how can i get a better pet than a fish when my mom said only fish?

Answer 1

Buy a shark and agree to swap it for a dog

Answer 2

She will let you get a better pet when she feels you are responsible enough to care for it. I'm not saying that you aren't ready for something else, but if you are in school, you probably have a lot of things that occupy your time (friends, school, sports, etc.).

If your mom doubts that you will have a real commitment to caring for the animal, she is probably trying to choose what she thinks will be something with a low level of care, be inexpensive, and won't live for very long (you don't have to walk the fish, take it to a vet, and many fish have a life span of just a few years), just in case she gets stuck having to take care of it in your place.

So the best thing you can do if you really want another pet is to get what she is willing to let you have and work at being the BEST fish owner you can be. If she sees that you are willing to put in the time and work to care for it properly, she'll see that you are mature enough to have a pet that needs more care. You might also find that fish are a great hobby!

Some things you can do for now:
1) Ask your mom how big of a fish tank you will be allowed to have or how much she will allow you to spend

2) Learn about the kinds of fish you might like to try that will be able to be kept in that size tank, fit in your budget, and be able to live together (have the same temperment, temperature, pH requirements). Also, learn about what equipment and cleaning needs will be. Here are a few websites you can look at for this:
http://www.fishlore.com/
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/000tropfishcareguides.htm

3) Make a WRITTEN budget. Figure out how much you will need to spend for the fish/tank you want. You can visit a fish store to get prices or look them up on this website for a rough cost:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/product/expandCategory.web?options.parentCategoryKey=245 (your mom might decide that fishkeeping isn't that cheap after all)

4) Once you have a good idea of what you want and how much it will cost, go to your mom and go over the information with her. If you really want to impress her, make an agreement (and follow through with it) to pay for a portion of the cost yourself.

5) Make yourself a schedule. You should be responsible for the fish tank care. This means feeding every day and cleaning once a week. Think of this as a job with regular "work hours". Doing things on certain days or certain times makes it easier not to forget them.

6) Accept your responsibility. If you have to miss a few feedings, it's not a big deal. If you're going to be away on the day you clean the tank, do it the day before you leave. But if it's your pet, it's your job. If you need to have your mom feed or clean the tank once in a while, that's okay, but ask her to do it, don't just assume that she should because you're not there.

Does this sound like a lot of work to you? Keeping a pet isn't something you do for a few minutes a day. Fish are relatively easy. "Better" pets can be even more work. Get the fish and work on showing your mom (and yourself) if you are ready for a different kind of pet.

Whatever you do, don't go behind your mother's back or complain. Neither is a way to show you are mature enough to take care of an animal. And it's not fair for the animal you get if you don't care for it correctly or lose interest. And most pet stores require a person be at least 12 to purchase fish (18 for any other animal) unless you are with a parent.

Answer 3

U CANT: so get the fish show mom you are responsible enough to take care of a pet then maby she will let u have a better pet if u get a pet and dont take care of it mom might have to so start little & go from there check out fish there are some pretty neat ones out there

Answer 4

This is from a Mom, prove to her that you will take care of the fish.
Mind you know that I am stuck here, with 2 dogs, one cat, 1 turtle, and fish. Everyone promise they were going to take care of these pets, and no one does but me. So try to understand your Mom a bit more, because kids do not always do what they say they will do. Good luck in getting the pet that you really want.

Answer 5

lol. I would keep bothering her. I mean we just got a dog and I am 19. But I have fish too and it's a lot of fun to get different kinds and to decorate the tank with stuff. If you like aggression and action, put some tiger barbs with regular fish..they will chase them. Also if you get a guarami it will chase your goldfish. Ask your Mom if you could get a small animal, like a hamster or a guinea pig. Or you can always volunteer at a local shelter. I volunteer at a cat shelter and it's a lot of fun.

Answer 6

As long as you live at home with mom and she says only fish then that's that. However there is one more option. You might want to try a couple of small turtles instead. They are very nice pets. That's probably your only other option.

Answer 7

There is no better pet than a fish. Mother knows best.

Answer 8

let mom know that a decent starter aquarium is going to set her back at least 200.00 add in fish meds for all the sick fish you got at the store and its 250. that can buy a lot of hamsters.

Answer 9

how is your mom with giving you privacy?.. if she is good with it and you are old enough.. go to a local pet store and start out with a hampster, mouse, rat, rabbit, ext... keep it in your room for about a week then tell her.. that way she cant say your not responsible enough and cant aford it... obviously you are because you took care of it for a week without her even knowing.. and most pet stores have no return so when she says take it back get all sad and say they wont take her and i cant just let her loose to starve.. she will get attached to it eventually

Answer 10

fish are amazing in many ways, they are relaxing to watch and they can also learn tricks... yes! tricks! i know it is hard to believe but its true! go to http://www.fish-school.com/ to see some of the tricks they can learn, its really cool ><((((:>