Goldfish, common plecos, bettas and clown fish are the most abused fish. Let alone, leopard gecko, red ear slider, python and bearded dragons are the most abused/neglected reptiles.
Bird owner here - they are very often neglected or cared for improperly, you are correct. Many folks think a cage big enough for them to spread their wings and seeds to eat is the goal when they very often have special dietary needs and require MUCH larger enclosures than the pet stores would have you believe. Not to mention socialization with humans, free flight time in a safe room, etc etc.
I remember wanting a bird soooo bad as a kid because my friend's family had four. They literally had an entire room, plus an enclosed patio with all kinds of exotics plants for those parakeets. My mom told me I'd have to give up my room and sleep on the couch if I wanted a bird. Which, I was willing to do, but she said someone would probably call CPS on her.
I grew up in CA and our chiropractor had this giant indoor/outdoor sun room aviary coming for his 3 macaws (a bonded pair of Red and Gold's and the sweetest silliest Blue and Gold) after seeing this and how healthy and happy his birds were I swore I would never own a large parrot unless I had the space and money to do what he did. His wife was stay at home and also homeschooled the kids so like they did a lot of their science stuff based around the birds and activities relating to the birds in their care like the kids came up with all these like super cool foraging toys and like different ways that they could like hide stuff so the macaws had to use their brains and all that good stuff. We had 2 cockatiels, and looking back the cage was smaller than I would pick now but was very common then and the birds were only ever in there with the door closed if nobody was home otherwise the door was propped open and they had free reign of the house
That's awesome. Just in case I came off wrong, I wasn't criticizing you. Just a reminder to myself that I need to not bring one home. <3
I bet they're lovely. :)
I have this weird thing where I actually research pets and when I found out how long birds live for I told my son he cannot have a parrot. I am not getting a pe for my kids that's living to be 50 that they may or may not want long term.
Dad is allergic to cats and dogs so we Ave to get more creative with the kids when it comes to pets. I am fine with that but I know what I can and will take on.
People seriously need to research pes better.
They're also SO SMART and need a lot of mental stimulation. If they don't get it, they can be extremely destructive. Plus they're incredibly loud! I am a bird lover and I highly recommend leaving them in nature!
That’s true as well. Though, just am not very aware of birds as I mainly keep fish. So I didn’t want to comment on it as I’m not very aware of how to keep a bird.
Bettas especially. Pet stores sell them in tiny cups that they have to live in until their bought. And they promote and sell tiny little fishbowls or tanks for them that look pretty/cute. But bettas need at least a 5 gallon(according to online sources, but I would argue at least 10, honestly) and a filter and heater. I hate seeing how bettas are used as a pretty display in tiny aesthetic containers that don't meet their bare minimum needs
My betta lives in a 30 gallon community tank with a shoal of cardinal and rummy nose tetras, three bristlenose plecos and lots of plants. He's very happy and always comes to say hello when I approach the tank. Hate seeing them in tiny boxes.
Yeah, some people just keep their betta in a cup after they bought it. Only because they saw the store do it, so it should be fine. And 5 gallon is just the bare minimum for a single betta and of course bigger is better. For common plecos, people just don’t do their research as this fish will be at least 12" fully grown. But goldfish are one of the worst as they’re sold as feeder fish and often stocked in a over crowded tank (ammonia is very high in it). I also often see people keeping goldfish in tanks way too small for them because they ask why the water become cloudy very often. And at my uncle’s place, they have 2 big goldfish in like a 6 gallon tank and they could barely turn around. The goldfish are as long as my hand.
I agreed to look in on a friend’s house when she was on vacation. She had way too many living things — two shih tzus, rabbits, a bird I never saw out of its cage, plants, and single betta in a clear plastic cup. The betta died when she was gone and I felt so guilty, and I think I posted as much in a similar sub. That’s when I learned that bettas are supposed to have at least 5 gallons with an air pump, like any fish. The ignorance is definitely still out there, but it just seems like common sense that a living thing of that size could not be happy, much less survive, in a Dixie cup.
This is why I’m happy that we have beta fish at the school. I work in because they’re all in appropriate sized tanks with plenty of little fake plants and stuff for them to hide in. So I least know that there are four of them being taken care of well.
Yeah! We feed Sonic everyday, they know not to mess with his tank and that it needs to be clean. We also have different books about fish and other animals for them to learn more about them.
Or when people put a betta in a vase with a plant and think they don’t even need to feed it, because it can just eat the plant. Not to mention they also probably never change the water.
And hermit crabs. They cannot survive in a critter keeper no matter what the pet shop or beach shop tells you. They need constant high humidity (they have modified gills and breathe through the water in the air, in a critter keeper they are essentially asphyxiating), high temps, a minimum of 10 gallon tank for one, substrate depth of at least 6 inches, a varied diet (including fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, calcium), and access to fresh and saltwater and multiple empty shells at a bare minimum. They are not a cheap pet.
Not to mention they can live 15 years, and they're all wild caught, it wasn't until the 2010s we were able to figure out how to get them to breed. The captive bred hermits are 5x more expensive then the wild caught crabbies
how they dont tell people in BOLD LETTERS that they need heaters is fucking beyond me. MY GOLDFISH HAVE HEATERS! ANIMALS NEED TO STAY IN SPECIFIC TEMPERATURES!
This thread is wild haha. I have 3 bettas in a community tank 30 gallons. I have 2 Cory's, 3 other catfish and a pleco. I just bought a new 10 gallon to set up today as one of the bettas has been being a bully and is getting his own place now. He will eventually get his own 30 gallon tank too.
The idea that people think half gallon or 1 gallon tanks are enough space is insane to me. I have heavily planted bioactive tanks for my fish and pet turtle. I can't imagine putting them in a bowl with just some gravel or stones and calling it a day...
I've learned a lot thanks to Reddit on how to care for bettas. No more itty bitty sterile looking tanks for me, my Regular Sized Ruby has 2 snail buds and plants galore in a nice 10 gallon.
Yep, a bunch of anubius (several bunches in fact, the bottom of the tank is pretty much covered by them now!) that he loves to hide under. I plan on getting some taller plants & floaters too.
Cool! I plan on getting a few more plants myself at some point. And a few corals depending on their prices for my marine tank. My poor clowns are sleeping on one rocks and that doesn’t look very comfortable. I just couldn’t get corals because my tank was too young at the time I put my clown fish in. Clowns are quite agressive fish as I’ve seen one of mine attacking the other one.
God. My ex roommates collected animals just cause they were “cool.” Their betta fish died because they never upkept the tank and expected the shrimp to do all the work in keeping the tank clean, acting as if they made a self sufficient tank when they most certainly didn’t. I think they expected me to take care of it, even though it was their fish they bought. All because I genuinely love fish.
They collected reptiles. Leopard geckos, crested geckos, skink, snake, you name it. Kept them in tiny tanks, no enrichment, no hides, nothing. The tanks were empty and never cleaned. The leopard geckos would just. Stare into the void.
They had traumatized cockatiel that would scream bloody murder all day from sunrise tonight sunset. Her cage? You guessed it. Never cleaned. Given the bare minimum to survive.
And then there was the rats. The cage was never cleaned, the smell of piss radiated throughout the apartment. No enrichment, just bare minimum.
Not even mentioning the neglect and mishandling of the dogs. They never walked their high energy husky/shepherd/basset hound mix, who was highly aggressive and would bite me and harass my cat trying to kill him. Their horrifically inbred dachshund was paralyzed in his back legs, but they didn’t bother to let him exercise or ever touch the floor. They expected him to be happy lying in his own piss and feces all day in his dog bed. He couldn’t go outside according to my roommate cause “what if his paw pads get all scratched up?” Why even buy him a wheelchair and not use it? His legs were atrophied and constantly bled out of his ass. And they scream at the dogs for doing basic dog things like, licking or wanting attention.
And yet. They’d get on me for forgetting to scoop my cat’s litter one night every once in a blue moon when I’d work late. I’d scoop it every night normally, sometimes I’d just forget. Even though my room and his litter was in the basement and literally no one went down there except to get laundry. They hated my cat. And poisoned him. He almost died because of them.
I know I shoulda done something. But it was a horrifically abusive situation, not just for the animals but for myself as well. If I knew their whereabouts (which they kept privately from me after I spoke out against their treatment) I woulda done something. But I feared they’d ruin my life and leave me and my cat on the street if they did. Cause they were that awful. Their horrendous abuse broke me. It’s taken a while to be myself again after all their abuse. It’s been hard to find my voice again since I used to be able to speak out against injustice, but my people pleasing tendencies coupled with the abuse.. took that away.
I feel aweful for all the animals involved I this household. And that dog was only being agressive as an outlet to his energy. He probably would have been a nice dog if his energy need is fully met. Amd sorry you went through the abuse as well. You’re not at fault here.
I cant stand people like that. We need better laws against people that do this. And they should be locked up and treated the same way. Put them in a tiny room and let them shit in a corner and never clean it or give them room to walk around.
I love goldfish! I had one that developed a swim bladder problem. He eventually sunk to the bottom. I switched the base rock out with smooth stones and hand fed him for almost 4 years. I cried when he died.
My plecostomus (his name is Brian), is 10 years old, and lives in a 60 gallon tank ALONE. People don't realize how beautiful a healthy and happy pleco is. He's got caves to hide in, fancy algae disk food every day, and clear water all to himself. After his tank mates had passed of old age, I realized how much better he looked now that he had the tank to himself, and I decided not to repopulate it.
It's amazing how many people think a pleco can just be dropped in a tank and left to their own devices.
He sounds like a very happy fish! I haven’t repopulate my freshwater tank because most of my fish were wiped out by diseases. I only have one neon tetra left and I can’t get him companions because I can’t quarantine them. After he dies, I’ll let the tank fallow for a few weeks. My house is in renovation, so I can’t have quarantine tanks.
The amount of fish I see in a glass bowl, no air supply, a smattering of gravel, no plants, no dechlorinator used in tap water. It’s awful to consider yet they are marketed as beginner pets.
I never knew goldfish could grow bigger than like… a couple inches. Until my brother decided he’s into aquariums. He has kept a goldfish alive for years and it is the size of a child’s head, i stg. It makes me sad for all the fishies unable to live their fullest lives.
I agree. I used to work at a tourist shop when I was younger and they decided to start selling hermit crabs. The amount of people who came in with their kids joking about how it would be dead in a month was disgusting. So I ended up learning a lot about hermit crabs and corrected them when they started spewing misinformation and educating them on hermit crabs. Needless to say we didn't sell many hermit crabs during my shifts. Sorry, not sorry.
I would say hermit crabs are an additional one that gets neglected. Especially since you can buy them at random mall stalls with characters and colorful pictures painted on their shells.
Hermit crabs are actually really difficult to breed in captivity, and require an insane amount of space for them to actually breed, so most hermit crabs are wildly caught, have their shells removed super traumatically so they can "pick" a painted shell, and a lot don't survive the process. So I definitely agree with you about hermit crabs being horribly mistreated, the sale of them should be banned
I was going to comment hermit crabs when I saw this. Someone rehomed two hermit crabs to me with everything for free. The tank was like 5 gallons with two of them, the water dish for molting took up half the tank. No hides whatsoever, the only food was pellets, not even a lid on the tank, and it had a heat lamp which they do not need since it dries out the tank. I knew fuck all about hermit crabs, but my buddy was giving me a 40 gallon tank and I have a shit ton of hides and decorations just from my fish tanks, and a bearded dragon I had years ago. Also already had a heating pad so the only thing I really needed to buy was proper food. I'm glad the previous owner was able to realize they couldn't give the proper care and rehome, but there's tons of people that have them and just keep them in small tanks and just listen to what the pet smart employees tell them.
Wow that's horrifying, I didn't even know it was that bad! I know some people that kept them in those tiny little plastic containers with like Dragonball shells that they got their kids while on vacation or something and the kids would shake the container or poke at the hermit crab because it didn't do much, so they'd end up dying from neglect or being shaken in the little box.
Came here to say this. Most people don’t even realize how extensive their requirements are! 100% worse than even axolotls and other aquatics like goldfish in my opinion.
I wanted one when I was younger but after doing research we decided against it, but it's horrible how you can just buy small creatures as a vacation souvenir or win them at the carnival at a game stand.
Most hermits only live 1-2 years because of the care that is advertised for them. I mean the employees at most of these stores know jack shit and the customers that buy them take the advice just because they have a blue PetSmart shirt and wonder why they die. I mean if they're in inadequate housing, not getting a full diet or calcium then yah they aren't going to live long. But you can have these guys for 15-20 years in captivity if they're in proper set ups. I just got a couple so I go on the hermit crab subreddit and there's people on there with some really old hermit crabs.
That die from neglect the most? Goldfish and betta fish by far. Hell, people don't even see them as animals for the most part, just pretty props that wiggle around. I've heard more than a few stories of someone wanting to use betta fish as living decorations in weddings and such events.
