Get a fish.

One day my friend and I were bored at work so we decided to walk to the pet store and buy 2 bettas that would sit on opposite ends of the office we shared and be in constant rivalry for domination of the world. One was red, one was blue and they were named Barack Obama and Chairman Mao, naturally.

He quit first and took his fish where he got it killed by putting it with other fish. He goes through a lot of fish.

This was the first fish I had ever owned so when I quit I took my fish ownership seriously and that fish got a place right in the middle of the living room on a half height bookshelf in his little $15 tank with his ancient bridge to hide under.

Overall owning a fish is a very one-sided relationship, but he is an amusing little creature when you walk by his tank and he brings out his war face and would literally eat you right then and there if he could. It's cute. He knows when he's getting fed every morning, he has moods where he doesn't care about defending his tank and won't give up the war face, and he doesn't even give me any problems when I clean the tank out.

Three years later I have a somewhat old betta who is still ready to murder me pretty much every time I walk by the cage. According to Google that is pretty old for a betta in a small tank with nothing but generic dry, flaked food his entire life. You can tell he is getting older -- like he rests on his ancient bridge between going up for bites of food -- but he is a good fish.

Although I don't think I will get any more fish, I don't regret impulsively buying one and taking care of it for a second. We're friends... sort of.

It is possible to keep fruit bats as pets, but I don't think you could do so outside of the rainforest-like areas where they live--plus, they're mostly listed as threatened/endangered, and you'd need an exotic import permit and license to get one. These guys have the benefit of eating food that doesn't move, so you wouldn't have to let it outside to hunt every night, but practically speaking, you aren't going to find one in the US.

North American bats eat live insects and need to hunt, plus they are social animals that require living in large groups for their own health. And, they hibernate, so they'd be pretty boring half of the time.

If you want a semi-flighted pet, you could get a sugar glider. These animals also have specialized needs and a diet that involves live insects; they do not make good first pets. However, they are generally legal to possess and are cute.

hmmmm... seems like they're not too domestic: http://www.batworld.org/pet-bats/

I have not heard of this being done, but will make some observations.

For myself I tend to think of pets as companion animals, the term companion parrot is how psittacine pets are often referred. That is, you are talking about animals that are capable and oriented to forming relationships and attachment with other beings. Now this kind of thinking might leave out some animals kept as 'pets' like scorpions and spiders, but I do not have experience with those organisms in that way and will have to leave that an open subject. Dogs in the wild have a pack as a social group, birds of different species gather in family groups, small tribes and larger flocks. There are specific social features to these relationships, a mate, allo-care (that is preening and cleaning tasks one cannot complete themselves), others to look out for and share protective responsibilities while eating and roosting. It is clear that is how I build that a bond with my own birds by participating with them as a flock member. I interpret bats, as a mammal and as an animal that tends to gather with others of its kind when roosting and as having a certain awareness of other beings. However, I don't know if they typically will build a bond with a human.

Now let's look at lifestyle and common habits. Bats select daytime roosting spots that meet their needs (I am leaving the larger tropical fruit eating daytime active bats out of the discussion here) and certainly gather with others of their kind. Some specialize in underground locations (caves, etc.) some in other protective areas and hollows. Nocturnally they are out and about over large areas hunting and feeding on their preferred prey. I think it would be hard to have a bat acclimate to an indoor existence as it would not have the area to fly or the airborne insect prey to hunt (not all bats rely on insects). So if you are like most people your 'pet' would have a daily schedule that is just the opposite of your own and you don't typically have the space or food source they would prefer.

It is my feeling that you would only obtain a bat to have as a pet by capturing a live example, one that is used to its external existence and therefore one that would probably not conform to your preferences and most likely not allow touching by you. My impression is that it is an animal that would not thrive as a pet and, of course, that is the one very large and most important parameter to consider.

So, how can you still enjoy and observe bats at home? You can easily obtain pre-made bat houses for installation on or near your home. They are relatively easy to construct from plans if you are handy with tools and wood. I would think that you could install mini remote CCTV cameras to use for observation to see them come and go and observe them when they are at rest (roosting) in the house you have provided. You will have to follow recommended guidelines in construction and placement to be successful at attracting the species of bats that are naturally in your area.

