I have a strong affinity for unconventional pets.
I started out with a bearded dragon lizard at the age of 4 because that is what I picked out at the pet store when our parents took me. I give them credit, as I doubt I would do the same for our kids if they put me in a similar situation. It’s taxing caring for a lizard right out the gate when it’s your first time feeding and cleaning up after a creature. I guess it’s wiser to get a puppy or a kitten for your child’s first pet if you’re going to skip a goldfish or similar aquatic creature. However, I wouldn’t be the same person if my parents had chosen that route. One of the best parts about my new life is our pet rat Rodger. I bought him multiple years ago after a hasty breakup from our partner of multiple years. I was so distraught that I needed something to help our mind escape from the emotional trauma I was experiencing. Rodger is the first thing I see in the afternoon when I wake up and enter the family room and the last thing I see before I head to our room to sleep at night. He’s a ball of joy and a cuddle bug as well. That’s why I was so aggravated when he found his way into the ductwork for our central oil furnace. I’m relieved that it happened while in the summer when that ductlabor isn’t being used, otherwise he could have hurt himself crawling toward the oil furnace. I had to call our cooling worker and he helped me locate Rodger and free him from the heater’s ventilation system.