蘿蔔白菜各有所愛: 五花八門的萌寵

Dogs and cats are best friends for many people, but not for students who live in a tiny dormitory room. Just think about the noise, the smell and all that reckless behavior ― chewing on whatever they can get their teeth on, or knocking over the trash can and scattering the contents all over the floor.

儘管貓狗是人們的好朋友、作爲寵物也是非常好的選擇，但是對於住在小小宿舍裏的學生們來說，就並非是最佳選擇了——它們總是愛亂咬東西，翻垃圾桶並把垃圾弄得滿地都是。

But don’t fret. There are smaller and less destructive pets to brighten up your dormitory life, just make sure you’re allowed to keep one.

但是不要煩惱。現在有一些更小，更不容易惹麻煩的寵物可豐富你的宿舍生活，你只需要確定宿舍允許你飼養動物就行啦。

Betta fish

泰國鬥魚

Originally from Southeast Asia, betta fish were introduced to aquariums in the early 1900s. They make great pets with their big personality and stunning colors, ranging from vibrant bright red, dark blue to lemon yellow.

這種源自東南亞的鬥魚最早是在1900年初被引進到水族館中。它們以獨特的個性、驚豔的色彩而著稱，鬥魚身體的顏色包括亮紅色、深藍色和檸檬黃等。

Unlike many fish, most bettas react to their owner’s presence and become more active when they are nearby, which is unusual in the fish world.

和大多數魚不同的是，大多數鬥魚可以與它們的主人很好的互動，當主人們接近時，魚兒們會非常活躍，這在魚的世界裏可是不多見的。

Bettas can be your best friend for up to four years as long as you take good care of them. Although part of their appeal is that they can be kept in a small container without complicated filtration systems, taking care of betta fish does require some effort.

只要你好好的照顧鬥魚，它們就能成爲陪伴你4年的好朋友。可以將鬥魚養在小魚缸裏，並不需要那些複雜的過濾系統，但是照顧鬥魚還是要多用點心的。

Chinchillas

龍貓

Odorless, about the size of a rabbit and with fur so dense that they can’t get pests such as fleas, the friendly creature originally from the Andes Mountains in South America makes an ideal indoor pet. Chinchillas are very social animals, so if you only have one, you will become its family.

這種沒什麼異味，跟兔子大小差不多，而且皮毛濃密，連寄生蟲都很難滋長，性情溫和的來自南美安第斯山脈的小傢伙成爲室內寵物的首選。龍貓是羣居動物，所以如果你只養了一隻，那麼你就是它唯一的家人了。

Land hermit crabs

陸地寄居蟹

In a society where owners are often asked “Are they tasty?”, land hermit crabs are among the most unlucky animals commonly kept as pets. But they are easy to care for, inexpensive and fascinating to watch. And the fact that they don’t smell or cause any allergic reactions makes them perfect for college dormitories.

因爲主人們經常會被問到“這個好吃嗎？”，所以陸地寄居蟹大概是寵物裏最悲慘的一類了。但是它們真的非常好養，價格不貴並且很具觀賞性。而且沒什麼異味，也不會引起過敏，實在是大學宿舍裏最完美的寵物啦。

Red-eared sliders

巴西龜

If you’re interested in a lifelong friend, a red-eared slider makes a wonderful pet. If well cared for, they can live for around 40 years.

如果你希望你的寵物朋友能長壽的話，那麼巴西龜絕對最好的寵物選擇。如果你照顧的好，它們能活40年左右。

But before you decide to get a turtle, there are a couple of things you should know. Red-eared sliders can get big. Don’t be fooled by those tiny, cute hatchlings – they can grow to an adult size of up to 30 cm! And you should never release it into the wild, even if you get tired of it, because the exotic species can damage local ecosystems.

不過，當你決定飼養一隻巴西龜之前，你必須明白幾件事情。巴西龜會越長越大，不要被那些剛出生的可愛的小烏龜所迷惑——當它們成年以後，大概長到30釐米！而且即便你厭惡飼養巴西龜了，也決不能將它們隨便放生，因爲這種外來物種會破壞當地的生態系統。