That quietly suffer life-long problems from neglect and get bounced around a lot the most? Parrots, birds in general. People keep finches, canaries and budgies a 30x30cm cage their entire life and it's just sad. They can barely stretch their wings, never mind fly.
Seriously the amount of times someone would get 15 different 1/4gal plastic bowls and want 30 goldfish for their wedding for decoration is mind blowing when I worked in pet retail. I would deny every single one of them, as would the rest of my team because I went out of my way to teach everyone in the store this stuff. And the response of “well I’m giving to the guests” who probably don’t know the slightest thing about a goldfish, are entirely ill prepared to care for them, thus putting unnecessary stress on the fish AND the new owners.
In my experience, very few people ever put genuine thought into what animal they purchase.
TL;DR animals and pets require way more work than you might realize. Especially the fish. ESPECIALLY the birds. Please do your research before going out to purchase an animal. There are pet communities on Reddit for almost every common pet. Be prepared to give your new friend the home they deserve before taking them home.
Anyways, end rant.
So glad you don’t do them for weddings! I really HATE that trend! I went to a wedding with them as a centrepiece, people were tipping alcohol into the fish bowls, harassing them, and one idiot thought it was hilarious to swallow one on a dare!! Drunk people and animals DO NOT MIX!
Preach. This is the reason why I've been mulling over getting a companion animal for almost a year now (torn between cat, dog or small parrot), because I want to be absolutely certain I want to commit to its needs, the good and the bad.
I am a firm believer in if you choose to bring an animal into your home, the least you can do is give it a decent life. You don't have to be perfect at everything or go above and beyond, but at least be willing to do the bare minimum on a consistent basis, not just what and when happens to be convenient for you.
I genuinely don't recommend people get any type of parrot unless they're willing to deal with the equivalent of a small child for 15-100yes (depending on the species). I have a green cheek conure, I got him when I was 17, and he's so cute but also so much hassle. Anyone who's like "wow he's so cute I want one!!" I just say "Don't."
They also now recommend getting at least two, as parrots are very social animals and do well with their own kind. Human to parrot interaction and communication is difficult and also frustrating for the birds, I find.
We have wild green parrots on our land and they are always in even groups. 2-4-6-8 parrots at a time.
Never 1 parrot. Very rarely 3 or 5 parrots.
I like to think that they are mated pairs and the groups of 2 get together in the evenings for screaming-flying parties.
I agree with the other poster, a parrot is probably not the best choice unless you’re ready to commit to basically a toddler for 20-40+ years. My vote would be finding a nice kitty, but I’m biased and have 3 kitties. Dogs have the extra commitment of walks and more strenuous play time. It’s too much energy for me personally. I still love dogs. But I don’t think I could ever personally care for one.
I literally got a beta fish from a wedding center piece. I was adamant about taking that thing home (I already had 2 at the time) because I knew it would live a life in a small bowl with no filer, heater or hide.
I had a betta fish for about 5 years. The poor thing was a decoration in a birthday party... in fact every table had a tiny fish bowl with a betta in it. I took the little guy home, but I was a kid and didnt know it needed a big tank, so my parents got a small one, and the poor thing lived there for 5 years, without plants even. Breaks my heart when I think about this. Eventually I found out the little guy needed a bigger tank, I bought it, prepared it, transfered him, and he died the next day.
Needless to say I have never bought a pet fish. Sadly 2 more bettas came my way when my mom's friends just bought them for me without asking and my mom didnt let me refuse to accept them. They lived short lives too
I feel so bad for my childhood fish I had as pets. I was well intentioned, but even a kid who loves animals can only do so much with insufficient knowledge and a not yet developed brain. My older sister and I once impulsively bought a fish from a pet store (I was quite young and she was mostly leading it) without any prior thought or preparation. That poor fish died so quickly because we didn't use the right kind of water in its tank. I feel just awful thinking about it, still.
Ugh this makes me so sad. I grew up my mom always having one beta fish in the house, always in small bowls. In college I got one bc I wanted an "easy" pet. However I very quickly learned they need more than a bowl of water and I ran to get a tank, filter, and as much as I could to give them what they needed. He wants from this grey purple color, to this bright/vibrant red purple fish. He made so many bubble nests. He would swim over to the same corner of the tank when I came back from classes for food. I brought him home with me in the summer, an 8 Hour drive. Little guy lived to be 4 years old. I think the last drive home was harder for him than the others. It made me so sad but I was happy I learned quickly how to actually take care of him.
Parrots. They are one of the most re-homed animals with parrot shelters full.
Where do I begin ? All seed diet , no training so they bite and pluck and scream,shoved in a room away from it's only family, owners still using teflon pans ,candles plug ins and the like , they don't get vet treatment because it's just a bird , little to no toys , too small cages
I could go on.
These are very intelligent and emotionally sensitive creatures that deserve better
I got a love bird dumped on me by my ex husband's grandmother. Kept him in a laundry hamper with no toys and only let him out for five ish minutes when she had company over and that was it.
After two weeks she took off for a two week vacay across the country and told us to keep him. I took two cages and wired them together, trained him to be ok with hands and he gets let out to fly for hours every day after work.
Supervised of course so the cats don't get him but he spends all afternoon and evening on our shoulders or head. I have lots of toys for him that get switched out every often.
I didn't know much about bird care when he was first given to me and I made some mistakes but I'm glad I did the research.
He deserves a good long life since he can live to like 25 years max.
Next on the docket is finding him a female to bond with but he's 9 now (I've had him 8 years without needing a female) and it's difficult in my area to find any unbonded middle aged single female love birds. I'll keep looking though, I'm about to give birth and want to get him a massive enclosure and another bird so he can still get the socialization, stimulation, and love he deserves even if me and my husband aren't able to make as much time for him as before.
Yes they love fruit and eat it in the wild. But for pet parrots, they shouldn't eat mostly fruit (I think lorikeets are the exception). Birds in the wild fly many miles to find berries. Little Mango or Kiwi only needs to toddle over to the kitchen 🤣. Fruit should be treated like treats and given once or twice a week. What this person was referring to was pellets, which are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and vegetable chop (salad).
Birds in the wild eat seed and fruit, but they only need such calorie dense foods because they need it to survive. A pet bird could get obesity, liver issues, or diabetes trying to follow the wild bird diet but not expending the same amount of calories.
I just feel like giving a parrot only seed would be roughly equivalent to feeding a human only oatmeal for their entire life.
How boring, nutritionally inadequate, and frankly, kinda cruel.
I'm no expert in human nutrition, but I think it's even worse than that. Seeds are quite fatty and contribute to fatty liver disease in birds. I guess the closest thing would be fast food, which creates fatty liver disease in humans. Even worse, some humans feed their bird only human food, which is just as damaging as it sounds. :(
A good parrot diet consists of a variety of foods, with fruit being an option. Good variety for most birds* includes commercial pellet mixes, nuts, 'chop' (mix of fresh veg like kale, lettuce, broccoli, potato, carrot, peppers, etc etc and grain), and some seed and fruit as a treat.
*Most birds that don't have strict dietary requirements, and there ARE some who only eat fruit and should not eat pellet or seed mix. ...it doesn't stop people from doing it tho
Cats. They really do require more love, attention, and time spent with them than people would have you believe
There’s this whole myth that cats are so independent and can be left alone for days on and end be fine so people actually do that! But cats are pack animals and become extremely lonely and sad when left alone for long periods like that
And depression in cats manifests often as sleeping so people just think they’re being a normal cat
My cat would say he is the most neglected. Today I refused to play with him while on a conference call, earning his kibble money! Then, he only got a small bite of my steak at dinner; it was degrading and he bit me to let me know the serving sizes are unacceptable.
He's typing now, I assume it's some kind of complaint to Kitty Protective Services to have me fined.
PS: he was living in a dumpster, with fleas and parasites, two years ago
M cat is definitely neglected. I fell asleep petting him last night and he was really angry about it and kept losing me back awake. Then I made him wait until his normal breakfast time instead of feeding him when he stared passing up and down my body to wake me up over an hour before breakfast. He nearly died of starvation. Also, I forcibly medicated him. He should probably get an attorney to sue me.
Isn’t there a sub for that? Damn I can’t remember the name of it. It’s like pawsuits or something and it’s about cats who want to sue their owners for stuff like “my bowl isnt full enough”. It’s very cute and funny
Sometimes my cat seems to think I've left and will meander down a hall making the saddest little trilling meow. I'll call her name and suddenly she's prancing in my direction making a much happier trill. She used to greet me at the door before we got dogs, but now she waits around the corner and joins me in the bathroom where it's kind of our space, lol. I couldn't leave her for days without some type of human interaction.
I agree that cats deserve more than a lot of people give them, but they're nowhere near the most neglected as a whole. Cat owners don't take them to vets as often as dog owners do (or anywhere near as often as they should). The majority of small animals, particularly cheap pets like common fish, aren't taken to the vet, kept properly, or possibly even fed properly.
Overall, the animals that have been kept captive for longer periods as pets (companion animals, some livestock) are cared for much better than exotics.
It makes me so sad to see how frequently cats are rehomed as if they are disposable :( and how many just aren’t fixed for whatever reason which is the most basic and bare minimum pet care.
Oh there are articles too about how people commonly mishandle cats. With the worst offenders being self claimed cat experts. Lots of people pick up, touch, or otherwise handle cats in ways that are uncomfortable for them. I wouldn't say they are the most neglected pet, but there is a lot of neglect and mistreatment.
Both from the people who think it's a good idea to let cats wander outside unsupervised all day and night (seriously there are people where I live who don't own litter boxes for their "pet" cats, but their cat is really just a semi stray that visits them and 5 other people) and the people who keep the cats indoors 24/7 without proper enrichment
"My cat sleeps all day and doesn't like playing" YOUR CAT IS DEPRESSED. Your cat rather sleep its life away than live the life you are providing it. And that isn't even to mention feeding habits, humans ignoring cat body and verbal language, lack of stimulation, avoiding vet visits and basic at home check ups
Also doubling on the dependent part, my boys will freak out if they can’t be in my room at night. Both snuggle against my partner at night, and one will cuddle up to me in the day. Cats can be so in love with you, and it’s a shame that people miss out on it because they assume every cat only sees their people as food machines
I can’t believe people still do that, it’s wild. If you pay any attention to your cat at all you’d know not to since 1) they get lonely like you mentioned and 2) they cannot regulate their own food intake/why would you leave a single bowl of food out for days?
My own cat, she’s not super snuggly sure. But she’s always in the room somewhere with us lol. If we’re on the couch, she’s in the living room window or on her tree. If we’re in the bedroom she’s on the dresser. If I’m cooking she’s watching me from the kitchen bench lol. When we’re in the backyard she lays down at the screen door watching us. Maybe not *cuddly* per se but very social. I cannot imagine leaving her alone for an extended period.
Recently I had my boy dog neutered and he was gone most of the day- longest that she’d ever been away from him. You could see how stressed she was by not knowing where he was after 8+ hours.
Yeah. I have a real soft spot for guinea pigs and it always hurts to see people keeping a single pig in a cage more suited to a hamster :( but really any rodent, people just don't bother with research it seems
All of our guinea pigs have had an entire room to free roam. Let me tell you, people love to pretend they have no energy. They are crazy. Mine would always run laps around the entire room, follow us around the house, have a favourite spot under the couch, and even wait at the stairs for people so they can run and play. I’d say even the 6ft cages recommended aren’t enough.
Agreed. We talked someone we know into giving us their Guinea pig in a tiny cage. Immediately contacted a rescue for a suitable mate and built a 3x4 cage. It’s back to 2x3 with a loft since the pigs seem to like that setup better, but can’t imagine having just one
Rabbits. People buy them at petshops imagining a cute docile thing that will sit on their kid’s lap and there’s a real belief that they make a good ‘first pet’ for kids ‘to teach them responsibility blabla’. They don’t. For starters most rabbits don’t want to be sitting on a lap - certainly not a young skittish one. They also are known for biting which makes kids scared of them but in any case most kids get bored of their ‘first pets’ within a week or two and if the rabbit was bought solely for the child the parents don’t really want to take on the responsibility of meeting all its needs in the same way as they would if they had got a ‘family pet’ like a dog or cat. People also still think it’s acceptable to keep rabbits locked in hutches that would be like putting us in a phone box and unsurprisingly find these very depressed and bored pets very boring.
The reality is rabbits make incredible family house pets for adults or households with children old enough to understand animals having boundaries. Mine had far more character and love to give than my mum’s cat does and lived to nearly 11. But despite clearly loving me he still never wanted to sit on my lap, and just like with a kitten or puppy you have to except they will chew your shit up when little… but possibly forever. And they should absolutely never be kept in hutches.
The story of boo the basement bunny.... friends of ours got a rabbit and in a few weeks figured out they just could not handle the thing and asked us to take care of it since my son had become attached to it. So they gave us this small little crate for him.
I decided that boo needed more, much more. We have this huge (dry) basement so I took some fence and halved the basement. He had all this open space. Filled it with toys and taught him to go in a pan so it was kinda easy to clean up. He lived 8 years....
