Chameleons, guinea pigs and ferrets, oh my! What it’s like to be a parent of a pet at NYU

Pets bring comfort and companionship, helping NYU students reduce the stress of college work and life in New York.

Ren: Life in a fast paced city like New York can be a bit lonely and stressful at times. If you’ve been wondering if you should share your college experience with a furry friend, you’re not alone. Brelynn Mellen is a drama student at NYU Tisch. In her freshman year of college, Pipi and Mellen’s mom traveled from Texas to New York, helping her move into her apartment.

Mellen: Pipi was hanging out and I thought, “She kinda likes it here and she should stay,” so we left her.

Ren: Pipi’s presence soon raised morale in the apartment.

Mellen: When I’m sad, she knows, so she’ll come and just let me pet her. We’ve been through so much together. She knows me the longest in the city.

Ren: Like Pipi, 10-month-old HaChew has been rooting for his human girlfriend Katherine Cheng since she brought him home last May. Cheng has a double major in performing arts and economics, with a minor in dance. The intense workload used to piss her off.

Cheng: Before exams, I have to study a lot at night. Before I got it, I was very tense, I felt so alone and helpless.

Ren: According to the Center for Student Mental Health at the University of Pennsylvania, although academic distress has declined slightly in 2022, it is still much higher than it was before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cheng: After I got him, he always stays awake when I practice. It always lies on your leg. Whatever you do, he is always there.

Ren: Dr. Patricia Pendry is the current president of the International Society of Anthropozoology, which supports the study of human-animal interactions. Also professor of human development at the University of Washington, Dr. Pendry says that physical human-animal interactions can have a profound effect on the emotional well-being of college students.

Pendry: It’s also a result of the fact that petting can increase oxytocin levels, which lowers certain types of stress hormones produced in response to stressors and can, you know, suppress our physiological arousal.

Ren: Meichen Fang holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a double degree in Cinematography and Economics. She was a guinea pig when her roommate was busy.

Fan: (Tangerine) 棕色 那 叫 狗狗 浅 一 点 颜色 那 只 就 黑 黑 拉叽 那 只 叫 其实 这 个 是 安妮 给 的 ， 他 我 在 看 住 是 因为 我 他 坐 这 住 住 住 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 这 HI住是我我有时候确实包括想事或者有一点难过了，我会挺想跟他们玩一玩或者摸摸他们或者々

(Translation: Brown is Puppy, light. The one with the black marks on her face is Ice Cream. This chair was actually bought by Annie so I can sit and look at the guinea pigs, because sometimes when I’m curious, or when I’m a little frustrated, I really would like to play with them, or pet them, or just watch them – that would make me really happy.)

Ren: In addition to pet care, international students are considering adopting pets with shorter lifespans that need to be relocated. Ferrets Aka and Maodou live with an interactive telecommunications graduate student. Since it is illegal to keep ferrets as pets in New York City, this student wished to remain anonymous.

Anonymous hail: Both are rescued from private owners. I found the owners on Craigslist. Both are looking for a new home because they can no longer take care of them. I think playing with them all the time is very beneficial, especially after a long day at work. I just really needed some rest for my brain. Even though they are illegal, one of the reasons I want to keep ferrets is also because of the logistics based on international student status. Their normal lifespan is much shorter than that of normal pets. And as an international student, I face a lot of problems remaining in New York or in the US in general. So this issue is a limitation when it comes to pets.

Ren: Other international students are excited to finally be able to have pets that are not available to them in their home country. Jiahua Liao is a junior student with a dual major in mathematics and computer science who is raising his friend Dolly’s puppy and a chameleon named Xiao Xie. Raised in China, where chameleon pets are banned, Liao was amazed when he met Xiao Xie at an exotic pet store in New Jersey.

Jihua Liao: They have met several times already. Every time I bring my chameleon out, they just look at each other, and, you know, chameleons are very good at hiding, so sometimes she can’t even see him.

Wren: Although chameleons are more independent than dogs in terms of social needs, Liao has to pay more attention to maintaining a healthy habitat and feeding it live insects. Jihua Liao: Since they live in rainforests, they must have high levels of humidity. They do not drink from standing water. They have to drink from drops of water. I usually feed him crickets and cockroaches. I also get wax worms, meal worms, and horn worms as treats for him. These are really animals in slow motion. And it’s really a huge contrast to the New York lifestyle, which is very hectic. So, every time I get home after a full day of classes, when I look at him as if I see him moving very slowly to get prey, I feel: “Oh, yes – this guy is enjoying his life.”