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Pets

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Original poster

What is the best pet for a 6yo boy?

37 replies

LynetteScavo · 08/03/2009 20:45

We seem to have produced a budding vet, as DS2 adores all animals and I was thinking of intoducing a new pet to the family for his b'day.

We have 2 cats already, a dog is not practcal atm, and I don't do rodents.

Do that only leave gold fish and giant african land snails?

OP posts:

wannaBe · 08/03/2009 22:27

they urinate everywhere though. It's microscopic so you can't see it but everywhere they walk they urinate.

I had mice when I was a child. They were quite cute but they smell. And it doesn't matter how often you clean them out you never get rid of the smell. And they breed like you would not believe. I bought a male and female deliberately thinking it would be sweet to have babies, but after two litters in three weeks my mum took them all to the pet shop while I was at school and got rid of them.

I wouldn't have them ever again.

And rats.... nooooo way.

Original poster

LynetteScavo · 08/03/2009 22:33

kid that is sick. YUK!

OP posts:

kid · 08/03/2009 23:06

I agree it is sick!
Never heard of rats doing that before, but apparently its quite common.

PaulaMummyKnowsBest · 09/03/2009 09:58

my children are 10, 8 and nearly 5

We have an 11 week old border collie

A 1 year old german lop rabbit (who is so friendly and lives in the house with us)

A 12 week old syrian golden hamster (who is the cutest little thing ever!)

One RSPCA rescue cat and a tabby cat that is currently expecting her first litter of kittens (how exciting!)

Now that the novely of the hamster has worn off, our cats have ignored her. The hamster is on the floor in a space command unit and the neighbours cats (when the puppy isn't in the garden) will sit at the patio doors watching the hamster.

The hamster is very, very easy to look after and all 3 of my children like to hold and play with her (making sure the cats are shut out of the room of course!)

Years ago we had fish and they actually need a fair amount of maintenance to stop their water becoming dirty and the glass from becoming green. We were forever buying chemicals and kits to test the water to get it to the right balance. Never again!

Marthasmama · 09/03/2009 10:04

I had two Russian hamsters, sisters and they were fine with each other until...... we realised that we hadn't heard them all night. We decided to investigate. We found one dead hamster and one small ball of fur. Seems that hamster food wasn't cutting it anymore. We were told that they would be fine sharing but obviously one used the other's hairdryer or something then....bam!

ChopsTheDuck · 09/03/2009 10:06

if you do decide on fish, do some reading beforehand. You won't be able to give him actual fish unless you get the tank up and runnign weeks beforehand somewhere out of sight.
That sponge bob tank only holds 15l, far too small for goldfish really. Maybe one at a push.

Tropical fish are generally easier to keep.

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 09/03/2009 10:20

I'd not bother with Hamsters for a 6 y o. They can be very nasty if not handled right, or even just 'cause they feel like being very nasty.

I'd second rats. They are great pets and if cleaned once a week don't smell at all. They are very itelligent and loving. I had two when I was younger which used to run around the house and come back when you called their names. The male would run down stairs and collect peices of bisciut off us then run back up to hide them, of course being female, the other one was more clever and would stay upstairs watching where he hid them and would eat them while he was collcting more .

Guinea PIgs are good too though, if you really dislike rats. And your mum was right rats have a 'toilet area' that they use in their cages. Clean this bit everyday.

bella29 · 09/03/2009 10:56

House rabbit?

Original poster

LynetteScavo · 09/03/2009 14:03

Look people - I have a rat phobia - will you all just shut up about them; they are not coming to live with us.

A house rabit with 2 cats? I think my boys are a bit too energetic for a house rabbit - at least the cats can escape out of the cat door when things get too wild.

I've decided on fish. Do I really need a pump? I'm sure the fish I've kept with out pumps have lasted longer than ones with pumps.

OP posts:

ChopsTheDuck · 09/03/2009 17:01

depends what kind of fish you want. If you want goldfish, then yes you do really, because a coupel fo goldfish will need a fair bit of oxygen in the water. If you choose labyrinth fish that breath from the surface then you might not need one. But then you will need heating.

Fish aren't an easy option if you want to keep them alive.

luckylady74 · 09/03/2009 17:09

Why not get sea monkeys - easiest pet in the world.
Ours were £6.95 from argos (called triops there)
ok they are very small, but require no maintenance and my 3 love watching them swim about and have named them despite not being able to tell them apart!

PaulaMummyKnowsBest · 09/03/2009 18:57

we have 2 cats and a house rabbit

the rabbit (Nico) is very friendly with the bigger cat (Jasmine) but the smaller cat (Tilly) is scared of him

Our sea monkeys kept dying. They only lasted a few weeks

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