ds (age 5) wants a pet

[tribpot]

Please help wise MNers!

ds is an only child, would like a pet. We live in a house with a garden - not entirely enclosed but could be made so.

dh is chronically ill and in a wheelchair. I work f-t.

dh would like a dog but I know I would end up having to do the walks (I mean yes I appreciate dh cannot walk more than a few metres! but would do walks on the wheelchair but cold and rain exacerbates his condition).

ds did want a cat, I am a cat person so thought this was a good option but hadn't really worked through kitten v. cat, how to do litter training and stuff.

ds has now decided he wants a rabbit (because he's heard of Rabbids I suspect) but wants it to live in the house - erk. I could persuade him a guinea pig was a small rabbit? What do you need for a rabbit or a guinea pig?

Many thanks for any advice.

For an indoor rabbit, you will need an indoor cage (like hamster's but bigger), and then things like hayrack, food bowl, and water bottle. They are relatively cheap to own, but vets bills can be expensive. I would also get a male rabbit neutered because some can have a really rather unpleasant habit of spraying urine, you don't want that in your house. Also you will need to watch wires, mine are a bit partial to them!!

Rabbits can make great pets, but not sure whether they are suitable for 5 year old. I would recommend that you got a small breed, I would say mini lop. Great temperament, and only weigh 3-4lbs. Bear in mind they can live for 6-8 years, I had one live to 10 years.

Guinea pigs make good pets, I would probably opt for those. Also can mix same sexes easier, without so much fighting. Rabbits, even females can be very territorial.

Sorry to bang on, bit of a rabbit enthusiast. Will try answer any questions that you have

we have rabbits.
but ours are outside ones which is better i think. they're allowed to come in sometimes in the evenings tho- maybe you could compromise?

large breeds tend to be very docile. ours are absolutely lovely and happy to sit and be cuddled/stroked by all 3 of my boys (5.5, 2.5 and 1yr)

What about a bird? Budgie or bantam hens?

Tribpot, would you like a pet? I wouldn't do anything much on the say-so of a five-year-old. If you get any pet, it will be yours. If you work full time, your options are limited.

As a child, my family had pretty much every animal you can imagine. Of those, I'd say a guinea pig might be an idea - but we had ours living together with a rabbit, which seems to be a good combination. However, my mum didn't have a job and was happy to devote her time to children and animals.

PS what about a rat? They're great.

I wouldn't mix rabbits and guinea pigs, poor little pigs get hassled by more aggressive bunnies! Get him a couple of piggies.

agree with arthuria, we only got the rabbits because i wanted them too, which means i don't mind looking after them all the time, tho ds1 is still fairly keen to help feed/clean them

According to our elderly neighbours, what you want is a greyhound (retired, from rescue place). I'd have thought they needed a huge amount of exercise, but apparently one quick sprint a day does it for theirs, and then she wants to go home and loll elegantly about the house for the rest of the day.

She's also very calm, gentle, and quiet, a great improvement on the mad spaniel they had before this. I don't know if that's typical or they're just lucky!

We are in same sort of situation. Only DS, 5, wants pet, and has done for a while now. We are not very animally, dog definitely not an option, cat more appealing but doesn't really suit our circumstances. I think he'd love something a bit cuddly really, and am veering strongly in the direction of gerbils! Apparently they do cool underground tunnel-building if you give them enough sawdust. I'm quite excited about getting a tank-kind-of-thing so that we can watch them at work! Thanks for doing this thread. I will watch with interest.

Cats litter train themselves, really. You would need a litter tray for a short while, but if the cat had access to the outside all the time, even at night, then you could get rid of it eventually. Cats are generally very little work, ime.

Would agree that guinea pigs are excellent pets. Have you thought about fish?

We got a pair of female gerbils as the dc's first pets and they have been great, really sociable, love coming out of their cage and if you sit still will climb up on your shoulders.

We have also got a pair of female guineas and a rabbit (male which is neutered).

All great pets but gerbils require far less cleaning. Also happy to recycle a lot of our cardboard tubes, egg boxes etc which is fun to watch for children.

fanofpeamum - we have a gerbilarium which is a glass tank at the bottom and cage which sits on top. They love tunneling and digging through sawdust and are really fun to watch.

Just wanted to say quickly tonight I am really grateful for the responses! Fish - rats - it's all there, the only things off the table are the things I am already mortally scared by. This includes 'reasonable' options such as scorpions and Black Widow spiders (I used to live in Mexico) and the less reasonable butterfly option.

Please keep it coming - I am a total pet novice.

Rats are really great,very friendly and fun.I also second bantams,you could have a pair in your garden easily and they are both lovely and productive.

we have fish too. they were interested in them for ooooh, a couple of days?
fish are a bit boring

rabbits are the way to go

Oh good, I'm glad the gerbils get your vote, summery! I've been getting carried away looking at gerbil "accessories" online

Another vote for a retired greyhound, most of them are so easy to walk they wouldn't be a problem for a person with mobility problems (they are recommended as ideal pets for the elderly for this reason) they are also fantastic with children and are just very quiet and easy to look after. they love their days out like any dog but don't need loads of exersize every day like other dogs.

I think in your circumstances I would get whatever pet you would like and have experience of. So my suggestion would be an older cat, secure the garden and get a cat flap. If you prefer not to have a flap an older cat will already know what litter trays are for, and if you find a good shelter they will advise you on how to match your family needs. Plus in general there are many many cats needing new homes.

Rabbits are the perfect carbon neutral pet, but only if you eat them.

Cats and dogs actually cause as much damage to the environment / carbon usage as running a car.
Here's an article on Save the Planet - time to eat your dog.

I vote for young-middle aged cat (who is amenable to children, and put a bell on it) from a shelter, too.

Thanks again for all the advice. nooka, Arthuria, I think you're right, I should get whatever pet is most suited to me, given I'll be the one looking after it. Which probably means a rescue cat.

Just to say, please don't get a rabbit until ds is older. I know they have the image of being the perfect child's pet, but they really are not. Look at any sensible rabbit website and it'll say the same thing.

Rabbits are prey animals which don't like being picked up, plus they have very weak backs so if they aren't held correctly and manage to kick out they can break their backs and die.

Rabbits and Guinea Pigs should not be housed together for the reasons already mentioned. The GPs can suffer at the "hands" of the rabbit. Plus the two species use different means of communication and really don't understand each other's behaviour.

Sorry, this is one topic I feel very strongly about. Good luck with whatever pet you do get. Definitely go for what YOU want, and I wish you many years joy and happiness with it.

Can I make a totally different suggestion. Your DH is in a wheelchair have you considered an assistance dog provided by dogs for the disabled. Yes it would need to be walked, however, these dogs can be trained to all kinds of helpful jobs like washing in and out of the machine etc. But these dogs do come trained to walk along side a wheelchair.
I have personal experience of also how life changing these dogs can be for a disabled person. I had the honor as a vet to care for one particularly special dog through out his life who totally changed his owner's life. I bawled as much as the owners did on the day he lost his fight for life.
I can not put into words how special these dogs can be for a family not just a pet. Sorry I am really passionate about these dogs.
I wish you much luck in finding the right pet for you.