At 19 hunters can have up to 5 pets now (4 in stable + 1 out). As far as i can remember there are only 6 pets that are even worth thinking about, each has there own useful (some more than others) ability. There are also a couple of pets (cat + raptor) which have 9 - 12 sec dots but as hunters have serpent sting these pets are a waste of a useful ability imo.
Ravager
Ravage - 2 second stun (with [rank] dmg) from melee range with a 40 second cooldown.
Bat
Sonic Blast - 2 second stun (with [rank] nature dmg) from 20 yard range but with a 1 min cooldown.
Spider
Web - Prevents movement for 4 seconds from 20 yard range with a 40 second cooldown.
Hyena
Tendon Rip - Reduces movement speed by 50% for 6 sec (with [Rank} dmg) from melee range with a 20 second cooldown.
Serpent
Poison Spit - Reduces the target's casting speed by 25% and does [Rank] nature dmg for 8 sec from 30 yard range with a 10 second cooldown.
Bird of Prey
Snatch - Disarms opponent for 6 seconds (with [rank] dmg) from melee range with a 1 minute cooldown.
Personaly in a pug i roll with a Hyena for the awesome slow on a 20 sec cooldown. The only time i switch is if i come across a good druid FC or work in a premade (or get bored lol). Depending on the opposition makeup i usually use a ravager to stun FC or interupt heals.
As you can have 5 of these (with no xp worries) i would suggest getting all except either the serpent or bird of prey. Their abilities tend to be less adaptable than the others. The serpent is useful for rare occasions (usually in arenas) where you are up against mostly casters. The bird is useful mostly in Hunter v Hunter where the disarm takes thier weapons (ranged as well now). In the end it just comes down to what suits your playstyle best, so get a few different pets and see what you like best.
If you want anymore information head over to
petopia.