Meh; pets.

@connorbush you were on the Disney Channel??? lol..that's awesome. And I hope someone has a sugar glider - I always wanted one..

@connorbush will just be still for 23 hours of the day then eat a cricket or move from one side of her house to the other. Sounds like my husband on the weekend.

@beachbum ah, a man of my own values. ;-)

@connorbush Do not visit Cambodia with your pet. My daughter told me how to cook tarantula. Fortunately she says they don't taste good. What she said exactly was, "Spider no good mom. In this country we have chicken".

@Kidsandliz that's awesome! My little trixie would be a potato chip compared to the gigantic bird eating spiders!

@metageist - How many of you Googled "axolotl"?
It looks amazing! (I think it has the heart of ET).

OMG, my daughter will want one. And can someone have the girl filming this checked out for TB?

@KDemo I'll take ten.

@mfladd Somebody needs to give that kid a cough drop.

@mfladd I think it was relatively easy: keep some live mealworms on hand for feeding, clean the water every once in a while like with a fish tank.

@metageist http://www.mypetchicken.com/

@connorbush Technically I don't consider my chickens as pets. They eventually meet the stock pot so I don't name them or anything. I've never ordered from that site but it is a good resource for choosing a breed, should you want a couple chickens in your life :)

@JonT I knew a guy with a genius crow. I have a soft spot for animals with a bad rap sheet. I welcome the rats, crows, and pit bulls.

@JonT rats get no bad rap from me. They are suppose to be great pets. For me it snakes. I hate snakes - so do rats, for a reason. I use to be a program director for a summer camp in college. We would bring in animal groups. Everytime a giant snake came in it didn't mind 50 little hands groping it, but they would literally hiss at me every time I can near. Yup, they were meant to be belts

@JonT I had a weird looking hairless rat when I was a kid. She was great and better than the fuzzy cute little hamsters that I had before her.

@JonT bro if you want to come to NYC and tell me our rats aren't disgusting then we have 32 million beautiful new pets for you

@JonT My older brother worked at a pet store when he was in high school. So he was always bringing in older pets that weren't selling. The rats were very nice and a lot more interestnig then mice, gerbals, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. Not as smelly as ferrits either (never had those, too smelly). They liked to snuggle a lot and slept most of the day.

@JonT I've had quite a few friends with pet rats- they've all been very sweet little critters. I've never had any of my own, though.

@Lotsofgoats another one of my pet peeves :P equating sewer rats with pet rats.

@JonT hey man you didn't specify the origin of said rats and I'm just going on statistics

@JonT Rats are the best! Except for the lifespan. It is like having your dog die after 2 years.

@JonT www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6scHgACSD0

@Prissy www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6scHgACSD0

@JonT are rats as cool in real life as they are on tv?

@JonT I'll vouch for rats too. I was once a manager at PetSmart and I always tried to talk people into rats instead of those stupid biting gerbils and hamsters. Rats are the only rodent that are able to be trained and really do make great little pets as long as you socialize them properly when young. Shame they have such a negative connotation attached to them. How could you not want this?

@JonT - As a kid, I had white rats as pets. Used to sell the babies back to the pet store for $.50 each.

@JonT @connorbush so of course after my stated hatred of snakes I just come in the front door and what the hell has slithered up a decorative tree on the porch and is looking me in the eye - A frickin huge black rat snake!!!!! Even the UPS guy wanted nothing to do with it. I blame @narfcake and this thread for this snakely encounter!!!!!!

@mfladd I blame the goat!

@mfladd pretend this loaded properly..https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQpT4LYa0Y#

@mfladd http://shirt.woot.com/offers/why-did-it-have-to-be-snakes

@connorbush Only commends go to this month's goat; blame goes to last month's goat.

@narfcake

@Kidsandliz I FORGOT THAT I HAD AN ANT FARM . I just Google ed to look into a new one. Man they have progressed. So so many cool ones out there. Thanks for the reminder.

@Kidsandliz http://ant-farm-stores-review.toptenreviews.com/top-10-ant-farms.html

@connorbush Mine was like the Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm on that page

And a guinea pig - well my sister had one of those. Windmill legs when you pick them up. Of course one of my cats had windmill legs when I first picked her up to get a closer look at the fish tank. Goldfish interact with people and cats and that freaked out that one cat (the rest were enthralled, initially trying to figure out how to break in - too ad no video camera as one cat had both paws around the 6 sided tank, face smashed against it trying to figure out how to get those things that I swear were laughing at him. They were feeder goldfish - nice and cheap for if we killed them by accident. I did not realize they lived for 20+ years and that was why they were so smart. And that they needed a huge tank or we'd kill them like a pot bound plant. So we gave them away. Then got beta's and didn't know they'd kill each other (thanks Petsmart).

