# Something that annoys me



## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

I have noticed lately that on many "top 10 easiest pets" lists, hermit crabs are on that list. This is just wrong. Hermit crabs, IMO, are one of the hardest aquarium/terrarium animals to keep. They have many specific requirements as far as temperature and humidity, as well as stimulation, such as climbing structures and same species company. That tells me that these lists expect people to buy a small plastic container, maybe give them an extra shell and call it a day. SO WRONG. Ugh.


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

I've never seen one of those lists, but will have to look at them now.


I always _thought _hermit crabs would be easy to keep, until recently when a friend started talking about buying one and looking up information on them. It really is crazy how much they need that people dont seem to know, nor care, about. BUT thats exactly how people are with bettas too.


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## funkman262 (Jan 12, 2013)

Found this in a "10 Great First Pets" list lol

4: Betta Fish

A fish is another classic first pet, provided you pick the right one. Goldfish are the archetypal choice, but they're notoriously fragile and require a fairly elaborate tank-and-filter setup.

*Betta fish, however, are happiest in smaller bowls, no filter necessary.* Bettas are beautiful fish, often jewel-toned, with long flowing fins. The bowl will need regular cleaning and water changes; consider adding an aquatic snail to your bowl, which will help keep the algae at bay. (They're fun to watch, too.) Your child can have fun decorating the bowl with gravel, plants and other accessories. A word to the wise: This is one pet that's best purchased singly, because two bettas in the same bowl will fight to the death. But a healthy, well-tended betta can live for two or three years.​


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

I think betta fish are the easiest pet, but that doesn't mean they don't need a few things and some basic care. IMO, if you think anything is easier to care for than a betta, then you don't have the proper knowledge on the care of the animal...


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I think dogs are easier than betta fish. Fish require a lot of knowledge and time to care for properly such as temp - they need a certain consistent temp, dogs do not. They need a varied diet - dogs need one type of food that is not changed or they can get sick. Fish need consistent water changes - dogs need to be let outside to potty and play. About the most time consuming thing you need for a dog is to take them for walks but many of them can just have a large fenced in yard and a lot of room inside depending on their size. I take my dog with me when I walk places and I don't really go out of my way to walk him. Also, dogs and cats you can take to a vet when they get sick. Most of the time, you can't take a fish to a vet and fish medications aren't as widely available as dog and cat medications.

Cats are slightly more difficult because of litter boxes. I volunteer at a cat shelter... Try taking care of 100 of them at once, lol. (Actually, a lot of time goes into both the dogs and the cats at the shelter, but then again, a lot more time would probably go into fish if you had 100 of them.) All the litter boxes at the shelter need cleaned twice a day, the water bowls and food bowls need cleaned with soap twice a day to prevent spreading infection, the floors need mopped every day, also to prevent spreading infection, and the cats have to be cared for in a certain order - the ones in isolation are cared for last because they have sicknesses that they need treated for.

I don't think any animal is "easy to care for". Oh my god, if you want a pet that you have to put little time into caring for, get a freakin' pet rock.

Fish, dogs, cats, hermit crabs... They've all been domesticated. When they are brought into a home, they rely on YOU to take care of them. They cannot survive in a closed system like they can in the wild. Although many (such as my blind fish) cannot survive in either the wild or a tank that is not properly cared for.


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Well because hermit crabs are so cut and dry as far as needs are concerned it makes the easier to take care of with less guess work. As in hamster can use this or lizard may use that, hermit crabs are they need this they need that .

Know what I mean?


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Exactly. They all need things so they aren't "easy to care for".


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> I think dogs are easier than betta fish. Fish require a lot of knowledge and time to care for properly such as temp - they need a certain consistent temp, dogs do not. They need a varied diet - dogs need one type of food that is not changed or they can get sick. Fish need consistent water changes - dogs need to be let outside to potty and play. About the most time consuming thing you need for a dog is to take them for walks but many of them can just have a large fenced in yard and a lot of room inside depending on their size. I take my dog with me when I walk places and I don't really go out of my way to walk him. Also, dogs and cats you can take to a vet when they get sick. Most of the time, you can't take a fish to a vet and fish medications aren't as widely available as dog and cat medications.
> 
> Cats are slightly more difficult because of litter boxes. I volunteer at a cat shelter... Try taking care of 100 of them at once, lol. (Actually, a lot of time goes into both the dogs and the cats at the shelter, but then again, a lot more time would probably go into fish if you had 100 of them.) All the litter boxes at the shelter need cleaned twice a day, the water bowls and food bowls need cleaned with soap twice a day to prevent spreading infection, the floors need mopped every day, also to prevent spreading infection, and the cats have to be cared for in a certain order - the ones in isolation are cared for last because they have sicknesses that they need treated for.
> 
> ...


No offense but I think that is outrageous to say a dog is easier than a betta fish. Dogs require so much more care, equipment, and space. If one thinks that a dog is less work than a betta; they are neglecting and abusing their dog horribly.

That being said, I think you may have misunderstood me. I measure easiness by how much work the animal requires. Also the amount of research that needs to be done about the animal, space needed for the animal, and equipment needed for the animal.

