Best for kids

[AtLastEarwax]

Hi all

Looking for recommendations really, this is a few points about what we need to consider though

Want something that the children can play with and can live indoors but also we have a garden that we are happy for the animal to go out in

I work from home

I suppose an 'easy' pet would be nice but anything has an element of work anyway doesn't it? So o expect that

Indoor trained Guinea pig?

We're at the same stage OP. Thinking about a family pet in a year or two. I grew up with cats and I love them. Great characters and easier to look after than dogs. But, my husband is allergic so it's likely we'll get a small dog instead. My husband has had dogs before so he l knows what's involved. We've been reading up a bit to see which bread would suit us best but will look more seriously nearer the time.

We're at the same stage OP. Thinking about a family pet in a year or two. I grew up with cats and I love them. Great characters and easier to look after than dogs. But, my husband is allergic so it's likely we'll get a small dog instead. My husband has had dogs before so he l knows what's involved. We've been reading up a bit to see which bread would suit us best but will look more seriously nearer the time.

Guinea pigs are a lot of hard work and need a lot of floor space. Cages in pets shops are rarely big enough

Between my sibling group we have had most possible pets for dc.
I think a cat is the best option baring allergies.
If you want a cage pet that you can take out and play with I think that fancy rats are by far the best.
(Although gerbils have very little odor.)

Ok,

We've got it. 3 rats. One for each of the kids. Spoke to a good breeder. They are African ones or something and he said they are 'fancy rats' and laughed. Obviously I don't know the lingo

Kids are excited. He said the more they are handled the better. Interesting...

How exciting! I have heard anecdotally that rats make excellent pets but have had no personal experience.

My boys loved getting books about the pets we have had and reading up about the best way to care for them, great for their literacy skills as well as their caring skills!

Excellent OP.
Let them get comfortable with you before picking up etc.
They respond well to treats and absolutely like interacting with humans.

I was juuuust about to pile in with #TeamCavy but you're going with rats (good choice)

I loved our guinea-pigs , when my DD was 9yo she wanted "A Pet" , I said "OK , but guinea-pigs " (because I kept them from 9-22yo myself .
She wanted a boar.......we got two brothers from Rescue . Then got into The Spiral of one dies-you get a new cagemate .....we had 8 over 8 years .

Train them? No . They are sweet , gentle ,huge characters . Greedy and Nice-but-Dim.
Let them free-range ? Nope . Not safe for them , they need protected from everything as does everything from their teeth.
My DD was brilliant , we did the pig care between us because half the pigs were mine . But there were days she was ill , away or too busy when it fell on me (or DH if I wasn;t available)

They are messy . Hay gets everywhere (and hay & fur are huge allergenics for children) . They do pee/pooh a lot but it doesn't smell. Hay does .
They are prey animals 100% . Some are very laid back (our boars were) some more timid . But they are rodents and they can bite but rarely do . Usually if a guinea-pig bites you it's an error (your hand smells of food) or you've upset them. I had a mouthy rescue but that was her . She wasn't a childs pet .
And they get ill and die suddenly . Very little chance to pull them round .

We had a gorgeous piggie house made from my DC old wooden playhouse . In winter they had the small bedroom.at night time

Their last winter we kept them in all the time as they were getting old .

My DH wanted a cat/s , so once our herd decreased over time till our last guinea-pig died .
I have to say cats are easier . They are in charge of themselves . We don't need to put them in/out . They have a microchipped door .
Ours aren't cuddly but like to sit on chairs or beds .

You could get a cat that is proven to be a proper LapCat . Ours aren't but we knew this before so I;m not offended .

We've watched videos and howled at some of the things rats get up to.
We've gone for three boys, Cedric, Sirius & Neville.
Harry Potter anyone??!!!
Been researching how to make their food etc and it seems very easy I must admit.

I just hope they live up to the hype,
DS1 is either going to brick himself or fall in love instantly 😂😂😂

AtLast there are some really good Rat Threads on this Topic and a lot of experienced Rat Fanciers who can give you lots of information about feed, mixing feed, keeping them busy and simulated .
The amount of space they need and different levels .
Rat hammocks

And health .
They are respiratory sensitive , can be prone to tumours .
And hey can have a reddish discharge from their eyes (not blood) which would scare the shit out of me .

And one thing you must find (ask your breeder) is a Rat Savvy Vet .
Small rodents are specialised . Exotic.

I love their paws . Almost human .
Tails not so much (but I used to keep mice so a bigger version of the tail )

The rails I will have to get used to I must admit.

I love the hammocks, we've bought one with like a Hawaiian tree print to relax in 😂

Thankyou for that info, I'll probably be on all the rat forums soon enough!

