Pet during physics grad school?

[pinkfishegg]

Hello,

I'm a senior undergraduate physics majors taking a gap year before applying to physics grad school. I wanted to get a pet before continuing off the physics grads school and i was wondering if I realistically have time or money to take care of it. I'm thinking of getting a pet lizard which take up more time as babies but not as much as adults. I want to eventually adopt a dog but I think they would take up too much time (especially during the first two years of physics grad school.)

 

[SteamKing]

You could always get a pet rock. They don't take much time, even when they are young.

 

[jtbell]

When I was in grad school, for a while some of us kept pets in our offices.

One group of students set up a pen in the corner of their office, with a rabbit, a turtle, and an iguana. They also had an aquarium with fish (of course) and a newt named Sir Isaac. Another guy had a cage with a boa constrictor.

I had a pair of gerbils. We resolved the "population problem" by feeding the boa constrictor.

One day the department chairman heard about the pen in that office, so he took his master key and went to investigate while everyone was out. He opened the door and the rabbit hopped out between his legs. He decreed that the pen had to go, but we could still keep pets provided they were in aquariums or fully-enclosed cages.

 

[pinkfishegg]

Haha Jtbell that's a good story. I'm getting the the point where I miss life things such as pets, and time to play and enjoy video games. Of course I could theoretically get a pet as an undergrad but I spend a lot of time studying abroad and doing physics REUs and such and it would've been irresponsible to just leave a pet behind for the summer. I have time and space for one now but with my income of -20K a year, I'm not sure I can afford one ;). My landlord says I can have a lizard but I talked to friends with lizards and apparently they can cost about $30/week to feed. That's almost as much as me!

 

[cragar]

you could have a theoretical pet

 

[Lavabug]

Cats can spend long hours alone and they'll probably fit right in with your grad school schedule (ie: lots of sleepless nights).

Expect to have to pry them off of your notes, books, and/or computer keyboard on the days you work at home though.

 

[ShayanJ]

You could always get a pet rock. They don't take much time, even when they are young.

Ahh...Could you tell me what animal is a "rock"?
Or maybe you're just kidding?

P.S.
That's the problem of learning English in non-English speaking countries!

And also...as a physics student...maybe a cat suits you better!(Of course to OP)

 

[Enigman]

Ahh...Could you tell me what animal is a "rock"?
Or maybe you're just kidding?

The Rock or more properly spelled the Roc is a mythical huge bird in some egyptian tales:

But steamking was probably talking in lines of (I hope...):
Pet rock

Which is much smaller and easier to take care of...

In April 1975, Dahl was in a bar (which is now Beauregard Vineyards Tasting room in Bonny Doon) listening to his friends complain about their pets. This gave him the idea for the perfect "pet": a rock.[1] A rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, groomed and would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. He said they were to be the perfect pets, and joked about it with his friends.[2] However, he eventually took the idea seriously, and drafted an "instruction manual" for a pet rock. It was full of puns, gags and plays on words that referred to the rock as an actual pet. The original had no eyes.

 

[AlephZero]

New improved version, with computer interface: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/c208/

 

[pinkfishegg]

This threat got very silly :)

 

[pinkfishegg]

I want a huge mythical bird Enigman, where can I get one of those?

 

[1MileCrash]

I have a cat, and do nothing. Feed it, clean litter box.

So worth it, she adores me and takes care of any vermin in the house. Sits on my lap when I'm at the computer, comes into bed with me, doesn't scratch anything besides the carpet (which I don't think does much to it).

 

[lisab]

I have a cat, and do nothing. Feed it, clean litter box.

So worth it, she adores me and takes care of any vermin in the house. Sits on my lap when I'm at the computer, comes into bed with me, doesn't scratch anything besides the carpet (which I don't think does much to it).

I wouldn't call that "nothing"! Lap time and sleep time really matter to kitties!

Every cat I've had is very emotional and bonded to their humans. Not as much as dogs - I mean, they do have dignity (jeez, kidding - no hate mail, please :tongue2:!).

IMO, cats need time with their humans. So, OP, keep that in mind.

Oh and I strongly suggest getting an adult cat from a shelter, if you do decide on a cat. Kittens, like puppies and children, need a lot of interaction when they are young.

 

[jedishrfu]

How about a chia pet?

 

[Evo]

I wouldn't call that "nothing"! Lap time and sleep time really matter to kitties!

Every cat I've had is very emotional and bonded to their humans. Not as much as dogs - I mean, they do have dignity (jeez, kidding - no hate mail, please :tongue2:!).

IMO, cats need time with their humans. So, OP, keep that in mind.

Oh and I strongly suggest getting an adult cat from a shelter, if you do decide on a cat. Kittens, like puppies and children, need a lot of interaction when they are young.

Yeah, dogs want to play but cats want deep emotional bonding, then they own you.

 

[Enigman]

I want a huge mythical bird Enigman, where can I get one of those?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the classic reference in these cases but Scamander seems to have neglected the Rocs entirely...the stored penseive memories are however being made into a film for the muggles and may contain some relevant information. But until then- the next authoritative sources are the sailors Sindbad and Marco Polo. The tale of Sindbad as recorded by Scheherazade: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/tale22.htm
The Island is unfortunately unknown but Polo maintains the Roc is to be found in the Madagascar Islands: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/505847/roc

 

[1MileCrash]

I wouldn't call that "nothing"! Lap time and sleep time really matter to kitties!

Every cat I've had is very emotional and bonded to their humans. Not as much as dogs - I mean, they do have dignity (jeez, kidding - no hate mail, please :tongue2:!).