Nope, that's the trickster coyote. See how lean and skinny it is? A wolf is HUGE all over. See one in person (Woodland Park has some) and you'll definitely notice the difference. And Kitsch is right, we have VERY few wolves in Washington. Your odds of seeing on in Seattle are vanishingly minute.

Your odds of seeing a coyote, urban-friendly as they are, are not bad at all.

Check out more info here:
http://washingtonwolf.info/

That's a coyote, dude.

There are very few resident wolves in Washington State- we're talking double digits. A small new pack was discovered earlier this year, and that made big news in the conservation world. If you think it was too big to be a coyote, you should definitely send that pic to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for verification.

I'm not an expert in this, but this looks like a coyote with a serious case of mange to me.

I want to answer your question with a discussion about various bird species, but first have to say that, in general, birds have the ability to live much longer (given proper care) than typical household pets. Even a budgerigar obtained now (AKA a budgie or parakeet) could be alive and well, living in your home when you son packs off for college. I could give my African Grey to J's grandchild who is just a few years older than the bird and she could have that bird when she reaches her 50th birthday (and beyond). Depending on your outlook on being responsible for animals you adopt (health, well-being, happiness, and longevity) this decision based on your very young son's current fascination may be a bit premature, but I trust you will consider all the facts (as you have had some bird experience and are willing to ask the right questions).

So, if not a real bird right away, then what?

There are some really neat little stuffed animal birds that are quite nicely realistic (but plush) that have a little device in them with the recorded bird song and when you squeeze them just right they play for a couple of cycles of the song. Here are some examples.  I remember seeing them for a time in REI but certainly they are available through many online sources.

Having a window based or close bird feeder can bring local birds right up to your kitchen or dining room window and can be very entertaining. If you plant your garden with the right bushes and plants you can attract a huge variety of local native birds to where you can watch them very close by. Hummingbird feeders are also very successful for getting such amazing birds in close to see from inside your house. You have to learn to be very still when wild birds are nearby so you can observe them without scaring them away. Having a feeder through the winter months is a commitment not to take lightly, as birds will come to depend on that source of food as part of the resources of their range. Keeping it clean and providing high quality food is important.

Obviously there is a huge gamut of DVDs (watching a video screen for any length of time is probably not recommended in a very young child) for seeing high quality movies of real birds and hearing their song. For adults, Winged Migration will absolutely blow your mind as you watch birds up close in formation flight (some at high altitude) - you gotta see it to believe it, and then you will wonder how they did it (video explanation is included).

Then there are zoo exhibits to go to where you can go into a flighted bird aviary and have birds right around you coming to eat on seed sticks given to visitors. The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has such an exhibit called Budgie Buddies that is in its last couple weeks of activity before closing for the season (call as it is weather permitting). Go right away if you are interested.

There are also breeder and exhibitor shows that you can go to (see below, one coming up this weekend).

So, now to real birds in your own home.

If you are convinced that having some real live birds of your own is what you want, then you have the choice between the finches, canaries or small psittacines, that is the smaller parrot species like budgerigars, parrotlets (pronounced PARRO-lets), cockatiels, etc. Up front I will have to admit that I am not very well versed in finch and canary knowledge and urge that for whatever species of birds you may consider, to look for folks that already own or breed them and go to that source for the best information.

Here is a very timely resource. Cascade Canary Breeders Association Their fall bird (finch and canary) show is this coming weekend and family admission price is $5. I believe they also have a large show in the spring of each year.  

Social finches like zebra finches have a huge following (there are two currently up for adoption on the QL classidfieds) and you could learn more about them at the resource above.

