If you own a pet, you know they’re more than an adorable critter that sometimes goes viral in online memes and videos. There’s a reason that cliché about pets being our best friends exists. But if you’re an apartment dweller, and you’re thinking about getting a pet, choosing the right pet for your living space can be a challenge.
Fortunately, guides like the one in an apartments.com blog post can help you navigate your options, consider your living space and lifestyle, and ultimately decide which pet will provide you with companionship without causing problems in your apartment. Keep reading to see what apartments.com had to say on the matter:
Dogs
As many as one in three households own a dog, but these furry friends often need plenty of space to run, and their barking is disturbing to other renters. If you’re a dog person, consider a pug. They’re quiet and don’t need much exercise.
Cats
Felines are small and quiet with no cage requirements. As long as you have room for a litter box, cats make good apartment pets.
Fish
Watching fish swim for just a few minutes can reduce stress, according to pets.webmd.com. That’s as good a reason as any to have fish for pets! Plus, you only need a small aquarium.
Birds
Feathered pets sing and chatter all day. They love attention, but they can be too noisy for some neighbors. They also may require bulky cages that take up precious space in your apartment.
Hamsters, Guinea Pigs & Rats
While these friendly rodents may get a bad reputation, small and quiet, a hamster requires little space. They are nocturnal, though, so they only make good apartment pets if your hamster’s nighttime noises won’t wake you or the neighbors.
Guinea pigs love human attention, and they thrive in pairs. You’ll need at least a four square foot cage to house your guinea pigs pets.
Social animals, rats live best in pairs too. They need a cage that’s at least two square foot, according to the ASPCA, and you’ll need plenty of free time to play with your rats.
Snakes
Most property managers won’t approve poisonous snakes, but non-poisonous snakes make for quiet companions. You will need a locking cage that’s large enough for an adult snake to stretch out to two-thirds of its length. That means a six-foot long adult snake will need a four-foot long cage.
Hermit Crabs
Compact, hermit crabs need only a small aquarium filled with spare shells, water dishes and climbing toys. You can’t cuddle a hermit crab, but it doesn’t require much interaction or space.
Look at Your Lease
You might have your heart set on pet ownership, but check your lease before you bring a pet home. It will outline the type, number and size of pets you can have, and it will list any annual pet ownership fees.
You will want to follow the lease, even if that means you can’t adopt a pet pig or a golden retriever. You can always get your pet fix as a volunteer at a local animal shelter or as a pet sitter for coworkers and friends.
If your lease does allow pets, decide which pet is right for you. Then have fun with your new furry friend!
Article Credit: Apartments.com
Redmond
Trivia
Redmond, WA. is most well known for one thing: Microsoft. Headquartered in Redmond since 1986, Redmond has become a metonym for Microsoft. Put simply, you can’t have one without the other.
But Microsoft isn’t the only thing Redmond has going for it. Did you know:
1. Redmond is also known as "the bicycle capital of the Northwest.” It even features an annual bike race on city streets and is home to the state's only area designed specifically for biking.
2. When the first settlers arrived, the rivers and streams had so many salmon that the first settlement in the area was initially named Salmonberg.
3. Microsoft isn’t the only company with headquarters in the area. Other companies with headquarters in Redmond include Nintendo of America, Concur Technologies, Visible.net, Wild Tangent, Solstice and Data I/O.
4. Redmond has a total of 23 developed public park that combined amount to just about thousand acres of beautiful green open space and forest trails.
5. Notable people who were born or who have lived in Redmond include James Doohan (famous for playing Scotty in the television series Star Trek), Jeff Cirillo (former third baseman for several Major League Baseball teams), and Shannon O'Donnell (former NBC 11/Bay Area now KOMO 4 weather anchor who later became well known weather anchor for NBC's Early Today).
