Pet choice help for a small garden and allergy family...Chickens? Bearded Dragon? Something else?!

[YoshiIsCute]

NC for this but am a long time poster, looking for some help or perhaps a reality check that we are seeking the impossible?!

My DS (primary age) is desperate for a pet. He's a solo child and I think it would be lovely for him to have a companion and to learn responsibility etc.

Here's the situation though.....

DH is not that keen on a pet at all as he doesn't want the commitment and he definitely doesn't want anything that would require daily walks or create a lot of mess/smell.

We go away a couple of times a year, sometimes for up to 3 weeks at a time. We live in a terraced house with a small garden inc grass, flower beds and a patio area. I work from home so when we aren't travelling, I'm around most of the day.

Any pet would need to be small, relatively low maintenance, able to be left for a few days at a time (or longer periods as long as we can get a friend or neighbor to pop in and feed them), and not stink.

An indoor/outdoor cat would probably have been the best bet but alas, we are all allergic to cats. DH has also said any rodent pet is completely out of the question.

After lots of research, the only options I've found that might suit are Hens (with the Eglu coop) or a Bearded Dragon.

I also considered Guinea Pigs, but I think they don't like to be left alone for more than 12 - 24 hours so what do you do with them when you go away?

If anyone has any insight into the suitability of any of these pets or other suggestions, I would so appreciate it!

Have a look at rescues for a bearded dragon. Lots of people get “exotic pets” and then can’t look after them.

One of the advantages of this is that they are likely to take it in to board if you go on holiday.

Yes they are a thing. We have several around here in Merseyside. Sometimes they are advertised as bunny hotels but they usually take guineapigs too.

@shivbo2014 😅I did think about the eggs being a nice bribe bonus for anyone willing to come and feed them when we are away! We live in "naice" area and I think lots of the neighbors might be keen to get the homegrown organic eggs 😂. Thank you for the fox-proof and rat-reducing tips! I'll take another look and see what size run we would fit into our garden if we rejigged things a bit.

So bearded dragons not much fun either?

Yes we handle them and they let us cuddle them. No biting.

Chickens can stink and attract rats, bearded dragons can be smelly and are higher maintenance for a reptile - often poorly cared for because people don’t appreciate their needs!

I’d say a snake could be a great option. I have a royal python. He has a bioactive set up for his enclosure which means it just needs occasional spot cleaning, for example, I remove poop as and when required (usually one poop for each meal they eat, and he only eats once a fortnight so that’s two poops a month to remove). He gets a frozen thawed rat once a fortnight. He’s very handleable and lovely to interact with.

Just be aware of the lifespan of many reptiles - they easily outlive your typical furry pet so they are a long term commitment.

What about a budgie?

1. very interactive. If you get from the nest and have a single one they might talk (mine did) very playful creatures, very intelligent.

2. no smell. Very clean. Their poos are very compact and easy to clean up. They’ll either do it in their cage or they can be vaccummed up when dry. If still wet they can be cleaned up by dabbing with some paper and put in the bin. Food doesn’t smell either.

3. seriously low maintenance. Proper clean out one a week. Stir food daily, fresh water daily.

4. can be left overnight alone, could maybe do 2 night.

only real downside is you can’t let them get outside. We had ours free flying around the downstairs and it was possible to airlock our front and back door if needed.

Our bearded dragon will happily sit on your lap and quite likes a head stroke. Not what I would call cuddly though and I'm not sure she thinks she's having any kind of relationship with me! Live food is a bit of a hassle as you have to house and feed that as well. Crickets stink, escape and chirp annoyingly from their hiding places for weeks. Locusts don't smell the same or make a noise, but they're jumpy little buggers. She needs fresh greens daily and there's a bit long list of ones you can't feed them like spinach. I find trying to source lambs lettuce and watercress painful and it turns to sludge rapidly so won't keep for long. I bath her a couple of times a week and she poos in the water, helps her to go and means her vivarium stays a bit cleaner. She was bought for my son when he was 9 and yes, you guessed it - he got rapidly bored ans so I've done all the work ever since.

We had a corn snake and ds got really attached to it. They're non-venomous and non-constricting.

The initial outlay is expensive (you need a vivarium, heat mat or heat lamp, thermostat, bedding, hide, water dish, etc) but after that they are quite cheap to keep and need hardly any care.

They don't need live food, you can buy frozen mice to defrost, and they only need feeding every 10 to 14 days. They do need fresh water at least every other day and the vivarium needs to be cleaned once a month. There was never any bad smell.

