What is a good rodent for a ten year old?

Question

I have a cockatiel but unfortunately I am allergic to his dander and stuff! So I am now getting a rodent but am not sure what is easy to care for! So please give me a list of what is easy to care for! Not just rodents but reptiles and stuff, too! But, my moms boyfriend HATES snakes! Here is what I like:

-Chinchilla
-Hamster
-Guinea Pig
-Mouse
-Gerbil
-Rat
-Russian Tortoise
-Hedgehog
-Bearded Dragon
-Chinese Water Dragon
-Fat-Tailed Gecko
-Pac-Man Frog
-Fire-Bellied Toad(s)
-NO FISH!!!

WE HAVE A DOG!!!!!!!!

Okay...I am NOT allergic to pets...I have had many, many, many, dogs and cats!

Answer 1

Bearded Dragon & Chinese Water Dragons get big and can live for 20+ years. Maybe not great for a child. Plus they are a lot of work to care for and feed (mice etc. may be traumatizing for him)

Rats are a good choice. They have good personalities and will bond with you.

Answer 2

If your allergic to the dander of a cockatiel, then your mom needs to consult with your doctor first on this. All haired animals have dander. Take your list of potiential pets with you to the doctor and ask his if you have the possibility of being allergic to any of them. Next you need to get on the internet and research all the animals you've listed above. Find out which ones are more work or expensive to care for for your family and cross them off. Hamsters, mice, gerbils, and rats are fairly inexpensive but you can spend a small fortune on cages and supplies. Guinea pigs mainly need a large bottomed cage ($35-$65 depending on store) Chinchillas are very skiddish pets and expensive ($150). The rest I know little about or not heard of them. But any reptile needs special enclosures and expensive set ups. The Bearded dragon and Chinese water dragons are very agressive and grow very large. Gecko's die very easily. We have a lavender king snake($80-$125) and we've spent $100 or more for the set up. Our iguana's ($15-$24 for her) set up as of right now has been $150 mainly the lighting. Her new enclosure will run us built from scratch will be over $200, that doesn't include the lights from the old cage.
Of all the ones listed, my favorite is a Teddy Bear hamster (under $10 at Petland with pet club discount or look into your local pet store) , male, we have 6 and they are sweet- our female bites. But do your research online, talk to the people at the pet store (don't forget your list) and get as much information as you can before buying a new pet. Before we got all our different pets I researched them so my family would know how to care for them. We have 10 Dwarf and 11 Syrian hamsters, 13 cats (6 are rescues), 1 kitten (rescue), 1 wolf hybrid, 1 spaniel mix (rescued), 1 pigmy goat, 1 red sheep, 1 iguana (rescued), 1 lavender king snake, 1 rose-haired tarantula, 2 cockatiels, 2 tanks of fish, and a Pomeranian mix rescued after my son and neighbor saw him get abandoned by his so called owner (may not keep if my husband says we can't, not that he cares for any of the pets).
Good luck

Answer 3

Hamsters, mice, gerbils, and rats are great pets, they can all be played with and can be friendly and personable, the only downsides are cleaning the cage every week and their short life spans. Guinea pigs are good too but bigger and need outside cage time everyday. Tortoises are a real commitment and can outlive people. Frogs and toads you can't play with, and their tank full of water is hard to clean. Geckos and dragons need to have a heat source, specific humidity, and you can't really play with them. Hedgehogs and chinchillas can be expensive, and they need exercise and play time outside their cage everyday. I would go with a hamster or mouse, they're only a few dollars and very cute and fun, just feed them everyday, make sure the water bottle is full, and dump the cage once a week.

