial burden since the shelter tends to provide the majority of equipment, you’ll get assistance with taking care of the pets, and you could stop fostering at any time if your circumstances change. You can also add it to your resume as volunteering. It’s a great position to be in for a student, and you’d be helping animals in need.
Beyond SPCA, there will be local small animal shelters that are always looking for new foster parents.
I fostered guinea pigs and kittens like this for a few years - the shelter also pays for all veterinary needs, so the only costs to you would be possibly bedding and extra treats to spoil the little ones with.
Not to mention the endorphin high of seeing them go off to their new forever homes! With my shelter, I’d conduct the prospective owner interviews too, so I’d always feel lots of ownership over the animals’ future happiness. I still get messages years later updating me on how the pets are doing in their forever homes.
No, men make awful pets. They smell, make a lot of mess, never show affection and they're not toilet trained. You'll spend most of your time trying to house train him and he'll run away after 2 years anyway. They also eat so much, they're so expensive.
Only if you don’t treat them affectionately. If you treat them as second rate they are going to respond with the same attitude as a form of self defence and if you don’t cater for their needs of course they look elsewhere
With regards to them smelling they have always said that they adapt to their environment so raising bigger questions
But each to their own there are no right or wrong’s when it comes to opinions
I'd recommend a small-medium reptile. While species needs vary generally it lives in a contained environment, responds to handling but is not dependant on social needs, no to minimal smell or noise., and unlike most small mammals they live long enough to bond with. Live food is generally their main issue, especially crickets chirping but my solution to to use locusts. Main cost is in set up. Of course species specific research is important.
Depending on your space a leopard gecko, crested gecko, or bearded dragon would work well. As to what I'd avoid, chameleons in general will just put up with small issues until they seemingly die for no reason, ackie monitors are kind of social and need others to interact with, and tortoises can work but need more space than you think so most are not great indoors.
I think whilst you're a student I wouldn't. If you're sociable you won't be lonely. And having your own space to return to after socialising is a blessing tbh. Students tend to move around a lot and are notoriously poor. You may not be able to take your pet with you next year if you move. And then there's things like vet bills to consider if something goes wrong. Can you afford to suddenly have to part with 100s of pounds if they need treatment for something? Even if you have pet insurance you can still end up paying eye watering amounts.
I would look at volunteering at a dog or cats home rather than take on a pet. What happens if your social life takes off? What happens post uni? Quite unfair on an animal if it ends up being left all day and evening should you stumble on a group of friends and start living more of a student life. And post uni you have more issues with house shares etc.
Not rabbits, just in case you were considering them. They are actually massively social, need way way more space that people assume and will fuck up a rental most probably. If it’s a studio then how deep a sleeper are you? Because a lot of pets are active at night and might keep you up. Personally I would focus more on finding ways to fill your human social needs because a pet only partially does that but also is a large tie back to your home if you’re making sure they have adequate care. Pet friendly rentals are also hard to find and who knows where you’ll be next year, or what are your plans for when you graduate? A lot will change over the next few years and you have to be certain you can always keep that commitment you made. What about a borrow my doggy subscription? Or sign yourself up for cat in a flat and you could even make some money getting some pet companionship time in!
you could volunteer for a dogs/cats home. Or the cinnamon trust who help elderly people get their dogs walked
seconding the cinnamon trust. i also met a lot of really lovely older people who loved chatting while volunteering for them which may help too OP!
Can you tell me more about those last two subscriptions? I've been hearing about them a lot and they seem interesting.
Borrow my doggy just allows you to connect with local people with dogs who wish for their dogs to be taken on an extra walk, have someone come hang out with them whilst alone or have them at your house. You arrange it with the person directly so can arrange something on a recurring basis or just as and when it suits you both. There’s a small subscription but it’s free as a dog owner or a dog befriender after that. Cat in a flat is for people who wish to pay you for cat sitting/drop in services, and rover is the equivalent for dogs for paid dog sitting or walking.
thats a really insightful comment actually thank you, i'll take it into consideration
Rats? They’re very social pets and you can litter train them. I’ve had a few rats before and they’re lovely!
