which pet for my 3 year old son?

Question

my son would love a pet-loves animals and think it will be great learning to look after it and feeding it etc.....but what animal?
he is wary of dogs and wants a cat!! any other ideas??

great suggestions by the way-we used to have fish,coldwater and an aquarium but the fish kept dying!! my fault not his lol....tried everything and spent loads trying to figure out where we were going wrong...he was getting a bit upset that all his fish were going to swim in the big river if you know what i mean!! he is wary of dogs cos my uncle got one that barks and it scared him as a baby-was a softie dog just noisy.think he likes cats cos the ones he has seen are really gentle-if we got one as a kitten tho theres still no guarentee that it would be a loving friendly cat is there???

sorry to go on and on and on lol

Answer 1

Really this is going to be a commitment for you and so you should get what you want.

It also depends on how much room that you have. Do you have enough room for a dog, are you close to busy streets where an outside cat could get run over or are you considering an inside cat?

If you personally wanted a dog over a cat, I would still consider it. Keeping your 3 year old away from dogs is just going to encourage and possibly incubate his fear of them.

You could take him to a pet shop to look at pet to see what he like and what interests him (even if you think you are going to adopt from a shelter) as this a non threatening environment ... but at that age he is going to lose interest anyway. So interactive pets like a cat or dog will make more of an impact on his life as he grows up.

Rabbits aren't really a good pet for children as they are very independent and often don't like being held. They have wicked claws and scratch easily as they are non-retractable. This causes children to became very disinterested very quickly.

Answer 2

You need to get a pet that YOU don't mind to take care of. Really, this pet is going to be more for you than your 3 year old. Kids of that age can not care for pets, especially on their own. They also tend to not know how rough is "too rough". Because of this, no matter what pet you get, you will ALWAYS need to have a highly supervised "play time" between him and the pet. Hamsters are easy. Small, cheap, and easy. They require daily feeding, watering, and handeling. And a weekly cage change. My own experience with hamsters is not the best.. I've only ever been bitten.. So they aren't necessarily something I would suggest for a 3 year old.. That, and the fact they are very tiny and can be very easily hurt... Someone suggested guinea pigs.. They are higher maintenance, require special diet and care, larger cages, and the original set up can be a bit costly because of the size of the cage you need. Also, you MUST keep them in same sex pairs. So they don't breed, but so they don't get lonely, bored, or depressed. They are social, and social animals need to be kept with another of the same species. I do find them a bit more delicate though.. Because of that, probably not the best for a 3 y/o.. But again, if highly supervised, they could be great. Rats are wonderful animals. But they are of medium to high level maintenance. They also cost a bit more because they need large cages.. Think of a ferret or chinchilla cage... And they are also social so need to be kept in pairs. The pros: They bond to owners much like dogs do, they are highly intelligent and trainable, least likely rodent to bite you, and are actually very hygenic. Someone suggested rabbits.. Rabbits can be costly.. They need larger cages, and you are recommended to spay/neuter them to prevent future health risks. Spaying or neutering a rabbit does not come cheap. They are also sensitive to loud noises, and their tiny bones can be rather fragile. These two reasons make them a poor pet choice for a young child.. Also, they are probably a bit more costly than what you are looking for... In the end, its up to you. Just realize that you will be spending money on whatever, you will be the one caring for it, you must always supervise your child when its out of the cage, and you MUST do research before picking any animal. ALL animals require some sort of special care. The only way to know what that is, is to look it up yourself. Taking advice strictly from a pet shop employee is unwise, since they don't usually have any idea about what they are telling you.

Answer 3

I would suggest not to get a kitten as they are too delicate for a 3 year old. For temperament, get a full grown neutered male cat as they are more cuddly and needy. Make sure the cat was raised around young children. This will make it a very pleasant experience for both your son and the cat.
Before getting a cat read books to him that he will understand about how to treat his new pet and what it will need. I raised my children with pets and it showed them how to show compassion and respect to all living things.
By the way, you will be the caregiver not the 3 year old LOL.

Answer 4

Cats wouldn't be good for a 3 year old kid. 3 year olds aren't gentle enough for cats and would need a durable pet. When i was little we just had fish in the house. all our other animals lived outside so im not sure what pet would be good for him. good like finding one though :)

Answer 5

hes THREE!

do you really think hes going to be able to look after a dog or cat?

and hes even much too young for a hamster or something like that.
hed squeeze it and accidentally harm it.

get him a fish.
so easy to take care of. you can over feed him a bit, you can under feed him a bit once in a while and it wont kill him.
and if the thing does die- its a fish.

get him a big multi colored, fresh water fish. twenty or thirty bucks at most.
hell love it.

Answer 6

I raise mini schnauzers and they are great for kids. You would have to let him pick it out though cause some of them bark a lot but they are wonderful pets and can endure severe punishment if ya know what I mean. Good luck on the search.

Answer 7

You can try something like a mouse they're great because they don't bite and they are easy to take care of you just need to clean the cage and refill its food and water once a week. Don't get a hamster though because they're known for biting and it will probably scare him, rats bite too, but mice are so tiny and harmless.

Answer 8

It's not going to be your kids pet! He's just a little to young to know how to take care of a pet yet. Your going to have to train it and your child also. If you don't have time, or patients for a pet, don't! get one! YOU, will be the one to take care of it! And just don't throw it outside and make it a lawn ornament out of it. It has feels to. A pet is not a toy. Remember your gong to have this a long time, so think before you get one.

Answer 9

A better question is, what pet are YOU going to take care of for the next 15-20 years? Because at 3 years old, your son can hardly be counted on to take proper care of ANY pet.

Answer 10

If this is his first pet, go with a gold fish first. It will train him on how to keep after his pets needs (feeding, helping change the water etc) and at 3years old he can learn slowly without it being a huge burden on you right away.