What sort of pet should my son purchase? His preferences are as follows:?

Question

1. He'd prefer a low-odor pet.
2. He cant have any reptiles.

I've tried to give him some basic ideas of which pet he might like, but hes very torn between some fish, a small mammal, and a dog.

Answer 1

As far as a dog goes, some particular breeds are known to be more "smelly" than others. I've heard that small poodles are the worst when it comes to smell. Also, a dog takes a lot of work. They can easily develop unwanted behaviors such as excessive barking, aggression, and digging.

A "small mammal," like a rat/mouse, hamster, or guinea pig are especially odorful if kept cooped up for long enough without a lot of ventilation (if you get one of these pets, try not to buy the plastic cages).

Fish, depending on what you get, can be very easy to take care of. However, they often die easily if only slightly neglected, and the frequent tank cleanings can be a hassle. Also, they're not really very interactive. You can watch a fish swim, but you can never really go any farther. A dog, for example, is an extremely interactive pet because there are countless activities you can participate in with him.

These are just some of the pros/cons of these types of pets.

Answer 2

A dog is of course a great pet if the whole family is going to be involved. They require a lot of care and interaction though. I am a huge dog lover so of course I'd reccommend man's best friend.

Fish are good pets to watch, but if he wants something to interact with- probably not the best choice. I have a little 5 gallon tank that I keep in my room and watch occasionally. If you are going to go that route though, make sure you research what kinds of fish can go together as people at the petstores usually don't know much. I've been in several and they've reccommended things that I knew weren't possible. Also, be sure to have a heater and a filter. Most fish need heaters- don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

As far as small mammals go, I'd reccommend a rat. Hamsters aren't all that friendly, ferrets smell really badly if you want something with low-odor, and I'm not sure about gerbils. And mice smell bad as well-especially males. Rats are the smartest of the rodents and are basically like owning small dogs. They have next to no odor as well- they are very clean animals, and as long as you clean the cage regularly there shouldn't be much problem. However, you have to get atleast two as rats are social animals.

Hope this helped. :)

Answer 3

fish are low-odor, in general

some small mammels are low odor, some are not
low odor:
hamster
rats
gerbils
mice

not low odor
guinea pigs
ferrets
rabbits

there is a huge difference between a dog and some of these other choices. How old is your son? How much time does he have each day to devote to a pet? If he's younger, he may loose interest, are you prepared to care for this pet when the novelty wears off?

Answer 4

I'd stick with fish, dogs smell and it might chew furniture, pee everywhere poo in your house etc.... plus you get irresponsible dog owners whom don't have there dog a lead so it could get attacked of even your kid plus dog fights aren't nice to watch, Ive a few animals myself ranging from rats, mice, hamsters, snakes, a gecko, gerbils, birds etc.... caged pets only smell if you don't keep on top of cleaning out there home although rats and gerbils smell, chinchillas are nice and clean and don't smell much, mice are quite clean too and don't have much of a smell, fish don't bite as others do plus before buying any pet ensure you know how to look after it and the responsibility's pets hold, happy hunting

Answer 5

Not enough information.
Is he looking for something h can just watch and keep fed and cleaned like fish?
Does he want something that he can play with and take outside with him???
Does he want something to satay in a cage???
Also how old is your son.
All The animals you have mentioned do have some odor but depends on teh cleaning and upkeep.

Answer 6

I would say a dog because they are a mans best friend but maybe you should consider taking your son to an animal shelter so he can actually touch and intereact with different pets for awhile.
But it also depends on how responsible your son is because taking care of a dog can be difficult..such as taking them on walks everyday..

Answer 7

For low odor you probably want to stay away from rodents. Fish are OK, but they are pretty hard to bond with. I would go with a dog.

Answer 8

If you clean the cage a rat is a great pet and low order. Now if you don't keep it up that all changes. But if you don't walk your dog you have a bigger issue.

Answer 9

Well I personall love dogs, but you could get a very pretty aquarium! Get like 5 fish and he can pick out rocks plants or some little trinkets for it. They are easy to take care of and fun to watch!

Answer 10

Dog