If snakes aren't for you, there were other lovely reptiles for sale too, lizards, terrapins, even giant snails!

Giant African Land snails. Super cheap to set up and maintain. They're also easy to look after, can be left for a few days and are more fun than you'd think - very zen animals!

Another vote for leopard gecko. Ours is 3 years old. Very clean and goes toilet in same place every time, so change kitchen roll daily. The worst bit is feeding locusts 🤢 mealworms etc.. are fine.
We discovered ours is a girl last week when she laid an egg, was told she was a boy. She absolutely loves being held and my dd puts her hoody on backwards and carries her around in the hood. I've just bought a winged leash so she can be walked outside 🤣

Oh my gosh so many helpful replies! Sorry I had to drop off yesterday, first day back at school for DS and the onslaught of school admin took over!

@Rollinghill
@Insommmmnia
@Thereisnoname
@Newdoggo
@TheCountessofFitzdotterel
@Bramblecrumble22
@Rudeface
@shivbo2014
@NoIncomeTaxNoVAT
@SweetPetrichor
@HardcoreLadyType
@WhineWhineWhineWINE
@ApocalypseNowt
@Twizbe
@Sosbanfachtheresatellyinmybath
@LauderSyme

Thank you all so much for your posts and information, it's so helpful. @Twizbe I think you've convinced me to put Budgies as the top option!

Based on all the helpful info in this thread I think this is our current list in rough order of preference and suitability to our situation:

1. Budgies - A great option! Very interactive, and possibly can train them to talk (DS would love the training bit). Low maintenance, clean out once per week, fresh food and water daily. Could be left alone for 1- 2 nights. I am guessing they could go in a travel cage to a friend's house for longer breaks (is that right @Twizbe?) Can't let them outside / have to be careful that they can't escape but otherwise ok. Short-ish lifespan (a plus for us in case DS gets bored! To be fair to DH this is one of his reservations...sorry to hear it happened to you @WhineWhineWhineWINE)

2. Guinea Pigs - Also a great option for us as long as there is a GuinaPig / Bunny hotel locally that we can use when we go away. Low-ish maintenance and very cuddly and sociable (DS would love this). Can be let out on our grass in the summer (yay no mowing required!). Need at least 2 as they are social (fine by me). May be a little bit smelly? Short-ish lifespan. Super cute!

1. Chickens - A good possible option. Great pets, you get eggs, sociable, people like to help look after them to get free eggs. They can smell and attract rats if not cleaned regularly (though special feeders and metal bins help). Need to check if we realistically have enough space for a run in our small garden else they will get smelly & bored / peck each other. Also, they need to be checked on at least once if not twice a day as they need to be let out and put away (unless automated doors can be used?). This would possibly be a challenge for us when we go away.

4. African Land Snails - I'd never heard of these before @ApocalypseNowt but I think DS might actually LOVE one of these! He loves ordinary garden snails and likes to make them little houses in the garden. Seems they are easy to look after, can be left for a few days at a time, are cheap to feed, pretty interesting, will allow some handling. Moderate lifespan. Would love to hear more about your snails @ApocalypseNowt and what they do / what you enjoy about them?!

1. Snakes - Could be a great option! High set-up costs but relatively low maintenance after that. Only eats once a fortnight and can be fed frozen food rather than live. Minimal cleaning required (remove poo a few times a month and clean Vivarium once per month). Could be left alone for longer periods as long as someone can top up with fresh water required every few days. Very handleable and great to interact with (also just a mega cool pet! DS would LOVE to be able to be the only one with a pet snake!). Beware the long lifespan. Also I suspect my DH may veto this one but he might surprise me!

6. Leopard Geckos - Smaller and cleaner than a Bearded Dragon, relatively low maintenance / easier to care for than a Bearded Dragon. Somewhat interactive. Same challenges around live food and long life span as Bearded Dragons. DS would definitely love being able to hold and WALK a Gecko though! That sounds CUTE @Sosbanfachtheresatellyinmybath!

1. Bearded Dragons - Can be smelly and are higher maintenance for a reptile. Look at rescues if we go down this route and don't underestimate the extra overhead and yuck factor of feeding live insects. Beardies will usually allow some interaction/petting. Could be left alone for a couple of days at time. Also if we've taken a rescue, they may be able to take him / her while we are on holiday. May be more challenging to get friends to help look after while away due to live feeding aspect. Again beware the long life span.

TBC - Terrapin - DS would love this but it looks like I'd have to find a rescue one as it's not legal to sell them in the UK anymore (who knew?!). Relatively low maintenance. Fairly docile and enjoy being held, petted, and played. Need to do some more research on how it's possible to acquire one.