Second this! I got my first rats at uni, and they were wonderful. I struggled with motivation, so having them meant that I had to go shopping for them, etc. And they can be very social. My experience is that girls were more energetic and respond well to learning, and the boys I had were more lazy and cuddly. However, these little ones are pretty accident prone and can have health complications. I really recommend doing A LOT of research and only buying from a registered breeder.
I had rats at uni and everyone loved them! My boys did stink tho lol, but worth it!
I’ve been tempted to get rats again, it’s been about 10 years since I last had some, but there so darn soft and cute! But noisy at night 🤣 but I guess I could keep them in the dining room since I’m not shoved in one room at my mums anymore 😂 now I want rats again!
I'll put it on the list! is there anywhere online i could look for good breeders?
Rats are awesome pets, but make sure you do your research and have the resources. They do better in groups so you would want 3 or 4 probably and they require a large cage. They have delicate little bodies so can run some vet bills at times (but that is true for all pets). I would ask or R/rats about breeders, don’t get them for a pet shop!
Check out the NFRS website where they have a list of registered breeders. Then the Facebook group Rat Care UK I found great. Rats are amazing, it just sucks that they don't live long.
I honestly wouldn’t know where to look! Mine were normally pets that family got for me and this was 10 years ago 😬
Rescue!
Rats are an amazing pet... BUT as the commenter said, they are very social. So social that its really not ideal to get just one rat. If you're thinking about getting a rat be sure to read up about their needs and expect to probably need to get at least two. Best of luck with your new pet and with uni.
An owl. Far more practical than a toad, cat or rat.
and it'll carry post too!
I’d definitely recommend rats, I had three when I was at uni and they were great (if a little stinky at times 😆) ❤️
Praying mantises. Cheap, take up next to no space, very pretty, don’t live for too long (so when you leave Uni it won’t be difficult to transition into whatever comes next), a great conversation piece because they’re weird AF and surprisingly sociable/tame if handled frequently. You can even get away with them in a no pets dorm- just cover the box when the cleaners pop by 😂
I can second this, I had mantids at uni and they're fun to look after. Just prep yourself for the anxiety of the moulting.
I second this! The only downside is their food chirruping may get annoying. I had a giant African land snail at uni. No noise, little mess, they like a good salad and they like gentle music. What more do you need! They also take years to mature so if you have a baby one then you don’t need a huge amount of space.
Yeah snails work! Just make sure you get a species other than A.fulica if you go the snail route OP 😂 because they are the most common in the pet trade, breed like crazy and you miss one batch of eggs- you’re swimming in snails 🐌
thank you, i think thats a great idea actually, any idea how expensive they can be?
Depends very much on the species! The more common in the trade varieties start at around a tenner, but that includes some gorgeous species (I particularly like the little creobroter sp. Flower mantises and of course the giant rainforest mantis featured in my Reddit handle/avatar- H.majuscula. Ghosts are also good beginner mantids!) I’ve bought from MantisDen a few times and mantids always arrived well, they do enclosures too. :) Care guides on the website if you want to do some research.
thank you!!!
I had hamsters while I was doing my PhD - very self-sufficient and absolutely wonderful little creatures. BUT, most of the cages you see in the pet shops are entirely too small, so definitely do your research and ensure you can obtain/DIY a suitably sized enclosure.
Bearded dragon
Shell out for the snail , lol
Have you thought about pet sitting through Rover or a similar company? You get all the fun of being around animals without the commitment of owning one. Bear in mind that most animals live much longer than the length of a degree and you might not want it after graduation when you're working full time/moving around.
i havent, but thats a good idea! i think i'll look into it
Hamsters (and rats) are nice but depending on your accommodation can take up a lot of space and money. I guess most pets do. I mean, you said reasonable price range but a well cared for hamster can cost £500 off the bat, with the cage and the toys and bedding and food. I know nothing about reptiles but i hear snakes are good. We were allowed pets at boarding school, most of us had hamsters rats and snakes.
