Pets for autistics

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Besides Cats any specific breeds of cats that suit you?

Boa constrictors so you can strangle people that talk too much!
[img][600:300]http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/qB3KlnS2V-Y/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]

Hermit Crabs despite their name they like to be around each other but have some distance, they're really cheap so you can get 5 for like $10 and if they don't get along you can watch them fight to the death. You can also have them pinch people you don't like.


Goldfish cause they have poor memory functions


Hedgehogs! Cause guinea pigs and hamsters are too mainstream. You could say hedgehogs have Aspergers too as they don't have much social needs. Work on your sensory issues by stroking it's prickles and use it as a weapon for self defense or when someone breaks into your home. They mostly eat insects like mealworms but you can always treat them to a hard boiled egg or watermelon slice. You can even give them cat food, that way you can two animals with aspergers in the house and not have to buy separate meals. Can't call yourself a Sonic fan if don't have one


Ants! What's better than learning social skills from social insects!? Watch their synchronized harvesting and tug of war over food. They're great for dumping in peoples hair or ruining that restaurant you hate because they refuse to take your highly specific orders.


Any of you guys know any good animal companions for autistics?

While I do like cats, I'm a bit more of a dog person.

It sucks that I can't keep any kind of pet in my dorm, though.

I like dogs the best, I think, with cats a close second.

The closest relationship I've ever had with any flesh and blood living thing was with one of our family's dogs. From the day we got that dog the two of us were... I dunno. Everything just "clicked".

I've never felt able to communicate with any human (or any other animal) like I could with that dog.

That was a long time ago, I'm afraid.

No pets now, and not likely I'll have another. That type of friend doesn't live long enough, and I don't want to say goodbye for good to another friend after just a few years.

I don't want a pet of any kind. I think they are all a pain to feed and clan up after.

funny that you mention Hedgehogs because i happen to have one!


screenshot windows 7

This is silver, my Albino African Pygmy hedgehog



and this is Rose who passed away in november,

personally, i love hedgehogs as pets, theyre not very social, obsessed with running, have schedules and are sensitive to sounds, lights and touch, just like me.

but Golden Retrievers tend to be a good breed of dog to me,

also, i had a beta fish when i was young and i absolutely loved him

Rabbits are best for me because they're quiet, gentle, loving, shy vegetarians... just like me .

I love my bunny, just looking at him and watching him washing makes me happy. He's so cute. I'm a lucky BunnyMum!

I'd like a ferret.

Pets can be great at providing regular interaction, a sense of caretaking, companionship and even humor. One study says people with dogs live 2 years longer on average.

The level of interaction varies with the type of pet, as well as the ammount and expense of care required. The average total cost of yearly dog feeding, medical expenses, etc, for instance, is currently about $500.00.

Do your research on what will be required to keep a happy healthy pet before you get one. You might be really surprised at what is required. Try to spend a good ammount of time with the type of pet to see if you really do like the interaction and could do required feeding, care taking, cleaning, etc, (a friend's, or frequent visits to a pet shop or shelter).

You want to have as few surprises as possible once you do take any pet on.

have a look in avatar to see some of mine.
chickens are incredible pets and mine were pure autism therapy,when they lived on site with self they helped with everything from interaction,to communication,to mood,to challenging behavior.
theyre all around two and three now but had bred them all from egg in an incubator so they were all soppy little boys and girls who came for hugs,interaction, attention etc.
theyre a lot more clever than people think,temple [named after the obvious];a silver dorking hen loved to sit on shoulder and be walked around to catch up on local gossip, lorna [named after lorna wing] a maran hybrid hen, loved to jump up for a hug everytime and be spoken to in chicken language,tito [named after the famous profound autistic tito mukhopadhyay] was a light sussex cockerel and an absolute gentleman who loved to be wrapped up under the jacket of mine and be hand fed warm porridge,the toddler nieces of mine were able to pet and hold him-unfortunately he ended up kidnapped last june along with three special breeds- [japanese cochin] males and one female,both the police and the media got involved but nothing came out of it,the police believe they were taken by the local travellers [settled and non settled].

am unable to have chickens or breed them for other people anymore where am living so am missing them greatly,mine are all living on the farm belonging to the last residential home of mine and have been told am welcome to visit as much as want but cant afford the petrol at the moment,am allowed to get a cat here but have to wait till march to ask everyone else if they agree with it.

