It’s been discussed among doctors and scientists for years that our pets can keep us healthy by lowering our blood pressure and even saving our lives in an emergency. As a college student, you’re expected to be young and active, but you also deal with tons of stress and anxiety. My roommate and I always talked about how nice it would be if we had a little puppy wagging its tail to greet us when we came back to our rooms, exhausted from studying or in tears after bombing a test. While most college dorms don’t allow dogs or other traditional pets, there are some less conspicuous little critters that could serve the purpose just as well.
Sugar gliders are an exotic but surprisingly trendy pet for college students since they’re tiny and nocturnal, when most students are up anyway. Their huge eyes and inquisitive faces make them look adorable, and they basically eat anything you can find outside (insects) or in the campus dining hall, like fruit and yogurt. They’re prone to calcium deficiencies, but sleep when you’re in class, and small enough to carry around from dorm to dorm.
Fish are another okay option for college students, but only if they’re willing to clean the fish bowl or water. Goldfish and guppies are usually the heartiest, and make sure you don’t get one that’s already pregnant. If you don’t clean the tank often enough, your room will spell worse than a garbage can after a frat party, so check here for tips on proper maintenance.
Hamsters and mice could also be a reasonable pet for your dorm room, provided you don’t let it escape: otherwise its absence could terrorize your roommate or others in the dorm who are afraid of rodents. Rodents are also usually nocturnal, and hamsters are traditional cage pets, but you’ll have to clean their cages too. But if you want something warm and furry to greet you after a bad day, you may have met your little lifesaver.
Leave Comments