Which pet for DD10?

[MargotMoon]

DD is desperate for a pet for her 10th birthday. What she really wants is a snake or reptile but I am completely vetoing that as I don't know anything about keeping reptiles and frankly don't want one in the house.

She lives with me half the time so I know whatever I get I will have to be responsible for as she physically isn't in the house the whole time to do all of the care. So ideally I want something low maintenance and inexpensive.

I am a cat person by nature but after my last cat (rescue) being very highly strung and weeing all over the house, and having lost the two before that to cars speeding on my street I need a break from them. I've never had any other type of pet so looking for some MN wisdom please! TIA.

Not necessarily what you want but might be up her street, I have a north american tree frog. He is very low maintenance, need a tall tank rather than long because of the tree bit, eats live flys, crickets and woodlice dependant on the type of foliage you have in the tank and need to keep the tank moist. Keep every couple of days. I have a completely natural habitat so sustains itself, no cleaning out except the odd glass wipe. Food can be bought at pet shops or online.

Feed every couple of days that should be.

Rats, lovely pets.

Frogs and rats! Hadn't considered those, was just thinking fish, hamster etc. Thanks for the suggestions.

Do either of these need to be kept in pairs or are they happy solo?

I had rabbits when I was 10. They're a lot of work but if your DD is happy to take care of them then they're great pets

Terrapin

In all honesty you would be very hard pressed to get a more low maintenance pet than a cornsnake! X

@Onthebrink87 Arrrgh! Not what I want to hear OK, tell me why...?

My frog is happy on his own or with a friend.

We’ve had a small menagerie through our house ..... I wouldn’t bother with fish, decorative but obviously get absolutely nothing else out of them so nothing to hold a 10 year olds interest ...... I’d also avoid hamsters, ours is psychotic and so bitey you can’t handle him. And SO noisy at night , drives everyone mad

Our tortoise on the other hand is lovely and so easy to look after :)

I’d consider a snake if I were you

Came on to say rats too put pp beat me to it.
They should be kept in pairs and handled every day but they're incredibly affectionate and intelligent and just lovely little animals in general.

Also not as bitey as a lot of other rodents seem to be.

Cages for them are more expensive though ime.

I have have had many, many different pets in the past. I have three types of pet at the minute, cat, rabbit and fish and in all honestly the cat is the lowest maintenance. He has a cat flap so comes and goes as he pleases, no litter tray to worry about as he just goes outside. Downside is, some days, especially in summer, we barely see him.

Fish look pretty but need constant cleaning out and it's a big job so takes a while. Also pretty boring for a child.

Rabbits I would not recommend for a child at all, they need a huge amount of space, also need company so need to be in pairs (mine is single as she is 10 years old and her partner died last year, she is too old to be bonded again sadly). They are also prone to many different illnesses so will be at the vets all the time.

I have had a snake in the past. He was a corn snake. After the initial set up cost which can be expensive they are very low maintenance pets, though pretty boring from a young child's perspective so likely she would get bored.

Rats are fabulous pets, but they are highly intelligent so will need lots of stimulation and a large set up. They are also social so will need to be in pairs.

Syrian hamsters are fairly low maintenance and are solitary so can live alone, so they are an ideal pet for children. Just need to be handled frequently as if not take they came be pretty nasty.

Rats! Ours belong to the DC but I ADORE them.

Chickens can make a great pet and are fairly low maintenance if you have outside space

Guinea pig are really easy to look after and friendly too

Chickens are brill pets. Interactive but still fairly low maintenance and useful too!

We have 4 atm.

However, they do require a decent amount of garden space and the setup cost is high.

Rats are great first pets too.

Gerbils

Honestly a python, I knew nothing and disliked them did my research and he really is the easiest pet ever once you’ve got everything set up, they feed once a week or there about, poop similar times, clean out 6-8 weeks. They’re awesome. My 7 yr old pretty much looks after him independently.

Corn Snakes are really easy to look after, make sure they have a bit water, somewhere to hide and feed them every 2/3 days. Pick out a bit poop every now and then, that's about it for a minimum.

We have a cornsnake called Kevin, he's an adult so only needs feeding once every 10 days, spot clean the vivarium and full clean every 3-4 weeks and fresh water every day. Super friendly and low maintenence! Best pet I've ever owned! Brilliant handlers too!