Hello-My son will be 7 in Februry and I am looking for an easy pet that he would be able to care for mostly by himself, with my supervision of course. I have thouhgt of the typical hamsters, gerbals etc but was wondering if anyone had any other ideas? We have a dog already and it is a family pet. I am looking for something that he could call his own and teach him some responsibility at the same time. Thanks in advance for any responses! Have a great day!
a frog would be perfect.
Here is the specific frog I would suggest, I have one and it is VERY easy to take care of.
http://www.growafrog.com/
enjoy!
I agree with all the Beta fish responses. My son actually got one as a party favor at a birthday party when he was in Kindergarten, and with a little prodding every so often he took care of feeding him every day and helping his Dad change the tank when it needed it. We had Charlie for 3 yrs before he died because my husband refused to clean the tank until my son cleaned his room. After Charlie died, my son learned the error of his ways is now working hard to clean his room so Santa can get him another one (he's 8, so perfect for more responsibility).
I agree with the fish as a pet. We had a beta fish that lived for about 8 years. He was very low maintenance. We also had a guinea pig. My daughter was six when we got him. I ended up being the primary caretaker. After the novelty of having her own pet wore off, I had to remind her everyday to give him food and water and take him out of his cage. She couldn't clean the cage herself. It just added another chore to mom duty!
Hey! I see that you have gotten some great suggestions already but I wanted to warn you of one thing....NO TURTLES!!!! I am a pediatric nurse working in a pediatric hospital. Recently we have had a huge increase in kids being hospitalized with salmonella that they got from contact with turtles. These kids are all very sick and dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea. If it gets into their bloodstream they require about a month of IV antibiotics. We actually almost lost one little one, but he has, thankfully, recovered. I will also post this on the question page in an effort to reach more people. Thanks and good luck with your new pet!
A Beta fish is good. They can live in filthy water so water changing doesn't have to be all that often. Put a mirror on the outside of the little tank and he thinks it's another male and spreads its fins out in defense. Pretty cool!
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
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What about a cat? There are many in shelters and they are great pets. We have a shelter cat and she loves my almost 4 year old son. Some cats are very affectionate and loving, while others are very independent and stand-offish - you have to choose wisely.
Your son could handle the food and water at age 7. But, you might have to do the litter - not a big deal.
I had a cat from when I was 3 until 17, she was a wonderful friend. Good Luck!
I would go wtih a fish. You still have to change the water but it is something that if he wanted he could keep in his room. We have dog a hamster a fish and a turtle. My 10yo still requires help cleaning the cage. It is a panda bear hamster and it is very nice. Has never bit anyone. With your little one you will be doing all of the cleaning. My son is 7 and he takes care of his fish. It is his job to feed him and he is very good at doing that.
L. R
For your son a good pet could be a little frog or lizard. I think they eat crickets, but I am sure you could also feed them other things as well. As a second idea, a fish. You could just get a small beta fish, with a light. They can live pretty long, except you would have to change the water each week. Good luck.
I know this may sound gross...but a rat is the best pet for a child of any age. I have had rats for the last 20 years. They have never bitten (unless you stick your finges through the cage, NEVER, when they are handled). They really enjoy being held, and will settle in your arms to sleep. They just love being handled, and the more you handle them, the nicer they become. You can even buy tailess ones!! If you can bring yourself to get past the idea of a rat, you will never be sorry...promise!!
I'd definately say something relatively low maintenance like fish, frog or turtle. Guinea Pigs and stuff like that are cute but tend to smell especially if they don't have their cages cleaned often enough. A friend of mine has a turtle and it is pretty cool. She closes the door to a room and lets him roam around. Otherwise he stays in a tank. It's great that you want to give your son this opportunity! Good Luck!
My nieces have a guinea pig and have the best time with that thing. He travels with them in a little carrying case. They take him outside and let him scoot around in the grass, sometimes covering him with a small screened dome (think picnic ware). They love him. When our dog is gone, our girls are getting guinea pigs for sure!
