Pet for a 5 yo

[angie r]

My 5 year old ds wants a "pet." I read up on gerbil, hamster, guinea pigs. He would be ok with a fish or a frog too. How did you all start your kids out with pets?

I stopped in a pet store today and the lady I talked to said to get a betta fish. They are low maintenance and live 2-3 years. Then after that get a lizard or a gerbil. They recommend waiting until a child is 8 or 9 before having a pet outside of a fish.

Should I just let him keep playing with the frogs he catches in the yard or get something for him??

[AnnW]

Fish are good. Definitely do a beta fish and not a goldfish unless you want to have alot of funerals! LOL I am not a big rodent fan so no gerbils or stuff for us.

[angie r]

I am not to hip on the rodents either! I think the guinea pigs are better than the gerbil/hamster. When I was at the pet store they had a big bin of "fancy rats." 8o My only issue with the beta fish is that he wants more than one and you can't do that with beta's. I definately wouldn't do goldfish because they have lots of "waste."

[AnnW]

You could do two betas..they don't need big bowls or the fancy pump like stuff...just get two small bowls.

[angie r]

I am sitting here wondering how long it would take him to put them in the same bowl to see who would "win." ;)

[AnnW]

ROFL!!!! well, that would solve the pet dilemma! :newwink:

[Diane]

When I was little we always had pets... never remember NOT having at least one. LOL We always had a kitten/cat, fish and even had two parakeets for a while. Mom would NEVER have allowed any kind of a rodent in the house... LOL I'm sure if she had it wouldn't have taken long for the cat to get it, she was quite the hunter. 8o When dh and I got married one of his policy holdelrs gave him a kitten... so the pet's actually started coming before the kids did and the kids grew up with them, which I feel is the BEST way for them to adjust/learn how to treat a pet. We've had SO many pets since... gerbils, and TOO MANY hamsters (they're like rabbits and reproduce quickly, and they also get a lot of tumor's) 4 birds (they're VERY noisey and messy) comeleon's (sp?) and an iguana... which I wouldn't recommend to ANYONE!!! 8o Hermit crabs, and fish... which I agree is about the easiest pet to have out of all of them... although I found the kitten/cat was more company and was a lot more cuddlier and friendly than a fish was. LOL Good luck on whatever you decide to do. :)

Diane... :wave:

[KarlaB]

Definitely don't do goldfish. Ds got one when and they both died within 6(?) months. I also had to clean their bowl constantly! I never thought that part would be bad, but it smelled. Ugh! Ds had just been potty trained, so when they died I didn't want him to have any issues with the toilet and their death, so he and dh buried them in the back yard! LOL! A couple weeks ago he asked if we could go look for his "fish fossils"!!!

My sil just got a beta. She said they told her she only has to change the water every 2-3 months. She also said you can have two in the same bowl if they are either same sex or opposite?? I can't remember which, but I always thought they couldn't be together at all??

Good luck and let us know what you get....and what he picks for names! :D

[JAK]

My ds who is 5 has 2 bettas. We got them about a week after we moved into our house. They are pretty low maintance. I have NEVER heard about cleaning their bowls every 2-3 months! YUCK! It's have to look pretty gross! I clean our out every week and it's really no big deal. I did research online before buying then just to find out what was involved. We do not have rocks or anything fancy in the bowls with them, just the fish. My ds is in charge of feeding them and does a pretty good job at remembering. The biggest thing you have to do it treat the water. I just bought a big container and treat about 3 gallons of water at a time. That way I always have water ready and it takes about 3 minutes to change the water in both bowls because it doesn't require much water at all. It's pretty quick and simple.

I had a hamster when I was younger and they reqiure more work. Cleaning the cage and all. I don't think it's something that he could do on his own. I was about 10 and I did have to do it because my mom wouldn't.

Good luck! I hope you can find him the perfect pet. My ds wanted a snake and dh probably would have let him get one. Lucky for me they are not allowed in base housing! I told dh when he retires and ds is older then they can get one- I refuse to feed a snake or take care of it in anyway!