@jaremelz I had many, many, many unintended pet mice over the years. Spring fever or shedding time made my king/corn snake lose all apatite.

@connorbush you had to bring this up didn't you? I did, the deluxe kit with viewing bubbles. But being young I allowed all the water evaporate - they were no more - not my proudest moment as a pet lover. Frick'n brine shrimp - I was so disappointed.

@connorbush I graduated pretty quickly to sea horses (don't ask what happened to the sea monkeys ;) )

@thismyusername that is another cool pet. I went to the Baltimore Aquarium that had a huge exhibit on them (this video is from it). How long did they survive?

@mfladd not too long, if I could send a message back in time I would tell my younger self the importance of keeping the salt water balanced. :(

@thismyusername I knew is was going to be another sad story. Sorry.

@connorbush Oh yeah I forgot about the sea horses. Had them too as a kid.

@connorbush We tried to have Sea Monkeys. Mosquitos found their bowls (one each for me and my brother) and laid their eggs in the lovely salt water. My mother refused to let us try again after she realized she'd inadvertently set up a mosquito breeding farm in the house.

@koalamoo awe bummer. I had a few batches of the monkeys. They never hatched though. Not sure why.

@thismyusername fancy.

@connorbush We recently tried to grow some triops, which I guess are the modern replacement for growing sea monkeys? Anyway we killed the first batch by accident, so we're going to try again.

@metageist May the odds be ever in your favor.

@mfladd That card is so familiar! Ah, the resonating dissappointment and hours of staring into the empty water that soon became my empty life.

@connorbush It was in the back of every comic book. Kids of today will never know the utter joy and disappointment of sending away for stupid shit that took weeks to come.

@connorbush yes - we had better luck with the expanding shape sponges that came in a capsule. Throw them in water and bingo a non-pet sponge. I am not sure how long our sea horses lasted but I'd suspect not all that long.

@mfladd I used to know the joy of waiting weeks for shit.... THAT WAS UNTIL MEH EXPEDITED ALL OF THEIR SHIPPING. Darn meh and their fancy shipping. I used to order, forget I bought something, then be surprised and excited when I had mail... Now what do I do meh?! Accept this normalcy? @Kidsandliz this was a plug for your thread from this morning.

@Kidsandliz I had many a good baths with those. Also many coffee mugs full of those. The glory days.

@connorbush The ones from @mfladd are on my desk now. Since we've got the holiday weekend coming up, I'll start 'em next week and post the progress.

@hollboll how did I know they would end up on your desk ;)

@Pony Sounds like my favorite Dr Doolittle book!

@Pony wow! I think you win.

@connorbush I didn't know it was a contest. LOL That's not all the pets I've had, either. I've had dogs, 2 horses, a crow, a pigeon, oodles of fish, several anoles, and a mouse named Desiree, who used to ride around in my pocket. I'm probably forgetting someone... LOL I would like to have a tarantula, but hubby said no. :(

@Pony I want a fennec fox but my fiance claims it is not practical.... psh it makes up for practicality with CUTNESS!!! It is no contest but if it were. You would be the victor.

@Pony What? No Guinea pigs? Hamsters? Ferrets? I’m betting you had at least one of these as well. Making a mental list of all my pets over a long lifetime I know I’m probably forgetting something.

@Pony where I live huge snapping turtles are always on the roads. My wife has even called me to come and remove them before it gets hit. I have seen cars lined up waiting for the turtle to pass. Amazing how many people will not pick them up. So, from experience I will ask - who gives a snapping turtle the run of the house?!?!?!? Especially, a cranky one?

@connorbush I totally want a fennec fox too! So freakin' adorable!

@Teripie Ha! You are correct. There were a few hamsters in the mix when I was a kid.

@mfladd We did. And his name was Snappy Tom. :)

@Pony

@JonT Squeeeeeeeeeeee!

@JonT cah-yoot!

@JonT very cute... and they are so little!!!

@Pamtha On the smell... Why am I not surprised. LOL

@Pamtha Why do I keep reading that as "descended"?

