A pet when you live by yourself, in an apartment, and when you work all day?

[Raggamuffin]

Collect taxidermy animals, and find a way to have motion sensors installed retrofitted. Maybe they could say funny things when you enter or exit a room.

"Good morning sir or madam"

Zero maintenance pets - the best.

Also, if you can find badly done taxidermy animals, that's even more amusing.

Ed

 

[selena]

It was tongue-in-cheek, @tree, not a serious suggestion. Part of the fun is to make the outrageous suggestion. To play naive and simple. The teenagers enjoyed that kind of humour.

This isn't specifically directed at you, but... read the room. I was clearly looking for serious answers, but most of the replies just made me roll my eyes.

I posted this question on this forum assuming people would know why an adult would live by themselves and not make suggestions about finding a roommate or having a friend help with petsitting etc, but instead I have a better glimpse of what NTs mean when they say autistic people pack empathy.

 

[Callistemon]

This isn't specifically directed at you, but... read the room. I was clearly looking for serious answers, but most of the replies just made me roll my eyes.

I posted this question on this forum assuming people would know why an adult would live by themselves and not make suggestions about finding a roommate or having a friend help with petsitting etc, but instead I have a better glimpse of what NTs mean when they say autistic people pack empathy.

A lot of people went out of their way to make serious suggestions to you and to talk about the kinds of alternatives that don't have the social requirements of dogs, and how to get around common problems. You just didn't like some/many of those suggestions, but people aren't magic mind readers who know in advance you don't like cats, for example.

 

[Darkkin]

Non-shedding, hypoallergenic, silent...apartment pet.

 

[Luca]

How were any of these posts lacking in empathy?????
Yes, there were a few good-natured jokes, but I saw the majority trying to be helpful here. Unless I'm missing something.

 

[Callistemon]

I was also going to say that before I had my own dog, I often volunteered to take neighbour's dogs for walks - especially working breed dogs that can never get enough of being active, and can get extra exercise with an "auntie" while being the auntie's personal fitness facilitator. It's not the same as having your own dog but can be good for the dog and you.

Also, when people have large companion animals like horses or donkeys, mostly they are kept at boarding places because few people have the land themselves. That tends to be expensive, but doesn't have to be - before we had a smallholding, I once rented an acre of pasture for my horse from someone who wanted their grass kept down, inexpensively because I put up my own relocatable electric fence. Donkeys are far more affordable to keep and probably easier to find arrangements like that for. And of course people can just go to hang out with equines at riding centres, or be a part-time carer and exerciser for a horse with a busy owner, incurring no expenses and riding in exchange for hands-on care.

None of this may be relevant to the OP, but it's a public thread that other people who'd like animals will be drawn to as well, and it may help someone else find a possibility they have not considered before.

 

[Gerontius]

I was also going to say that before I had my own dog, I often volunteered to take neighbour's dogs for walks - especially working breed dogs that can never get enough of being active, and can get extra exercise with an "auntie" while being the auntie's personal fitness facilitator. It's not the same as having your own dog but can be good for the dog and you.

Also, when people have large companion animals like horses or donkeys, mostly they are kept at boarding places because few people have the land themselves. That tends to be expensive, but doesn't have to be - before we had a smallholding, I once rented an acre of pasture for my horse from someone who wanted their grass kept down, inexpensively because I put up my own relocatable electric fence. Donkeys are far more affordable to keep and probably easier to find arrangements like that for. And of course people can just go to hang out with equines at riding centres, or be a part-time carer and exerciser for a horse with a busy owner, incurring no expenses and riding in exchange for hands-on care.

None of this may be relevant to the OP, but it's a public thread that other people who'd like animals will be drawn to as well, and it may help someone else find a possibility they have not considered before.

That's actually a thing in the USA as well. I like the bit with the portable fencing where you went & borrowed grass from someone--

I do not have tons of experience like you do but I can definitely say that it's been easier to make time for horses than for dogs. (Cats--well the neighbors' cat gets out a lot & he comes over here all the time.) I quit staying at home being miserable on Saturdays, and ended up going to ride horses. OK, I also get there early & can help with taking care of horses. They're fascinating animals.

They are also incredible to work with and I would suggest anyone go start looking into that if you like being outdoors. They have very interesting personalities & can live for over thirty years. I am fortunate enough to get to work with people who, when horses are too old to work, let them live to their full old age. There are a few privately owned horses there too--saw one of them being ridden & found out later that horse was 31 years old. (He wasn't worked much, just enough to keep him from getting bored. They're like us; they break things & develop bad habits if they're bored.)

Not the pet for keeping inside an apartment of course, but I have to live the apartment life basically with almost zero money. Still having better luck hanging out with horse people than I'd have if I tried keeping cats or dogs here. I have no regrets about getting involved.

 

[Aspychata]

I had a box turtle named Channel. I think he was a boy. Sometimes l had to hunt for him. He was super sweet. Had four animals, 2 cats and 2 dogs. Super fun. Then we dwindled down to a tux and a Chihuahua. The tux would get irritated with the ADHD dog. So we always gave him his own space. They all are your babies. My mom had had a guinea pig, quite cute but you should feed it vegetables. They love eating them. It would occasionally run around the house until it was time to go into it's crate.

 

[Catherine Read]

@Catherine Read, I once lived in a house-share where one of the housemates had a 6-foot diamond python, which liked to ride around the house on the back of our necks! I just would unwind it if it started trying to wind itself around my neck, but it was a nice animal and very beautiful.

...I can't believe how interactive your reptiles are! Wow! I was already amazed that the housemate's python recognised us more than I thought it would, but your snakes are really responding to you there. And they actually look super sweet...beautiful and interesting animals. The geckos are so cute! And did you make the interiors of the terrarium yourself? They are full of variety and make a far more stimulating environment than I usually see in people's terrariums - you are giving zoos a run for their money there. Do you work in a zoo by any chance?

That's sweet to hear about your housemates Python My JD used to snuggle in peoples sleeves and go to sleep when she was little, as she got bigger she still liked to go down sleeves but was so big she would enter one sleeve and come out the other lol. All my snakes are trained to come to the front of their enclosures when I tap, makes it easier to check on them and take them out. And yes, I made the interiors myself. I've been doing more upgrades since then, for instance this is another enclosure interior I did...

I don't work at a zoo but did study Zoo Biology at uni

 

[Forest Cat]

That's sweet to hear about your housemates Python My JD used to snuggle in peoples sleeves and go to sleep when she was little, as she got bigger she still liked to go down sleeves but was so big she would enter one sleeve and come out the other lol. All my snakes are trained to come to the front of their enclosures when I tap, makes it easier to check on them and take them out. And yes, I made the interiors myself. I've been doing more upgrades since then, for instance this is another enclosure interior I did...

I don't work at a zoo but did study Zoo Biology at uni

That looks great.

 

[Nick12]

how about an ant farm