PET for small house with even smaller garden - HELP!

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I'm caving in, the children are in tears, what can I do? Anyone with knowledge/practical advice? What would be best if I gave in?

An elderly cat.

Yeah and I've gone through the bit about pets dying and how awful that would be they suggested a tortoise but I claim we would keep tripping over it. Usually the elderly cats are for homes with no children, well they have been advertised in the papers I've looked at.

Sorry just realised you may have suggested elderly cat for another reason other than it passing away quickly - sorry!

Sorry, I didn't think the passing away thing!

We have an 11-year-old Persian and he is lovely w/the kids. Also, he's been outside in my ILs garden - we don't have any outdoor space as live in a flat - and he didn't want to roam about.

guinea pigs?

Yes, guinea pigs! They have an adorable squeak. If I had a garden, I'd have guinea pigs.

I had guinea pigs when I was little...until i became allergic to them (!). Had one called Persephone!

If you do get a small nibbly furry thing of any type, you need to handle it lots and lots, and if the children won't handle it at first (or after it first nips their finger) then you need to handle it...other wise they won't 'like' it anymore because they can't stroke/cuddle it and then there is even less chance of them doing their share of cleaning/feeding etc!

guinea pigs = adorable squeak????
Am I the only one who wants to take their voicebox out

A cat doesn't need a big house or a big garden
Even a small dog would be ok if you have parks nearby?
A rat?? Very friendly and great for kids to handle

we got 2 rescue guinea pigs becuase i knew the kids wouldn't touch them if the bit.

yes, admittedly it is me or dh that cleans them out but it's mainlt because if the ds'3 do it tehy sawdust and hay ends up all over the agrden.

I like their squeak. I had them as a kid.

Rats are rank.

Not so sure about guinea pigs in a very small garden - how much of your garden do you want covered in little poos?
How about a hamster? They don't last long (which can be a bonus).

goldfish

seriously- they don't involve much maintenance, no allergies, and no-one is really that upset when they die- you can buy another for a few quid!

I need to get OFF this thread!

Everyone knows I've been desperate to get a hamster.

Ever since DD1 started saying, 'I want a hamster, spinning round and round on a wheel.'

Hamsters are kind of cute as long as they don't bite, hurts like hell and you never touch it again

bunnies of course, they are lovely

Bunnies are great but you got to have a really secure garden etc....

Bunnies would be cute, too.

Oh, now I am . I can just hear DD1's exclamations of joy when she first saw the bunny, guinea pig or hamster, which we'll name Hamish, of course.

bunnies have very strong back legs and dont like to be handled by small children much IMO. my bunny is mine, i crouch in his run and give him strokes he runs upto me for attention, and hand feed him but dont lift him up and pick him up except once daily in this hot weather to check for signs of maggots (yes having a rabbit as a pet is sooo glam lol).

The guinea pigs interest the kids more, and are better at being handled, though are very fast.

The hamster just died

sparkly has robinski hamsters, they are so so tiny and sweet.

and the hamsters spin round and round on a wheel .

We had goldfish for a while and they were a real pain in the neck. I hated cleaning them out and ended up having nightmares about fish flipping around on the kitchen floor...

They got diseases and then one of them got caught in the filter. Still makes me shudder to think of it. When the last one died I got rid of the tank.

Now a puppy.....

The gerbil I had when I was 11 - he lived till I was 15! - was Satan incarnate.

rabbits not good for small children - strong, bite, scratch. hamsters too small and easily squashed or strangled. guinea pigs pretty much perfect - a good bundle to cuddle, enjoy being handled, don't bite or scratch, don't smell if you have to keep them inside (assuming you clean them out OK) as opposed to hamsters which seem to smell regardless, don't disappear down microscopic holes in the skirting board and chew your electrics (but may disappear behind a fridge .
never had a gerbil.

ah misdee my bunnies are mine too, i'm just such a sucker for them ahh..

my nephew has a lion head rabbit that is the tamest cutest thing ever and loves to be handled etc it depends on the breed and temperament of the bun. haha at expat's satan incarnate gerbil!

Aquatic frogs - great little things and come to you when you feed them. We're going to get some to replace the fish we lost

Tropical fish - easier to keep than goldfish as they make less mess and tend to get less diseased.