Apparently wilkos have great things so might nip there when I can be arsed to look around for cage bits and bobs and meal worms and all that

Yay! You'll love them!
When you first get them they will be scared and nervous. Let them settle in. After a few days offer treats on your hand but don't try to get them out yet. Let them get used to you. They will 'test bite' this is a very light bite that doesn't hurt, they will do this a lot at first, it doesn't lead to a proper bite. They will grow out of this, our rats don't test bite anymore. Line their cage with fleece if it's a metal grid type floor otherwise they'll get bumblefoot which is painful. Here are our two

Great advice! So just plain fleece?? I'm going for a natural hessian/rattan/ wood look so cream fluffy hammocks etc so could get some nice patterned fleece? Anything underneath? Pellets and shredded fleece at the bottom??

We are going to visit and choose them but not getting them till another 3 weeks when they are ready... Penelope, Minnie and Arabella 😂😂😂

Xx

That sounds great. Get their cage set up before you get them.
Clean it with spray, we use the green Johnson&Johnson one from the pet shop.
We use cardboard pellets for litter tray. Be careful what you use, make sure it's safe as their lungs are very sensitive.
We have a 3 tier cage and use fleece on all levels, any fleece will do. They like a few small blankets (fleece) chucked in too to snuggle in to. Our cage is full of bits and pieces. Hammocks, little house, tubes, plastic baskets attached to cage with cable ties, ropes, all sorts! They like a variety of places to sleep. Girls like to 'nest'. They like shredding paper up, so I've read.
Buy more fleece than you think you need.
We attach them with little bull dog clips.
It's easy to change if it gets a bit smelly. You may need to change their fleece twice a week and a proper clean out once a week. Don't buy them an exercise ball/ wheel, it's very bad for them.

Thanks about the bull dogs 😊 what do you put under the fleece?

We've got a huge wilkos with a pets at home next door so we are going to go and have a look at all the toys and bits and bobs we can buy there. DS is very excited. We have one with three levels too so going to try and spread things out a little so not loads of toys in one area.

We got a little litter box too and making our own food from the shunamite diet. At the minute it seems simple is more. Changing pellets, food and water like you would any animal and washing the fleece. I read too much faffing around in the cage apart from feeding and cleaning is fine. So how many weeks before handling? About 4? I'm worried how small they are going to be, they are dumbo ones we have chosen x

Start handling them after around 5-7 days for a few minutes at a time, building up gradually. They should be used to your scents by then if you've been putting your hands in their cage to feed them treats. Never pick them up by their tails!
For the first few weeks they will poop lots when handled, so don't wear your best clothes. This will decrease the more they get comfortable with you.
We don't put anything under the fleece but it's folded, so double layered.
They like lots of different foods. Ours love a boiled egg now and again, still in the shell and pea fishing! I'm sure they'll be YouTube pea fishing videos.
Dumbo rats are adorable!

Ahhh eggs I thought of but not in the shell. They've got a right feast mixed up at the moment, just need to add the main that I'm getting from wilkos and a bit of fish protein

Great advice about the poo, so maybe a blanket on dc when they are just sitting and stroking them

Do you rats chew on the cage??

Ours don't chew the cage. I can't speak for others...
Ours are happy to go in the cage after being out. We have them out every day for at least one hour, often up to 3 hours. They don't try to run off like hamsters do. They like our company and like to be stroked and fussed. Or sometimes just to watch tv with us when they are happy they brux (grind their teeth) and boggle (their eyes). When they're out I put a washing up bowl filled with scrunched up tissue paper and scattered with treats for them to forage in
Their favourite place in in the sleeves of our dressing gowns or hoodies/pockets/ hoods/sleeves. Or they 'pancake' spread out on the arms of the sofa waiting for a stroke.

Wow what a negative thread this is! Sorry OP I gave up reading all the way through so you may have already eventually received some helpful advice. But just to say that Syrian hamsters make great pets for kids. I had them myself from the age of ten and my two boys (now 10 and 13) have just got their third. They are cute and cuddly, gentle when handled with care, easy to look after and really give pleasure to little ones. My two love the responsibility of their pet. Ok they hate the cleaning out part, but it's about a 15 minute job once a week.
Yes they sleep in the day, but they are safe to wake in the evening. Noisy sometimes if they are chewing bars or in the wheel, but nothing a move overnight to a different room can't solve. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Rats..... I should have read the last few posts!

I was negative, unbelievable that children can't seem to enjoy a pet. That's all I was asking, not about the other crap jeez.

Do rats like to swim?? I know they should be cleaned??

That's why we've changed from males to females as they seem less smelly??

They look so cute at the moment - the breeder has sent me some photos. I like the ones with the black stripe down the back and the white ones. We will have to see

Thanks about the cage chewing. I'm worried in case it get rust from the water bottle or something

Xx

I've also got this vision of DT2 just feeding them her dinner for a laugh and her starving 😂😂😂

I loved my rabbits, but it did fall to my mum pretty quickly to clean them out, but we never got bored of them, just bored of doing the work of keeping them . We had a big walk in house and pen for them, so we used to go in and play with them everyday.

Sorry, of course rats are the best pets, they will be brilliant

Haha tigger no your input greatly
Appreciated, goes to show that children can enrich an animals life. Yeah use parents end up clearing them out but don't we always end up doing it ourselves anyway?? Ds promises me he will go on his scooter at the park, I end up carrying it. It's life xx