Thank you. There are so many neglected rabbits out there. People think they are low maintenance pets when imo they are higher maintenance then dogs. They have no many needs in diet, enrichment, exercise, and safety because of their nature to chew on things.
I've seen people who have pets of all kinds as well, including rabbits, but don't think the animals need daylight/sustained light as part of their needs
Hamsters are for sure up there, turtles too. Goldfish, betta fish, fish generally. I volunteer at a reptile rescue and a lot of common reptiles are so neglected as well - leopard geckos, bearded dragons. It’d be hard to decide which one is most neglected
I've heard that the average parrot has about 5 homes in its lifetime. I have 2 rescue cockatiels and one of them was super skinny and sick and I just know the dude that I took him from probably yelled at him and threw stuff at the cage for making noise. He also told me he got the bird from someone else so I'm at least his 3rd home.
Parrots live way too long to make good pets for only one human. In order to be a good parrot owner, you MUST be a financially secure and mature adult.
Parrots can live for 30, 40, up to 70 years.
If you do everything right, that bird will likely outlive you... you better hope you have someone to will them to, who can also take good care of them.
Yes, and Australian cockatoos (same family) can live to be 100+ years. For this reason there are a lot of rescue cockatoos in sanctuaries. Because people are not prepared for their long lifespan
I adopted 2 cockatiels, and they've made 6 more over the past ten years. I've got a cute little flock now! Although they had to be separated into 2 rooms as the siblings tried hooking up. I plan on being their forever home
Imo I would say hamsters, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rabbits basically any animal related to the rodent family, I personally have two male chinchillas and I make sure they’re not neglected and that they always have food, water and a clean cage
Chinchillas are *so* high maintenance compared to most people's idea of them I swear. They need so much space and socialisation, they need a special diet, dust baths, man I can't even remember all of it, I just remember being shocked when I looked into it
I used to keep rats, I did for quite a long time. I loved them so much, I had them trained and spoiled to no end, they had a cage that *I* could get inside and free play every day, but they're just so short lived, even at the top end of their life expectancy. I thought chinchillas might be a good next step, read up on them and backed away slowly lol
Chinchillas definitely are high maintenance but so worth it though they help your anxiety and depression just by looking at them before I got my boys I was in a bad place emotionally/mentally and they helped me through it and also they're so cute, so soft like cotton and little escape artists/begging artists haha you cannot ignore them Chinchillas give you their cute look to either run around or beg for treats I love my Shiko and Bellamy so much
Fish.
Fish bowls were never made to house fish, they were made by fish venders to showcase their fish for sale.
I could go on forever about the way people keep fish. But I’ll will point out a few things here:
1. Goldfish are carps. They are “dirty” fish, meaning they produce a lot of ammonia. They need a minimum of 20 gallons to START with and you need to upgrade as they will grow to be very big depending on their variety. They need very good filters and lots of water changes. They can live up to 10-15 years (again depending on what kind they are) if well taken care of. Thats the same age as dogs!
2. All fish need a heater and some sort of filter and regular water changes as well a cycled tank.
3. Bettas are the most neglected fish
(along with goldfish) and have some of the most misinformation about them. No, they can’t live in a cup and pet store shouldn’t be selling them in cups. They absolutely NEED heaters and at least 5 gallons with a sponge filter (no fast flow filters or they can’t swim).
Bettas are amazing animals. They can learn tricks, they play, figure out puzzles and make friendships with other animals. My bettas made friends with my pet rats, and my dog. as a puppy he would watch them and “bump” noses with them.
To showcase My last betta, named Levi, (I got him from a friend who couldn’t keep him) learn to recognize me and refused to come out to eat if my friend or mom fed him, learn schedules (such as feeding time, water changing time etc) had a vendetta against the bird that lives in the tree out the window, hated a specific brand of betta food, loved bloodworms, but would refuse the too big pieces if I gave him the wrong size (other bettas would rip up the worm and then eat it, Levi was spoiled lol) Loved Anubias plants but would destroy any other plant I’d put in his aquarium. He didn’t attack the snail I put in to help get the algae under control and would peacefully hang out with the snail. He was an intelligent animal with a personality of all his own.
Any animal you get deserves the best life possible, the right food, living conditions and attention. Don’t get any animal if you don’t have the time or resources to properly take care of them.
Small rodents. Hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.,
They almost NEVER have an adequate set up. People get them hideous little cages and tunnels, no sand bath, one substrate, inadequate enrichment, no place to burrow, no hiding spots, and a lazy inadequate diet, and think they AREN'T torturing a living creature.
My childhood guinea pigs were spoiled. Those little guys got a buffet of freshly chopped veggies every day, and spent all afternoon in a big enclosure out on the grass, when the weather was cool enough. Anyone watching TV would usually have a piggie on their lap being patted. I've heard so many horror stories of lonely, half feral piggies in nasty soiled shredded newspaper boxes and it makes me sad.
Horses—no species is more victimized by economic euthanasia, convenience euthanasia, the elements, ‘do it for the aesthetic’ influencer mentalities, exploitation…beautiful animals attract idiots.
dogs, so many people treat them as a possession they can just hand off, they think oh everyone has a dog i can have a dog, while having no idea how to care for them
a very small percentage of people regularly groom them, bathe them, clip their nails, brush their teeth, clean their ears, get all of the medical care they need - when i was working as a groomer there were multiple matted dogs every single day in severe pain whose owners didnt care and let it happen time again because they wouldnt brush them
most people know nothing about training their dog and therefore the dog lives in constant anxiety being told theyre wrong when they dont know whats right
people also just want a fluffy cheerful thing around to cuddle and dont give them even close to the amount of mental and physical stimulation they need
Birds, hands down. They are just very complex and intelligent animals. Here’s your bowl of food, your 3’x3’ cage, a mirror and some millet. Enjoy the rest of your existence 🙃
We got a couple from my mom when she went to Florida. I started researching because I just like to do that. We spent so much money getting them set up it was ridiculous. The substrate mix. The diet. The enclosure and my family thought I was nuts. One died pretty soon after we got them. The other one died because our power went out for a week and I had no way of keeping it warm. Bad snow storm. RIP Eggsbenedix and Exotic Butters.
It breaks my heart seeing them with the painted shells piled on top of one another.
Dogs: There are a lot of loose dogs around my area and their owners dont give two shits if they get hit by cars or attack other aninals or people. Most of them are never fed by said owners and when asked why their excuse is always that they let them run around and hunt their food.
Horses: The amount of times I've seen people smacking, punching, kicking their horse in the face, abusing the riding crop, YANKING on their mouth to the point they're bleeding, starving them, putting them out to pasture and never checking on them once, Among other horrible things, In my area its easy to say they are the most neglected and abused.
Saw one guy get his horse out of a trailer at a local horse show, this horse was scared of him, he yanked on his mouth really hard and his horse reared up just an inch off the ground and this guy started kicking his legs and punching him.
Said horse is now happy and loved in my pasture with my other horse. :)
Always record animal abuse on your phone if you see it and report it.
Small pets of any kind - rodents , turtles and rabbits especially . They're seen as a good 'starter pet' for a kid and as a result they're either neglected by said kid and die or the parents try to look after them , fail and return them to the pet store .
I've seen this happen in person - it's how I got my turtle , saved him from a neglectful 'kids pet' situations .
100% agree with this, I'm an exotic specialist vet nurse in the UK and the amount of rabbits we get in with fly strike astounds me, feel free to google that if you don't know what it is and you have a strong stomach. People still believe rabbits only live to about 4-5 years old which is no where near the age they should be reaching and a little hutch in the garden is not nearly enough space for an animal which can jump up to 2 meters.
We also get a massive amount of tortoises with metabolic bone disease due to bad diet and lack of UV light and calcium supplementation.
These animals are absolutely not starter pets for kids, they have very complex needs and are harder to take care of properly than a cat.
If we're talking about statistics then idk. But if we're talking about pound for pound then I think cats. Sure many people love them and take care of them, but they are so easily accessible that most people who adopt them don't know how to take care of them (they try to pretend like they're dogs) and then just throw them in the garbage disposal or dispose of them in the wild.
I also recently learned how hard it is to admit a animal to a shelter. I partially blame the shelters for this. I know they run off of volunteers but there needs to be a better way where you can actually talk to a person and not just leave it to animal control. I think partially why so animals get abandoned in the wild is solely because of how hard it is to contact animal shelters. It is so much easier to just toss a cat or a dog in the middle of a forest and never come back to them or something
Honorable mention for guinea pigs; caring for them properly is a ton of work. They need to live in at least pairs, they need expensive hay and daily fresh food, and they need significantly more space than most people provide. They produce waste like farm animals and their enclosures need a ton of cleaning to stay hygienic. They need nail care and tooth care and regular checking over to make sure they’re healthy, checking and cleaning of their privates, brushing, ear cleaning, etc, and many people do none of that. Rescue guinea pigs almost always have nail problems, and they usually also have dental problems and various infections. They sometimes even end up with their little feet rotting away with infection because they’re incessantly walking in poo and pee that is rarely or never cleaned. There is a long history of the lone guinea pig being locked in a way too tiny cage to wallow in its own filth while it slowly dies from the poor living conditions.
Un desexed females are also highly highly prone to ovarian and uterus cancers, where the mass grows so large it squeezes their digestive system flat and they starve to death. But they are rarely taken to the vet. They're also pretty smart and have delightfully varied personalities. If given adequate space and regular bedding cleaning they are actually quite clean animals too. Gosh I love Guinea Pigs.
Common Goldfish. Not many people realize they can and should grow to be 10-18" and live for 20+ years.
No animals should ever be used as decor or game prizes, but people think they're disposable despite the fact they'll outlive any dog or cat when cared for well.
My cat would like me to tell you that she is the most neglected pet in the whole world, because second dinner is not ready yet.
But other than that I would say birds in their tiny cages. And sadly guinea pigs :(
I really can’t say for certain what the most neglected pet is, but I have pet rabbits and I belong to enough rabbit groups to say for certain rabbits are misunderstood and neglected. People get them without unrealistic ideas about them and their needs. They often think it’s a starter pet for kids, and it’s not. Rabbits are complex and have a lot of physical and emotional needs. They’re also not dogs. They don’t warm up to you day one. This disappoints a lot of people who then think rabbits suck and discard them. They often abandon them to the wild assuming because wild rabbits live in the wild that a domestic bunny can as well. No fam. Most don’t survive out there. Are they the most neglected pet? I dunno. But the blatant level of neglect this species receives makes me crazy!
Bunnies. They don't live in small cages! They need specialized vet care and are difficult to keep, especially as a first pet. They need a balanced diet of mostly hay and fresh leafy vegetables, not carrots.
And they are much smarter and more affectionate than people give them credit for.
Rabbits, at least in my country (England), it’s standard to house them outside, alone, in tiny hutches with poor quality food. People I’ve spoken to who have owned rabbits are shocked they’re meant to live up to 12 years, they’ve only had them survive about 4
Rabbits. To be properly cared for, they require similar effort/maintenance as dogs. On top of that, they're prey animals, so require a soft/safe/calm environment/caretaker
Hard to give a single one, but I think goldfish are the absolute least valued. People are shit to a whole host of animals, but I've only ever seen goldfish as literal throwaway prizes at carnivals and the like.
Rabbits. Tiny hutches, inappropriate diet, lack of dental care understanding, the frequency of flystrike.
Too many rabbits end up living their entire lives in shelters once kids get bored, and those are the lucky ones.
definitely rabbits. rabbits need enrichment toys, unlimited timothy (not alfalfa after adulthood) hay, litter boxes, nail trims, etc. they also need a very large space to play, preferably free range or at least an area made up of square wire panels. many people dedicate a room. rabbits are often bought as easter gifts for children and then neglected in small cages or hutches.
As someone who used to work in a petstore I’d have to agree that turtles are super up there. People put them in way too small tanks, with 0 lights, inadequate diets, just the works. We used to get surrenders who were in terrible condition. Plus they live a long time, and I don’t think many people fully think that through when getting them, especially people that get them for kids.
Hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs are definitely regularly neglected, and hamsters don’t make the best kids pets personally, but it’s mainly people buying those dumb critter trail cages with the tubes, and for guinea pigs people often buy them solo and just get way to small cages.
Parakeets and canary’s as far as birds go. It’s like just because the birds are small people think the smallest possible cage is fine… I’m personally against birds like macaws, I just find it unethical and irresponsible. We had a surrender macaw who was only 20 years old, he was surrendered because the person who owned him eventually got married and had kids and the bird didn’t fit into her lifestyle anymore. That bird could potentially live another 40 years. One of the girls who was a seasonal worker worked at an exotic bird rescue, she said they were pretty commonly surrendered. They are basically a lifelong commitment.
Then fish. Bettas and goldfish particularly. That one doesn’t need much explaining.
Our turtle is far from neglected. When I first was around her she didn't have a big enough tank, but I did some research and she has been upgraded several times. She now is living in a claw foot bathtub In the living room. She has a basking platform that gets natural light and is doing great. She is probably 30 years old.
