what would be an ideal pet for a 12 year old girl?

Answer 1

Why not ask her? if she comes up with a sensible option, and you approve, then see if you can get one.

Answer 2

Usually it's all about the girl's personality, and how responsable person she can be.
We as adults, many times don't realiaze that to have apet is a mayor duty, so observe what type of girl you will give a pet.
If the girl is the type of self-started I mean good grades in the school, has a clean and neat room, spend her time mostly in home and if she goes out she makes sure to check all her items are in the right place, and enjoy to help others,for sure I know she is the right candidate for everything that she can handle.
Besides if she takes care of her own person I can tell easy that she will be great with any domestic animal.
But If you are talking about a lazy girl, who doesn't care too much about what is goin on in her surrounded enviroment and releases responsabiltites in to the others,
the best pet is an animal that won't last too much in her hands such a fish, turtle or a hamster, because in one or another way they will end dead by neglection or will escape very easy and nobody will care because is ovious that kids result the reflect of parents.
However if you give her a cat or dog chances are that you house will develop a strong urine or excremet smell.And I will tell you this, she won't care about it instead she will complain only and will misterat the pet.
as a mere result mostly all the times those animals will end abandoned in the streeths, being neglected in home until dead or put it into adoptions, and the lazy girl will still thinking in her most beautiful pet to have HERSELF!! So...Think twice before to give a pet as a gift, Remember; animals can't talk so when they are abused nobody can speak for them.
CHECK THE ATTITUDE OF THE 12 Y.O. GIRL
Then go ahead and pick the pet or the victim.
Good luck.
Beatrix

Answer 3

I think perhaps a cat would be ideal. Get a rescue cat rather than a kitten, maybe one or two years old. You don't have the problem of litter training it, it has all the jabs and is speyed. Your daughter can be responsible for feeding and grooming the cat, which will probably sleep all day whilst she is in school and then be there to play when she comes home. Cats do not need as much attention as dogs and therefore is an ideal starting point for her education in caring for animals. I wish you all the best and hope you both enjoy your new pet.

Answer 4

i would say it depends on the girl i guess! also, how much space, money and time you and she have to look after the pet. rabbits are often thought of as "easy" pets but i would disagree, they take quite a lot of looking after and yes, they are cute, but most don't like being handled too much. also, they live quite a long time and by the time a bunny is reaching the end of its life a 12 year old girl will be in her late teens and maybe more interested in other things leaving the care of the bunny to someone else.

hamsters are cheap and easy to care for (after the initial lay out for a decent sized cage) but again, may not like a lot of "handling" although they are great fun to watch. they don't live too long though so keep this in mind - you are less likely to have the problem of the child getting bored of the hamster but they are likely to have to deal with the death of a pet within a few years of getting it.

rats are an option that most people overlook. they are highly intelligent and the one "small" animal i know of that seeks out human company! they are fairly clean and very entertaining. you will need to pay out for a LARGE cage to ensure they get plenty of exercise and they should be kept in pairs at least. they will enjoy coming out of the cage every day for time with their owner and really are smart - you can train them to do all sorts!

you need to really sit down and consider your lifestyle before making any real decisions in this respect and then i would suggest researching all the different types of animal you are interested in on the net before going to get the animal so you know what you are in for!!

Answer 5

Gerbils make good pets for this age group. Make sure you get two because if you just get one it will sleep most of the time. Put them in a glass tank eg large fish tank with a wire lid. There are a lot of different cages for small rodents but gerbils make a mess with kicking the sawdust/woodshavings out and if she is going to have them in her bedroom she'll spend all her free time hoovering up instead of playing/handling the gerbils. They will need wooden blocks or similar to chew on because their teeth grow continuously and they need to keep them ground down. They are gentle creatures if they are handled frequently but if they do bite its just a little nip and doesn't hurt a lot. Don't worry about putting a food dish into the tank because you can sprinkle their food onto the woodshavings as they like to forage. A water bottle can be hung from the wire lid. They are playful creatures and are fun to watch. Most good petshops sell little books about pets and when our daughter wanted gerbils we bought her a book first well before she got her first gerbils so that she knew exactly what was expected of her with the feeding, cleaning them out etc., if after reading a book on them or whichever pet she would like, she isn't sure then please don't just buy her something in the hope she'll take to it as it might not get looked after properly. Small rodents do not have a long life-span. Gerbils, hamsters. rats and mice have a life span of 2 years although some do live maybe a year longer but they do get cancerous tumours towards the end especially if they live longer than 2yrs. We hope she finds the right pet for her. Good luck xx

Answer 6

I've tried rabbits and hamsters and turtles with my kids. Rabbits and hamsters really don't interact enough to be fun and enjoyable. They are really just work. Also, it's almost impossible to keep a hamster's cage smelling nice. The more contraptions there are the harder it is to clean. Their urine is on every part of it. They kick the bedding out onto the floor.

A red eared slider turtle is fairly easy to maintain. We have one now, but again very low interaction.

We've also had kittens/cats. I am personally not a cat person, but your daughter might be.

So my vote is a dog or puppy. Dogs are wonderful companions. Choose one that can be indoors without being too yappy or boisterous. You can also choose a non-shedding variety.

Cats and dogs both provide some degree of companionship and interact enough with family members to be a real pet, versus solely one more chore-clean out the hamster cage-clean out the turtle cage.

Answer 7

Dwarf hamsters. They are fuzzy and cute and if you tame and make friends witht hem they will sit in your hand. Only problem is that they don't do much so she might get bored of them so you'll end up cleaning up after them. By the way they dont smell.

Answer 8

I would say a Guinea pig- They are not too big,Don't mind being picked up and love human company. plus they don't need walking or vaccinations.But do need a decent level of care.They can be kept inside as well in indoor pens.

Answer 9

it depends if you like dogs get one a hamster is a great pet but short life 2 years probably cats don't usually take your commands but there are ups on them dogs have great life spans very little downs don't get a piranha they will bite your finger off :'( sharks maybe for 16 yr old boys fish are mostly for decoration unless you get a good one birds are pretty cool well if you need anymore info just send me an email. there's some tips on what get!;)

Answer 10

Rabbit

Answer 11

ooooh there are so many pssibilities! but first ask her what she wants. one of the best pets is a cat or hamster. getting both would be even better because she can snuggle the cat and hold and carry around the hamster. but be sure to put a brick on the hamster's cage. Here are short hamster nick names : ham-ham hammy and ham! Bye!