Small pet for a 9 year old girl?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

as an ex fish keeper, and i have a thread here and advised in the past here, its not a cheap thing to have.

a goldfish can be just as expensive as tropical fish to keep and keep happy, when it goes wrong, all that you have spent will double again.

to keep it simple, ill explain it easily as i can and as short as possible.

an average gold fish 4-6inches mature, so youd need at least a 2ft tank (not a 50p peice shaed one either or a bowl type tank BIOsomething rings to mind) for that one fish, good filtration (they are messy).

must cycle tank before purchase of any fish, a tank can take upto 6 weeks to be safe enough to place a goldfish in, when cycled correctly! (google cycling a fish tank).
will take take 6 months+ for a tank to mature and to become stable water conditions.

water temprature is key in keeping a fish even gold fish. if your house is warm in the winter, and warmer in the summer, never go for a cold water tank!.
dont place tank in direct sunlight try and keep in coldest part of the house where the temp mostly stays the same.

expect an increase in electricity bills. light and constant running of filter pump.

a 9 year old will get bored of one fish in a 2ft tank, will want to get him a friend, if thats the case increase the size if the tank by another foot.

i always reccomend a 4ft tank as a starter tank, more room to make mistakes without harming the fish immeadiatly or fataly.

some species of fish bite! not just piranha.

with cold water tanks your limited to the amount of fish types to keep.

degu are not bad creatures very clean and dont malt! hard to handle sometimes, sociable but you will get a set of degu that really dont want to be handled just looked at and fed. again you have to supply degu with baths (specialist granules) extra expense, cleaning them out aswell the make allot of mess and must have chew toys for dental purposes.

had rats in the past, very intelligent, also have personality, if you get a rat that dont like you can give you a nasty nip.

chinchilla?

chipmonks?

leapard gheko?

guineapig?

house trainable rabbit?

certain breed of cat rather than a domestic? RAGDOLL, PERSIAN, norweigen forest cat, bengal. (research needed and indepth research of breeder is my advice there).

why not become a cats protection fosterer? if you have the space, usual requirements are a spare quiet room solely for the cat patience and time to to take to vets and go to homing days, help your 9yr in learning that cats need love attention and patience and care and that its continuous and hard work.

sometimes a 9yr sees a cuddly thing want it and do not know what is required to take care of it, get bored quickly and then the pet becomes a normal part of the house where mummy and daddy feed it clean it and child just pays it attention now and then.

penguin83

Whatever you decide on, buy with the thought that it is ultimately a pet for you (or your OH!) Kids tend to lose interest - not all do but it is something to bear in mind. We bought our kids guinea pigs which secretly were for me and needless to say 2 years on they have a cuddle now and again and but they are my babies really. We also have a medium size house rabbit and a giant house rabbit (which were for me). These I wouldn't recommend for children. They are big, strong and have lethal back legs - which my poor arms are testament to!

Froglet

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

as an ex fish keeper, and i have a thread here and advised in the past here, its not a cheap thing to have.

a goldfish can be just as expensive as tropical fish to keep and keep happy, when it goes wrong, all that you have spent will double again.

to keep it simple, ill explain it easily as i can and as short as possible.

an average gold fish 4-6inches mature, so youd need at least a 2ft tank (not a 50p peice shaed one either or a bowl type tank BIOsomething rings to mind) for that one fish, good filtration (they are messy).

must cycle tank before purchase of any fish, a tank can take upto 6 weeks to be safe enough to place a goldfish in, when cycled correctly! (google cycling a fish tank).
will take take 6 months+ for a tank to mature and to become stable water conditions.

water temprature is key in keeping a fish even gold fish. if your house is warm in the winter, and warmer in the summer, never go for a cold water tank!.
dont place tank in direct sunlight try and keep in coldest part of the house where the temp mostly stays the same.

expect an increase in electricity bills. light and constant running of filter pump.

a 9 year old will get bored of one fish in a 2ft tank, will want to get him a friend, if thats the case increase the size if the tank by another foot.

i always reccomend a 4ft tank as a starter tank, more room to make mistakes without harming the fish immeadiatly or fataly.

some species of fish bite! not just piranha.

with cold water tanks your limited to the amount of fish types to keep.

degu are not bad creatures very clean and dont malt! hard to handle sometimes, sociable but you will get a set of degu that really dont want to be handled just looked at and fed. again you have to supply degu with baths (specialist granules) extra expense, cleaning them out aswell the make allot of mess and must have chew toys for dental purposes.

had rats in the past, very intelligent, also have personality, if you get a rat that dont like you can give you a nasty nip.

chinchilla?

chipmonks?

leapard gheko?

guineapig?

house trainable rabbit?

certain breed of cat rather than a domestic? RAGDOLL, PERSIAN, norweigen forest cat, bengal. (research needed and indepth research of breeder is my advice there).

why not become a cats protection fosterer? if you have the space, usual requirements are a spare quiet room solely for the cat patience and time to to take to vets and go to homing days, help your 9yr in learning that cats need love attention and patience and care and that its continuous and hard work.

sometimes a 9yr sees a cuddly thing want it and do not know what is required to take care of it, get bored quickly and then the pet becomes a normal part of the house where mummy and daddy feed it clean it and child just pays it attention now and then.