Edit above for slight correction: I don't know why I said "Pigg" was a "he" above. We had actually assumed that Pigg was a female based on size and body shape.

@Prissy I shed a tear for pigg. And the fish.

@JerseyFrank go cat go!

@JerseyFrank We have two on thyroid meds. Siblings. And one of those siblings has stomatitis and had all of his teeth pulled as a result (this disease affects the immune system, which in turn attacks the bacteria in the mouth and goes into overdrive on the attack, making the mouth extremely sore and at this point, the only way to help is to pull the teeth).

@lisaviolet @JerseyFrank. I have had 2 on thyroid meds (one currently, one died in 1998). Now I also have a newly diagnosed diabetic cat (make sure that is not why yours is peeing so much - my first cat on thyroid pills developed diabetes) with kidney issues. Both these guys are now 14, one whom I raised from 10 days old. Glad your cat is doing well so far.

@Kidsandliz Last blood work didn't show diabetes. This cat's 14 too.

@JerseyFrank My cat went from normal (136) to diabetic (480) in a 4 week period. Yikes. I brought him back in due to drinking a lot of water and big pee balls. Hope you can find your cat's issues. They checked kidney function? Early on in cats they may drink and pee a lot, it is only late in the game they get dehydrated. Usually not much in the way of symptoms until they have lost a lot of kidney function.

@Kidsandliz My 15 year old cat was drinking/peeing a lot recently and it turned out to be kidney problems. He developed a severe potassium deficiency which caused him to lose all muscle function. I had to carry him around the house to food/water/box for three days during recovery :( He's better now but we give him supplements twice a day, probably for the rest of his old man life.

@smilingjack I always fed my dude live mice. A friend of mine fed his gold-fish. I also knew a lady who used only frozen.

@connorbush I've had rats as pets. She knew I wouldn't feed the snake anything alive.

@Teripie This. This right here was the quality I was after. I would not have thought of this as a pet nor an idea--I DO NOW. I might try this. I recall, as a lad. I saw one of the guys about this size of a half-dollar. I asked around the office just now and a gentleman (avid hiker) confirms he too has see a Goliath rolly-polly/potato bug. Call it what you will.

@Teripie Are they Pill bugs (Rolie Polies)? Bleh! Why, just why?!

@connorbush go big or go home. I nominate the giant isopod for @Teripie's next pet.

@Lotsofgoats I was reading that people with cockroach allergy also have crustacean allergy and vice versa! Beware allergy peeps.

@connorbush great now they can't even eat cockroaches

@Lotsofgoats they wont eat us either. http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/02/08/giant-underwater-pill-bug-refuses-to-eat-for-4-years-scientists-puzzled-why-its-being-such-a-jerk/

@connorbush These were so easy and so successful my daughter and I thought they could be marketable. Some bugs, wood chops, potting soil, and a cheap fishbowl. Viola! Something far more successful than sea monkies.

@Teripie Yet, they're often considered an invasive pest. Have you considered marketing fleas or possibly deer ticks?

@Teripie Hmm... I wonder if there is a hybrid of the normal mixed with the giant version. People keep Praying Mantis as pets--this is not too far a stretch.

@Teripie I wish I knew that as a kid! I had a shoe box of worms in my room...until my mom found it. She never understood my interest in insects.

@Teripie When I was a kid I had pet maggots. I raised them from eggs I found on raw meat in the garbage can. I believe I was required to keep them outside.

@Lotsofgoats It makes a super cute stuffed animal

@connorbush Praying Mantis (Manti? Mantises?) are so damn cool, it'd be pretty cool to have one hanging around.

@JonT I will not attempt the plural. They are bad ass insects. They can take down hummingbirds (no one post this image, please) Where I live now we see a lot of them around the house.

@mfladd according to myth and legend, you can feed them raw hamburger meat when they get large enough!

@connorbush My old roommate had a pet praying mantis. They really are fascinating.

@connorbush Ever have one bite you? Those little suckers can draw blood!

@Teripie hmm. Not that I recall. I certainly hope to avoid such confrontation. I'll take your word for it!

@connorbush Could just be me. I've had little green anole lizards draw blood as well.

We have white Praying Mantis all over our yard.

@mfladd - Hummingbirds? So they're preying praying mantises.

@KDemo They are so cool. But sometimes I get annoyed when I'm out at hood canal and every damn shell I find has a hermit crab living in it. LOL They don't leave any for me!