IMO, cats need time with their humans. So, OP, keep that in mind.

Oh and I strongly suggest getting an adult cat from a shelter, if you do decide on a cat. Kittens, like puppies and children, need a lot of interaction when they are young.

I've found the difference between cats and dogs is huge.

Dogs appreciate you, 'look up to you' almost, and always want your attention for the sake of getting attention. They like to play, they are generally thrilled to do anything with you.

Cats are more complex, they have their own agenda and personality. A cat showing you affection means a lot more than a dog showing you affection, in my opinion. When people say that cats "don't care" about their owners, it usually means that that owner wasn't willing to put any effort into the relationship. When my cat comes spoon with me on the couch, its not because "lol bark bark look at me bark" it means that the cat, with its complex personality, wants to do that for deeper reasons.

Basically, cats > dogs.

 

[dkotschessaa]

If I can handle having a newborn baby during math grad school, you should be able to handle a pet during physics grad school.

I will inform you as to the antecedent of that proposition in about 9 months.

 

[1MileCrash]

I will inform you as to the antecedent of that proposition in about 9 months.

:rofl:

 

[jedishrfu]

:rofl:

At about two years on and repeated 14 years later, he may wish for a Chia Pet instead. :-)

 

[ZombieFeynman]

time to play and enjoy video games

If you didn't have time to play video games in undergrad, you won't in grad school. The people that did the poorest in graduate classes in my cohort were those that played video games regularly. Not everyone that played video games did poorly, but almost everyone that did poorly played video games.

 

[dkotschessaa]

At about two years on and repeated 14 years later, he may wish for a Chia Pet instead. :-)

I can't keep those alive for crap.

Oh..

 

[1MileCrash]

Not everyone that played video games did poorly, but almost everyone that did poorly played video games.

That could just be because almost everyone plays video games.

 

[dkotschessaa]

That could just be because almost everyone plays video games.

Ok Ok.

Let's just say that the ones who do *really* well tend to have good time management skills.

 

[ZombieFeynman]

That could just be because almost everyone plays video games.

That could be true more generally, but in my cohort over half of us did not regularly play video games.

 

[turbo]

@OP, can you "borrow" a neighbor's dog? The people across the road from me had a dog that was neglected. He was a Broadway producer and was rarely home, and his wife and kids couldn't care less. I used to steal Bilbo every afternoon if I could, and we would walk the abandoned railroad tracks between Orono and Old Town. He would chase through the underbrush and flush birds that I would never shoot, and I would tell him what a good boy he was. We got along well.

 

[lisab]

@OP, can you "borrow" a neighbor's dog? The people across the road from me had a dog that was neglected. He was a Broadway producer and was rarely home, and his wife and kids couldn't care less. I used to steal Bilbo every afternoon if I could, and we would walk the abandoned railroad tracks between Orono and Old Town. He would chase through the underbrush and flush birds that I would never shoot, and I would tell him what a good boy he was. We got along well.

Good idea! An elderly or disabled neighbor's pet would appreciate going on a walk.

Or you could volunteer at a shelter. My daughter did that through college to satisfy the strong need for felines in her life.

 

[mal4mac]

If you think a dog would take up too much time you need to get a dog.

 

[Enigman]

If you think a dog would take up too much time you need to get a dog.

Indeed, if one is worried about time then it would be well to adopt a watch-dog...they are quite awesome as you can see...

----------
P.S. To anyone who doubts the prowess of the aztec breed. And yes, P.S. does mean Parthian Shot.

 

[HayleySarg]

I have a cat, and I presume that she'll be elderly right around the time I defend my PhD (I'm still doing pre-reqs at a CC). I certainly wouldn't trade her for the world but I do have to make time for her in the morning and evenings. She loves the attention, and is noticeably upset when I ignore her or miss "tea time." Every morning I get up, have a cup of tea and cuddle her.

Then again, she also demands I turn the faucet on for fresh water and loves to lay over any work I have.

But, she's worth it. It's extremely relaxing to me to have a cat. I wouldn't trade her for anything.

 

[dkotschessaa]

I have a cat, and I presume that she'll be elderly right around the time I defend my PhD (I'm still doing pre-reqs at a CC). I certainly wouldn't trade her for the world but I do have to make time for her in the morning and evenings. She loves the attention, and is noticeably upset when I ignore her or miss "tea time." Every morning I get up, have a cup of tea and cuddle her.

Then again, she also demands I turn the faucet on for fresh water and loves to lay over any work I have.

But, she's worth it. It's extremely relaxing to me to have a cat. I wouldn't trade her for anything.

If I can be a tad philosophical... I think its a myth that any kind of study requires 100% uninterrupted focus - this tends to backfire and lead to burnout. I think one actually needs distractions, interruptions, etc. during ones studies in order to stay grounded.

 

[HayleySarg]

I see, so she's attempting to prevent me from burnout.

This cat is mostly comically relief. She is at least 1/4 ferret. She'll sleuth out any sort of fun object and make a mess of it. Recently victims include a bag of cotton balls, the poof from the shower, various pens and caps, and various USB cords.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

I also have a cat. She is fairly young (2.5 years), so I think she demands more attention than an older cat. But I think it is less effort than caring for a dog...I grew up with dogs, and I remember them being prone to making messes. This cat is remarkably well-behaved as long as I give her some play-time.

I adopted this cat during my 4th year of grad school. Not sure I'd recommend getting a cat earlier...the first three years were pretty busy with classes and TA duties. A cat or a dog can also be expensive. Make sure you get pet insurance (which is fairly cheap).