Okay, so my 7 1/2 year old son loves animals and would like a pet. We are going through a test period where he is showing his ability to be responsible and by the end of the summer - when we’ve gotten back from vacation - we may get a pet for him.
What advice do you have? Here are some considerations:
Should be easy to care for - part of the deal is that he has to do pretty much everything. We aren’t a dog family and a cat requires more care and attention than I think a boy his age can handle.
Should be touchable, even affectionate - he isn’t going to cuddle the pet to death, but would like to be able to take it out of its cage and touch it.
Not too expensive - initially or for maintenance - nothing rare or fancy
Something he can keep in his room - for obvious reasons.
After checking a pet store, we looked at
a) Small mammals like guinea pigs and hamsters
b) Herps, mostly Leopard Gecko lizards and anole lizards
c) Birds - I think parakeets are socialable and okay with perching/ minor touching compared with other birds.
He really liked the ferrets, but I think they require more care than a young kid could handle and they are expensive - over $100. Of the other animals, he really liked a parakeet - a cool green one with black. But ultimately, he liked them all so would probably be happy with a mammal, bird or herp.
So - if you can FIRST comment on your experience - does the animal you know meet my criteria? After that, if you want to put in a shameless plug for your choice, that is fine, too!
I want to warn you that unless you have a very unusual kid, after a couple of weeks he’s probably not going to be the main caretaker of the pet. I volunteer with the local humane society and I’m told they hear that all the time, but when they do they always tell the parents that they have to be ready to step in because chances are it’s not going to last. So whatever animal you get, you have to be ready and able to care for it as well.
In my experience hamsters are grouchy. I’ve heard good things about rats, and I know there’s a Doper rat enthusiast or two. I’ve thought about getting a pair, but my SO is reluctant.
I had a leopard gecko once. He was a great little lizard, though I didn’t handle him much. They are very neat creatures. George had one corner of the tank he used as a toilet, which meant a lot less cleaning of the whole aquarium. And they’re just so damn cute.
I have almost no bird experience, so I can’t help there.
I was going to say rat too. They are cute, can absorb some degree of mauling, soft to pet and fun to watch.
I don’t know about birds – they have to be handled kind of gently from what I know of them. A 7yo boy might not have enough muscular/impusle control to handle them correctly.
I had gerbils at that age, bear in mind we had Jezzy I, II, and III in the space of a couple years as they always seemed to meet unfortunate ends (they liked to bust out of their cage and then got eaten by the cat or lost or into something poisonous., respectively)
A cat isn’t any more care than a rat, I don’t think, especially a cat that free-feeds (the tasks – make sure the food bowl has food and the water bowl has water, clean cat litter every couple of days – are almost idnetical in type and frequency) Bear in mind a rat only lives 2-3 years, so you might have a pretty sad 10 year old on your hands. But that might be a benefit, depending on your perspective.
I’ll join the crowd in recommending a rat or two (if you get two, it’s probably best to get two females). I have raised rats, gerbils, hamsters, and mice. The rats were by far the best pets. Domestic rats are clean, affectionate, intelligent creatures. They are easy to care for and inexpensive to feed. Don’t let the scary reputation of their wild brethren turn you off. Some of my best friends have been rats.
Have you considered a snake? One of my sisters had been contemplating getting a ball python for much of the same reasons stated in the OP. She was keeping odd hours at work so she wanted something that didn’t need a lot of attention and ball pythons can easily go a week between feedings.
Wow - interesting. He hadn’t really clicked with the rats at this visit, but I can certainly check that.
I appreciate the comments about gauging his prolonged interest. In my son’s case, it feels like it is time: He has faithfully fed and cared for his goldfish for 2 years and is consistent over the 2 week periods when he is helping care for the neighbors dog. I think he is one of those kids who are really into pets.
Thanks also for the thinking on the gecko, whiterabbit - any other examples for lizards or birds, esp. a parakeet?
If he has a proven track record of animal care, disregard what I said. You DO have an unusual kid.
There’s got to be somebody here who has some experience with parakeets. I’ve only had one for a few weeks before a new kitten got it – and we had the cage where we thought was out of reach, she must have made a heck of a leap to reach it and get the door open. I would think that a bird would work better for an older child if he’s sole caregiver, though. They take some careful handling.
And speaking of ball pythons, if I ever have another snake, it’ll be one of them. But then you have to deal with food issues (do you feed live? frozen? will the snake EAT frozen?) that might be a bit traumatic for him. On the other hand, it’s really cool watching a snake hunt, and dinner is on its way to mousey heaven in about ten seconds flat so it’s not like they really suffer.
Might want to run the rat idea by him. From what I’ve heard as far as small mammals go they are excellent.
