Anatole France gave a famous quote “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” This is quite true, everyone needs someone on whom we can shower love, pamper it and gain unconditional love and get satisfaction in return. Dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, tortoise, turtles, parrots, gold fish or any other types of beautiful fishes can be your pet. It might be confusing to decide on which pet should you select. Here are few tips to help solve your problem.

Few factors that you must considered while selecting your pet are:

• Do you have a big house or small?
• Are you looking for an indoor or outdoor pet?
• Do you have kids? How old are they?
• How much time can you spent with your pet?
• What is your budget, for purchase and maintenance?
• Do you want a companion, working or show animal?

Selecting right animal is essential for a successful and fun pet ownership. Let’s see which animals can match your needs depending on characteristic of these pets:

• Dog – Dogs are generally favourite pets for most of us. They are loyal, intelligent and obedient. They are simple to care for and their food supplies are available almost anywhere. Dogs can live upto 10-15 years. But they require time and attention to remain happy and healthy. Also you need to keep them clean, feed them regularly and vaccinate them as scheduled. Kids can get along well with dogs but you have to be careful about the hygiene.
• Cat – Cats are also common pets since ages. Cats love comfort and they too are great companion. They are playful, sensitive, and affectionate. They are more independent than dogs and can manage better even when left alone. In case of cats too you have to be careful with kids. Adult cats are better if you have kids.
• Tortoise and turtles – These are observational pets. That is you can watch them, handle them but they generally do not return affection, though tortoise can be lovable. Their maintenance is not very tedious and they can be managed in smaller places. They also have longer lives which can pose a problem as our life situation changes.
• Rabbits – Rabbits can be adorable pets. They are pretty, but require good amount of cleaning and one has to be careful with their food. They can be trained to use litter box and they do come when called. However, they cannot live outdoor and can die of fright, and are susceptible to infections. Also, as they grow they can get aggressive.
• Birds – Playful, cheery and chirpy birds are a good option. Budgie, parrots, cockatoos are charming avian companion. They are gentle, friendly and can be kept easily. They can be tamed easily, but can be quite noisy at time. Also, it has been observed that they bond only with the family members. Keeping birds clean is crucial otherwise they can spread infections as they tend to be messy.
• Fish – If you want something exotic, which does not litter around, more manageable and easy to maintain then opt for fishes. Fish require regular, methodical and continuous care. Fish food is special but readily available. You can select few different types of fish to put in your aquarium but you have to be careful with your choices as some fishes can damage others. Know beforehand which varieties of fish can be kept together, what all instruments would be needed by you and how to be careful while cleaning.
• Rats, Mice, gerbils, and hamsters – These can be good pets if handled with care. Rats live for 4-6 years and mice for 2-3 years. They are economical and quite popular with kids. They are convenient pets for people who live in apartments and may not have enough space for a have – a house specially designed for pets. However the major problem associated with them is odor, which can get really bad if thorough regular cleaning of cage is not done. Hamsters are most odiferous while gerbils are least.
• Ferrets – Another desirable pet is ferrets. They are relatively noiseless and do well on most of the commercial diets available. They are as intelligent as cats and are quite affectionate. They do not need much attention and live upto 8-10 years. They also have odor associated with them and some people may have problems with it.
• Guinea pigs – Do you wish to have cuddle bugs and docile animal as your pet? Then opt for a cute guinea pig. They make excellent first pet for kids as well but only under adult supervision. They are economical, do not need much space and are almost odorless. However they need time for exercise everyday and you need to give them quite a lot of attention.
• Farm animals – These can also make very good pets. They are easy to domesticate and quite useful. Also they are quite affectionate and easy to feed. But they may need more space and are not much recommended if you have space issues. If you own farms or a countryside house with large open space you can surely have these adorable animals as your pet.

Apart from these you can also have exotic animals as your pets like deer, raccoons or possums. Some people even love to have reptiles like snakes, lizards and amphibians like frogs and salamanders as pets. However you have to be very careful of them.

Having a pet if a joyful thing, but you need to select them carefully, care for them, give them attention, learn more of their habits and love them. A happy and healthy pet will make your life more cheerful.