My daughter had a bunch of Hermit crabs. They don't live forever, but they are pretty low maintenance. You just need to buy them extra shells that they can grow into and give them a little food. That's about it. She kept them in a glass fish tank. No mess, no smell. She would take them out and watch them crawl all over the floor. She had six at one point. She has one left now, so I guess it's time to buy some more. Fish are fun too, but a bit more maintenance. As far as reptiles, lizards, hamsters they all require a bit more maintenance. Plus, and this is a big thing to think about, I just read and article that pediatricians recommend not having these types of pets with small children because they are more easily succeptable to catch any diseases that these types of pets carry.
We did the gold fish thing. If it is in a bowl, you have to change the water every 5=7 days. We put ours in a filtered tank, they lived for years! the problem is gold fish are the dirtiest fish. They got so big, we could not keep the ammonia level down and they started dropping off, so we donated those to a neighbor's pond and purchased a few small tropical ones. In her room she has a beta fish. That was a smart choice, because you can not ever have more than one of those in a bowl at a time. If so, they'll fight to the death. So we don't ever have to deal with the "can I have another one?" issue. We have it in a really cool lanterin like bowl and she loves that. We have to change the water every 7-9 days but we choose the cool bowl over the filtered tank. She is going to be 8 in March and I have been thinking, we are going to involve her more in the bowl cleaning soon.
On a more personal note, I had hermit crabs, newts, and a little gray mouse growing up. I was bored with the crab and my mom was the only one who cried when it died. The newts were cute, but never lived very long. My favorite (but not my mom's) was the mouse. I really grew attached to it. I don't remember what I fed it? I could never do the cricket or meal worm thing, so lizards are out for me. I do not have any idea how hard it is to keep a bird? Maybe that would be a good idea. My husband is anti-pet right now, so I envy your choice. I hope I get to look for one soon.
Hermit crabs are great....easy, low maintenence, your son can learn responsibility by watering the sponges everyday and feeding, so on....
Web-kinz lol....fish???
well, the one i agree with believe it or not is the one that said a rat. my mom worked for a vet for years and we are animal lovers. i am in my 30s and have had every pet you can think of at one time(cats,dogs,gerbils, rabbits,horses, eguana-yuk!, farrets,fish est.)i had 3 rats and they are great pets. never did they bite they are easy to take care of and dont make any noise. the only thing i can say that is bad about them is they dont live long enough, there life spand is about 3 years. thay ushuly get cancer from being breed in labs, just make sure where you get one. i plan on getting one for my daughter for her 4th birthday in january. good luck. just dont get fish she needs at pet she can hold.
How about a frog? They're so easy to take care of and they live in fish bowls. Plus, I think a boy would think that was cool. :)
how about a beta fish? They don;t need a big tank and they don;t need the fancy filters. It is a nice start fish and are easy to care for.
How about a turtle? Relatively low maintenance. Very cool
U can get a bunny...thy sty in a cage or u can get a leash and walk them or play in the grass .. Both my granddaughters have one .. Tootsie & hershey ..food is cheap..and thy can also be cuddly .maybe he can get one that grows up to be size of a cat or a small dog ..but the important thing is the rabbit is contained and so is where ur son has to keep clean..
I've had so many pets-horse, cats, dogs, turtles, fish, frogs, hamsters, snakes, hermit crabs, bunnies, you name it!
I've found the most low maintence are hermit crabs. You can go away for a few days and they are fine, you really only need to change their food and water every other day. My six year old loves them. We have three now because they are great for him to handle and care for. (I'm stuck with the dog and cat detail for now)
Good luck with your decision!
The only thing that i worry about with a hamster or gerbil is that it could bite him. also in the state of new jersey you have to fill out paper work and submit a $10 fee for some small animals and send it to the wildlife commission. i had to do that when i purchased two hamsters from petsmart. buy him a fish,like a beta fish. they are easy to care for. just a few pellets a day. they come in a variety of colors and need the bowl cleaned out every few weeks.
I just have to respond to everyone who suggested a turtle. Be careful what kind of turtle you pick out. My brother had two african sideneck turtles and a painted turtle when we were younger and they are still alive. Yes about 30 years later my brother is still taking care of those darn turtles. They may be neat but we are thinking that we that we may have to make plans for these turtles in our old age. They are much like when you buy a bird, some live a long long time and you have to leave care instructions for them in your will. Ridiculous, I know, but still true. Do your research on how long each particular turtle will live before your purchase
My kids had a Beta Fish. Had to clean the bowl once a week, feed daily. No mess. Easy. And, believe it or not, our "Lightning" (he was a white Beta Fish) had a great personality. Unfortunately, he did pass away after about 2 years but it was still a great experience in teaching them to take care of their pet.
