Alternate pets

Wiggy · Jan 27, 2004

Diamond said:
Did you ever see that special, "The Future is Wild" on the Discovery Channel? It postulated a race of intelligent, tool-using, arboreal octopi taking over mankind's rung on the food-chain after we go extinct. Totally OT, but your post reminded me of it.

I've got the book based on the series. It has some pretty far out stuff in it and postulates a couple of different types of intelligences. Fun reading and some interesting ideas. Great artwork.

Wiggy · Jan 27, 2004

It's quite common to see insects as pets in Japan. My sister visited there and was surprised at the prices some beetles could command.

Here's an intro link

http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/buginfo/pets.htm

Remember the fad for ant farms and seas monkeys in the 50's and 60's? And how about spiders and the like? Not real cuddly.

Guilherme Loureiro · Jan 27, 2004

A friend of mine tried to keep a tarantula as a pet once. His sister complained to his mother, and his mother complained to him. He answered the spider was less venomous than his sister. Wrong thing to say; the spider had to go.

Wiggy · Jan 27, 2004

Guilherme Loureiro said:
A friend of mine tried to keep a tarantula as a pet once. His sister complained to his mother, and his mother complained to him. He answered the spider was less venomous than his sister. Wrong thing to say; the spider had to go.

Yeah, but it's not everyday you get handed a straight line like that. Pretty much a fair trade.

Abdul Hadi Pasha · Jan 27, 2004

Wiggy said:
It's quite common to see insects as pets in Japan. My sister visited there and was surprised at the prices some beetles could command.

Here's an intro link

http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/buginfo/pets.htm

Remember the fad for ant farms and seas monkeys in the 50's and 60's? And how about spiders and the like? Not real cuddly.

At one point here in the US, there was a huge craze for pet rocks.

Guilherme Loureiro · Jan 27, 2004

Abdul Hadi Pasha said:
At one point here in the US, there was a huge craze for pet rocks.

Rocks? Well, at least they are easy to care for....

Kuralyov · Jan 27, 2004

Anyone ever read the article in "The Onion" about Gerald Ford's pet rock dying? Again, off topic, but it reminded me of it...

Landshark · Jan 27, 2004

Guilherme Loureiro said:
Nope, they wouldn't be an asset - they're bound to do as much harm to you as to the enemy.

Actually, I overstate my case; not all hamsters are mean(in fact, the mean ones might only be a small minority), but those that are are surprisingly unpleasant to deal with, far more than their size would indicate.

Guess I'll have to stick with the cloned Russell Crowe's then.

Abdul Hadi Pasha · Jan 28, 2004

Landshark said:
Guess I'll have to stick with the cloned Russell Crowe's then.

It seems to me that this would be exactly the same as cloned giant hamsters.

Landshark · Jan 28, 2004

Abdul Hadi Pasha said:
It seems to me that this would be exactly the same as cloned giant hamsters.

Why would I need to clone the hamsters? All I'd need to do is to go to my local pet shop, buy a crate of hamsters and then take them home and get out the red kyptonite.

Anyway the Russell Crowes are more mindlessly aggresive and they will pick a fight with anything you point them at.

On the other hand the hamsters wouldn't try to get into the pants of your wife/fiancee/girlfriend and I'd never have to worry about them writing any poetry let alone reciting it.

mmmm...

I wonder if gerbils would be a happy medium, where do they stand in the evil rodent league table?

Straha · Jan 28, 2004

thats a waste of perfectly good hamsters! hamsters go well fried or in a stew.

Guilherme Loureiro · Jan 28, 2004

If what I heard is correct, gerbils are every bit as active as squirrels, so they should be a pretty mischievous bunch.

BTW, that cloned actor idea is just nasty. The image of an army of cloned Steven Seagals just came to my mind....

Landshark · Jan 28, 2004

SurfNTurfStraha said:
thats a waste of perfectly good hamsters! hamsters go well fried or in a stew.

I showed this to Prototype 01 and you now owe me a new wall, (same one I lost in the cheese incident as well). Please make sure to pay before P-01 reaches your house.

Straha · Jan 28, 2004

check your account.. you do accept gold bullion right??

Straha · Jan 28, 2004

oh and bythe way P-01 got consumed by my goomba who says that "hamsters with nacho cheese are good" and also by the way the edam,gouda and gorgonzola escaped from the fridge when I opened it to get some pizza because I had munchies...

Landshark · Jan 28, 2004

SurfNTurfStraha said:
check your account.. you do accept gold bullion right??

Excellent.

Straha · Jan 28, 2004

you're not mad about p-01 getting eaten by my goomba??

David Howery · Jan 28, 2004

giant hamsters... hey, we could use them to solve the energy crisis. Build giant hamster wheels for them, hook the wheels up to generators, and voila... power galore. Instead of messy gas or coal, all you have to use for fuel is hamster food (whatever it is they eat)....

tom · Jan 29, 2004

But they are even messier than gas or coal!

Landshark · Jan 29, 2004

tom said:
But they are even messier than gas or coal!

We use the giant droppings of the giant hamsters as fertilizer to grow giant vegetables.

Two problems solved in one go.