Looking for perfect pet for 3 year old...?

Question

Here are the preferences: small, cheap, can be handled by a toddler and still have nothing wrong with it. Can't be smelly, must be clean as possible with those other preferences. Also must be easy to take care of and not be able to carry any diseases.

Answer 1

My 3 year old loves the goldfish. I have to clean the bowl once a week, but it's great.

Answer 2

NOT A TURTLE. They are extremely expensive to care for properly and are carriers of salmonella. Salmonella is a bacteria found in the gut of many reptiles. It is used for digestion by the reptile, but can kill a small child. Because turtles must have very warm water to live in, the bacteria grow very well in the water too. Humans get very serious food poisoning from salmonella and it can kill small children, older adults and others with compromised immune systems.
Some children are able to hold a pet at 3 years old and be calm and gentle. My daughter had a guinea pig because it was large enough to hold without squishing, small enough to stay in a cage most of the day, and easy for me to feed and care for. A 3 year old who has a pet really requires intense supervision at all times and the parent will have the primary responsibility for the animal..
Most 3 year olds would be best off with a stuffed animal.

Answer 3

There really isn't a perfect pet for a 3 year-old. All pets require a degree of responsibility that a 3 year-old is incapable of providing. That being said, the pets that best suit your requirements, in my opinion, would be a fish or a cat.

Fish are less interactive, but fun to look at. They would require an adult or teenager cleaning the bowl/aquarium and performing other light maintenance duties. But they are most definitely cheap, and not smelly if the bowl/aquarium is properly maintained. An excellence choice speaking from experience. I gave my daughter one when she was 4.

Cats keep themselves clean for the most part, but would require several cleanings weekly of their litter box. They will be more expensive than fish, with higher food demands, litter, and vet bills. They are fun for kids to cuddle ... how much it wants to be cuddled, of course, will depend on the personality of the cat. If you get a kitten you will most likely have a few 'accidents', but they litter box train very quickly.

Good luck. :)

Answer 4

NOT turtles!!! to keep them PROPERLY can take a lot of work, and most (especially aquatic) turtles very much dislike being handled, and can bite if too irritated. Also, even if you get a cute little hatchling, they eventually need VERY large aquariums, with strong filtration and expensive lighting. A mouse or hamster might work, but I think a corn snake or ball python might be your best bet. When they get past hatchling size they are pretty hardy, take well to being handled, only need to be cleaned (and fed) once a week, and are also pretty long lived (10-15 years usually), so if all goes well you won't have to be explaining to a 5 year old where little fluffy went.

Answer 5

get a stuffed animal or some kind of virtual pet. all animals need lots of care and all small animals are NOT appropraite for 3 year olds. Small children can accidentaly kill guniea pigs, hamsters, kttens etc. the best thing I can think of is a sturdy mutt puppy that you are willing to take to obedience school, train, love, walk, run with, and spent time with each day. This would be akin to having another child. You MUST commit to the animal for its LIFE and be serious about your decision. Your child does not need a pet so badly that you make a rushed decision and choose something you may decide against later. get a zoo pass instead.

Answer 6

I disagree with the ones that recommended getting your toddler a turtle. A turtle can be a carrier of disease. In fact, in the mid 1960s, it was the fad in the US to have turtles. Then they had almost a nationwide epidemic of salmonella and other intestinal "bugs" or diseases. This was mainly caused by not washing their hands after handling the turtles. My recommendation is a short haired mix breed dog, kids love dogs. Otherwise, then get your toddler a stuffed animal. I wish you the best of luck with your decision.

Answer 7

Fish are the best starter pets especially for a 3 year old!!!
Start off with a Betta that way you don't have the huge expense of having to buy an aquarium.. Just a little Betta tank!!!
This will teach responsibility and then you can work your way up the pet ladder!!! Hope This Helps!!!

Answer 8

My three year old absolutely loves her goldfish. They are hardy little buggers and though you can't play with them, she loves feeding him and cleaning the tank. DO NOT get a turtle as suggested in other answers. I read that they can carry diseases, I think it was something like salmonella (sp) and they spread it easy and are not suggested for homes with young children. My next thought would be a hamster or gerbil.

Answer 9

I would get an aquarium maybe a 10 gallon tank and get an assortment of fish doesn't have to be expensive fish and when you do the feedings have her help you feed the fish so she feels like she is taking part in it. I would also get a little fishy stuffed animal for her as well when you bring home the fish.

Answer 10

Hermit crabs are fun and so easy to take care of. Also when he or she gets a little older, there is a hatching kit for tadpoles that my nephew received as a b-day present when he was about 5, that he loved. He just ordered the tadpoles (cost: about $3 shipping) and they grew into baby frogs. He took care of them like a little parent!