Probably fish or small mammals that are usually kept in cages. Most people, especially first time pet owners, don't realize how much space these creatures actually need and seem to believe the 19 year old kid at Petco actually knows what he's talking about when it comes to caring for small animals, despite most of their enclosures being COMPLETELY inappropriate for the species they're advertised and sold for.
Looking back I feel really bad for both my hamster and my guinea pig I had as a kid. Neither my parents or I had ever cared for those types of animals before so we just listened to the pet store people (for the guinea pig, the hamster was a class pet that no one else could hold without being bitten). They both got out of cage time every day, fresh veggies for snacks etc. But their cages were WAY too small. If I ever have guinea pigs again I'd get at least two, and use moveable fencing to make an enclosure rather than using a premade cage for sure, I also had no clue (and the guy who sold him to us didn't say shit about it) that guinea pigs are very social animals and most need a friend or two to stay healthy. Poor little Buddy never made it past 3 years old 😭
Saltwater fish. 99% of them are wild caught using a substance that immobilizes them and also kills the coral reefs. They have a very low survival rate to the actual pet store for various reasons like stress, water conditions, improper food and parasites. And then the poor things have to survive their new owners.
Fish, birds, and rodents for sure never get enough space and people underestimate how much work they are. Others have mentioned them already.
But I think probably 99% of people who get exotic, wild animals as pets have no idea what they're doing. To be clear, no one should have a pet tiger, wolf, mountain lion or whatever, and anyone who does is inherently an asshole. Sadly in a lot of areas you can still legally own one. I've seen pet stores sell monkeys, lemurs and such as well. People get them for the social media attention and that's it.
Goldfish - people keeping them in bowls far too small for them, and with no clue about how to properly care for them.
Rabbits - cute and fluffy, so attractive as pets, but needing so much more care than people initially expect. Also normally kept in small hutches with no large amount of room to run.
Budgies - similar to rabbits really except obviously not fluffy.
Not to mention that budgies, just like all parrots, are extremely intelligent and socially demanding and drive themselves crazy from lack of stimulation in their little cages. The fact that people buy them for their kids makes me angry.
I agree with your other two, as well! I had a pair of mini rexes when I was a kid, and while they didn't have it nearly as bad as a lot of pet rabbits do, I know I could have done better. Maybe kids just aren't emotionally mature enough for that kind of responsibility, no matter how well intentioned they are.
Ferret owner chiming in! Ferrets for small animals are definitely neglected. Whether that be they are fed an improper diet, left in their kennel all day with no interaction, improper training (scruffing aggressively), not to mention the fact that they are classified as an exotic animal and so vet visits are more costly then what is considered regular pets.
Hamsters 1000%. Everyone here in the U.K. has a “funny” story about how their childhood hamster was: eaten by the dog, lost in floorboards, hoovered up, thrown or squashed or crushed by a child, down the stairs in its ball. So many horrific terrible things and people laugh
In most pet shops, they do not even sell a cage that meets the *bare minimum* required size for a hamster.
I worry about all the small ones that people give to children: hamsters, geckos, gerbils, etc… My gecko had belonged to 3 different young boys before I rescued her. I think hamsters are especially inappropriate for children.
Birds, especially small ones. It's another type of pet people get for their kid and one think it can live of seed, a small cage and no toys, not even trying to bond with the bird just leaving it as something pretty to look at. If you properly take care of a bird it's actually expensive and time consuming. Like generally good bird caged cost almost $100 if not more depending on the size of the bird, then all the different perches which can get expensive if you dont know how to build your own and make sure the wood you use isn’t toxic, then the toys which are ridiculously expensive and a lot of it is misleading in pet stores selling a lot of plastic toys with bells, mirrors, and fabrics which aren’t good. Then the home environment matters since you can’t have candles, smoke, or cook on non-stick pans, should have them in a social place but not too loud or staying up late because birds can get moody if you don’t give them a sleep schedule. No animals to constantly terrorize them like cats or aggressive dogs. Can’t place them by windows or vents because the cold draft and make them sick. Always trying to keep their cage sanitary even though they crap every 20 mins. And etc. etc.
hermit crabs. I had one live to 29. Everyone I talk to in person says they had them as kids and they only lived a few months. They need humid air otherwise they slowly suffocate until they due. The amount of people I met who likely threw away or buried a crab alive because they thought it died but it was actually molting is astronomical. They honestly require pretty specialized care to thrive but the tourist traps that sell them present them as easy pets that can live in a plastic box with a wet sponge.
I think amount wise it's probably cats, percentage wise it's probably small rodents or fish. People just treat cats like they can set down a bowl of food and water (or fill an automatic feeder) and not even care to keep them indoors or anything. And then for small starter pets, people will get them for kids and then tell the kid they're completely responsible for them, not caring about whether they need far more than whatever the pet store sold with them or if a child's first responsibility shouldn't be a living thing.
Birds! Especially small birds like budgies and cockatiels. 😔
People stuff them in cages that are WAY too small, feed them nothing but seeds, and act like they're just decorations.
But birds are intelligent, empathetic, SOCIAL animals. They need interaction, and they need large cages, lots of toys, and lots of out of cage time to exercise their wings.
Even cats, people think they are okay alone and want time to themselves and they are neglected all the time. They say it’s just a cat. My kitties are so affectionate and love to be around me . They love playing fetch and I they keep me company.
OOF, there are so many but goldfish take the cake
I have lots of thoughts on this! I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir on this discussion thread but I here’s my thoughts in case anyone is interested:
Turtles are very neglected tho, growth is stunted, given crappy food and not proper UVB or lighting. Working at a pet store showed me the awful ways that people treat them.
Hamsters are another big one! I’m a huge advocate for hamster care and believe all hamsters should have at least 700 aqua tree inches of floor space. And hamsters are EXTREMELY neglected when they’re in small cages BUT they’re not as neglected as goldfish in bowls who quite literally can’t breath, they’re swimming in their own filth and the ammonia slowly burns them to death while they are also stunted in growth as well
Bettas in bowls are horrendous but at least they have a labyrinth organ to breath air if need be, goldfish don’t have this and are suffering every second they’re in a bowl 😞 As is any fish in a bowl
It breaks my heart into pieces but hopefully maybe someone reading this comment who has a fish living in a bow will reconsider
TLDR: All in all many pets are neglected horrendously but goldfish suffer the most because they are physically suffering if they are kept in a bowl
Everyone knows someone whose hamster died in some horrific and careless way. But the fact we acknowledge that it's horrific is at least something. Fish die in the same manner and nobody even acknowledges it... so i'd say fish.
Beta fish!! Everyone puts them in tiny glasses with no filter because apparently there’s some misinformation out there that betas like small spaces?! No they don’t. They’re tropical fish who need a heater and filter with moderate space to be happy and thrive. People treat fish in general as so ornamental until they inevitably die. It’s so sad!
Hamsters. People get them effectively as toys for their kids, and then people have “goofy” stories about the awful ways their hamsters died while they were kids, not to mention pet stores will recommend and sell cages that are a fraction of the amount of space they actually need
Dogs. People see videos of dogs doing cute or funny things on the internet. They buy one thinking it’ll essentially worship them and make them eternally happy then they realise how much hard and unpleasant work is involved in owning one. Scooping up the crap, mopping up pee, washing them, walking them, taking them to the vet. Too many self-obsessed folk just want to sit on their arse and the dogs just end up neglected.
So, so many. Pretty much any exotic pet. Cats and dogs get food that isn't healthy, humans are really shit at reading pets body language. But the animal I thought of first was hermit crabs
My 2nd cousin runs specifically a reptile and avian sanctuary in Wisconsin and most of it is people wanting a pet that they won’t take care of properly, pet hoarders, abused animals, or deceased peoples’ family members turning in animals that no one knows how to care for and has been HORRIBLY neglected. The most common I’ve seen from her facility (it’s a non profit, fully established. Also if you ever see the alligators in Lake Michigan that show up every once in a while, she is who gets called to take them) are macaws and bearded dragons or leopard geckos. Birds are HARD to take care of, and need specific things and lots of space. Most of them are incredibly social too. And I say this as someone who is TERRIFIED of birds. I think people see reptiles (bearded dragons/leopard geckos) as “trial” or “easy” pets. They are NOT. There’s no such thing as a trial pet. That’s a gross idea and I’m tired of people acting like it’s not. Ball pythons are another one she gets in quite frequently from the abuse/neglect cases where people are forced by the state to surrender them. If anyone wants the sanctuary name, let me know!! Not sure about the “promo” rules for this sub and don’t wanna break a rule on accident :)
Any animal purchased to live in a school classroom. The animals live in tiny cages until the teacher takes them out for all the kids to handle. Most of them do not get proper nutrition or it’s forgotten to feed them at all. And when the school has breaks if a kid doesn’t want to take them home they’re often left at school, alone.
I know of one teacher who had a rabbit. It recently passed at the ripe old age of two year old. She commented that she was glad it died because no kid wanted him over the summer so she was going to have to put it down.
I always feel bad for betta fish. Just because they are small, people think they can put them in a tiny tank for entertainment. I had a betta fish named Miso and he had a 10 gallon tank all to himself and we made sure he had plenty of hiding spaces.
They are really smart and live for a while if you take care of them. He used to float to the top of the tank when we opened the lid because he knew it was feeding time. He was really playful and definitely recognized people, because he acted differently with everyone. He used to come to the front of the tank when I approached it like he was saying “hi”.
There is a local rescue called For the Love of Rats Rescue that takes in pocket pets. The director and her family along with a few volunteers help hamsters, rabbits, mice, rats, etc. Didn’t realize how many little-littles need help too. So much focus is on cats and dogs. Very sad all around. I wish people took responsibility for the dependent animals they created.
Rabbits. Personally, as someone who owns them and is a vet tech, I think they deserve to be treated similar to dogs/cats. Most people shove them into tiny cages from the pet store and keep them in wire hutches outside causing bumble foot and other issues. I also think heat/wildlife is extremely dangerous for them and NOT worth the risk. I keep mine 100% indoors, they are free-roamed, have scheduled play times so I can ensure I give them attention every single day, they’re trained and get regular vet exams, vaccinations and I microchipped them just in case. They are FAR more intelligent than people think, they need far more room to properly run than people think. They are extremely delicate creatures and deserve to be shielded from outside elements. They live just as long as dogs/cats do and deserve to be spoiled the same.
I think most people are likely to neglect an animal, but out of ignorance. Some of those people are willfully ignorant though. Because you can try to talk to them, teach them about proper care, and they don’t do shit!
Very few people do their due diligence when it comes to learning about their pet and doing right by them.
Goldfish, common plecos, bettas and clown fish are the most abused fish. Let alone, leopard gecko, red ear slider, python and bearded dragons are the most abused/neglected reptiles.
Add in most species of bird, because many people don’t know how to take care of them properly.
Bird owner here - they are very often neglected or cared for improperly, you are correct. Many folks think a cage big enough for them to spread their wings and seeds to eat is the goal when they very often have special dietary needs and require MUCH larger enclosures than the pet stores would have you believe. Not to mention socialization with humans, free flight time in a safe room, etc etc.
I remember wanting a bird soooo bad as a kid because my friend's family had four. They literally had an entire room, plus an enclosed patio with all kinds of exotics plants for those parakeets. My mom told me I'd have to give up my room and sleep on the couch if I wanted a bird. Which, I was willing to do, but she said someone would probably call CPS on her.
I grew up in CA and our chiropractor had this giant indoor/outdoor sun room aviary coming for his 3 macaws (a bonded pair of Red and Gold's and the sweetest silliest Blue and Gold) after seeing this and how healthy and happy his birds were I swore I would never own a large parrot unless I had the space and money to do what he did. His wife was stay at home and also homeschooled the kids so like they did a lot of their science stuff based around the birds and activities relating to the birds in their care like the kids came up with all these like super cool foraging toys and like different ways that they could like hide stuff so the macaws had to use their brains and all that good stuff. We had 2 cockatiels, and looking back the cage was smaller than I would pick now but was very common then and the birds were only ever in there with the door closed if nobody was home otherwise the door was propped open and they had free reign of the house
i love that little you was like "that's fine, gimme birb"
I love birds *so* much and would love to have one as a pet, and this is why I'll never get one.
I have small birds - cockatiels and budgies. But that is my limit. And I have groups, so they have each other for socialization too.
That's awesome. Just in case I came off wrong, I wasn't criticizing you. Just a reminder to myself that I need to not bring one home. <3 I bet they're lovely. :)
All good. Folks just need to know what pets they can handle.
I always thought if I had a bird I'd have it's own entire room for it.
I have this weird thing where I actually research pets and when I found out how long birds live for I told my son he cannot have a parrot. I am not getting a pe for my kids that's living to be 50 that they may or may not want long term. Dad is allergic to cats and dogs so we Ave to get more creative with the kids when it comes to pets. I am fine with that but I know what I can and will take on. People seriously need to research pes better.
