Someone asked me recently how many pets a single person may have (I took this to mean "is allowed to have."). And I even have an answer: I have no idea! But let's explore this, anyway.
I used to have two zebra finches named Gerald and Jefe ("el jefe" means "the boss" in Spanish; he was the dominant bird):
I used to have two zebra finches named Gerald and Jefe ("el jefe" means "the boss" in Spanish; he was the dominant bird):
Gerald always kind of had a hard time. He started losing feathers, especially on the back of his neck. I thought maybe Jefe was picking on him, so I got him a separate cage. He did all right for a year or so but eventually passed away. That's when I got Benny, Benny the Budgie:
When I first got Benny, there was a slight blue coloration to Benny's nose, causing me to believe that Benny was a boy. As time went on, the blue kind of faded. And my friend said Benny acted more like a girl than a boy. So apparently Benny is a girl.
Well, for various reasons, I have given Benny away to said friend, I have given Jefe away to another friend, and I currently have no pets. Sometimes I miss them a lot. They filled the silence with sound, they were beautiful to look at, they gave me someone to talk to, they did funny things sometimes, and they gave me little projects to do - like trying to hand-train Benny, who refused to be hand-trained. But I also like the freedom of having no pets - I don't have to worry about feeding them, cleaning up after them, or finding someone to take care of them if I go out of town. It's a trade-off.
Moving up the pet-owning spectrum, I have several friends and associates who own a dog or a cat. I have another friend who has two small dogs. These people apparently thrive on having a pet of this kind. The extent to which the pet enriches their lives is worth the amount of responsibility. To me, owning a dog or a cat, especially a dog, is basically one step away from having a child. This is the advice I would give to someone who is contemplating pet-ownership. Is the life enrichment worth all the care, feeding, cleaning, walking, exercising, and attention it takes to care for a pet? If so, then get one. If the sense of responsibility is overwhelming, then reconsider. I will say: the most low-maintenance pet I've ever had was a mouse. I could feed it almost anything, it didn't demand any attention, and for cleanup I simply had to wash out the cage about once per week. So if you're looking for a low-maintenance pet, consider a pet mouse! And keep in mind that the ones from the pet store are actually fairly cute (as opposed to wild mice you might find on the farm or whatever) - and you can train them to be cuddly. Fish are fairly low-maintenance as well, although the aquarium and other equipment can be quite the investment. Cats and dogs are the most popular pets, for sure. They're just naturally cuddly and interactive. However, I would strongly recommend NOT getting to this point (or worse):
Well, for various reasons, I have given Benny away to said friend, I have given Jefe away to another friend, and I currently have no pets. Sometimes I miss them a lot. They filled the silence with sound, they were beautiful to look at, they gave me someone to talk to, they did funny things sometimes, and they gave me little projects to do - like trying to hand-train Benny, who refused to be hand-trained. But I also like the freedom of having no pets - I don't have to worry about feeding them, cleaning up after them, or finding someone to take care of them if I go out of town. It's a trade-off.
Moving up the pet-owning spectrum, I have several friends and associates who own a dog or a cat. I have another friend who has two small dogs. These people apparently thrive on having a pet of this kind. The extent to which the pet enriches their lives is worth the amount of responsibility. To me, owning a dog or a cat, especially a dog, is basically one step away from having a child. This is the advice I would give to someone who is contemplating pet-ownership. Is the life enrichment worth all the care, feeding, cleaning, walking, exercising, and attention it takes to care for a pet? If so, then get one. If the sense of responsibility is overwhelming, then reconsider. I will say: the most low-maintenance pet I've ever had was a mouse. I could feed it almost anything, it didn't demand any attention, and for cleanup I simply had to wash out the cage about once per week. So if you're looking for a low-maintenance pet, consider a pet mouse! And keep in mind that the ones from the pet store are actually fairly cute (as opposed to wild mice you might find on the farm or whatever) - and you can train them to be cuddly. Fish are fairly low-maintenance as well, although the aquarium and other equipment can be quite the investment. Cats and dogs are the most popular pets, for sure. They're just naturally cuddly and interactive. However, I would strongly recommend NOT getting to this point (or worse):
Or your neighbor might make an angry video.
So, to answer the original question ("how many pets may a single person have?") -- I would say that a single person may have as many pets as he or she could successfully care for and give adequate attention to. With cats and/or dogs, I would say one or two. This is for several reasons. One, cats and dogs get territorial and (especially dogs) can demand a lot of attention from their owner. This can be exhausting if you have a lot a them. Second, singles, especially younger single people, tend to move around a lot. This has been true of my experience, at least. And different landlords have different rules about pets. It's just best to not have a lot. Third, you're going to have friends over, people coming in and out, dates coming in and out. Don't want to overwhelm anyone. Fourth, you don't want so much energy going toward your pets that you don't have any energy left for people. You're getting a pet to complement your life, not to take it over. Anyway, this is my opinion. Take it as you will!
So, to answer the original question ("how many pets may a single person have?") -- I would say that a single person may have as many pets as he or she could successfully care for and give adequate attention to. With cats and/or dogs, I would say one or two. This is for several reasons. One, cats and dogs get territorial and (especially dogs) can demand a lot of attention from their owner. This can be exhausting if you have a lot a them. Second, singles, especially younger single people, tend to move around a lot. This has been true of my experience, at least. And different landlords have different rules about pets. It's just best to not have a lot. Third, you're going to have friends over, people coming in and out, dates coming in and out. Don't want to overwhelm anyone. Fourth, you don't want so much energy going toward your pets that you don't have any energy left for people. You're getting a pet to complement your life, not to take it over. Anyway, this is my opinion. Take it as you will!