Switching over

It comes a time when a pet keeper decides to increase his or her range of pets, in other words, diversifies from one group of pets to another. Depending on their financial wherewithal, to be able to sustain the new pets. It also entails learning an entirely new skill set in pet keeping and ability to cope with new needs and experiences. It gets tricky when one is transiting from dogs to birds which are entirely different. Some people decide to switch over after undergoing negative experiences with a pet like predatory instincts and cannibalism on fellow pets in the case of birds or aggressiveness against vulnerable or weaker pets in the case of dogs. I have done the switch over in the past but only for commercial reasons. I usually treat even livestock at home as pets so I do understand the mechanics of the transition. Its usually a sad affair especially if the animal concerned is going to the slaughter house. I suppose, various individuals here have done a similar thing. What were your reasons? How did you cope?

I grew up with fish, rabbits, and a dog.  But after my rabbit and dog died. I haven't had another because I find that I still compare the new potential pet with the old and find them lacking.  Which isn't fair because each animal is unique, but on some basic level I still want my old pet back.  So I switched to cats.  For me, it's was harder to compare cats because I was used to my grandma's menagerie of cats and knew they were always different.  Even after my cat Midnight died, I don't find myself comparing the next cat to him the way I do with my dog and rabbit.  Though I think I'm at the part where I keep finding traits of previous cats that I feel that I need some separation before I start comparing.  

I think it's easier to switch from mammal to mammal than it is to switch from mammal to reptile.  When my brother got his first lizards, I got my first experience buying live crickets and then trying to feed the crickets to the lizards.  That was interesting and certainly different than opening a can or bag and pouring it in a bowl.  I would definitely do research before switching pets though because even though dogs and cats are both mammals, they are completely different.

I have always had cats, and am seriously a devoted cat person. Cats usually despise me. LOL. Dogs, on the other hand, love me to pieces and I like them, but not the same as how I love cats. It IS different when you switch over to another type of pet... and hopefully not too abrupt. For me, I had an abrupt moment where a friend of mine gave me a live pet for my birthday once... a pet lizard.

I had no idea at the time, how to raise the creature, but luckily he came with instructions from the pet store where she bought him. I had to put him in an old aquarium with a heat rock and dirt, and go to the local bait store to buy crickets. They had to be brown crickets as the wild variety of black crickets were too fast for him to catch. So that was definitely a change for me as I wasn't just raising a lizard but also his live food as well.

I have raised mice, lizards, newts, cats, dogs, fish, parakeets, cockatiels, chickens, ducks, geese and pheasants, as well as a variety of smaller game birds. All in all, each were fairly forgiving during the learning curve, and it was pretty easy to get used to the new regimen that each new animal or bird gave to me. The hard part, I think, is housing the animals as many of them require shelters for protection from wildlife. I guess I like the challenge that a new pet offers, and my newest 'pet' is my banana tree. LOL. I spoil that thing rotten and it's only a plant.

We've always wanted to add a cat to chase rats away but one of the dogs here at home is not akin to cats. I suppose it will be different because of the behaviors and other facts we have to look out for when taking care of cats. Furthermore, there are certain diseases that we must also know about. The knowledge of taking care of certain pets must be learned before acquiring a specific type of pet.

Over the years, I have had a wide variety of pets, including the usual dogs and cats, rabbits and goldfish; but I have also had different larger animals, such as horses, cows and even llamas.
Most of the larger livestock are in kind of an area where they are not the same as just having some livestock that you raise for food, but neither are they the same as having a dog or cat for a pet, since the interaction is limited.
I have had horses that I really loved, and loved them as much as any dog that I have owned; but even so, it is a totally different relationship. When you have a horse, it is for a purpose (usually to ride them), whereas a cat or dog, for the most part, is simply there to be our pet.
True, some dogs are trained for other purposes, such as herding sheep or cattle; but those are then considered to be working dogs, and not just a house pet.
As far as having birds or lizards, I really have never been attached to anything except a mammal pet. The others are not really able to bond with you like your dog or cat will do, although many of them will learn to come when you are feeding them.
Now, I have two little dogs, and that is all of the pets that I want any more.