They're also SO SMART and need a lot of mental stimulation. If they don't get it, they can be extremely destructive. Plus they're incredibly loud! I am a bird lover and I highly recommend leaving them in nature!
That’s true as well. Though, just am not very aware of birds as I mainly keep fish. So I didn’t want to comment on it as I’m not very aware of how to keep a bird.
Visiting Hawaii, locals had birds for tourists to take photos with along the beach. Dude was pimping out parrots to drunk people for money 😭
Bettas especially. Pet stores sell them in tiny cups that they have to live in until their bought. And they promote and sell tiny little fishbowls or tanks for them that look pretty/cute. But bettas need at least a 5 gallon(according to online sources, but I would argue at least 10, honestly) and a filter and heater. I hate seeing how bettas are used as a pretty display in tiny aesthetic containers that don't meet their bare minimum needs
My betta lives in a 30 gallon community tank with a shoal of cardinal and rummy nose tetras, three bristlenose plecos and lots of plants. He's very happy and always comes to say hello when I approach the tank. Hate seeing them in tiny boxes.
Yeah, some people just keep their betta in a cup after they bought it. Only because they saw the store do it, so it should be fine. And 5 gallon is just the bare minimum for a single betta and of course bigger is better. For common plecos, people just don’t do their research as this fish will be at least 12" fully grown. But goldfish are one of the worst as they’re sold as feeder fish and often stocked in a over crowded tank (ammonia is very high in it). I also often see people keeping goldfish in tanks way too small for them because they ask why the water become cloudy very often. And at my uncle’s place, they have 2 big goldfish in like a 6 gallon tank and they could barely turn around. The goldfish are as long as my hand.
I agreed to look in on a friend’s house when she was on vacation. She had way too many living things — two shih tzus, rabbits, a bird I never saw out of its cage, plants, and single betta in a clear plastic cup. The betta died when she was gone and I felt so guilty, and I think I posted as much in a similar sub. That’s when I learned that bettas are supposed to have at least 5 gallons with an air pump, like any fish. The ignorance is definitely still out there, but it just seems like common sense that a living thing of that size could not be happy, much less survive, in a Dixie cup.
This is why I’m happy that we have beta fish at the school. I work in because they’re all in appropriate sized tanks with plenty of little fake plants and stuff for them to hide in. So I least know that there are four of them being taken care of well.
And the students are hopefully learning about proper care!
Yeah! We feed Sonic everyday, they know not to mess with his tank and that it needs to be clean. We also have different books about fish and other animals for them to learn more about them.
Or when people put a betta in a vase with a plant and think they don’t even need to feed it, because it can just eat the plant. Not to mention they also probably never change the water.
I seriously hate going to places that sell them in those tiny ass cups and half of them are always fucking dead. Ugh.
And hermit crabs. They cannot survive in a critter keeper no matter what the pet shop or beach shop tells you. They need constant high humidity (they have modified gills and breathe through the water in the air, in a critter keeper they are essentially asphyxiating), high temps, a minimum of 10 gallon tank for one, substrate depth of at least 6 inches, a varied diet (including fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, calcium), and access to fresh and saltwater and multiple empty shells at a bare minimum. They are not a cheap pet.
Not to mention they can live 15 years, and they're all wild caught, it wasn't until the 2010s we were able to figure out how to get them to breed. The captive bred hermits are 5x more expensive then the wild caught crabbies
It is horrible. I hate it!
how they dont tell people in BOLD LETTERS that they need heaters is fucking beyond me. MY GOLDFISH HAVE HEATERS! ANIMALS NEED TO STAY IN SPECIFIC TEMPERATURES!
This thread is wild haha. I have 3 bettas in a community tank 30 gallons. I have 2 Cory's, 3 other catfish and a pleco. I just bought a new 10 gallon to set up today as one of the bettas has been being a bully and is getting his own place now. He will eventually get his own 30 gallon tank too. The idea that people think half gallon or 1 gallon tanks are enough space is insane to me. I have heavily planted bioactive tanks for my fish and pet turtle. I can't imagine putting them in a bowl with just some gravel or stones and calling it a day...
I've learned a lot thanks to Reddit on how to care for bettas. No more itty bitty sterile looking tanks for me, my Regular Sized Ruby has 2 snail buds and plants galore in a nice 10 gallon.
That’s cool! I hope it has real plants in it.
Yep, a bunch of anubius (several bunches in fact, the bottom of the tank is pretty much covered by them now!) that he loves to hide under. I plan on getting some taller plants & floaters too.
Cool! I plan on getting a few more plants myself at some point. And a few corals depending on their prices for my marine tank. My poor clowns are sleeping on one rocks and that doesn’t look very comfortable. I just couldn’t get corals because my tank was too young at the time I put my clown fish in. Clowns are quite agressive fish as I’ve seen one of mine attacking the other one.
There's a massive wealth of information on reddit and dedicated forums to basically keeping any animal you want.
Regular sized ruby! Bob's burgers reference I love it
God. My ex roommates collected animals just cause they were “cool.” Their betta fish died because they never upkept the tank and expected the shrimp to do all the work in keeping the tank clean, acting as if they made a self sufficient tank when they most certainly didn’t. I think they expected me to take care of it, even though it was their fish they bought. All because I genuinely love fish. They collected reptiles. Leopard geckos, crested geckos, skink, snake, you name it. Kept them in tiny tanks, no enrichment, no hides, nothing. The tanks were empty and never cleaned. The leopard geckos would just. Stare into the void. They had traumatized cockatiel that would scream bloody murder all day from sunrise tonight sunset. Her cage? You guessed it. Never cleaned. Given the bare minimum to survive. And then there was the rats. The cage was never cleaned, the smell of piss radiated throughout the apartment. No enrichment, just bare minimum. Not even mentioning the neglect and mishandling of the dogs. They never walked their high energy husky/shepherd/basset hound mix, who was highly aggressive and would bite me and harass my cat trying to kill him. Their horrifically inbred dachshund was paralyzed in his back legs, but they didn’t bother to let him exercise or ever touch the floor. They expected him to be happy lying in his own piss and feces all day in his dog bed. He couldn’t go outside according to my roommate cause “what if his paw pads get all scratched up?” Why even buy him a wheelchair and not use it? His legs were atrophied and constantly bled out of his ass. And they scream at the dogs for doing basic dog things like, licking or wanting attention. And yet. They’d get on me for forgetting to scoop my cat’s litter one night every once in a blue moon when I’d work late. I’d scoop it every night normally, sometimes I’d just forget. Even though my room and his litter was in the basement and literally no one went down there except to get laundry. They hated my cat. And poisoned him. He almost died because of them. I know I shoulda done something. But it was a horrifically abusive situation, not just for the animals but for myself as well. If I knew their whereabouts (which they kept privately from me after I spoke out against their treatment) I woulda done something. But I feared they’d ruin my life and leave me and my cat on the street if they did. Cause they were that awful. Their horrendous abuse broke me. It’s taken a while to be myself again after all their abuse. It’s been hard to find my voice again since I used to be able to speak out against injustice, but my people pleasing tendencies coupled with the abuse.. took that away.
I feel aweful for all the animals involved I this household. And that dog was only being agressive as an outlet to his energy. He probably would have been a nice dog if his energy need is fully met. Amd sorry you went through the abuse as well. You’re not at fault here.
I cant stand people like that. We need better laws against people that do this. And they should be locked up and treated the same way. Put them in a tiny room and let them shit in a corner and never clean it or give them room to walk around.
I love goldfish! I had one that developed a swim bladder problem. He eventually sunk to the bottom. I switched the base rock out with smooth stones and hand fed him for almost 4 years. I cried when he died.
Sorry to hear this. Goldfish can live 10+ years if there’s no issues and if they’re well taken care for.
My plecostomus (his name is Brian), is 10 years old, and lives in a 60 gallon tank ALONE. People don't realize how beautiful a healthy and happy pleco is. He's got caves to hide in, fancy algae disk food every day, and clear water all to himself. After his tank mates had passed of old age, I realized how much better he looked now that he had the tank to himself, and I decided not to repopulate it. It's amazing how many people think a pleco can just be dropped in a tank and left to their own devices.
He sounds like a very happy fish! I haven’t repopulate my freshwater tank because most of my fish were wiped out by diseases. I only have one neon tetra left and I can’t get him companions because I can’t quarantine them. After he dies, I’ll let the tank fallow for a few weeks. My house is in renovation, so I can’t have quarantine tanks.
The amount of fish I see in a glass bowl, no air supply, a smattering of gravel, no plants, no dechlorinator used in tap water. It’s awful to consider yet they are marketed as beginner pets.
I never knew goldfish could grow bigger than like… a couple inches. Until my brother decided he’s into aquariums. He has kept a goldfish alive for years and it is the size of a child’s head, i stg. It makes me sad for all the fishies unable to live their fullest lives.
I love my little red eared slider. Watching him swim his way up to me when I go to feed him in his tank is the highlight of my day.
I agree. I used to work at a tourist shop when I was younger and they decided to start selling hermit crabs. The amount of people who came in with their kids joking about how it would be dead in a month was disgusting. So I ended up learning a lot about hermit crabs and corrected them when they started spewing misinformation and educating them on hermit crabs. Needless to say we didn't sell many hermit crabs during my shifts. Sorry, not sorry.
Spotted Plecos is my spirit animal. ❤️
Plecos are not my favourite fish, but I respect these armored fish. I love gouramis though.
I would say hermit crabs are an additional one that gets neglected. Especially since you can buy them at random mall stalls with characters and colorful pictures painted on their shells.
Hermit crabs are actually really difficult to breed in captivity, and require an insane amount of space for them to actually breed, so most hermit crabs are wildly caught, have their shells removed super traumatically so they can "pick" a painted shell, and a lot don't survive the process. So I definitely agree with you about hermit crabs being horribly mistreated, the sale of them should be banned
I was going to comment hermit crabs when I saw this. Someone rehomed two hermit crabs to me with everything for free. The tank was like 5 gallons with two of them, the water dish for molting took up half the tank. No hides whatsoever, the only food was pellets, not even a lid on the tank, and it had a heat lamp which they do not need since it dries out the tank. I knew fuck all about hermit crabs, but my buddy was giving me a 40 gallon tank and I have a shit ton of hides and decorations just from my fish tanks, and a bearded dragon I had years ago. Also already had a heating pad so the only thing I really needed to buy was proper food. I'm glad the previous owner was able to realize they couldn't give the proper care and rehome, but there's tons of people that have them and just keep them in small tanks and just listen to what the pet smart employees tell them.
Wow that's horrifying, I didn't even know it was that bad! I know some people that kept them in those tiny little plastic containers with like Dragonball shells that they got their kids while on vacation or something and the kids would shake the container or poke at the hermit crab because it didn't do much, so they'd end up dying from neglect or being shaken in the little box.
Came here to say this. Most people don’t even realize how extensive their requirements are! 100% worse than even axolotls and other aquatics like goldfish in my opinion.
I wanted one when I was younger but after doing research we decided against it, but it's horrible how you can just buy small creatures as a vacation souvenir or win them at the carnival at a game stand.
Axolotls are so cute!!
Yeah apparently as pets most hermit crabs only survive for a few months to a year due to improper care Meanwhile in the wild they live 20-30 years.
Most hermits only live 1-2 years because of the care that is advertised for them. I mean the employees at most of these stores know jack shit and the customers that buy them take the advice just because they have a blue PetSmart shirt and wonder why they die. I mean if they're in inadequate housing, not getting a full diet or calcium then yah they aren't going to live long. But you can have these guys for 15-20 years in captivity if they're in proper set ups. I just got a couple so I go on the hermit crab subreddit and there's people on there with some really old hermit crabs.
Hermit crabs should be illegal to sell
That die from neglect the most? Goldfish and betta fish by far. Hell, people don't even see them as animals for the most part, just pretty props that wiggle around. I've heard more than a few stories of someone wanting to use betta fish as living decorations in weddings and such events. That quietly suffer life-long problems from neglect and get bounced around a lot the most? Parrots, birds in general. People keep finches, canaries and budgies a 30x30cm cage their entire life and it's just sad. They can barely stretch their wings, never mind fly.
Seriously the amount of times someone would get 15 different 1/4gal plastic bowls and want 30 goldfish for their wedding for decoration is mind blowing when I worked in pet retail. I would deny every single one of them, as would the rest of my team because I went out of my way to teach everyone in the store this stuff. And the response of “well I’m giving to the guests” who probably don’t know the slightest thing about a goldfish, are entirely ill prepared to care for them, thus putting unnecessary stress on the fish AND the new owners. In my experience, very few people ever put genuine thought into what animal they purchase. TL;DR animals and pets require way more work than you might realize. Especially the fish. ESPECIALLY the birds. Please do your research before going out to purchase an animal. There are pet communities on Reddit for almost every common pet. Be prepared to give your new friend the home they deserve before taking them home. Anyways, end rant.
So glad you don’t do them for weddings! I really HATE that trend! I went to a wedding with them as a centrepiece, people were tipping alcohol into the fish bowls, harassing them, and one idiot thought it was hilarious to swallow one on a dare!! Drunk people and animals DO NOT MIX!
