Do I have too many pets?

Question

my fiance had two dogs, a ferret, fish, Hermit crabs & a hamster when he moved in with me. I already had a dog, 2 cats, and a bird. The bird has since passed away.
We live in a town house with a decent size yard. & two of our dogs are small ones.

Do you think we have too many pets? My mom hates it and tell me to get rid of most of them.

What do you think?

yes, I have checked. With the bird, we were over the limit. Now, we are not.

Answer 1

As long as your pets are healthy, happy, and well cared for, and you aren't overwhelmed, it is fine.

I personally have two small dogs, four cats, and three small snakes, and I think that is a good amount of animals for me at this time in my life.

Some people just simply like having animals all over their house, and others don't. It sounds like your mother is in the latter category.
I think a house feels very sterile and empty without at least a few critters running around, whereas my sister, who likes the idea of animals but not actually the reality of the upkeep; doesn't like inside pets at all.

My best friend, on the other hand, has four cats, a dog, a sugar glider, several frogs, several fish, around 10-15 lizards, a turtle, around 70 snakes, and more feeder rats for the snakes than I could possibly count. All of them are exceedingly well cared for. I have no idea how she does it without wanting to pull her own hair out. ;)

So in conclusion; the decision on how many animals to have is yours. There is no magic number of animals that someone should keep. If you can handle and afford the amount of animals that you have without being stressed and overwhelmed, then no you don't have too many pets. If you constantly feel like you have too much to do, that your animals are hurting more than helping you, that you are no longer enjoying having them as a part of your life, or that you feel like you never have a break from them, then it may be time to re-home a few of your animals.

I wish you luck, and I sincerely hope this helps!

Answer 2

Is it your mom's house? No.
So, you have about ten animals, that's nothing as long as there is not an animal in every room of your house and you can take care of all of them.
At one time my family had
-3outdoor cats (2 female, 1 male) which the 2 females both had litters of six kittens each= 15 cats
-2 lizads
-1 hamster
-Pond of 3 fish
-1 Betta Fish
-1 Rabbit
-1 dog
-1 cockatiel
It may sound like it but we DO NOT live on a farm and are NOT rich.
You tought you had a lot of animals.
Even now we have a lot, some have passed away since then.
Now we have
-1 dog
-1 bird
-About 30 pond fish
-1 Betta fish
- Another aquarium of assorted fish
-3 cats
So all together you had 11 animals and i use to have 26 animals and now i have six animals plus a pond and another aquarium full of fish. Your mother has nothing to worry about, especially if she doesn't take care of them and is not over your house 24/7.

Answer 3

Can you take care of them properly? If the answer is yes, then you're fine...
My husband and I have 3 dogs, 4 permanent cats, 2 foster cats, 2 rabbits, a centipede, 2 scorpions and 45 tarantulas.. Being home with them is the lifestyle we've chosen.. Sure, we have to work throughout the week, but, when we're not working we're home with our pets.. Most of our friends are going out on the weekend to movies and dinner and to wander the mall.. We choose not to do that.. Our pets are our only source of entertainment..
My parents don't get that either..My parents have one dog and I think they would trade him for a nice vacation.. Some people just feel more strongly about their pets and shouldn't be made to feel guilty by those that don't understand that..

Answer 4

It is possible that your Mom feels uncomfortable when visiting you because of the activity and noise level.
If you don't normally have disagreements with her and are keeping up with the animals cleanliness, see what kind of compromise you can come up with when she comes to visit. Haven't stated if she has any pets in her home--but it sounds like she doesn't.
She may not want dog or cat hair on her clothing or a ferret climbing around her feet, or maybe a cat jumping in her lap. Just ask her nicely what's bugging her about your pets. Maybe a couple of them need to be in another room when she visits and that may settle everything. Best Wishes to you and your Mom.

Answer 5

If you are both happy with all of your pets and can keep up with their care, there's not too many!

My daughter and I have: 1 dog, 1 syrian hamster, 5 dwarf hamsters, 2 piranhas, and other fish.

Answer 6

in a way it seems too many. if you can take care of them, and your budgets enough to feed both yourselves and your pets then its not much. if they are loud then you should sell some of them. but, when you travel who will take care of them? ur mom wont cuz she hates it and you cant take them all. maybe you can sell the fish, ferret, and hermit crabs.
keep all three dogs, they are very loyal and playful. keep 2 cats, they need a companion if alone. u dont really need fish, a ferret, and hermit crabs. hamsters r cute and easy to take care of, so keep it. anyway, it is your decision. if you have a fiance, youre old enough to decide yourself without your mom. your mom doesnt live with you, so its shouldnt be much of a problem for her.

Answer 7

i have 31 ferrets a dog a cat fish and a bird, and a rat and also hamster, all are well cared for and happy and im happy so if your happy with your pets and they are looked after and cared for it doesnt matter so i would say keep them and enjoy them

Answer 8

If all your pets are well cared for and everyone is happy then I would say it is a personal decision. the only thing to watch out for is what your town or city zoning laws say.Some limit the amount of pets you can have in a single dwelling.

Answer 9

Like most said, if everyone is in good health and happy then you are fine. My Mom, didn't like too many animals either but she didn't complain because they were mine, not her responsibility. Good Luck!

Answer 10

as long as you can properly care for them all and give them the love they need then no you dont have to many pets my boyfriends family all have more then 3 pets and they are all well taken care of