Best pet for a young family?

boo80

Hi all,

I wondered if you could share some opinions on what the best pet for us would be; my 4.5 year old daughter is desperate for a pet, but me and OH keep finding reasons not to get certain pets. We also have an almost 2 yr old son, I'm a full time mum, and my daughter is home educated so we're home most of the time, with the odd day out here and there. Cat or dog are ruled out due to access for the cat, and the huge responsibility of a dog at this stage in our lives.

I'd love tortoises as I grew up with them, but we can't afford them. Someone told us to get female guinea pigs, someone else told us not to. I think an outside pet would be preferable as our home is tiny.

Any ideas please? Thanks for reading. Boo.x

Youdontseeme

What kind of pet do your children want? Pointless getting them a rabbit if they want a pony.. IYSWIM?

My sister had a tortoise when we were growing up, personally I found very boring (to the point I cant even remember his name!!) I wasn;t impressed by hamsters as 9/10 times only came out when we were asleep, although the fun did come when Scamp learnt to escape for his cage and run into the piping of downstairs loo. Fish, again rather dull, but then some people love them.. I just dont get it!!!

Could you have an indoor cat?
Bird? Although the thought makes me shudder I am sooooo scared of them!
Reptile? again i would find them boring, but others love them.
Rodent? These days make me shudder but we had hamsters, mice, and a rat (urghhh!)

Also kids change, my sis had wanted a horse from the age of 4 then we moved to a house where she could actually have one when she was 14/15ish about the same time she discovered boys - hence parents left with a paddock they had no need for!!

Personally I think ALL kids should have a dog, it teaches respect of others, responsibilty and knowing what unconditional love is, but I do realise that isn't practical for everyone, then again, I cant imagine what childhood is like without one! My mother still thinks at 35 I'd be crawling if it wasnt for learning to walk by holding on to Grannys Lab!!

There are lots of quizes / tests online, give a few a go see what you come up with!

Good luck
YDSM

missindecisive

i'd go for a guinea pig. They don't tend to bite, don't cost too much too feed, and are generally pleasant with kids:j:j

pinkcandyflossprincess

why not try a hamster? they are nocturnal anyway so you dont have to worry about them getting lonely during the day. its best to have just one and the kids can get them cute toys like roller balls etc to play in. they are still cuddly pets and can be a good "starter" pet. I had hamsters as a child and so did my older children. we have only advanced to a kitten now my daughter is 16:p

snookey

Id go for a laid back cat that wont mind being manhandled by little hands. We have four cats and our big fluffy one just lays back and allows my daughter to cuddle her and has been known to be dressed in a dolls dress, lol. The children in our area love her as she rolls on her back for a stroke.

ailuro2

We have a cat and also tropical fish. The fish are mine, the cat uses the family as staff/unpaid chefs .;)

Our childminder has guinea pigs and they were cute at first, so she decided to get another two, unfortunately it turns out one of them is a bully so she has had to buy a second cage/run etc. ( as the kids love them so she can't take the bully back to the shop) They need vets just as much as other pets it would seem, and go to the equivalent of kennels when they are on holiday.

Fish really don't do much, thoguh they are pretty, but it's not as simple as you think to set up a tank ( need to cycle it first, otherwise the fish dies from swimming in a tank of it's unprocessed waste - "cycling" beforehand processes the waste)

How about trying them with a virtual pet first? I know it's a bit of a cop out but while there's a 2yo around most furries are going to be prone to squashing and of course the retaliatory nip means it's not so cute after all....

LittleLauz

I know this isn't everyones idea of cute pets buuuut...... Rats!!!
I had lots of pet rats when I was younger, and they really are fantastic pets. They need a big cage to live in which is quite expensive to set up, but then they are far cheaper than cats and dogs etc for upkeep after the initial cage costs.
They are friendly, inquisitive and I think they're very cute. Also they are not nocturnal so the kids will actually be able to play with them during the day.
They honestly are great pets and I've owned lots of various pets over the Years, cats, guinea pigs, bunny, hamsters etc :-)

autumngirl

If you don't want the responsibility of a dog at the moment (which is perfectly reasonable and understandable and very fair to all concerned) then I'd say please don't get guinea pigs either. People often underestimate the needs of guinea pigs - to look after them properly does require time, effort & money - and a lot more than I realised when I got my first ones.

