Pet for a young child

10 replies

ElusiveCamel · 04/02/2012 20:45

My DS (4) is desperate for us to get a pet. He would like goldfish - STBXH and I are less keen on that idea. I spoke to him about it yesterday and pointed out that you couldn't do much with goldfish except look at them and he said he loved watching fish. Today STBXH and I were talking and thought about getting him a hamster instead, but I'm reading differing opinions about their suitability for young animals. DS grew up with two (pretty timid rescue) cats until they were rehomed in March last year when STBXH moved out and he was always very gentle with them. STBXH is in a flat and I'm currently looking for a new home, but may well be a flat too so would need to be a small pet suitable for a flat. We used to have tropical fish before DH was born, but they were a right PITA and I'm not keen to have fish again, although I guess I could cope with a simpler set-up than the one we had. I'm not sure he'd get to learn much about looking after an animal from that whereas he could probably participate more in the cleaning of a small furry animal's cage etc.

Any advice/ideas?

OP posts:

Original poster

ElusiveCamel · 05/02/2012 22:52

Bump?

OP posts:

louby86 · 06/02/2012 08:03

A house rabbit if you'd be prepared to train it to use a litter tray. My niece loves our bunny and is very gentle with her. If you don't want one loose you could get a mini breed that are only a couple of pounds fully grown, they do plenty of indoor cage options now.

Auntiestablishment · 06/02/2012 08:08

If your DS wants goldfish, get a couple of goldfish and the easiest set-up you can. They're not much trouble and they don't live for very long so it's not a major commitment.

EauRouge · 06/02/2012 09:47

Actually, goldfish can live for around 20 years. The reason most people think they don't live long is because they are not given the environment they need to survive. They grow massive and need a 4ft+ tank. It's also quite sciency and fiddly to keep fish properly so not really great for children. My DD1 is 3.3yo and loves watching our fish but I won't let her join in the maintenance because it's too difficult for her.

When she wanted her own pets we got some giant spiny stick insects. They are harmless, fairly robust, cheap and very easy to keep. They live for about 18 months and they lay eggs so if you want you can hatch them out and have a new batch. DD1 is happy to sit still and hold one if we put it on her but mainly she just sings to them

EauRouge · 06/02/2012 09:48

Oops, I forgot to post the link. This is what we have. We got them off ebay.

ragged · 06/02/2012 09:49

ooh, and those giant African land snails. A lot of preschools have those, too.

Dillydollydaydream · 06/02/2012 09:55

We got guinea pigs for my 5&8 year old dc.
They love their squeaky noises they make when you feed them.
Ours are very friendly But were timid when we first got them. They have an indoor cage so they get lots of attention all weathers. Of course it's me and dh that do most of the mucking out but dc help with the feeding.
Hamsters are normally nocturnal so this put us off them!
Rats are lovely though and very intelligent and clean.

2T2T · 06/02/2012 16:41

if my child was asking for something as low maintemance as a goldfish I would be clicking my heels with glee!!! Get him a bloody goldfish He can choose the bowl/tank and all the ornaments that go inside. He can feed it daily and then when the novelty wears off (which it will) you will not e left clearning out hutches/cages. Walking dogs/, emptying litter trays etc. Sorted!

EauRouge · 06/02/2012 18:56

Goldfish are not low maintenance! I speak as someone that has spent hundreds of hours cleaning, syphoning, water testing and spending tons of money on equipment and electricity bills (and yes, it is all essential if you want to look after a fish properly and not have it die prematurely).

Fish are not cheap or low maintenance and unless your child is particularly into science or wants to learn more about fish life cycles then I wouldn't recommend them as a pet for children.

Popbiscuit · 06/02/2012 19:00

We have dogs, a hamster and fish and the fish are the most work. I'd go for a hamster, if I were you. Easy to take care of, cage is very simple to clean and they are very sweet and cuddly. Ours is very busy at night but he lives in the kitchen so we don't hear him from upstairs. You can also get a type of wheel called a "silent spinner" that doesn't squeak.

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