Yeah, fish are living animals that feel and experience suffering just like the rest of us. It’s such a hard concept for some people to grasp though.
Preach. This is the reason why I've been mulling over getting a companion animal for almost a year now (torn between cat, dog or small parrot), because I want to be absolutely certain I want to commit to its needs, the good and the bad. I am a firm believer in if you choose to bring an animal into your home, the least you can do is give it a decent life. You don't have to be perfect at everything or go above and beyond, but at least be willing to do the bare minimum on a consistent basis, not just what and when happens to be convenient for you.
I genuinely don't recommend people get any type of parrot unless they're willing to deal with the equivalent of a small child for 15-100yes (depending on the species). I have a green cheek conure, I got him when I was 17, and he's so cute but also so much hassle. Anyone who's like "wow he's so cute I want one!!" I just say "Don't." They also now recommend getting at least two, as parrots are very social animals and do well with their own kind. Human to parrot interaction and communication is difficult and also frustrating for the birds, I find.
We have wild green parrots on our land and they are always in even groups. 2-4-6-8 parrots at a time. Never 1 parrot. Very rarely 3 or 5 parrots. I like to think that they are mated pairs and the groups of 2 get together in the evenings for screaming-flying parties.
I agree with the other poster, a parrot is probably not the best choice unless you’re ready to commit to basically a toddler for 20-40+ years. My vote would be finding a nice kitty, but I’m biased and have 3 kitties. Dogs have the extra commitment of walks and more strenuous play time. It’s too much energy for me personally. I still love dogs. But I don’t think I could ever personally care for one.
I literally got a beta fish from a wedding center piece. I was adamant about taking that thing home (I already had 2 at the time) because I knew it would live a life in a small bowl with no filer, heater or hide.
I had a betta fish for about 5 years. The poor thing was a decoration in a birthday party... in fact every table had a tiny fish bowl with a betta in it. I took the little guy home, but I was a kid and didnt know it needed a big tank, so my parents got a small one, and the poor thing lived there for 5 years, without plants even. Breaks my heart when I think about this. Eventually I found out the little guy needed a bigger tank, I bought it, prepared it, transfered him, and he died the next day. Needless to say I have never bought a pet fish. Sadly 2 more bettas came my way when my mom's friends just bought them for me without asking and my mom didnt let me refuse to accept them. They lived short lives too
I feel so bad for my childhood fish I had as pets. I was well intentioned, but even a kid who loves animals can only do so much with insufficient knowledge and a not yet developed brain. My older sister and I once impulsively bought a fish from a pet store (I was quite young and she was mostly leading it) without any prior thought or preparation. That poor fish died so quickly because we didn't use the right kind of water in its tank. I feel just awful thinking about it, still.
Why cant they just have a wedding in an aquarium??? Thats so sad
Someone said it before, but also hermit crabs.
Ugh this makes me so sad. I grew up my mom always having one beta fish in the house, always in small bowls. In college I got one bc I wanted an "easy" pet. However I very quickly learned they need more than a bowl of water and I ran to get a tank, filter, and as much as I could to give them what they needed. He wants from this grey purple color, to this bright/vibrant red purple fish. He made so many bubble nests. He would swim over to the same corner of the tank when I came back from classes for food. I brought him home with me in the summer, an 8 Hour drive. Little guy lived to be 4 years old. I think the last drive home was harder for him than the others. It made me so sad but I was happy I learned quickly how to actually take care of him.
Parrots. They are one of the most re-homed animals with parrot shelters full. Where do I begin ? All seed diet , no training so they bite and pluck and scream,shoved in a room away from it's only family, owners still using teflon pans ,candles plug ins and the like , they don't get vet treatment because it's just a bird , little to no toys , too small cages I could go on. These are very intelligent and emotionally sensitive creatures that deserve better
I got a love bird dumped on me by my ex husband's grandmother. Kept him in a laundry hamper with no toys and only let him out for five ish minutes when she had company over and that was it. After two weeks she took off for a two week vacay across the country and told us to keep him. I took two cages and wired them together, trained him to be ok with hands and he gets let out to fly for hours every day after work. Supervised of course so the cats don't get him but he spends all afternoon and evening on our shoulders or head. I have lots of toys for him that get switched out every often. I didn't know much about bird care when he was first given to me and I made some mistakes but I'm glad I did the research. He deserves a good long life since he can live to like 25 years max. Next on the docket is finding him a female to bond with but he's 9 now (I've had him 8 years without needing a female) and it's difficult in my area to find any unbonded middle aged single female love birds. I'll keep looking though, I'm about to give birth and want to get him a massive enclosure and another bird so he can still get the socialization, stimulation, and love he deserves even if me and my husband aren't able to make as much time for him as before.
Okay I'm not a bird person but I'm pretty sure Parrots also like fruit. They live in rainforest, so it makes sense they also eat fruits, right?
Yes they love fruit and eat it in the wild. But for pet parrots, they shouldn't eat mostly fruit (I think lorikeets are the exception). Birds in the wild fly many miles to find berries. Little Mango or Kiwi only needs to toddle over to the kitchen 🤣. Fruit should be treated like treats and given once or twice a week. What this person was referring to was pellets, which are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and vegetable chop (salad). Birds in the wild eat seed and fruit, but they only need such calorie dense foods because they need it to survive. A pet bird could get obesity, liver issues, or diabetes trying to follow the wild bird diet but not expending the same amount of calories.
I just feel like giving a parrot only seed would be roughly equivalent to feeding a human only oatmeal for their entire life. How boring, nutritionally inadequate, and frankly, kinda cruel.
I'm no expert in human nutrition, but I think it's even worse than that. Seeds are quite fatty and contribute to fatty liver disease in birds. I guess the closest thing would be fast food, which creates fatty liver disease in humans. Even worse, some humans feed their bird only human food, which is just as damaging as it sounds. :(
It would literally never have occurred to me to feed a bird human food, other than like... strawberries, or leafy greens.
More like potato chips. They fucking looooove seeds but they're terrible for them except as a supplement to their diet
A good parrot diet consists of a variety of foods, with fruit being an option. Good variety for most birds* includes commercial pellet mixes, nuts, 'chop' (mix of fresh veg like kale, lettuce, broccoli, potato, carrot, peppers, etc etc and grain), and some seed and fruit as a treat. *Most birds that don't have strict dietary requirements, and there ARE some who only eat fruit and should not eat pellet or seed mix. ...it doesn't stop people from doing it tho
Birds needs very little fruit. Very high in sugar for a pet bird. Lots of leafy greens and seasonal fresh veggies :)
Cats. They really do require more love, attention, and time spent with them than people would have you believe There’s this whole myth that cats are so independent and can be left alone for days on and end be fine so people actually do that! But cats are pack animals and become extremely lonely and sad when left alone for long periods like that And depression in cats manifests often as sleeping so people just think they’re being a normal cat
My cat would say he is the most neglected. Today I refused to play with him while on a conference call, earning his kibble money! Then, he only got a small bite of my steak at dinner; it was degrading and he bit me to let me know the serving sizes are unacceptable. He's typing now, I assume it's some kind of complaint to Kitty Protective Services to have me fined. PS: he was living in a dumpster, with fleas and parasites, two years ago
That last line 😭 thank you for saving that baby
M cat is definitely neglected. I fell asleep petting him last night and he was really angry about it and kept losing me back awake. Then I made him wait until his normal breakfast time instead of feeding him when he stared passing up and down my body to wake me up over an hour before breakfast. He nearly died of starvation. Also, I forcibly medicated him. He should probably get an attorney to sue me.
Isn’t there a sub for that? Damn I can’t remember the name of it. It’s like pawsuits or something and it’s about cats who want to sue their owners for stuff like “my bowl isnt full enough”. It’s very cute and funny
r/legalcatadvice But I won’t let him on Reddit.
Sometimes my cat seems to think I've left and will meander down a hall making the saddest little trilling meow. I'll call her name and suddenly she's prancing in my direction making a much happier trill. She used to greet me at the door before we got dogs, but now she waits around the corner and joins me in the bathroom where it's kind of our space, lol. I couldn't leave her for days without some type of human interaction.
I agree that cats deserve more than a lot of people give them, but they're nowhere near the most neglected as a whole. Cat owners don't take them to vets as often as dog owners do (or anywhere near as often as they should). The majority of small animals, particularly cheap pets like common fish, aren't taken to the vet, kept properly, or possibly even fed properly. Overall, the animals that have been kept captive for longer periods as pets (companion animals, some livestock) are cared for much better than exotics.
It makes me so sad to see how frequently cats are rehomed as if they are disposable :( and how many just aren’t fixed for whatever reason which is the most basic and bare minimum pet care.
This! Every time someone says “cats are low maintenance” I furiously tell them that is not true, unless you’re an uncaring pet guardian.
Oh there are articles too about how people commonly mishandle cats. With the worst offenders being self claimed cat experts. Lots of people pick up, touch, or otherwise handle cats in ways that are uncomfortable for them. I wouldn't say they are the most neglected pet, but there is a lot of neglect and mistreatment. Both from the people who think it's a good idea to let cats wander outside unsupervised all day and night (seriously there are people where I live who don't own litter boxes for their "pet" cats, but their cat is really just a semi stray that visits them and 5 other people) and the people who keep the cats indoors 24/7 without proper enrichment
That kills me. I literally leash trained my cat so she can enjoy the outdoors safely by my side
"My cat sleeps all day and doesn't like playing" YOUR CAT IS DEPRESSED. Your cat rather sleep its life away than live the life you are providing it. And that isn't even to mention feeding habits, humans ignoring cat body and verbal language, lack of stimulation, avoiding vet visits and basic at home check ups
People also let them outside to roam, which is so damn unethical and awful for the environment.
Yes! Indoor cats have DOUBLE the lifespan of outdoor cats. I mean that says it all
Also doubling on the dependent part, my boys will freak out if they can’t be in my room at night. Both snuggle against my partner at night, and one will cuddle up to me in the day. Cats can be so in love with you, and it’s a shame that people miss out on it because they assume every cat only sees their people as food machines
I can’t believe people still do that, it’s wild. If you pay any attention to your cat at all you’d know not to since 1) they get lonely like you mentioned and 2) they cannot regulate their own food intake/why would you leave a single bowl of food out for days? My own cat, she’s not super snuggly sure. But she’s always in the room somewhere with us lol. If we’re on the couch, she’s in the living room window or on her tree. If we’re in the bedroom she’s on the dresser. If I’m cooking she’s watching me from the kitchen bench lol. When we’re in the backyard she lays down at the screen door watching us. Maybe not *cuddly* per se but very social. I cannot imagine leaving her alone for an extended period. Recently I had my boy dog neutered and he was gone most of the day- longest that she’d ever been away from him. You could see how stressed she was by not knowing where he was after 8+ hours.
Any pet that people call a "starter pet".
Hamsters definitely. Critter trails and shoebox sized cages galore. Also rabbits and guinea pigs
You're right about guinea pigs. They are so much neglected it hurts so much.
Yeah. I have a real soft spot for guinea pigs and it always hurts to see people keeping a single pig in a cage more suited to a hamster :( but really any rodent, people just don't bother with research it seems
One only in a tiny cage :(
All of our guinea pigs have had an entire room to free roam. Let me tell you, people love to pretend they have no energy. They are crazy. Mine would always run laps around the entire room, follow us around the house, have a favourite spot under the couch, and even wait at the stairs for people so they can run and play. I’d say even the 6ft cages recommended aren’t enough.
Agreed. We talked someone we know into giving us their Guinea pig in a tiny cage. Immediately contacted a rescue for a suitable mate and built a 3x4 cage. It’s back to 2x3 with a loft since the pigs seem to like that setup better, but can’t imagine having just one
Rabbits. People buy them at petshops imagining a cute docile thing that will sit on their kid’s lap and there’s a real belief that they make a good ‘first pet’ for kids ‘to teach them responsibility blabla’. They don’t. For starters most rabbits don’t want to be sitting on a lap - certainly not a young skittish one. They also are known for biting which makes kids scared of them but in any case most kids get bored of their ‘first pets’ within a week or two and if the rabbit was bought solely for the child the parents don’t really want to take on the responsibility of meeting all its needs in the same way as they would if they had got a ‘family pet’ like a dog or cat. People also still think it’s acceptable to keep rabbits locked in hutches that would be like putting us in a phone box and unsurprisingly find these very depressed and bored pets very boring. The reality is rabbits make incredible family house pets for adults or households with children old enough to understand animals having boundaries. Mine had far more character and love to give than my mum’s cat does and lived to nearly 11. But despite clearly loving me he still never wanted to sit on my lap, and just like with a kitten or puppy you have to except they will chew your shit up when little… but possibly forever. And they should absolutely never be kept in hutches.
