Any answer to this pet dilemma?

[lugeforlife]

Dd1 is almost 13 and desperate for a pet. Dd2 would also like one but not as strongly. I feel the same as dd2.

Dh is totally anti. Any suggestions get shot down with practical reasons why not.

Dog (which is what dd really wants) - he'd end up doing the looking after plus they shed. This is fair tbh.

Cat - my dm is allergic

Rabbit/Guinea pig - they'd get bored.

Hamster/dwarf hamster/rat would have to live on her room and would smell and keep her awake.

Tropical fish - tank would be too heavy to go in her room if we got the right sized one

Literally every option is dismissed. I feel so sorry for her. He does have a point with all of this and ironically he grew up with all kinds of animals but he's not trying to help her find a solution. He's a rigid thinker and I feel somewhat caught in the middle here.

Can anyone think of a middle ground? She was googling sea monkeys yesterday bless her.,.,,

Dogs are a huge responsibility!
I have 2x rabbits, they are friendly and full of character BUT are quite high maintenance- their diet and right size hutch and run are essential- often over looked.
Cats are super easy - Ours are indpor but we had a v.large catio built on back of our house for them too ( Growing up, we had a few cats killed on the road and mine wont be out for this reason)

Rats are supposed to be easy, fun and clean?

I'd consider rats.

They're not nocturnal so won't keep her up at night.

They don't smell.

They're cuddly and interactive enough to be worth having (I've heard them called pocket dogs!).

They don't live too long and are relatively low maintenance.

He has a point!

Gerbil? Although if they are going to get bored of a rabbit/Guinea pig perhaps they aren’t ready for a pet. What happens when/if she goes to uni or general moves out?

Get a dog ditch the dad

I have had two cornsnakes and they are very low maintenance and silent. Feed/clean out once a week. You do need to keep mice in freezer and change water daily. Once adult could be left for a couple of weeks to go away.
One of mine went to the vet twice (needed a reptile vet though) and the other never did.
Some set up cost but not much run cost.

Another vote for rats! We had two, one died, the other we didn't bother to close the cage after that and the remaining rat cohabited very well with the cats! Would pop in and out of the cage for food and to poop, but would otherwise just potter about the house! He was very cuddly clever little thing too!

I agree with pp about rats , they make by far the best caged pet and are also gorgeous .

Thanks for all these replies. A dog is a definite no even to foster. we have always been clear that all 4 of us need to really want one and dh just absolutely doesn't.

DH is rightly a total stickler for correct cage sizes which then limits our options. I want to find something fairly low key which dd can have for herself, kept properly and safely for the animal which we can also manage if/when she's moved out.

I'd like to say yes if we can whereas I think the issue as much as anything is that dh isn't helping finding something he can say yes to iyswim.

I will look at rats and bearded dragons. Spiders and snakes are a hard no!

Could you volunteer to walk a dog for the Cinnamon Trust and take your daughter with you when you go?

Cats need care and are expensive.

they need daily attention, affection, feeding etc. They should have regular tea and worm treatment, vaccinations etc. you should insure them as vet treatments can be very expensive.

they can be neglected by owners who don’t understand their needs and think they need less care than a gold fish!.

Yes, I was talking about day to day care, not overall expense. Obviously you have to factor in the costs but assuming you have insurance and are happy to do an annual trip for vaccinations, on a day-by-day basis they’re easy. We currently have a dog, three cats, a tropical fish tank and we’ve had rabbits and guinea pigs. Cats are the easiest by miles and we have everything in place on your list. Even then, they’re incidentally cheaper than rabbits (hay costs a fortune) and easier to look after than goldfish (which should be in ponds, not tanks, anyway).

Rats and bearded dragons both need very large cages. But in your position if you have the space id go for a pair of female rats. Or what about leopard geckos?

Gerbils are fab little pets. They don't smell . My girl had 2 and we still speak of them fondly. Little characters. Life span is short -a few years- so if novelty wears off , there's not a long term commitment.

My mum's cockapoo doesn't shed, in fact a lot of dogs don't she'd, poodles, schnauzers, bichons etc I do believe having a pet teaches good responsibility, my kids are great with our dogs! Just get a dog that is small and doesn't need a huge amount of exercise, a toy poodle or bichon would be a great option.

The obvious solution is to buy her a pony.

Or a trio of sheep. They make very good pets.

We have a leopard gecko. It’s gorgeous but the feeder crickets are a pain. I think you can feed them pellets.

My daughter loves animals, so she has a few in her room. The leopard gecko, some small fish and a beetle. She takes good care of them.

We have rabbits and hamsters. Not a big hassle to look after. Our rabbits have an indoor cage but they free roam a lot including the garden.
One of the hamsters is in dd12's bedroom. If you clean their cage regularly they don't smell, they tend to pick an area or a sand bath to wee in so you don't have to clean out the whole cage every time. He

The hamster in dd's room doesn't keep her awake. You can get quiet wheels. They do like lots of treats and attention which is fun. Once they're used to you they like coming out to play. We put ours (one at a time as they fight otherwise) in the bath sometimes (no water...) to play with toys etc and they can't get out but gives them a bigger area to explore. They are very cute...

I’d go for a cat (sorry OP’s DM).

Sorry it’s just something I am sensitive to.

I have seen too many people get cats then realise the pluck carpets and furniture and cry in the middle of night waking people up. And of course occasionally throw up in the house, bring in mice to play with and can have accidents.

I know two families who have kicked the poor cats outside - to them they are now very low maintenance - all they do is feed them once a day. But the cats aren’t really pets anymore - they get no affection or care and sleep in neighbours houses when it’s cold if they can get inside.

we recently had an issue on Facebook where a cat was living in a skip. People went to rescue it only to be angry told that this dirty, thin cat was a family pet and everyone should leave it alone!

We've found to our surprise, after decades of cats, that our current fluffy mog doesn't make any of us sneeze, whereas the shorthaired ones do.

I've just looked at what Blue Cross say about it. Although there aren't any genuinely hypoallergenic cats, it looks like female + Siberian could be the way to go.

Plus, they look like this...

Seriously reconsider the spider.

They live in a smoothie cup

link. Click that link for really cute spider pictures.

Please be aware that you would need at least 3 rats as they are group animals. They need a LARGE cage, ignore anything Pets at home has to offer and they are highly sociable and need at least an hour of non-cage time each day.