[Mom2Many]

I'm a cat person. I love cats and can't imagine not having one in our family. Up until last week we had two domestic cats, Pie Pie and Huckletooth. Both of which we've had since they were 8 weeks old. Last week I was driving home from the store and I drove passed what I thought was a dead racoon. As i drove passed it I realized it was a cat so I went back to check on it. She was still alive but obviously hurt. There were also 3 kittens on the grass beside the road and a fourth kitten had been hit and killed. I took the mama to the vet who fixed her up and we brought her home a few days later. The kittens are estimated at around 4 weeks old and we will be looking for homes when they're old enough...if I can bear to part with them. We named the mama cat Willow and her kittens are Blue, Chance and Duckie.
We also have an aquafrog. It's great. It's about 1-1 1/2 inches at the largest and it swims all day. There is no touching or picking it up required. It's a lot like a fish but a bit more entertaining. Our frog came in a small square plexi glass aquarium with a snail that helps keep the aquarium clean. I only have to clean it every 4-6 months or so...We used to own 2 frogs but we have a homicidal feline. The frog is a great pet, the kids enjoy him but I feed and care for him for the most part. The cats are completely my responsibility and Dh wants to get a dog. With seven children under 5yrs, 6 cats, a frog and HIM to care for, I DO NOT need a dog as well! LOL, maybe in a few years

[Leigh]

I had dogs and cats when I was little. I have never had anything else. Our cats ran away, and when dh and I left for Germany, we left my dogs here because they were outdoor dogs, and we had no yard over there. Two passed away while we were over there, and the one that is left is now my mom's. Dh had dogs when he was little, but they live on a main road and have no fence, so their dog got ran over and killed. They stopped getting dogs after that, so if you decide on a dog that is something to think about. Dh and I will probably get another dog when we get our house though. I hope that everything works out for you though. My best advise is that you know how responsible you ds is and you know what he can handle. I would use that info to decide. Let us know what pet you decide on when you do.


PS: Sorry for rambling ya'll. I am just in a talkative mood with no one to talk to.

[KarlaB]

Originally posted by JAK
My ds who is 5 has 2 bettas. We got them about a week after we moved into our house. They are pretty low maintance. I have NEVER heard about cleaning their bowls every 2-3 months! YUCK! It's have to look pretty gross!

ITA and couldn't believe it when she told me and even questioned her on it. I'll have to ask her how it's going and if she can even see the fish anymore! :newwink:

btw - How do you treat the water?

[angie r]

Originally posted by KarlaB


btw - How do you treat the water?

The person I talked to said I had to buy special water conditioner.

[JAK]

It's simple to treat the water- just like Angie said you buy a bottle of conditioner (they sell it at Walmart a lot cheaper than the pet store). You add it to the water and then wait for 24 hours and the water is ready for the fish. You just have to make sure the temp. of the water is the same of the fish might go into shock. I keep all the water that I use and the fish upstairs. So the water is the same temp. at all times.

Angie- we do have a cat too and they are pretty easy pets that you can at least cuddle and hold. I do all the work though.

[KarlaB]

Thanks angie and Jen. I promised ds fish when we move, so I think I'll look into getting a beta. :)

[angie r]

Jen - no cats here.....dh is allergic (and probably ds and dd as well)


My SIL called tonight and she and BIL are coming for a visit this week. She is a real animal lover and she wants to take ds and buy a black hamster for him. Ds is sort of afraid of it biting him. I was really thinking the aqua frogs would be cool. I have a feeling I am going to be caring for a hamster very soon.

[kacee]

This is a timely thread. We just had our last hermit crab die. My fault (another story) The crabs were the best pets to care for. We had them 1 year. I cleaned the aquarium once. DD feed and watered them. I must say that we neglected them several times and they were still ok.
Now, we will be getting a hamster. It is coming for free with all equipment. The owner has gotten a new dog that is causing "sibling rivalry" in her family. She is too funny- this hamster will be spoiled. I am glad in a way for we know that it is not a "nipper". I not sure how to care for one, but dd and I are going to the library to get info. (great reading opportunity)
Because we are going on vacation next week, Coco the loco hamster will not be coming home till late July. I hope this will be a great pet for us.

[TXmom]

We have a fish and a gerbil. I'd rather have a hamster, but they're a little more expensive than gerbils. We kept ds's class hamster for a week this summer and it's the cutest thing! It managed to get loose somehow and was lost in the house for a few days. One night it just walked into the kitchen. Dh knelt down and it came right over to him and let him pick it up. Of course it had been in a classroom full of children all year, so it was used to people.