Did we miss any awesome Redmond fun facts? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Wikipedia
Moving Day
Move-in day! Those three little words hold a lot of power. Move-in day is always an exciting, busy, and chaotic time. How can you ensure that everything that needs to happen happens?
Not to worry: use these tips from apartmentguide.com to ensure that all the little move-in day details are worked out and addressed:
Ideally, you should wake up on your moving day with boxes already packed and labeled, movers organized and business matters (like your lease, first month’s rent and new utility hook-ups) already taken care of. You should also have a “priority box” packed and labeled with the things you will need right away at your new digs.
1. Add any last-minute items you have to your Priority Box, including medications, toiletries, cell phone charger and cleaning supplies. Prepare a cooler of food and refreshments for everyone. If it’s going to be a hot day, pack extra drinks!
2. Look after all your living charges, whether that means your kids, plants, cat or dog, or your pet guppy. Make sure that any sitters, playdates, meals or special transport you’ve arranged go smoothly so you can focus on the move knowing that those in your care are safe and content.
3. Next, take care of your old apartment. Deal with any last-minute cleaning needed to prepare for your landlord’s walk-through inspection, disconnect and prepare appliances you plan to take, and leave the place free of trash.
4. Remember that you shouldn’t lose any security deposit money for normal wear and tear, but if your old apartment has been damaged, a landlord may deduct repair costs. You and your landlord should resolve these issues clearly during the walk-through. Remember to lock up, turn over your keys and leave a forwarding address.
5. After you pick up your truck or your movers arrive, be sure the truck is parked legally and that there’s plenty of space between the truck ramp and nearby cars. Ensure that movers, whether professional or just friends, know which boxes and items are fragile so extra care can be taken. The truck should be snugly packed so items don’t shift in transport.
6. Before moving in, perform a walk-through with your new landlord. Make sure electricity and other utilities are working. Clarify which stairs or elevators are available for the move and any other ground rules you’re expected to follow while moving in.
7. Coordinate your crew. Be sure everyone helping out has maps and necessary cell phone numbers, and that you know where to get the key and park the truck before you arrive.
8. Whether you rented a truck or hired movers, check for any damage to the truck or contents that occurred en route and make note of these.
9. Have your movers place boxes and furniture directly into the correct rooms. This will save time and effort over the next week or two as you unpack. Be sure the priority box is front and center, where you have easy access.
10. Don’t sweat it after this. Share a tasty takeout meal with your friends, or pay and thank your professional movers. Then, get an early night. The fun of moving in has just begun, and you’ll need to wake up refreshed tomorrow!
Apartments
Thank you cards
Sometimes its easy to forget that people once sent all of their communications via snail mail. With e-mail and texting keeping people in constant contact, the thank you letter or card may very well be a dying art form.
This article on apartmenttherapy.com highlights how one person, who was taught from a young age to always send thank you notes, realized they might be in the letter writing minority:
When I was a child, my parents constantly reminded me to write thank you notes for every gift I received. It seemed like such a pain, but now that I'm an adult it has turned into a tradition. If I don't send one I feel incredibly guilty. But it wasn't until a friend recently complimented me on my thank you notes that I realized I might be in the thank-you-note-writing minority. Could this be a dying tradition?
It has always been my understanding that if a gift has been given it should be acknowledged in writing. The only exception, in my opinion, is if they gift was given (and thanked for) in person — even still, a thank you will never hurt.
Unfortunately, in recent years I've noticed a lack of thank you cards being sent by my loved ones. Is it because mail is so rarely sent these days? With family and friends increasingly spread across the country and gifts sent through the mail, aren't thank yous more important than ever? How else are gift givers to know their gift even arrived?
Because we're focused on weddings this month, here's a gentle reminder to all couples out there to thank your guests. Even if they sent a gift but couldn't attend, or conversely if they did attend but couldn't give a gift — they're celebrating your special day and that deserves an acknowledgement.
So, we want to know: do you send thank you cards or letters? Texts or calls? Or do you send nothing at all?