Have to agree! My parents have three dogs and I'm always getting stuck with babysitting them at least a few days a week. I like the dogs but I hate taking care of them when I babysit them. One of them has major anxiety that she's on medication, so being alone with her is awful, she barks at wind, rain, snow, thunder, fireworks, people moving, flushing toilets, etc. it bothers my ears and my sanity. The other two dogs are a bit easier, except one of the others is blind and she calms herself by chewing on everything, so I have to watch her closely when she's awake. It's really like having three kids. Ugh I definitely don't want kids. When I'm not babysitting them though and I have help with them, they are really funny and make me laugh a lot, it's just when they're my responsibility, then it's difficult for me to handle them.

Hamsters are my favorite. They only want about 5 minutes of social time per day (same as me!) and they're very easy to care for. I find them incredibly sweet and adorable and cuddly, but not needy, and I appreciate that most of the time they want to be left alone to happily do their own thing.

I've never had any purebred cats, so I can't really speak to how they are. Most of my cats have come from rescue organizations, because then I can give a home to a cat who really needs one.

My advice for getting a good random-bred cat is:

a) Learn signs of physical health in a cat, and pick a healthy cat. (Unless you really want to rescue a sick cat and are confident you can handle their health issues.) Things like clear eyes, clean soft coat, no discharge from nose or butt, only faint 'cat' smell rather than any strong unpleasant smells, etc. If they're short-haired, they should have no tangles or matted fur either. (A healthy cat can easily keep short hair free of tangles. Long-hair is more difficult to care for, so even healthy long-haired cats usually need human help to keep their fur well-groomed. If you're mildly allergic or don't want to brush your cat, it's better to get a short-haired cat.)

b) If getting a kitten, make sure they have all their teeth. This means they're at least 7-8 weeks old, and old enough to be weaned. If you get a kitten too young, you may need to use kitten formula to feed them, and they're more likely to have behavior problems. If you already have a cat at home, it's better to get a kitten, because they're seen as less of a threat to the older cat's dominance status. If you don't have a cat already, age doesn't matter as much, but kittens are easier to train out of any bad habits.

c) Choose a cat who shows no sign of fear of humans. Don't just look for hissing and aggression, but also for backing away, flattening ears, eyes wide open (especially with big pupils), tensing or stiffening when touched, freezing whenever you make any movement, etc. A cat who doesn't want to be held isn't necessarily afraid - they could just be wanting to play instead of cuddle, or just prefer being petted without being held.

d) Decide if you'd rather have a more playful cat or a more cuddly cat. You can't perfectly predict this, but try to pick a cat who acts more playful/cuddly depending on what you'd prefer. Keep in mind that the cat's age impacts this a lot - kittens are very playful (most kittens rarely cuddle before their teens), young adult cats tend to be a more even mix, and older cats (7 and up) rarely play and can be extremely cuddly.

In my experience, of all the pets I've had (dogs, cats, rats and fish), dogs are the most time-consuming and overloading. They need a lot of human attention. Just because you find dogs too much work doesn't mean you won't enjoy a cat or a cage/tank pet.

Cats act a bit like dogs, but a lot quieter, a lot less social, cleaner and with softer fur. And they can be left alone more easily - they're less inclined to destroy things and they don't get separation anxiety as easily.

Rats are very playful but pretty quiet (apart from the occasional rustling around and their 'uncle' squeak when wrestling) and they can stay in their cage except for brief play sessions. If you get a pair, they don't need much human attention at all - only a bit of handling once a day to keep them tame.

Fish barely interact with you at all, apart from asking for food, and the only noise is the soft gurgle of the fish tank, but keeping a fish tank safe for habitation takes some learning. (Not a lot of work once you learn how, though.)

Seriously, dogs are probably among the most time-consuming pets you can find.

I had two and they are ADORABLE! they like to be tickled and theyre very busy, but they poop A LOT!! ! and they like to play but if they have a partner, they wont be very interested in you.

A herd of velociraptors would be nice. Or meerkats.

I'm a dog man. Yes, dogs are generally more maintenance heavy than a cat and also more emotionally needy but I love them. I doubt that I'd be as satisfied with any other kind of pet. Don't get any pet unless you are able and willing to take care of them for life.