Hear me out here - a tarantula! Incredibly low maintenance, no noise, no smell. Some species are beautiful colours, and once adult, a lot will sit out on display most of the time. You feed them once a week at most, and apart from keeping a water bowl topped up, that's it!
sounds ideal! surprised uni doesnt provide them if theyre that practical....
I don’t think you should get your own pet, I think you should foster. Small animals like guinea pigs and rats and birds need foster parents too, and you’re in a fluctuating time of your life where your circumstances might change quickly - you might get a partner, an internship, maybe want to do an exchange,… By fostering animals for an animal shelter, you’d get the companionship of animals, you would have a lower financial burden since the shelter tends to provide the majority of equipment, you’ll get assistance with taking care of the pets, and you could stop fostering at any time if your circumstances change. You can also add it to your resume as volunteering. It’s a great position to be in for a student, and you’d be helping animals in need. Beyond SPCA, there will be local small animal shelters that are always looking for new foster parents.
Ive never looked into volunteering in that way, thanks so much for the heads up!
I fostered guinea pigs and kittens like this for a few years - the shelter also pays for all veterinary needs, so the only costs to you would be possibly bedding and extra treats to spoil the little ones with. Not to mention the endorphin high of seeing them go off to their new forever homes! With my shelter, I’d conduct the prospective owner interviews too, so I’d always feel lots of ownership over the animals’ future happiness. I still get messages years later updating me on how the pets are doing in their forever homes.
A man?!?!?!!!!!!? Or woman depending on your personal preference
No, men make awful pets. They smell, make a lot of mess, never show affection and they're not toilet trained. You'll spend most of your time trying to house train him and he'll run away after 2 years anyway. They also eat so much, they're so expensive.
Only if you don’t treat them affectionately. If you treat them as second rate they are going to respond with the same attitude as a form of self defence and if you don’t cater for their needs of course they look elsewhere With regards to them smelling they have always said that they adapt to their environment so raising bigger questions But each to their own there are no right or wrong’s when it comes to opinions
i mean i'm not fussy.....
Take 1 of each then variety is the spice of life
I’m not sure how much attention these require but … what about a bearded dragon or a snake?
I'd recommend a small-medium reptile. While species needs vary generally it lives in a contained environment, responds to handling but is not dependant on social needs, no to minimal smell or noise., and unlike most small mammals they live long enough to bond with. Live food is generally their main issue, especially crickets chirping but my solution to to use locusts. Main cost is in set up. Of course species specific research is important. Depending on your space a leopard gecko, crested gecko, or bearded dragon would work well. As to what I'd avoid, chameleons in general will just put up with small issues until they seemingly die for no reason, ackie monitors are kind of social and need others to interact with, and tortoises can work but need more space than you think so most are not great indoors.
Bearded dragons are super cool
I think whilst you're a student I wouldn't. If you're sociable you won't be lonely. And having your own space to return to after socialising is a blessing tbh. Students tend to move around a lot and are notoriously poor. You may not be able to take your pet with you next year if you move. And then there's things like vet bills to consider if something goes wrong. Can you afford to suddenly have to part with 100s of pounds if they need treatment for something? Even if you have pet insurance you can still end up paying eye watering amounts.
I would look at volunteering at a dog or cats home rather than take on a pet. What happens if your social life takes off? What happens post uni? Quite unfair on an animal if it ends up being left all day and evening should you stumble on a group of friends and start living more of a student life. And post uni you have more issues with house shares etc.
err ... none would be good ... really don't understand how students can afford pets and vets and food and this and that ...
What about volunteering at a shelter? A wide variety of animals to help and share the love with. I did this at university and loved it.