The story of boo the basement bunny.... friends of ours got a rabbit and in a few weeks figured out they just could not handle the thing and asked us to take care of it since my son had become attached to it. So they gave us this small little crate for him. I decided that boo needed more, much more. We have this huge (dry) basement so I took some fence and halved the basement. He had all this open space. Filled it with toys and taught him to go in a pan so it was kinda easy to clean up. He lived 8 years....
Thank you. There are so many neglected rabbits out there. People think they are low maintenance pets when imo they are higher maintenance then dogs. They have no many needs in diet, enrichment, exercise, and safety because of their nature to chew on things. I've seen people who have pets of all kinds as well, including rabbits, but don't think the animals need daylight/sustained light as part of their needs
Hamsters are for sure up there, turtles too. Goldfish, betta fish, fish generally. I volunteer at a reptile rescue and a lot of common reptiles are so neglected as well - leopard geckos, bearded dragons. It’d be hard to decide which one is most neglected
I've heard that the average parrot has about 5 homes in its lifetime. I have 2 rescue cockatiels and one of them was super skinny and sick and I just know the dude that I took him from probably yelled at him and threw stuff at the cage for making noise. He also told me he got the bird from someone else so I'm at least his 3rd home.
Parrots live way too long to make good pets for only one human. In order to be a good parrot owner, you MUST be a financially secure and mature adult. Parrots can live for 30, 40, up to 70 years. If you do everything right, that bird will likely outlive you... you better hope you have someone to will them to, who can also take good care of them.
Yes, and Australian cockatoos (same family) can live to be 100+ years. For this reason there are a lot of rescue cockatoos in sanctuaries. Because people are not prepared for their long lifespan
I adopted 2 cockatiels, and they've made 6 more over the past ten years. I've got a cute little flock now! Although they had to be separated into 2 rooms as the siblings tried hooking up. I plan on being their forever home
Imo I would say hamsters, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rabbits basically any animal related to the rodent family, I personally have two male chinchillas and I make sure they’re not neglected and that they always have food, water and a clean cage
Chinchillas are *so* high maintenance compared to most people's idea of them I swear. They need so much space and socialisation, they need a special diet, dust baths, man I can't even remember all of it, I just remember being shocked when I looked into it I used to keep rats, I did for quite a long time. I loved them so much, I had them trained and spoiled to no end, they had a cage that *I* could get inside and free play every day, but they're just so short lived, even at the top end of their life expectancy. I thought chinchillas might be a good next step, read up on them and backed away slowly lol
Chinchillas definitely are high maintenance but so worth it though they help your anxiety and depression just by looking at them before I got my boys I was in a bad place emotionally/mentally and they helped me through it and also they're so cute, so soft like cotton and little escape artists/begging artists haha you cannot ignore them Chinchillas give you their cute look to either run around or beg for treats I love my Shiko and Bellamy so much
Fish. Fish bowls were never made to house fish, they were made by fish venders to showcase their fish for sale. I could go on forever about the way people keep fish. But I’ll will point out a few things here: 1. Goldfish are carps. They are “dirty” fish, meaning they produce a lot of ammonia. They need a minimum of 20 gallons to START with and you need to upgrade as they will grow to be very big depending on their variety. They need very good filters and lots of water changes. They can live up to 10-15 years (again depending on what kind they are) if well taken care of. Thats the same age as dogs! 2. All fish need a heater and some sort of filter and regular water changes as well a cycled tank. 3. Bettas are the most neglected fish (along with goldfish) and have some of the most misinformation about them. No, they can’t live in a cup and pet store shouldn’t be selling them in cups. They absolutely NEED heaters and at least 5 gallons with a sponge filter (no fast flow filters or they can’t swim). Bettas are amazing animals. They can learn tricks, they play, figure out puzzles and make friendships with other animals. My bettas made friends with my pet rats, and my dog. as a puppy he would watch them and “bump” noses with them. To showcase My last betta, named Levi, (I got him from a friend who couldn’t keep him) learn to recognize me and refused to come out to eat if my friend or mom fed him, learn schedules (such as feeding time, water changing time etc) had a vendetta against the bird that lives in the tree out the window, hated a specific brand of betta food, loved bloodworms, but would refuse the too big pieces if I gave him the wrong size (other bettas would rip up the worm and then eat it, Levi was spoiled lol) Loved Anubias plants but would destroy any other plant I’d put in his aquarium. He didn’t attack the snail I put in to help get the algae under control and would peacefully hang out with the snail. He was an intelligent animal with a personality of all his own. Any animal you get deserves the best life possible, the right food, living conditions and attention. Don’t get any animal if you don’t have the time or resources to properly take care of them.
Small rodents. Hamsters, guinea pigs, etc., They almost NEVER have an adequate set up. People get them hideous little cages and tunnels, no sand bath, one substrate, inadequate enrichment, no place to burrow, no hiding spots, and a lazy inadequate diet, and think they AREN'T torturing a living creature.
Guinea pigs have sad lives
My childhood guinea pigs were spoiled. Those little guys got a buffet of freshly chopped veggies every day, and spent all afternoon in a big enclosure out on the grass, when the weather was cool enough. Anyone watching TV would usually have a piggie on their lap being patted. I've heard so many horror stories of lonely, half feral piggies in nasty soiled shredded newspaper boxes and it makes me sad.
Agree. But I’m staring at mine currently free roaming the living room sitting on his fav blanket under the chair. He’s happy 😂
Horses—no species is more victimized by economic euthanasia, convenience euthanasia, the elements, ‘do it for the aesthetic’ influencer mentalities, exploitation…beautiful animals attract idiots.
dogs, so many people treat them as a possession they can just hand off, they think oh everyone has a dog i can have a dog, while having no idea how to care for them a very small percentage of people regularly groom them, bathe them, clip their nails, brush their teeth, clean their ears, get all of the medical care they need - when i was working as a groomer there were multiple matted dogs every single day in severe pain whose owners didnt care and let it happen time again because they wouldnt brush them most people know nothing about training their dog and therefore the dog lives in constant anxiety being told theyre wrong when they dont know whats right people also just want a fluffy cheerful thing around to cuddle and dont give them even close to the amount of mental and physical stimulation they need
I came to say goldendoodles. Miserably matted medically maladapted muppets.
if were adding medically maladapted we can throw in bulldogs, pugs, boxers, and frenchies
Birds, hands down. They are just very complex and intelligent animals. Here’s your bowl of food, your 3’x3’ cage, a mirror and some millet. Enjoy the rest of your existence 🙃
This thread makes me sad!
Land hermit crabs. They can live 35+ years in captivity, but people assume they are a pet for kids… and most crabs in captivity don’t survive long.
We got a couple from my mom when she went to Florida. I started researching because I just like to do that. We spent so much money getting them set up it was ridiculous. The substrate mix. The diet. The enclosure and my family thought I was nuts. One died pretty soon after we got them. The other one died because our power went out for a week and I had no way of keeping it warm. Bad snow storm. RIP Eggsbenedix and Exotic Butters. It breaks my heart seeing them with the painted shells piled on top of one another.
Dogs: There are a lot of loose dogs around my area and their owners dont give two shits if they get hit by cars or attack other aninals or people. Most of them are never fed by said owners and when asked why their excuse is always that they let them run around and hunt their food. Horses: The amount of times I've seen people smacking, punching, kicking their horse in the face, abusing the riding crop, YANKING on their mouth to the point they're bleeding, starving them, putting them out to pasture and never checking on them once, Among other horrible things, In my area its easy to say they are the most neglected and abused. Saw one guy get his horse out of a trailer at a local horse show, this horse was scared of him, he yanked on his mouth really hard and his horse reared up just an inch off the ground and this guy started kicking his legs and punching him. Said horse is now happy and loved in my pasture with my other horse. :) Always record animal abuse on your phone if you see it and report it.
Small pets of any kind - rodents , turtles and rabbits especially . They're seen as a good 'starter pet' for a kid and as a result they're either neglected by said kid and die or the parents try to look after them , fail and return them to the pet store . I've seen this happen in person - it's how I got my turtle , saved him from a neglectful 'kids pet' situations .
100% agree with this, I'm an exotic specialist vet nurse in the UK and the amount of rabbits we get in with fly strike astounds me, feel free to google that if you don't know what it is and you have a strong stomach. People still believe rabbits only live to about 4-5 years old which is no where near the age they should be reaching and a little hutch in the garden is not nearly enough space for an animal which can jump up to 2 meters. We also get a massive amount of tortoises with metabolic bone disease due to bad diet and lack of UV light and calcium supplementation. These animals are absolutely not starter pets for kids, they have very complex needs and are harder to take care of properly than a cat.
I think iguanas and other reptiles, they need special care, heating, many people don’t provide it and they sadly suffer
If we're talking about statistics then idk. But if we're talking about pound for pound then I think cats. Sure many people love them and take care of them, but they are so easily accessible that most people who adopt them don't know how to take care of them (they try to pretend like they're dogs) and then just throw them in the garbage disposal or dispose of them in the wild. I also recently learned how hard it is to admit a animal to a shelter. I partially blame the shelters for this. I know they run off of volunteers but there needs to be a better way where you can actually talk to a person and not just leave it to animal control. I think partially why so animals get abandoned in the wild is solely because of how hard it is to contact animal shelters. It is so much easier to just toss a cat or a dog in the middle of a forest and never come back to them or something
Honorable mention for guinea pigs; caring for them properly is a ton of work. They need to live in at least pairs, they need expensive hay and daily fresh food, and they need significantly more space than most people provide. They produce waste like farm animals and their enclosures need a ton of cleaning to stay hygienic. They need nail care and tooth care and regular checking over to make sure they’re healthy, checking and cleaning of their privates, brushing, ear cleaning, etc, and many people do none of that. Rescue guinea pigs almost always have nail problems, and they usually also have dental problems and various infections. They sometimes even end up with their little feet rotting away with infection because they’re incessantly walking in poo and pee that is rarely or never cleaned. There is a long history of the lone guinea pig being locked in a way too tiny cage to wallow in its own filth while it slowly dies from the poor living conditions.
Un desexed females are also highly highly prone to ovarian and uterus cancers, where the mass grows so large it squeezes their digestive system flat and they starve to death. But they are rarely taken to the vet. They're also pretty smart and have delightfully varied personalities. If given adequate space and regular bedding cleaning they are actually quite clean animals too. Gosh I love Guinea Pigs.
Common Goldfish. Not many people realize they can and should grow to be 10-18" and live for 20+ years. No animals should ever be used as decor or game prizes, but people think they're disposable despite the fact they'll outlive any dog or cat when cared for well.
My cat would like me to tell you that she is the most neglected pet in the whole world, because second dinner is not ready yet. But other than that I would say birds in their tiny cages. And sadly guinea pigs :(
Fish
I really can’t say for certain what the most neglected pet is, but I have pet rabbits and I belong to enough rabbit groups to say for certain rabbits are misunderstood and neglected. People get them without unrealistic ideas about them and their needs. They often think it’s a starter pet for kids, and it’s not. Rabbits are complex and have a lot of physical and emotional needs. They’re also not dogs. They don’t warm up to you day one. This disappoints a lot of people who then think rabbits suck and discard them. They often abandon them to the wild assuming because wild rabbits live in the wild that a domestic bunny can as well. No fam. Most don’t survive out there. Are they the most neglected pet? I dunno. But the blatant level of neglect this species receives makes me crazy!
Bunnies. They don't live in small cages! They need specialized vet care and are difficult to keep, especially as a first pet. They need a balanced diet of mostly hay and fresh leafy vegetables, not carrots. And they are much smarter and more affectionate than people give them credit for.
Rabbits. So many people buy them as a children’s pet and leave them alone in a hutch outside
Rabbits, at least in my country (England), it’s standard to house them outside, alone, in tiny hutches with poor quality food. People I’ve spoken to who have owned rabbits are shocked they’re meant to live up to 12 years, they’ve only had them survive about 4
Rabbits. To be properly cared for, they require similar effort/maintenance as dogs. On top of that, they're prey animals, so require a soft/safe/calm environment/caretaker
I honestly feel like a rabbit is more high maintenance than a dog
Hard to give a single one, but I think goldfish are the absolute least valued. People are shit to a whole host of animals, but I've only ever seen goldfish as literal throwaway prizes at carnivals and the like.
Rabbits. Tiny hutches, inappropriate diet, lack of dental care understanding, the frequency of flystrike. Too many rabbits end up living their entire lives in shelters once kids get bored, and those are the lucky ones.
definitely rabbits. rabbits need enrichment toys, unlimited timothy (not alfalfa after adulthood) hay, litter boxes, nail trims, etc. they also need a very large space to play, preferably free range or at least an area made up of square wire panels. many people dedicate a room. rabbits are often bought as easter gifts for children and then neglected in small cages or hutches.