Atrixo,a lot of what you state is good but can i beg to differ on just two points.Your common goldfish can grow to 12 inches in optimum conditions,so why risk stunting it in a 2ft tank.Goldfish do like company so yes,a 4ft tank,for me is the very minimum.

And i have had chipmunks in the past.They are not a children's pet at all.They are virtually impossible to tame and handle,as i can vouch for, having been bitten!! They need a very large area as they are fast and very active! We built a large aviary attached to our window which opened so that we could climb in and clean them out.It needs to be secure from cats getting in and them getting out as they are good diggers.WE used to let them run round the house as well as having tree branches to climb on in their house which had to have a sloping roof and close chicken wire all around the sides.The other point is, it is cruel to keep them indoors not just because of the vast space they need.They are very sensitive to the sounds we cannot hear that come from things like televisions and it stresses them immensely.

Skintski

Chinchillas don't make good pets for young kids either. They can be extremely nervous and easily scared. My two are brilliant fun but I don't let anyones offspring near them as they do not cope well with stress.

meritaten

any 'Pet' needs socialising from a young age and I would buy from a breeder rather than a 'pet shop'.
Degues are fashionable - but need 'huge' cages and can be rather irritating if in living or bedroom.........they dont shut up!
most pets have their 'bad' points and its as well to know them!
I love snakes and think they are good pets - good points is they dont need to be fed every day, and they dont need walking or grooming! bad points are..... if you are squemish then you wont like feeding dead mice etc. and may find the skin 'shed' a bit disconcerting. and some snakes can be rather dangerous when fully grown!
Hamsters are ok if you too are nocturnal! if not, then why have a pet which is asleep when you are awake and vice versa? Tho Atrix's hamster used to amuse me by escaping from HIS room, and passing the dog on the landing, and the cat at the foot of the bed, and sleeping on the pillow next to me! I often woke up with this hamster curled up next to my cheek!
Rats - again need to be socialised - tho if you get them young enough from pet shop they make wonderful pets! you can even toilet train them! I dont mean real toilets - but to set aside a toilet in their cage. tin cans work for this. and they have a definate personality and can be affectionate.
Ferrets - again buy from a small breeder who will socialise the youngsters - they are intelligent little animals and once socialised will enjoy being petted!

sobie

Skintski wrote: »

Chinchillas don't make good pets for young kids either. They can be extremely nervous and easily scared. My two are brilliant fun but I don't let anyones offspring near them as they do not cope well with stress.

completely agree. Also most don't particually like being petted (maybe a little rub behind the ear) and are nocturnal. Mines not got up yet - mind you he's been to the vets today for a dental so hes sulking even though he acted all sweet & inocent at the vets!

Chinchillas should never be anywere near cats as cats carry "diseases/ micro-organisms" that can be fatal to chinchillas.

Chichillas are demanding, messy and are not suitable for anyone who sufers from allergies/ asthma as their dust baths & hay can give problems. (Degus would also be unsuitable for the same reasons).

Chinchillas can live upto 15 or more years, vet bills are expensive - very few vets will treat "exotic" animals, Pet insurance costs more than a dog for that reason.

I'd go for another cat!

Buttonmoons

I wouldnt reccomend a hamster to be honest and I have kept well over 40 of them. They are rather boring, they are nocturnal, when they start getting old they get vicious - the worst hamsters I kept were the russian dwarfs, look adorable, but super quick, seem to bounce, and evil! I had one in particular that used to bolt out his house and maul my hand as I was taking his food bowl in and out.

Ive played with someones ferrets before, lovely cute things, hers had been done though and even then they smelled pretty stinky - not something I'd want in the house.

gingin_2

Thanks everyone.

She really wants a hamster, we went to the pet shop to get something for the cats and so used it as a sneaky exercise to have a look and that is what she is adamant she wants (not that that means she is getting one). I had a hamster, as did my husband and know that the novelty can wear off fast. I am a wuss about rats, but I did make sure I had a good look in the shop at them due to the suggestions. We live in a city and my fear is always of rats getting in rather than out, I see them hiding in bushes here, so the thought of caging one in my house is hard to get my head around.

I really liked the look of guinea pigs but we have no grass, so I guess it would be unfair to have one.

The jury is still out, not sure we will get another pet but I am really appreciating all of the suggestions.

As an aside, we were looking at the hamsters and there were two fair sized syrian ones in a cage together fighting. It said they shouldn't be kept together when adults and they looked to be being very rough with each other. I mentioned it to the staff there who didn't seem very concerned. Is that right?

Froglet

It certainly is not right.Just goes to show how useless and uncaring some pet shops can be.Always go to a rescue centre if you can.The people there actually care about the animals and will help you make a decision based on your circumstances and not on how much profit they can make out of a sale.

Is there a manager you can voice your concerns to,by email or phone?

dandelionclock30

Your best off buying a rodent from a registered breeder, not a pet shop. Often rodents from pet shops are from rodent farms where they are just crammed together in small boxes before being pushed off to the pet shop.
If you go to a registered breeder then you will be able to see the babies wth their Mum, they will be able to give you advice throughout the pets life and the pet will have been socialized and handled from a young age.
This is what I would do if I was getting a rodent.

I'd get her a rat, not a hamster as rats will come to you when called, will return balls to you etc and are really bright.Hamsters are asleep all day and rummaging round their cages all night. Also hamsters can be very bad tempered.