I would like to get my children their first pet,any suggestions?

Question

It has to be something that stays in a tank or cage,I cannot have dogs or cats where I live,but i would like it to be something they could hold,they are 4 and 5 years old.No SNAKES or fish,fish are boring!Thanks!

Answer 1

how about a hamster. They are great pets that kids can handle, but don't take too much care. They need fed and watered and their cages cleaned of course, and they also have one of the widest variety of toys that you can find. They have those run around balls, and tunnels that you can add to again and again and have huge play areas for them, or just small ones.

Answer 2

hamsters are good pets, but not for that young. even if you kids know to respect animals kids have tendency to hug and hold things too tightly, hamsters and such small things are delicate. also they are very good at escaping and easy to loose. your kids would probably feel horrible if they held the hamster too tight and it died. I'd suggest something more hardy like a bunny or guinea pig as a fist pet. still cute and easy to take care of but more young kid friendly. plus you can let it run round on the floor and not worry aobut it getting lost since bunnys are big enough to be easy to watch, and not quite as speedy and "slippery" when trying to catch.

good luck, I think it's a great idea to get kids pets, it teaches them to respect animals and love them.

Answer 3

Hamsters are a good choice. I had them when I was a child. BUT make sure you know your kids can respect the animals before you get them a pet..and don't expect them to take care of the pet by themselve at first...especially 4's and 5's :)

Answer 4

Bunnies, hampsters, rats, and small birds (like parakeets) are good small pets. Rats are suprisingly interactive pets, they love time out of the cage and can be taught simple tricks, and love to snuggle with their owners. As for 'keets, if you get handraised ones from a breeder, they are quite friendly and love to climb around on their owners, they can even be taught to talk! Bunnies are also great pets, can be litter-trained, and are just adorable.

An above poster mentioned hermit crabs, however he/she was incorrect in stating that you must get two of the same gender... 1) its near impossible to tell the gender of hermit crabs, and 2) it is impossible for hermit crabs to reproduce in captivity... personally I find hermit crabs pretty boring, so I would go with a more interactive pet.

Make sure whatever pet you get, that you teach your kids to handle the new family member gently and to wash their hands after petting :-)

Answer 5

I've seen people recommend hamsters. But in my experience, they have been known to bite. Not often, but I've come across some aggressive ones. I think gerbils are pretty cool, had one of those as a kid and he was very friendly. Try handling some of each at a pet store and see what you think. Maybe a dwarf rabbit?

Answer 6

i would go with a bird, hamster, or ferret. either could be entertaining for a child. some birds do some tricks, not many though. hamsters have their balls and wheels to do things in, and ferrets...well you don't know what a ferret will do. they tend to do funny things occasionally. don't get a rabbit because they do bite, you have to be careful with smaller children.

Answer 7

How about some hermit crabs, or mice are great pets for that age. Be sure they wash their hands after touching them though and get 2 the same sex so they don't quickly multiply!

Answer 8

how about something like a hamster or guinean pig? chinchillas r REALLY cute, stay in cages, and arent too small.

Answer 9

something easy to take care of and mess free like a rabbit or a geuine pig

Answer 10

Turtle.