Going to a show like that referenced here can be a good way to see up close various species and also get great information about local resources and talk to experienced owners. It is easy to dismiss the smaller birds as not having significant intelligence, distinct personalities, and desire to communicate with the humans they live with. I may have thought that of canaries, but after going to a bird club meeting on the peninsula last year, that all changed. A member brought one of his small hand raised white (flighted) canaries. As the meeting went on the bird started with the person immediately to the person's right and visited them on their hand, shoulder, chattering in their ear and being very interactive and socially curious. That continued for everyone seated around the large ring of tables, as the bird flew to each one in order, including me, spending a few minutes with each person, eventually returning to their owner.

You need to go and look at real birds to know more about the amount of space you will need to dedicate to keeping them, the mess involved, and the amount of noise they can make. Obviously for smaller birds it might seem that their needs would be less but you can't make that assumption. Canaries and finches are perching birds and need much more horizontal space to be properly active and happy. They jump and fly from perch to perch and need cages that are longer horizontally than high so they have appropriate movement space. Psittacine birds have feet and a beak designed for grasping and can climb around their enclosures as well as use their wings. Their cages can be more square and with different play, perching areas at various heights. Larger enclosures are always preferable for activity and need to be outfitted with lots of perching options as well as hanging and side mounted toys for play and activity. For mixed sex groups of budgies you have no real worry about breeding as long as you don't provide anything that can be used as a nestbox.

Canaries and finches sing and make other noises that vary according to their species and sex. Budgies have a pleasant sound/whistles and actually are quite capable of learning to talk (I had a grandfather with a budgie that he had taught to say its name and the home phone number - for recovery, if he accidentally got outside). 

Beyond those options you have cockatiels, parrotlets, and the Pyrrhura conures. Cockatiels are larger birds and make wonderfully and quite long lived pets. It is not unusual to meet folks with cockatiels that are in their twenties. They certainly require significant time and attention (as all birds do, they aren't potted plants). Parrotlets are often described as full size parrots in small bodies and I believe it after hearing the stories of people that own them. These species are a significant leap in investment of time and energy to keep. Most folks don't really understand how much attention and time companion birds require. In general, I would recommend against parrotlets and lovebirds (which I have not discussed here) as being too challenging and not well suited to being handled by a small child. If your child is somewhat older when you make the bird decision you may want to consider a Green-cheeked Conure as a family bird. They are one of the quieter conure species (genus Pyrrhura versus genus Aratinga), but yet another leap up in longevity (with 30+ years possible).

The interaction between your child and the birds must be strictly chaperoned. Small birds can be quite fragile in a confined space and a child erroneously trying to discipline a bird by striking the cage or moving too quickly even once could send a bird in fright to a collision and severely bad injury.

With budgies, having a couple to serve as cage buddies or even a small colony of three or more in one enclosure is quite possible and being the social beings they are will hang out, communicate and allo-preen each other. You need to have plenty of feeding stations and place multiple groups of veggies and other treats so no one bird can garner the supply from others. Keeping an eye on the group dynamics is a good idea and spend time each day watching each bird to assess its health state is a good practice. With a group it is easy to miss that one or another is less active or may have an injury that needs attention.

Any bird needs out of cage time to be social with the humans and enjoy the freedom of flight and movement. Clipping wings on small birds can be problematic. Lovebirds (for example) are short tailed birds and fly very well even with primary flight feathers clipped. Budgies are actually long tailed parrots and have a different flight dynamic. They can be very unstable with clipped wings and falls to the floor can be quite traumatic. Clipped wings are meant to be done so that a bird can fly with control down (but not gain altitude). With such small birds getting that balance can mean a very slight difference in the clip. Clipping bird wings (that is, trimming flight feathers that have no feeling or enervation and are molted periodically and replaced) is one of the many hotly debated issues in keeping birds as pets. All of my parrots are fully flighted and fly in my home. Having flight capable budgies could work very well in a regularly used space (the birds get to know the flying space, available landing spots) and will actually hang out on the top of their cage and return to eat and rest after exercise. Having out of cage time coincide with time to manage the cage cleaning chores and replenishing food and treats can be a good daily occurrence. Having regular interaction time and finger time (bird perched on hand), gentle touching (scritches on the head and neck) will keep your birds interacting with you and seeking your attention.

