Please advise on a pet

[Spinaroo]

New to this but have an animal obsessed daughter and I would really love to get her a pet.
In an ideal world, we'd have a fog but we are out if the house all day so not feasible at the moment. So I need a pet which
A) enjoys interacting with said daughter
B) can be left alone and us not too fussed about others looking after it if we go on holiday
C) I seem to be particularly allergic I both cars and rabbits- but could possibly cope with a rabbit if others did most If the handling. Or are any kinds less likely to cause a reaction?

Thanks in advance

[Spinaroo]

I would obviously have a dog not a fog!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Ok
how old is your DD
does she want an animal or do you want her to have one

If your heart is thinking "Dog" then how much do you want to compromise? Rodents and rabbits have their charm but they also have their limitation.

And if you are buying an animal (or two depending on what you choose) and you have allergies but you want someone in your family to handle and clean, are they prepared to do so?

The only low allergy , can leave alone for a while type I can think of is fish and snakes

[Victrix]

Corn snake

Cheap to feed & house, like being handled, only need fed every 5 days or so, interesting...

Seriously, I have one along with a cat and some rodent pets- he's by far the easiest to look after!

[Spinaroo]

She is almost nine - and it is most definitely her who is keen to have a pet. She has been asking for years.

We have actually come round to thinking about a dog- but I can't stand the thought of it feeling abandoned during the day.

Dd not as keen in fish or reptiles as she is looking for some interaction and an animal to strike/cuddle as well as care for. dh and older siblings would help. I think I could just about cope with a small rabbit if I washed my hands immediately after handling it.

I have almost discounted hamsters as I have read that they can become easily distressed and get wet tail syndrome? I have also just about discounted guinea pigs as I have read that there really needs to be two- but as one will inevitably go first, there will be another distressed animal.

A cat would actually be ideal- lots of lovely cuddles but a certain level of independence- unfortunately cat hairs in the house would (and have in others homes) precipitated an allergic reaction.

[Spinaroo]

Agh- obviously she wants to stroke a pet, not strike it.

[Floralnomad]

Rabbits are really not brilliant as pets for children ,they also like another rabbit for company and it is quite cruel to keep them alone . Rats are good pets ,you need a pair or more ideally but they are very interactive ,invariably friendly and can be trained to do things .

[Victrix]

The only thing I would say about any kind of rodent is that they do need a reasonable bit of handling to become cuddly and if they do nip it is quite sore- unfortunately species is no guarantee of temperament! Also I believe rabbits should also be kept in pairs.

[Victrix]

I mean I think the advice is they live in pairs. That sounded like I am some kind of rabbit evangelist

[Spinaroo]

Thanks very much for all advice. There are certainly no animals without pitfalls- having looked at gerbils and Syrian hamsters it appears they are most active at night. Would they be difficult to entice out during the day? I really didn't know that about rabbits- was just concerned about foxes . Have considered a tortoise but I know she's not as keen on something that she would perhaps handle less. I'm afraid I couldn't cope with what snakes eat . She is starting to suggest a fish but I know it's just desperation! If I win the lottery and jack in work, that girl's getting a dog!

[Karenthetoadslayer]

Ideally rabbits should be kept in pairs and it is important to get two that are already bonded, such as siblings. it can be very tricky to bond rabbits and you may have to keep them separate if they don't like each other. Also, rabbits beed a lot of handling to win your confidence and become "cuddly", as they are prey animals and it takes them a long time to trust their owner. But eventually they can be really lovely pets, affectionate, house trained and very funny. We had adorable netherland dwarf rabbits for a long time and they were very tame.

I think keeping a cat is easier than keeping rabbits, as rabbits need a lot of care.

Oh and their hair does go absolutely everywhere. If you are allergic to rabbit hair, I would be very careful.

Good luck with your choice, OP, it is lovely to chose a pet for a child. Pets are so important for children and such a source of comfort.

[rusmum]

Bearded or rankin dragon?

[soaccidentprone]

I nominate guinea pigs.

Squeak a lot, happy to be handled. Not too big. Very cute.

Get 2 boars or 2 sows.

[marne2]

Guinea pig? Easy to handle, more friendly than a rabbit ( I had a evil rabbit, couldn't go near it ), easy and cheap to feed, poos are solid ( always a bonus ) and can be kept indoors or out! best kept in pairs as they like to chat to each other.

I wouldn't get a rabbit if you have a allergy, chances are your dd will get fed up with it and you would have to clean it out ( also when she is poorly or staying at a friends ), fish are harder work than you think ( quite easy to kill ) and hamsters can be noisy in the night and sleepy in the day.

[Wolfiefan]

Fancy rat?

[Spinaroo]

Karenthetoadslayer thanks. I agree re. The rabbits and cats. Years ago, if I visited a friend who had a rabbit I used to have to give advance warning so she could Hoover . I was wondering if we brought the rabbit into the house, given that we have no carpets at all downstairs, I may be better able to control that aspect of it.

Are dwarf rabbits as hair- shedding as ordinary?
I do think she would relish winning the confidence of a rabbit though.

[Spinaroo]

Do you think guinea pigs shed less hair than rabbits? She has mentioned them several times over the years. I just assumed u would be allergic. Also, read a thread on here which suggested they eat their first poo?

[Spinaroo]

wolfiefan- what's a fancy rat?

[marne2]

I am allergic to rabbits but not guinea pigs ( rabbit hair is much finer ), if you get long haired guinea pigs they will need grooming, they don't really malt as much as a dog or cat would.

[Spinaroo]

marne2- that is fantastic news! I think I will need to take myself off to a per shop to try one without dd!

Any other good/bad points about guinea pigs?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

My DD is allergic to one of our guinea-pigs (GP3) he's a Rex (coarse wiry fur) fine with the smooths and the Abby.
We had no idea , we got him as a small piglet.
You can be allergic to hay too, which you can't do anything about, guineas need hay.

And yes, they eat their first pooh, but it's not gross. They do it very sneakily

[Wolfiefan]

It's a posh name for a pet rat!
They don't stink like mice (sorry mouse owners!)
They aren't nocturnal like hamsters.
They are easier to handle than wriggly gerbils or big rabbits.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Male mice DO stink there's no getting away from that fact

[PixieofCatan]

I'd say fancy rats are good, very dog-like in nature :) Here are my big boys :)

They do need to be in pairs at least, we have a pair of boys and a trio of girls (had four for a little while as one was dying so we got two babies to keep her sister company when she went). They need a big cage with lots of climbing room. Babies are bloody fast but they're all very sweet and adventurous.

Here are more of mine:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/super_furry_animals/2160097-Rats-rats-rats?