If you are caring for a dog properly, daily care typically includes:

Feeding
watering
walking
letting out to go to the bathroom
brushing
tooth brushing 
reinforcement of basic training

Weekly:

Bathing
washing water/food bowls
picking up poop in yard(if any)

Monthly:
Administer flea medication
Administer heartworm medication

Betta fish daily:

Feeding
Checking temperature

Weekly:
Water change 

Again, no offence, but it drives me completely nuts when someone says a dog is easier to care for than a betta fish. And I am not talking about other fish or community tanks or sororities, I am talking about just one betta and just one dog.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Funny, I don't disagree, but I kept hermit crabs for a LONG time when I was only like six years old.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

thekinetic said:


> Well because hermit crabs are so cut and dry as far as needs are concerned it makes the easier to take care of with less guess work. As in hamster can use this or lizard may use that, hermit crabs are they need this they need that .
> 
> Know what I mean?


I am not sure what you mean. Could you explain more? Do you mean hermit crabs have really specific needs?


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## funkman262 (Jan 12, 2013)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> Exactly. They all need things so they aren't "easy to care for".


In the context of the thread, we're using easy as a relative term, i.e. we're comparing different types of pets to each other. Taking care of _any_ pet takes time and effort, but some definitely take less of both than others. For example, I would consider a large bird (such as a cockatiel) to require much more maintenance than let's say an ant farm.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

funkman262 said:


> In the context of the thread, we're using easy as a relative term, i.e. we're comparing different types of pets to each other. Taking care of _any_ pet takes time and effort, but some definitely take less of both than others. For example, I would consider a large bird (such as a cockatiel) to require much more maintenance than let's say an ant farm.


Thank you. There are definitely animals that are universally easier to keep than others. Such as hermit crabs being harder than betta fish, for example.

I think my betta is easy to care for, and I take excellent care of him.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I'm not saying that you don't take excellent care of your fish.

I'm just saying that "easy to care for" can be a mighty misleading term. Stick hermit crabs and Betta fish on that list, and most people think you can throw them in a tank and forget about them.

I am pretty sure that most places that refer to bettas as "easy to care for" also say that they can be kept in tiny unheated bowls. It's just misleading. But yes, I know most people on this forum know otherwise.

I could think of many pets both easier and harder to care for than a Betta. I just don't like misleading terms - or the bolded sentence.


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Personally, I believe that "easy" is a relative term. For example: I grew up surrounded with cats and dogs, both at home and at my mom's vet clinic - their care is second nature to me. I know what to look for as to clues on wether a dog or cat is healthy and happy, sometimes to almost excessive levels. However, fish are pretty darn new to me. While I do research and try my best to understand the needs of any animal before I bring them home, there are (and will likely always be) things about fish keeping that I have yet to learn. The needs of my fish, while I do as best as I can to meet them, are far less intuitive to me. So in a way, fish are more difficult for me to care for than my dog.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> I'm not saying that you don't take excellent care of your fish.
> 
> I'm just saying that "easy to care for" can be a mighty misleading term. Stick hermit crabs and Betta fish on that list, and most people think you can throw them in a tank and forget about them.
> 
> ...


Oh okay, so you were saying that people looking for a first pet shouldn't be told that something is easy to care for without being told how to propaerly care for it? And that no animal should be advertised as low maitenence because the average person is lazy? I totally agree with that.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I think most people when they hear 'easy' think that it somehow equates to 'no care'. I think it's a fallacy that any pet is easy care. Like Pittipuppylove said, it's all relative.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

I think a lot of people take things like that out of context. I look at things from a very techical point of view, and not much emotion goes into that thought process. I had cats for 20 years, but I still don't think they are the easiest pet bacuse they require more daily/weekly tasks and more equipment(brushes, toys, scratching post, etc) than, say, a crested gecko or something. I agree that labeling pets as "easy" can be harmful, but some people want the company of an animal but don't have the time/money/space for, say, a horse. In that case a betta may be great for that person. See what I'm saying? So that could be a reason some people look for "easy" pets and when thats the reason, I think thats fine.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I agree on the relativitiy thing. For me, looking after my ratties is easy because it's just what I do, every day, and I love them. However, for my friend who is house-sitting for me next week, I expect it will be a major chore and a bit tricky for him.


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## bethyMT (Nov 24, 2012)

I agree, context is everything. I've even had plants that were a total PITA to take care of (stupid lime tree...). 

We should revive the pet rock thing. Sadly, I think a whole lot of people are only capable of caring for inanimate objects. Or perhaps a Furby. Maybe.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Bombalurina said:


> I agree on the relativitiy thing. For me, looking after my ratties is easy because it's just what I do, every day, and I love them. However, for my friend who is house-sitting for me next week, I expect it will be a major chore and a bit tricky for him.


Wow, you're back! How have you been?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

bethyMT said:


> I agree, context is everything. I've even had plants that were a total PITA to take care of (stupid lime tree...).
> 
> We should revive the pet rock thing. Sadly, I think a whole lot of people are only capable of caring for inanimate objects. Or perhaps a Furby. Maybe.


Yeah I agree. I feel bad for people who like animals but are really bad at caring for things. It's really too bad for those people (and their pets if they have any).


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I know a lot of people who say every time they've had a fish, they accidentally poured it down the drain while doing water changes -_- my fish themselves don't even go near drains, and I don't ever have to even remove them from their tanks because they are large, cycled tanks.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> I know a lot of people who say every time they've had a fish, they accidentally poured it down the drain while doing water changes -_- my fish themselves don't even go near drains, and I don't ever have to even remove them from their tanks because they are large, cycled tanks.


lol. So they let SEVERAL fish go down the drain?? *facepalm*


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

finnfinnfriend said:


> Wow, you're back! How have you been?


Lol, I'm flattered so many people remember me! It's been a long time.  I'm well! You?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Bombalurina said:


> Lol, I'm flattered so many people remember me! It's been a long time.  I'm well! You?


I'm doing well too! Nice to have you back!


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