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+--- Thread: easy pets for kids (/showthread.php?tid=78409)
Re: easy pets for kids - graylocks - 05-20-2009
gerbils but they're not that cuddly. guinea pigs would be a bit more work than a gerbil but much less than a dog.
Re: easy pets for kids - OWC Jamie - 05-20-2009
baby brother
:devil:
Re: easy pets for kids - vicrock - 05-20-2009
The reason not to consider a cat?
Re: easy pets for kids - cbelt3 - 05-20-2009
Having had almost every warm blooded critter in our household known to mankind, I'll say this.
The small animals, referred to as "pocket pets" live far shorter lives than dogs and cats. They don't bond with the children, and they don't become part of the family as well. There is a reason dogs and cats have been domesticated companion animals for so long.
If you can't do dogs and cats for allergy reasons, then most of the fuzzy pocket pets are out of your picture as well. If you can't do them due to housing restrictions, you may wish to do some research. Cats are usually acceptable, and cats make a very nice companion animal for the female of the human species, IMHO.
My youngest son kept guinea pigs, and they have been affectionate, snuggly animals. I recommend 'em.
In the end, work with what works for you. But recognize that the minute you bring pocket pets into the family, you will need to teach the children about death, once the little critter reaches the end of his short lifespan.
Re: easy pets for kids - jesse - 05-20-2009
Rats make very good pets, they don't bite like gerbils and hamsters. We went to the pet store to purchase a hamster for our daughter and after talking to the guy who worked there and handling the hamsters and rats, we ended up leaving with two rats.
Here's a little bit of info on rats as pets:
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/careofrats/a/ratsaspets.htm
Re: easy pets for kids - rz - 05-20-2009
guinea pigs DO bite if they aren't handled properly. My sister had several growing up, and I remember one in particular that didn't like being picked up, and would bite you if you tried when she wasn't in the right mood.
Again, not sure why cats are out of the question. Girls love cats.
Re: easy pets for kids - Ombligo - 05-20-2009
I'm guessing the 15+ year lifespan of a cat or dog may figure into the desire to steer clear of those choices. Sometimes a short lifespan is a good thing.
A gerbil gently handled on a regular basis won't generally bite, same as a Guinea Pig (and the Guinea Pig has much larger teeth). Any animal can and will bite if mishandled - that's called self-defense.
One caveat - is the four year old hyper or rough? She could easily kill a small animal by crushing or dropping it. Small does not mean disposable.
I built a wirescreen second layer in our gerbil cage (35 gallon aquarium) that can be rearranged and changed in order to give the little guys some fun. Right now they have to climb one layer then jump to another to get to their food.
Re: easy pets for kids - AlphaDog - 05-20-2009
But what kind of a pet do your girls want? Their ability to bond with it and feel they have a "pet" will depend a whole lot on how they view the little critter. If anybody had ever offered me a rat, I'm sure I would have been mightily disappointed and continued to feel I didn't really get anything. That wouldn't bode well for the future of the pocket pet, either, I fear.
This is a subject that needs to be talked about around the dinner table, not on the forum.
Re: easy pets for kids - Mike Johnson - 05-20-2009
Yeah, a rat is definitely the way to go. With all due respect to hamster aficionados here, the rat is typically more friendly and human-oriented than any other rodent. I've owned mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits and guinea pigs. Other than a couple of churlish guinea pigs, the rats were the only to display any sort of personality. Rats were the only ones who would clamor to be picked up & held.
Gerbils would come in second place. You need to keep at least a pair, by the way.
My 6 year old son has a bearded dragon, and he adores it, but no reptile ever shows affection. Plus, feeding it crickets every day is a pain. I'm willing to indulge his fascination with reptiles and insects but it's not the same as having a pet.
Re: easy pets for kids - Doc - 05-20-2009
> A Betta fish. One in a bowl, feed daily, clean once a month.
It'll be dead inside of 3 weeks.
Fish are high maintenance for a kid and the principles behind keeping them alive are not easily learned.
Rats are smart and sociable (the females), but they need large accommodations and should be let out to roam every day and there's a certain stigma to having a rat roaming around the house...
A gerbil or two (matched gender, preferably females since their pee is slightly less odoriferous) would probably be the way to go so long as you supervise their interaction for the first few weeks and lay down the law about regular feedings, water-changes and cage-cleanings.