I had a DWARF rabbit in my classroom (they never get bigger than a small bunny). The kids loved it and since it was so small her cage didn't need to be cleaned as much. Just make sure they are truly dwarf rabbits. Sometimes they say they are and they are really not.
If you want a bunny try petfinder.com they have bunnies (and all kinds of other pets) that need homes.
My son got a goldfish as favor from a luau birthday. It lasted 3 days. I secretly replaced it with a 17 cent "feeder" goldfish from the pet store. That was in July and he is still going strong. Dollars per pound, could you ask for a better investment? ;-)
My son (5-1/2) really gets a kick out of feeding him every day. Of course, I still need to do bowl maintenance every week or so. Pretty easy care. This little fish has some personality!
We also have a dog.
Hi Leanne I suggest a Guinea Pig. They require so little up keep and give so much love. Also if you get your son a young piggy then you can both get the little piggy used to being held so that your son can have lots of time for loving his piggy. Piggy's need so lettuce or in the summer grass or dandelion greens, fresh fruit, piggy pellets and some love. The only draw back to piggy's is that they only live average of 4 or 5 years. All three of my sons started with piggys as did I, my brother, my husband and many of my nieces & nephews. Hope this helps.
Love in Christ,
C.
Hello,
If he likes reptiles and you don't mind them, try a Bearded Dragon. They are extremely docile, love to be held and require easy care. The set-up of the cage is the most expensive start but after that it is just crickets and lettuce. We have two and my 11 year old has been caringfor them since he was 7. We are a reptile family - if you want to know more, send me an email!
My husband has been in the pet industry for 5 years and whether moms love the idea or not, rats are probably the best first pet. Hamsters and gerbils are 2 of the worst. Rats are easy to care for, easily trained and daytime animals. We will be getting one for our 4 year old (in addition to our other pets) next year. I don't love the idea of a rat in my house, but I suppose Stewart Little was cute. Go to your local Petsmart and they will be able to help with your decision. Just my thoughts....
reptile. turtle, frog, fish
anything else gets to be more maintenance than you bargin for.
spoken from the mom with two smelly hampster cages.
I say a fish too.
Good luck
TURTLES! They are an inexpensive, easy pet, especially as a 'first pet'. They don't require alot of attention, just changing the filter weekly and feed them 1-2x a day. If you forget to feed them, they're fine, even over a weekend.
My kids have had turtles their whole lives, and they are very easy to care for.
I worked at PetSmart for a while, and I cannot tell you how many hamsters/gerbils/guinea pigs were returned by parents or grandparents due to biting, health issues, or lack of care. If you are not dilligent about keeping the cage clean, your animal will get sick, and a hamster with wet tail is no fun for anyone! Few things smell worse than wet hamster or gerbil bedding.
If you are interested in a small animal your son can hold, you might want to consider a chinchilla. They have a much better temperment than the other small animals and they tend not to cause the allergy problems other pets do. Rats are also a good choice and are quite intelligent. A chinchilla will be more expensive than the others, but they are worth it.
A beta (Japanese fighting fish) is a good start as others have mentioned. If you have to go away for a few days you can get a weekend feeder to put in the tank.
If you get a lizard, frog, turtle, or other reptile, you may have to deal with temperature control, heat lamps, and other things beyond your son's ability depending on the animal.
Steer clear of birds...they're a lot of work, have disease issues, and some have long life spans.
When my son turns 6, we're starting him with a fish and working our way up to a rat or chinchilla once he's proven himself able to handle the responsibility. If you have a PetSmart nearby, talk to them about the suggestions for his age level and do research on the animal they recommend before you purchase. They can print out a care guide for you for any animal they sell, free of charge, to help you make your decision. Good luck!
A fish, turtle, or maybe a nute(lizard like). I also thought of a crab like....(cant remember the name for some odd reason)think it is with age. LOL.
What about a leopard gecko? My son just turned 7 and he has two. They are very easy to care for. We make him wash his hands of course after he holds them. He also likes to watch them catch and eat the crickets that he dumps in the tank.