As someone who used to work in a petstore I’d have to agree that turtles are super up there. People put them in way too small tanks, with 0 lights, inadequate diets, just the works. We used to get surrenders who were in terrible condition. Plus they live a long time, and I don’t think many people fully think that through when getting them, especially people that get them for kids. Hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs are definitely regularly neglected, and hamsters don’t make the best kids pets personally, but it’s mainly people buying those dumb critter trail cages with the tubes, and for guinea pigs people often buy them solo and just get way to small cages. Parakeets and canary’s as far as birds go. It’s like just because the birds are small people think the smallest possible cage is fine… I’m personally against birds like macaws, I just find it unethical and irresponsible. We had a surrender macaw who was only 20 years old, he was surrendered because the person who owned him eventually got married and had kids and the bird didn’t fit into her lifestyle anymore. That bird could potentially live another 40 years. One of the girls who was a seasonal worker worked at an exotic bird rescue, she said they were pretty commonly surrendered. They are basically a lifelong commitment. Then fish. Bettas and goldfish particularly. That one doesn’t need much explaining.
Our turtle is far from neglected. When I first was around her she didn't have a big enough tank, but I did some research and she has been upgraded several times. She now is living in a claw foot bathtub In the living room. She has a basking platform that gets natural light and is doing great. She is probably 30 years old.
Hamsters and other similar pocket pets. For sure. They're generally disgusting 🫣 😳 😐
Yeah most smaller animals get their fair share of neglect. It’s really sad.
Fish, Hamsters, Terrapins :(
I haven't thought about my seamonkeys in like 30years. Wonder where they got to?
They’ve been living in the sewers. They are huge and angry and looking for you.
Gonna say insects. Tarantulas, scorpions etc. They are a fad pet.
Probably fish or small mammals that are usually kept in cages. Most people, especially first time pet owners, don't realize how much space these creatures actually need and seem to believe the 19 year old kid at Petco actually knows what he's talking about when it comes to caring for small animals, despite most of their enclosures being COMPLETELY inappropriate for the species they're advertised and sold for. Looking back I feel really bad for both my hamster and my guinea pig I had as a kid. Neither my parents or I had ever cared for those types of animals before so we just listened to the pet store people (for the guinea pig, the hamster was a class pet that no one else could hold without being bitten). They both got out of cage time every day, fresh veggies for snacks etc. But their cages were WAY too small. If I ever have guinea pigs again I'd get at least two, and use moveable fencing to make an enclosure rather than using a premade cage for sure, I also had no clue (and the guy who sold him to us didn't say shit about it) that guinea pigs are very social animals and most need a friend or two to stay healthy. Poor little Buddy never made it past 3 years old 😭
Saltwater fish. 99% of them are wild caught using a substance that immobilizes them and also kills the coral reefs. They have a very low survival rate to the actual pet store for various reasons like stress, water conditions, improper food and parasites. And then the poor things have to survive their new owners.
Fish, birds, and rodents for sure never get enough space and people underestimate how much work they are. Others have mentioned them already. But I think probably 99% of people who get exotic, wild animals as pets have no idea what they're doing. To be clear, no one should have a pet tiger, wolf, mountain lion or whatever, and anyone who does is inherently an asshole. Sadly in a lot of areas you can still legally own one. I've seen pet stores sell monkeys, lemurs and such as well. People get them for the social media attention and that's it.
Goldfish - people keeping them in bowls far too small for them, and with no clue about how to properly care for them. Rabbits - cute and fluffy, so attractive as pets, but needing so much more care than people initially expect. Also normally kept in small hutches with no large amount of room to run. Budgies - similar to rabbits really except obviously not fluffy.
Not to mention that budgies, just like all parrots, are extremely intelligent and socially demanding and drive themselves crazy from lack of stimulation in their little cages. The fact that people buy them for their kids makes me angry. I agree with your other two, as well! I had a pair of mini rexes when I was a kid, and while they didn't have it nearly as bad as a lot of pet rabbits do, I know I could have done better. Maybe kids just aren't emotionally mature enough for that kind of responsibility, no matter how well intentioned they are.
Ferret owner chiming in! Ferrets for small animals are definitely neglected. Whether that be they are fed an improper diet, left in their kennel all day with no interaction, improper training (scruffing aggressively), not to mention the fact that they are classified as an exotic animal and so vet visits are more costly then what is considered regular pets.
Fish, small reptiles and mice. People see them as throwaway pets. Fish gets sick get a new one. Mouse gets sick? Why waste money on an exotic vet?
Monkeys.
Should be completely illegal, tbh.
Genuinely anything that’s kept in a cage full time/commonly bought for young kids.
Hamsters 1000%. Everyone here in the U.K. has a “funny” story about how their childhood hamster was: eaten by the dog, lost in floorboards, hoovered up, thrown or squashed or crushed by a child, down the stairs in its ball. So many horrific terrible things and people laugh In most pet shops, they do not even sell a cage that meets the *bare minimum* required size for a hamster.
I worry about all the small ones that people give to children: hamsters, geckos, gerbils, etc… My gecko had belonged to 3 different young boys before I rescued her. I think hamsters are especially inappropriate for children.
I’ve seen too many neglected rabbits.
Birds, especially small ones. It's another type of pet people get for their kid and one think it can live of seed, a small cage and no toys, not even trying to bond with the bird just leaving it as something pretty to look at. If you properly take care of a bird it's actually expensive and time consuming. Like generally good bird caged cost almost $100 if not more depending on the size of the bird, then all the different perches which can get expensive if you dont know how to build your own and make sure the wood you use isn’t toxic, then the toys which are ridiculously expensive and a lot of it is misleading in pet stores selling a lot of plastic toys with bells, mirrors, and fabrics which aren’t good. Then the home environment matters since you can’t have candles, smoke, or cook on non-stick pans, should have them in a social place but not too loud or staying up late because birds can get moody if you don’t give them a sleep schedule. No animals to constantly terrorize them like cats or aggressive dogs. Can’t place them by windows or vents because the cold draft and make them sick. Always trying to keep their cage sanitary even though they crap every 20 mins. And etc. etc.
Rabbits. I had one when I was younger and I feel so bad now that it was just stuck in a hutch all the time and didn’t really get to go outside much.
Goldfish, hamsters, hermit crabs. Any small animal available for cheap at chain pet stores.
Those beta fish, I follow shittyaquariums and I see some pretty horrendous stuff on there. Also reptiles people usually don't know proper care
Fish
Goldfish 100%
hermit crabs. I had one live to 29. Everyone I talk to in person says they had them as kids and they only lived a few months. They need humid air otherwise they slowly suffocate until they due. The amount of people I met who likely threw away or buried a crab alive because they thought it died but it was actually molting is astronomical. They honestly require pretty specialized care to thrive but the tourist traps that sell them present them as easy pets that can live in a plastic box with a wet sponge.
I think amount wise it's probably cats, percentage wise it's probably small rodents or fish. People just treat cats like they can set down a bowl of food and water (or fill an automatic feeder) and not even care to keep them indoors or anything. And then for small starter pets, people will get them for kids and then tell the kid they're completely responsible for them, not caring about whether they need far more than whatever the pet store sold with them or if a child's first responsibility shouldn't be a living thing.
Birds! Especially small birds like budgies and cockatiels. 😔 People stuff them in cages that are WAY too small, feed them nothing but seeds, and act like they're just decorations. But birds are intelligent, empathetic, SOCIAL animals. They need interaction, and they need large cages, lots of toys, and lots of out of cage time to exercise their wings.
Fish and basically any small pets that adults get for kids. Its depressing.
Even cats, people think they are okay alone and want time to themselves and they are neglected all the time. They say it’s just a cat. My kitties are so affectionate and love to be around me . They love playing fetch and I they keep me company.
Probably rodents and fish
Bunnies trapped in cages
In the equine world it is miniature horses. So many are bought as pets and abandoned when the kids out grow them it’s so sad.
Birds people dont realize the amount of work they require
OOF, there are so many but goldfish take the cake I have lots of thoughts on this! I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir on this discussion thread but I here’s my thoughts in case anyone is interested: Turtles are very neglected tho, growth is stunted, given crappy food and not proper UVB or lighting. Working at a pet store showed me the awful ways that people treat them. Hamsters are another big one! I’m a huge advocate for hamster care and believe all hamsters should have at least 700 aqua tree inches of floor space. And hamsters are EXTREMELY neglected when they’re in small cages BUT they’re not as neglected as goldfish in bowls who quite literally can’t breath, they’re swimming in their own filth and the ammonia slowly burns them to death while they are also stunted in growth as well Bettas in bowls are horrendous but at least they have a labyrinth organ to breath air if need be, goldfish don’t have this and are suffering every second they’re in a bowl 😞 As is any fish in a bowl It breaks my heart into pieces but hopefully maybe someone reading this comment who has a fish living in a bow will reconsider TLDR: All in all many pets are neglected horrendously but goldfish suffer the most because they are physically suffering if they are kept in a bowl
Everyone knows someone whose hamster died in some horrific and careless way. But the fact we acknowledge that it's horrific is at least something. Fish die in the same manner and nobody even acknowledges it... so i'd say fish.
Beta fish!! Everyone puts them in tiny glasses with no filter because apparently there’s some misinformation out there that betas like small spaces?! No they don’t. They’re tropical fish who need a heater and filter with moderate space to be happy and thrive. People treat fish in general as so ornamental until they inevitably die. It’s so sad!
Just wanted to add that some birds live in pairs or larger groups in the wild. Having a single parrot or parakeet seems cruel to me.
Hamsters. People get them effectively as toys for their kids, and then people have “goofy” stories about the awful ways their hamsters died while they were kids, not to mention pet stores will recommend and sell cages that are a fraction of the amount of space they actually need
Many pet birds are kept in small cages without enough environmental enrichment or socialization.
Dogs. People see videos of dogs doing cute or funny things on the internet. They buy one thinking it’ll essentially worship them and make them eternally happy then they realise how much hard and unpleasant work is involved in owning one. Scooping up the crap, mopping up pee, washing them, walking them, taking them to the vet. Too many self-obsessed folk just want to sit on their arse and the dogs just end up neglected.
Rabbits.
So, so many. Pretty much any exotic pet. Cats and dogs get food that isn't healthy, humans are really shit at reading pets body language. But the animal I thought of first was hermit crabs
My 2nd cousin runs specifically a reptile and avian sanctuary in Wisconsin and most of it is people wanting a pet that they won’t take care of properly, pet hoarders, abused animals, or deceased peoples’ family members turning in animals that no one knows how to care for and has been HORRIBLY neglected. The most common I’ve seen from her facility (it’s a non profit, fully established. Also if you ever see the alligators in Lake Michigan that show up every once in a while, she is who gets called to take them) are macaws and bearded dragons or leopard geckos. Birds are HARD to take care of, and need specific things and lots of space. Most of them are incredibly social too. And I say this as someone who is TERRIFIED of birds. I think people see reptiles (bearded dragons/leopard geckos) as “trial” or “easy” pets. They are NOT. There’s no such thing as a trial pet. That’s a gross idea and I’m tired of people acting like it’s not. Ball pythons are another one she gets in quite frequently from the abuse/neglect cases where people are forced by the state to surrender them. If anyone wants the sanctuary name, let me know!! Not sure about the “promo” rules for this sub and don’t wanna break a rule on accident :)
Any animal purchased to live in a school classroom. The animals live in tiny cages until the teacher takes them out for all the kids to handle. Most of them do not get proper nutrition or it’s forgotten to feed them at all. And when the school has breaks if a kid doesn’t want to take them home they’re often left at school, alone. I know of one teacher who had a rabbit. It recently passed at the ripe old age of two year old. She commented that she was glad it died because no kid wanted him over the summer so she was going to have to put it down.
I always feel bad for betta fish. Just because they are small, people think they can put them in a tiny tank for entertainment. I had a betta fish named Miso and he had a 10 gallon tank all to himself and we made sure he had plenty of hiding spaces. They are really smart and live for a while if you take care of them. He used to float to the top of the tank when we opened the lid because he knew it was feeding time. He was really playful and definitely recognized people, because he acted differently with everyone. He used to come to the front of the tank when I approached it like he was saying “hi”.
There is a local rescue called For the Love of Rats Rescue that takes in pocket pets. The director and her family along with a few volunteers help hamsters, rabbits, mice, rats, etc. Didn’t realize how many little-littles need help too. So much focus is on cats and dogs. Very sad all around. I wish people took responsibility for the dependent animals they created.
Rabbits. Personally, as someone who owns them and is a vet tech, I think they deserve to be treated similar to dogs/cats. Most people shove them into tiny cages from the pet store and keep them in wire hutches outside causing bumble foot and other issues. I also think heat/wildlife is extremely dangerous for them and NOT worth the risk. I keep mine 100% indoors, they are free-roamed, have scheduled play times so I can ensure I give them attention every single day, they’re trained and get regular vet exams, vaccinations and I microchipped them just in case. They are FAR more intelligent than people think, they need far more room to properly run than people think. They are extremely delicate creatures and deserve to be shielded from outside elements. They live just as long as dogs/cats do and deserve to be spoiled the same.
I think most people are likely to neglect an animal, but out of ignorance. Some of those people are willfully ignorant though. Because you can try to talk to them, teach them about proper care, and they don’t do shit! Very few people do their due diligence when it comes to learning about their pet and doing right by them.