Answer 4

I vote for the rat! I like guinea pigs too, but they need more room and they're a bit more high maintenance. A rat will bond with you (they're all different personality-wise..be sure you examine more then one, and get the youngest weaned rat possible with a large cage-NOT a 10 gallon tank) and will seek you out for reassurance and comfort and they're very smart! Shortly after I got my 2 I stayed home sick from work one day and laid in the bed, miserable. I had them out to keep me company and...fell asleep.
But they didn't run off, they stayed with me, and ran to my hands when I woke up. I'm not promising your rat will do the same, but mine were very devoted.
A chinchilla needs alot more care and doesn't like to be grabbed, hamsters and gerbils are skitzy, a mouse would be nice, but not as personable as a rat. A tortoise requires alot of research on it's lighting, feed, calcium, space and other care. A hedgehog would be awesome, still needs some research, not cuddly. Beardies and water dragons need alot of care and research but are very satisfying and easily tamed. Fat tailed geckos are good for kids and easy, Pacman frogs are easy, but they don't do anything but eat and crap. Fire bellied toads are very cool, will mate in captivity...they just don't do much!

Answer 5

I would say the common gerbil/hamster/guinea pig/mice/rats etc. are fairly easy to care for and maintain, and can be cute and fun.

Turtles/tortoises/lizards are EXTREMELY difficult to care for and they could care less for humans. They don't like being held, and are a great deal of time and work. I have two chinese water dragons. You must do research before buying reptiles/amphibians and though they are inexpensive, plan on $40/month food/vitamin supplements $90/ year lighting humidity etc. Just know reptiles REQUIRE research before purchase. I recommend sticking with mammals. Gerbils are awesome.

Answer 6

Chinchilllas (as quite as those little things are), scratch a lot and are hard to take care of. And a bunch of those other exotic pets that sound cool to own, are a little expensive and hard to take care of.
So, a hamster (in my opinion) is an excellent idea. I personally own one, and they are very cute. The only down: If you don't clean its cage for a while, than it can get REALLY SMELLY! Plus, your hamster gets a little sick from living in its own fertilizer for a while. So as long as you clean it once a week (Saturdays are usually the best day to clean it), and make sure it has enough fresh water and food, along with maybe a couple of chewing things you can get at a local petstore, then your little furry friend will be an excellent and rewarding pet to own.
So good luck with getting the little guy!
P.S. Before you have your parent's "okay", to purchase the little guy, try to make sure that you know enough about the little guy, and that you have a good place for him to live. For researching, I suggest these websites:
-http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/hamsters/a/hamstercare.htm
-www.hamsterhideout.com/allabthams.html
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamster*
-www.hamsterific.com/HamsterCare.html
P.P.S. Whatever you do, DON'T GET A RAT!!!!
P.P.P.S. Email me the results!

Answer 7

I say a Hamster after I saw hamtarow no I'm kidding Guinea pigs make noise every time they run or jump kinda sounds like a squeaky tire but a hamster has all the good quality's minus the noise and there smaller and come in a wider variety of colors.

Answer 8

i'm no longer lots for rodents. right it is what I advise although. pass to three place like PetSmart or PetCo and study up on the books they have at distinctive rodents. some somewhat greater energetic than others, some value greater to purchase or to maintain. some require greater advantageous cages than you would be waiting to maintain. convey the whole family contributors. make beneficial every person consents or a minimum of does not disagree on one. A mouse became a no no in our abode because of the long tail (mothers!!). additionally study the version between the genders of each and every rodent. I remember I constantly had a male hamster because of the fact the girls individuals have been greater aggressive.

Answer 9

Turtles are pretty hardy we have an aquatic one and he's great. You do have to change the water twice a month with a 47 gal tank. But other than that you feed him every couple days and there cute!
Guinea Pigs are also pretty easy i used to have two of them, however you have to feed and clean there tank alot more whereas with an aquatic turtle the water filter does alot of it.
Hamster's are really cute and i imagine about the same maintance as the guinia pigs.

Answer 10

i would go with a rat they interact with you but if you want something a little less work and wouldn't mind just being left alone go with the bearded dragon they are the most docile of the dragons you mentioned also you need to think about their diet are you prepared to feed live crickets,meal worms and other live things to this pet or would you want to feed it vegetarian bag food most reptile need some type of protein in there diets along with the veggies rodents can live off the formulated bag food diets