All birds deserve meticulously clean living environments which generally means daily cleaning chores (both in and around cage areas), replenishment of clean water, provision of fresh and pelleted food, not just seed (seed is nutritionally deficient as a single food and will promote poor health and shortened lifespan), fresh or well filtered air and good full spectrum lighting.

All birds deserve appropriate veterinarian care and budgies in particular require vaccination for Polyomavirus. We are particularly fortunate in this area to have a number of highly qualified certified avian vets in the western Washington and Puget Sound region. If you need more information or references, please contact me directly.

All birds will require in house or exterior sitting services if you will be away from them for more than 24 hours. Know that some folks with larger psittacine birds will not want to sit your budgies as they can be carriers of some diseases that can affect other species. You can have a somewhat smaller and transportable "away cage" ready for those times (still needs to be outfitted with toys and such) that the birds can be happy in for a short stay.

There is another whole issue I won't try to discuss here on the home environment and changes that you need to make to ensure bird health indoors (getting rid of teflon pans in the kitchen, not using aerosols, having a good air filter etc.). However, you should also be aware that birds create allergens (dander and feather dust) that can be a problem for people with asthma or other reactive breathing difficulties. These conditions by anyone in your home and especially in your son would make having birds a real problem and probably not a good choice.

Although I hate the titles of these series, the books written for "dummies" and "complete idiots" on the various pet bird species can be good general guides. There are lots of good books on keeping birds. Pay attention to copyright dates so you are reading relatively recent literature and always consult more than one source as philosophy and opinions on best practices can vary. It is THE BEST practice to fully understand what you are getting into when considering having birds as pets BEFORE obtaining them.

In summary, go see birds where you can, meet folks that have birds and talk to them (bird clubs and bird shows), read books on keeping birds (use the library as a start), and ALWAYS consider taking in birds that need new homes (there are plenty), contact me for references, if you need.

If you understand the commitment ahead of time and have the facts you will be ready to meet the challenges and enjoy a long satisfying relationship with wonderfully interesting feathered beings in your life.

I've only had experience with canaries and lovebirds. Male canaries will sing if they're alone, but not if they have female canaries with them. I think they live around 10-15 years or so (mine lived 10). Lovebirds don't really sing at all, they just screech.

That's my 2 cents.

Come out and play with the pups. Totally NOT a creeper activity. Offleash parks are one of the few places that the "Seattle Freeze" doesn't appear (or so friends tell me. Personally, I initiate conversation with strangers all the time at many locations, so don't really notice).

Before we got our dog, a good friend who lives in Roosevelt district and I would head down to Magnuson. Great place to wander and chat, with good people and dog watching. Grab a seat and watch the pups. A few folks might be upset if you just went up and started playing with their dog out of nowhere. But if you wait for a dog to approach you, then it seems fair game to pet them, rub their belly, etc. Owners actually are generally glad that strangers are okay with their dog's attention, ya know?

Marymoor park on the eastside is great, too. But even at a smaller park (Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, etc) it should be fine. Just wander around or grab a seat. It's just a park, after all...a park full of free-running dogs. have fun!!

I used to do that in NYC and I don't even like dogs that much. But they had a mini-dog park (i.e. for mini-dogs) and it was really fun to watch them scurry around.

I was never arrested, approached by police, or asked what I was doing there. :) It never felt weird. For the record, I am a dude, although I like to think that I'm not creepy.

In other words, no, it's not awkward.

No one is even going to notice.

Go to one of the bigger parks like Magnuson or Marymoor, so you can walk and get some exercise at the same time. I went to the dog park a lot before I got my dog. I used it as a way to figure out what I wanted. That said, if you are, indeed, a creepy guy, please don't go to the dog park.

No. Not at all. I enjoy other people's dogs at Green Lake all the time. Not "a dog park", but if I just wanted the pleasure of being around dogs, not really suited to having one myself, I go where people go with their dogs.

Most people are quite pleased when people love their dogs.

As soon as Daniel Stern shows up and starts living down there. Then, it's on!