Yep. I had a friend who also had a budgie and we used to look after each others for holidays. We’d just lock him in his usual cage and use that to transport him to theirs.

We let ours free fly but you could confine to one room if you want. We also used to shut him in at night for his own safety.

Ours lived for 10 years but that is pretty good going really. No vet bills either. The only time we ever needed a vet was the day he died.

our house isn’t suitable for a budgie otherwise I’d have another one.

Guinea pigs: best pets ever.
We have girls and they don't smell at all.
Lifespan not that short though: our last pair lived to 10 and 11 years!

@Twizbe that's great news! Thanks so much. I am sure we could convince one of our friends to take care of a Budgie at their place for a bit when we are away on holiday, their kids would definitely love it!

Yes I think as long as DS is diligent about closing doors, we could close off most of our downstairs area and allow a budgie to fly free there. Couldn't let him / her fly free through the whole house as we often have windows open upstairs.

Saying you'd have another one is the best testament to them after all!

Thanks @napody. I know DS would love a Guinea Pig, he thinks they are adorable! Agree 10 years isn't a short lifespan but it's shorter than a lot of reptiles which can be 15-20 years+.... by which time DS will have left home so that's a consideration!

Great to know they don't smell! Gotta convince my DH of this now 😂

@YoshiIsCute

We have 2 GALS (giant African Land snails), medium size, one albino so they're easy to tell apart. They live approx 5-7 years.

My DD's like them as they can pretty much do all the maintenance and feeding themselves. They like rearranging the tank and deciding what to feed them.
They also enjoy handling the snails. They're surprisingly cute and will sometimes 'rasp' your hand when you hold them (feels like a cat's tongue licking you!).
They also like to take them out in the garden when it's sunny as they like sun & fresh air (according to DD1). Usually put a tray down for them or just hold them.

I like watching them roam around the tank myself - very zen and relaxing.

They eat most fruit/veg but they can't have anything citrus or onion based. You also need a source of calcium such as a cuttle fish bone.

Also no smell and no noise!

We have loads of pets and tbh in terms of things going wrong, I find the chickens most problematic. So far over the years we've had:

• rat problem
• red mite infestation (absolute nightmare to get rid of)
• one had a prolapse when laying an egg and all other chickens tried to peck it. Was gruesome
• one broke a leg being stood on by a horse (appreciate not a problem if you don't have horses 😅)
• one had an impacted crop so had to syringe liquid in, massage and turn upside down to try empty it
• scaly leg mite
• fox attack
• neighbouring dog attack
• hen on hen attack
• keeping them in all winter due to bird flu regulations and keeping them happy and entertained
• one got vent gleet so had to soak shitty feathers off her arse and trim them
• dealt with egg bound chickens so need go soak in Epsom salts and gently try get the egg out without breaking or they die

I'm sure there's more but I can't remember currently. Honestly for a small child I wouldn't recommend 😂

Ah I see what you mean re lifespan! Good luck with DH... show him videos of them 'popcorning' (v cute) to win him round...

Leopard Gecko here too!

Easy to look after (spend £££ getting the best setup, it'll save you heaps later on)

Derpy, fun and funny little things. I love ours she's a right personality and loves to chill on my sons lap in his room!

A tortoise? I'd love a tortoise

Definitely guinea pigs. We have 2 girls and they are the easiest pets ever. They don't smell, take 10 minutes to clean out twice a week and are so friendly and chirpy. when we go away they go to a small animal boarder.

Chickens are a lot of work in a small garden!

Rescue Guinea pigs (bonded pair or trio) would be the best option.

We have chickens. I love chickens… but I agree with the issues raised above. They definitely need checking at least twice a day. I do have an omlet coop with attached run but purely for broody hen to hatch her eggs and I let the hen and her chicks out after the chicks are a couple of weeks old as they like to roam. Also each chicken poos around 20 times a day… every day!

we also have stick insects. They are very easy pets. Only live about a year but we keep the eggs and a few hatch each cycle.

I think I would go for the making your garden a wildlife haven. Maybe even get a hedgehog house and put hedgehog holes at bottom of any fencing.

personally I’m not a fan of birds in cages or indoor cats anymore than chickens in a tiny coop. They cannot express important natural behaviours.

My friend took in a feisty tortoise that needed to be rehomed. It rules the house and bosses their cats about. It’s also been known to push brick sized rocks out of the way to get to the dandelions in neighbours garden. I never knew they had so much personality!