Impulse Pets

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

10 Apr 2006 02:27 PM

It could happen on vacation. It could happen on a trip to the shore, or at the county fair. Any place, any time, you could become the owner of an impulse pet.

What's an impulse pet, you say? That lazy little goldfish the kids won at the school carnival. The sleek little lizard you picked up at the fair. That hermit crab you bought on your last visit down the shore. No matter how you found your new family pet, there are advantages and disadvantages to impulse pets like these.

The Good Stuff

• All of these impulse pets (or prize pets) are relatively low maintenance. You don't have to walk a lizard or teach your goldfish good behavior. As long as they are fed regularly, you're in pretty good shape.
• Because they are easy to care for, it is an easy way to teach the kids about the Responsibility of Pet Ownership before taking the leap with a kitty or puppy.
• One random win at the county fair can turn into a lifelong love of aquariums or reptiles! The kid who wins a goldfish today could turn into a marine biologist tomorrow.
• Lizards and fish and hermit crabs are allergy-free!

The Bad Stuff

• Impulse pets usually have short life spans. Within months or even days, you may be explaining why Goldie the Goldfish is swimming upside down.
• Any pet is going to cost you in food and toys and habitat upkeep. You can skimp on things like tank décor, but your new pet will need a proper balanced diet.
• Taking care of that impulse pet may end up being more complicated than you originally thought. Lizards can be sensitive to temperature changes. Fishies need their bowls cleaned periodically, or an air filter/snail combo for water and glass cleaning.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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