Which Pet?

[Lockdownbear]

Other than fish, I've never had a pet. I'd love a dog except DH has an intolerance to them, not convinced by the hypoallergenic status of some dogs.

We've kids are 4 and 10.
The 10 year old feeds the fish and gets upset when they die which seems to be often. So definitely keen for something that lives a little longer.
He'd love rabbits but I'm not 100% convinced, and which breed would be best for our family?

@FamilyOfAliens

Why do your fish keep dying, OP?

I would worry about how well you could look after guinea pigs if you can’t look after fish.

I've no idea, we regularly change the water, test it and had two different shops test it both said it was ok. Not sure if it's the fish we've been buying or what. But they just don't seem to last.

I've just googled apparently its quite common for pet shop guppies not to last 6 mths. Which kind of explains the last lot of fish we bought.

Had Guinea pigs for years.

Unfortunately they poo a lot.

But are adorable.

However, anything in cages involves a lot of cleaning of said cages.

I think a cat is the easiest and longest living.
Mice are sweet for older dc.
Rats are fantastic but do need decent space and time given to them.

Family members have had pigs which where fine but seemed very dull compared to rats.

However, anything in cages involves a lot of cleaning of said cages.

That's what has always put me off having pets. I really wish DH wasn't allergic to dogs. Or there was a way to check if any particular dog wouldn't set him off.

@binnhill

Had Guinea pigs for years.

Unfortunately they poo a lot.

But are adorable.

However, anything in cages involves a lot of cleaning of said cages.

Agree about the cages. If you have any pet that lives in a cage or hutch, you have to clean it out.

But.

There are benefits to this.

They cannot randomly wander around your house/climb onto your bed/scratch your furniture to bits/leave hair everywhere/get up the stairs/bring you dead mice as a 'gift'/be sick all over your kitchen floor in the middle of the night/steal food from countertops/need taking for a walk twice daily even if it's pissing down/leave puddles of manky drool all over the floor/chew holes in the wall/leave toxic shit in your garden.

(bittersweet memories of cat and dog ownership as a child)

I would rather clean out a cage once or twice a week than deal with even one of the above on a regular basis, tbh.

Another vote for guinea pigs here OP. Yes, they poo a lot. And their cages need cleaning out. But they are probably one of, if not the most engaging/responsive of the rodent pets. And eminently suitable for children to handle IF supervised and IF an adult is prepared to do the bulk of the caring/responsibility.

We have had guineas for years, ours live indoor in a C&C cage which I clean out once a week with spot cleans a couple of times in between. They are sweet and hilarious and engaging and funny and they are totally food motivated (I once read that guinea pigs "are Labradors in rodent form" which I actually think is quite accurate). Nowhere near as intelligent as rats but that's part of their charm....

@Lockdownbear

I've just googled apparently its quite common for pet shop guppies not to last 6 mths. Which kind of explains the last lot of fish we bought.

It may be quite common but that’s not their natural life span. It’s more like 18 months to two years.

Guinea pigs need a access to a large run for daily exercise as well as a hutch to sleep in. You should always check the hutch size recommendations because most people underestimate how much space they need. Yes they do poo a lot but their poos are easy to clean up and are inoffensive because they are herbivores. They have a very efficient digestive system which needs to be constantly working otherwise their gut will go into stasis and they can die. I had a boar who contracted an infection after being castrated and I had to give him three different medications round the clock to keep him alive.

Whatever you do, don’t get rabbits for children. Our local pet rescue always says, if you haven’t got the time for a dog, you haven’t got time for a rabbit.

Whatever you do, don’t get rabbits for children. Our local pet rescue always says, if you haven’t got the time for a dog, you haven’t got time for a rabbit.

Actually I'd much prefer to walk a dog than clean out a cage however dogs make DH sneeze and stuff so totally unfair to consider it.
Funnily enough my neighbour found out the hard way he was allergic to gunie pigs but if fine with a dog in the house!

@Lockdownbear I am the opposite, I prefer to deepl clean my hamster cage on a fortnightly basis (big cage and I also spot clean) than walk a dog everyday and be unable to leave the dog for more than 4 hours for the next 10-15 years. With small caged pets, you can easily go out for the day after feeding them. All pets are a lot of work and all need cleaning out- whether its a cage or your whole house (once knew a person with an incontinent elderly cat).

There is a great quiz on www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/choosing-a-pet and also woodgreen.org.uk/find-a-pet/pet-diagnostic