RE: Is your family being supportive for your pet hobby?
My country itself is not very pet friendly, here it's still heavily enforced that animals are filthy and should be kept only outside and with a purpose (food, house guarding, mice catching etc.). So it's not very strange that my own family enforces these same "ideals" as well. They can't do anything about me having cats, of course, but it's heavily frowned upon and has been the source of many arguments. One of the saddest things I've encountered lately was when my not-animal-lover uncle moved to a house and got a dog, because a yard should have a dog I guess. He and his girlfriend were having fun playing "responsible pet owners" at first, taking him to the vet and on daily walks, but I can see them getting bored with it. I get very sad seeing my grandparents collecting bones from the table for him (which are very sharp and dangerous). My grandfather even convinces me with a smile that those are like cookies for dogs. The only supportive one is my brother, who actually loves animals (where he and I picked it up, I haven't got a clue). I'm actually getting a little sad just writing this... As for me, I wouldn't mind my boyfriend getting any kind of pet. I'm a bit scared of snakes and spiders, but I would grow to love them if he kept them.