Denise's Delightful Dookers in Auburn
http://www.washingtonferretdelights.org/adopt.html

or

Washington State Ferret Rescue in Kirkland
http://www.washingtonferret.org/adoption.htm

There are sooooo many great ferrets in shelters that need good homes, I encourage you to adopt from one of these shelters.

If you are new to the ferret world, here is a cute webpage with good advise for potential ferret owners

http://www.all-about-ferrets.com/ferret-as-a-pet.html

Dogs can apparently do fine on a vegan diet - as keshmeshi says, they're omnivores, and their digestive systems, like ours, can handle a wide variety of different foods/different diets. I suspect that a well-balanced vegan dog food is BETTER for a dog than the rendered lips, assholes, floor scrapings, and god knows what else that's in the cheap dog food you get at the grocery store.

Cats, as rogitator says, are considered "obligate carnivores." This is because they require substantial amounts of nutrients, e.g. amino acids like taurine, that they can't manufacture themselves, and that don't usually occur in plants. Cats need to eat a high-protein diet, because they don't absorb protein efficiently. (This is probably one of the reasons why cat poop is appealing to dogs, as gross as that is - it's full of undigested proteins.) The fact that cats can and do (and, in fact, need to) eat plant foods sometimes doesn't make them any less obligate carnivores. The jury is apparently still out on whether cats can or should be vegan. One of the complicating factors is that anecdotal reports of healthy "vegan" cats are suspect, because they could be supplementing their diets by hunting. In theory, if they can get all the nutrients they need from a plant-based diet, there's no reason why they shouldn't, but we're far from knowing everything about nutrition.

Incidentally, I'm a long-time vegetarian, but my cats have always eaten meat.

Here's a good article on the subject: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=veggie-cat-food

We got our hamster at Animal Talk on Roosevelt and 65th. Even though they are a pet shop, their hamsters come from an excellent breeder.

Odd as it seem the pualip fair might have some breeders they have in the past. You can chat with the. ( they love to talk about their animals) and can put you in touch with breeders

Cats are obligate carnivores. They NEED to eat meat. Indoor cats (which have much greater average life expectancies) cannot go hunt their own food. Feeding a cat a vegan diet is unacceptable, and a person who does it does not deserve to own cats.

Vegans & vegetarians: stop pushing your agenda on non-human animals (also, don't force your kids to eat that way). It is absolutely your choice as to what goes in your own bodies; but keep your food politics out of the stomachs of other creatures- they're not interested.

The fallacious part of your argument is to imply that the pets that are eating this food are aware of whether or not the components of it were once alive (in a blood and muscle sense) and hence would now have to go out and kill something to satisfy a need for animal death in their food.

If a maker of this food is able to combine non-animal food sources in a healthy mix and in a form that they find attractive and texture that is satisfying to eat, then they would not be lacking in their eating experience nor in the nutrition needed to maintain their bodies. Let's be serious, there is no satisfaction of the hunting instinct or the "carnivorous" psyche by dogs and cats eating food provided in a bowl. Most of these "fresh" wet foods that are sold with photos of real meat as components contain a modified puree of meat by-products.

No matter what diet you feed a cat they will still have the desire to hunt and pursue game (or moving objects that appear animate). All cat owners deal with this. Those of us that are concerned about native bird populations make an effort to keep their destruction of wild birds largely unsuccessful and provide toys and play experiences that provide activity to satisfy that part of their hunting nature.

Dogs aren't carnivorous; they're omnivorous, just like humans.

Petco

We've had good luck with Petco, actually. I know, I know, big corporate place - but the employees seem to really care about animals. One of our ferrets made it to 7.5 years, and the other is 8 now. And neither got adrenal gland cancer, which is a good sign that they're selling healthy guys.

MotleyZoo at Redmond, WA should be a great place for you. It is one of those places where Animals grow up with Foster families who take great care of the animals until the pets find a permanent home. MotleyZoo focuses on Quality more than quantity.

You can find your pet at Motley Zoo

There used to be the Rabbit, Rodent, and Ferret House in Lake City, not sure if it's still there.