Cockatiels can be very sweet and affectionate - I had 2 and they loved to be petted and they adored attention. On the negative side, birds can be very messy and very loud.
Ugh…this is actually a tough one. I’d say a cat though - they are seriously so low maintenance. And the upkeep of the cage for a bird or hamster or rat or snake might be a pain for him - whereas a cat - it’s food, litterbox, water. (And of course the initial shots and health maintenance).
Also - what don’t you want to get loose in the house? Might be another angle of attack…
A cat is a long-term committment, though. If it’s his cat, what’s going to happen when he goes off to college and can’t have a cat in the dorms? I got a kitten when I turned three, and we may yet have to deal wth the issue of who takes him when my little sister goes to college.
Rats are delightful if they’re well-socialized. They really do need to
be in a pair at least, or they can get a little neurotic. Here’s a great
rat resource:
A leopard gecko, corn snake, or ball python might be a good
pet, if feeding live crickets (gecko) or storing dead rodents in
your freezer (snake food) doesn’t faze you.
The real live fact is, any animal that comes to live in your house
is ultimately going to rely on you the grownup to ensure it is fed
& watered faithfully, & kept clean & healthy. A pet is an excellent
opportunity to teach responsibility - by your example. But a
7 year old kid doesn’t have the maturity to follow through all on his
own. Ask campus maintenance folks how often even college age kids
prove to be too irresponsible to care for small animals!
In choosing the critter you guys end up with, you can also teach
him how to do research on different species to see if they are a
good ‘fit’ with your family. I think this is fun, but then again I am
a dork.
One last thing - please don’t bring home an animal that you aren’t
willing to pay a couple hundred dollars for if it suddenly needs
emergency vet care. Rats get tumors & respiratory infections,
for example.
They are long-term - you’re absolutely right. Good point… I don’t know what to tell you on that one. I still think it’s the best option but that’s just me (and this is why I’m not a parent yet! Eek).
I had guinea pigs as a youngster. They can be very cuddly and easy to maintain. I don’t think they’re quite as smart as rats*, but that my not be a bad thing in his first pet.
I still want guinea pigs, they’re really sweet.
*I’ve never had rats, so I can’t actually comment on their brain power.
My mom was allergic to cats and dogs growing up so we were only allowed to have small animals.
I had the following pets when I was a kid:
Rat – fun to watch, easy to care for, affectionate but as pointed out they don’t live long.
Hamster – cute but not particularly affectionate and cages can be difficult to care for.
Guinea pig – my brother adopted the cavy because I did not like how nervous she was all the time. She made me afraid to hold her.
Rabbit – I loved our rabbit but once he got out he was fond of chewing on electrical cords and carpeting. But he was otherwise well trained. My mother used to get the giggles by letting him sit for a while on her rabbit fur coat.
Of all the choices listed the bunny was my favorite pet. He was adorable, easy to care for and fond of eating any leftover veggies I didn’t want. He also survived two kids constantly petting him with good grace.
Once I moved out of the house I immediately adopted two cats. IMO if you can pull it off a cat is the best low maintanence pet. All my kitties want is two cans of food a day, a full water bowl and a litter box change every now and then. That and lots of cuddling. While the cat lives longer even if your son leaves the house, you can always keep the cat for him.
Otherwise I would seriously consider a baby bunny for your son.
You don’t have to get him a kitten. There are plenty of full grown cats at the shelter who need homes. Although little kids like kittens, a full grown cat will already know how to use a litter box and the people at the shelter will be able to tell you which cats are friendly and outgoing. The risk of a kitten is that (like me) you end up with a cat who is so scared of everything that if someone sneezes unexpectedly, he’ll go hide under the bathtub. We also have my mom’s cat, who I chose because she was the cutest little kitten, and she grew up to hate me and loves only my mom. It was rather traumatizing to get a pet who hissed at me.
Definitely go for something fluffy. Reptiles are harder to take care of than people think-- they require temperature control, and the herbivorous lizards like iguanas need fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Snakes usually need live food. It’s more trouble than a 7 year old would want to deal with.
Rats are great pets, but mine died of a tumor. It was heartbreaking because she didn’t live very long, and the tumor got big, fast. This isn’t a bad choice, though, because they are smart and if your son handles them a lot, they will be quite friendly and affectionate.
My recommendation would be to take your son to the SPCA. Let him wander among the adult cats until he finds one he bonds with and he’ll have a great friend. There are tons of adult kitties there who would love to go home with someone and who linger in the pound for months if it’s a no-kill shelter, and if it’s not…
Anyway, you could teach your son how to scoop the litter box. If you use the clumping litter, a daily scoop is no more work that the cage emptying and cleaning (which he’d need your help to do, since it involves bleach) if he got a rat or a gerbil.