I've had guinea pigs for years now - I absolutely adore them and can't imagine ever being without them now - they are such rewarding animals to keep but in my opinion they require the same dedication and commitment as a dog would and I reckon I spend as much time looking after my guinea pigs as I would on a dog. Please also bear in mind that guinea pigs can live up to 7 yrs, sometimes even longer, so they are definitely not a short term commitment.

As with cats/dogs, guinea pigs will most likely require Vet treatment during their lifetime, so please be prepared for that. (As a guide, I've probably spent at least £400 in vet bills over the last 4 years, for my 2 pigs, and my Sister has spent £600+ on her 2 over the last 4 yrs....and none of these pigs had long term conditions, which would obviously bump up the cost considerably! It's not easy to get pet insurance for guinea pigs so it's important to be aware that this kind of thing can crop up. Obviously there will be some pigs who live to a grand old age without ever needing a Vet at all, but I'd say that's very unusual.)

In terms of temperament they are generally extremely placid - they're very friendly, usually like being handled and very rarely bite - but I still think your children are a bit too young for guinea pigs and would be better off starting with smaller rodents first, if rodents are what you're after. If so, I'd recommend that you buy/make fleece cuddle cups/cosies which are like little pockets/sleeping bags for keeping small pets safe and secure while children have supervised laptime and "cuddles". The child can still stroke the pet while it's inside the cosy but the pet feels safer being enclosed a bit.

Guinea pigs require a lot of space - as well as a large cage/hutch, the RSPCA also advises that you provide both a secure outdoor run and also an indoor one (for when the weather is bad) as they need to exercise outside of their home every day. They're also not as cheap to feed, as some might think, as they need a variety of fresh veg every day, in addition to lots of good quality hay and dry food. They eat a lot as their digestive system needs to be constantly working.

If you want more info:
http://www.southbucksrspca.org.uk/pages/petcare.htm#GUINEA%20PIGS:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36801

Sorry if I come across as laying it on thick but, as an experienced owner myself, my honest opinion is that guinea pigs wouldn't be the best choice for your family right now and I'd hate for you to get some and later regret your decision. I'm afraid I don't know what would be your ideal pet but I hope you figure it out soon! It's really lovely that you want your kids to have pets though, as it really does teach kids valuable lessons about life

Person_one

LittleLauz wrote: »

I know this isn't everyones idea of cute pets buuuut...... Rats!!!
I had lots of pet rats when I was younger, and they really are fantastic pets. They need a big cage to live in which is quite expensive to set up, but then they are far cheaper than cats and dogs etc for upkeep after the initial cage costs.
They are friendly, inquisitive and I think they're very cute. Also they are not nocturnal so the kids will actually be able to play with them during the day.
They honestly are great pets and I've owned lots of various pets over the Years, cats, guinea pigs, bunny, hamsters etc :-)

This!

I always recommend rats because they have so much more personality and are so much more interactive than a hamster or a gerbil. If socialised properly from a young age they are so friendly and the chances of them biting or scratching you are tiny. They can be taught tricks, will sit on your shoulder and come running to the door of their cage to say hello when you get home.

They can't live alone so you'd need at least two, preferably more and they do need time out of their cage to run around a few times a week so you'll need a rat proofed room to do that. Apart from that they're very easy to care and inexpensive to care for.

elfen

I used to love my rats, mine were trained to come when I opened the cage and to run up my arm and sit on my shoulder in my hair chirruping away happily. They are brilliant creatures

boo80

Ooh, thank you so much for all the advice. Youdontseeme; I'd love to get a dog, and I agree they can be a very important part of childhood (I grew up with 2), but I feel it would be unfair to take on the responsibilty and possibly not be able to give the dog everything s/he needs. That and OH doesn't like them!!

Ok Autumngirl, you've probably put me off guinea pigs, I had no idea they needed so much attention!

The thing that puts me off rats is; I've been to a couple of people's houses who have rats, and they really smell. I don't think I could live with that.

I don't think we could have a house cat, as I don't think we could have a litter tray (DS would play in it/eat it). Plus, I'd feel really bad for the little love being stuck in all the time.

Maybe it's just not the right time for us to get a pet