first pet

my lil brother is wanting his own pet. he's been asking for quite a while and the parents decided it was time. i let him pick out his own chicken, but unfortinatly we had to re-home them all because we just bought a house where the neighbors have a pool and it's close to where we would keep the chickens. they now live on a farm with lots of other chickens. :)

anyways, my brother is scared of spiders, snakes, and turtles. we were thinking of maybe a hamster, gerble, guinie pig, etc. what are other good pets?

Rats are great first timer pets. They are like little dogs.. Just get him 1 as a baby & he'll get attached to it before it grows into an adult. It'll also be easier for him & the rat to bond when its a baby. My first baby rat was my best friend, she was so playful & not once did she bite me.

Is he scared of Stick Bugs? They make great first pets, because they are very easy to care for. How about a small lizard? Or a fish? :D

I agree with King rats are awsome pets!!!

No gerbils, I don't recommend them to kids, they tend to be biters no matter how "tame" they are.

I'd be the contrarian and say get him a turtle, as long as there's someone to help supervise his care for it - that way he'll learn that they are nothing to be afraid of!

If, however, no one would be willing to help him, maybe a guinea pig.

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Originally Posted by Karen

I'd be the contrarian and say get him a turtle, as long as there's someone to help supervise his care for it - that way he'll learn that they are nothing to be afraid of!

If, however, no one would be willing to help him, maybe a guinea pig.

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of course i'm going to help him take care of whatever he gets. my mom says no turtles. she's TERRIFIED of them. :rolleyes: i was talking with him and i think he's going to get a hamster or guinea pig.

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Originally Posted by IRescue452

No gerbils, I don't recommend them to kids, they tend to be biters no matter how "tame" they are.

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really??? I have heard the complete opposite and our gerbil Terence is proving to be a very tame little guy!

Mac, "my brother's" tortoise, is a VERY easy keeper. Literally about one step up from hermit crabs. They just need a once a month tank bedding change and daily fruits and vegetables. I think they're kind of cute too. >.<

How old is he? I DO NOT recommend hamsters or guinea pigs to anyone under the age of 10. Hamsters have the tendacy to bite, and children sometimes can't quite grasp the concept to not to mess with the hamster. And with guinea pigs.. their legs are so short, if they fall even a short distance they can break their back and be paralyzed or die.

And whoever said gerbils bite??? That's not true. They bite MUCH less than hamsters! I recommend a gerbil over a hamster for kids because they are much less prone to biting, but they are FAST!!!

A turtle or tortoise is a good choice (there IS a difference! Tortoise = primarily land dwelling; turtle = primarily water dwelling) but as you said he is afraid of them, so you don't want to get him something he is afraid of.

What about a bird?

I would recommend maybe a gerbil or a fish or maybe a bird. (like a parakeet, cockatiel, or smaller birds like love birds)

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Originally Posted by lute

i was talking with him and i think he's going to get a hamster or guinea pig.

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I would DEFINITELY NOT recommend a hamster, but as long as he's gentle with it I think a Guinea pig would be a great idea.

Hamsters are nocturnal, so they don't like to get attention during the day, their eyesight is very poor and they are prone to bite, more often than any other small animal I've come across. (This is especially true for dwarf hamsters in my experience)

As for as guinea pigs being delicate...yes, their little legs are a bit delicate...one of my mom's friends has a pair of GPs who her little daughter is very fond of. While I was over at their house, the little girl said "could you get out Bonzai? (What a neat name!) I'm not allowed to hold him unless I'm sitting on the floor." That seemed like a good solution to me. A grownup gets him out, she sits down, and they both get playtime.

You didn't say how old your brother is though, so I don't know if he's old enough that such a rule might be insulting to him. ;)

I had gerbils when I was young. I had many and I never got bit, but I know some people that have been bitten (not by mine) I think something bigger like a guinea pig is better. Same type of care, but bigger. Make sure he knows he has to clean that cage ALL the time. Kenny, my piggy when I was young earned his name, he was a pig!

How about a fish?

about your concern about the pool.........how about a DUCK!!, they can swim :D adn pretty much like chicks, well kind of............

my brother is 8yrs old. i don't want ducks because i think they stink.lol i honestly think he'ss probably get a gunea pig.

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Originally Posted by Husky_mom

about your concern about the pool.........how about a DUCK!!, they can swim :D adn pretty much like chicks, well kind of............

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They are much more work, in my opinion... and they SMELL!

yeah you are right we had a duck and bio did he stunk.........well anyway congrats on what he decides, have he had fish before maybe a betta would be nice.........easy to take care of.........perhaps he likes them

we already have fish and he pretty much takes care of them. he really wants something he can watch tv with.

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Originally Posted by lute

my brother is 8yrs old. i don't want ducks because i think they stink.lol i honestly think he'ss probably get a gunea pig.

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For his age I would recommend a fish or bird, or a guinea pig if he isn't left unsupervised with it and asks permission before getting it out, etc.

I too do not recommend a hamster, I had several when I was young and they DO bite, hard! I handled mine daily and they rarely bit me, but they would bite everyone else.

Gerbils are good, but quick. Not necessarily the best pet to have if you want to sit on the couch and watch TV with it.

Guinea pigs are good. The require cleaning more often than a hamster or a gerbil. We always cleaned the guinea pigs daily whereas the hamsters and gerbils were cleaned weekly.

I don't recommend a turtle or tortoise at all. Both are a lot of work, they need a lot of special things. Some are a life long commitment too.

Birds are great pets, but much more fragile than a rodent. It's not difficult to find hand tame baby cockatiels. Parakeets are less often hand tame when you get them, but can easily become hand tame with a little work. Lovebird can be more moody and aren't as easy to hand tame.

I've never had a leopard gecko, but they're nice little lizards.

Iguanas are popular lizards because they are initially very cheap to buy, usually only about $12 for a baby iguana. However they need a lot of things, expensive things. We've easily spent thousands of dollars on our iguana. They get very big rather quickly too. Mine is currently 41/2 feet long and still growing.

I would say the most rewarding would be probably be a rat. They are relatively easy to care for and are a lot of fun!!

Mice are great too. I prefer mice over hamsters or gerbils, but I prefer rats over mice.

By the way, my first pet that was 'all mine' was a pair of parakeets.

BIRDS! Birds are extremely intellgent animals and most that you find at pet stores are young. Of course, NOT a parrot like a Macaw. WAY TO HARD for an 8year old! How about a budgie? They are very sweet and if trained early make wonderful companions. They need excercise out of their cages which means Playtime to. :D He CAN watch TV with it if he can traine dit to sit on his shoulder. :p

I think a guinea pig would be fine, I hear they're good tempered, though I've never owned one of my own. My friend's sister has two guinea pigs for her 7 year old and 9 year old, and they haven't had any problems.
And like everyone else said, avoid hamsters with young children. Especially dwarfs! :D I love my Marley dearly, but he is extremely cage aggressive, and he bites hard enough to break skin. :eek: Plus he never settles down in your hands, extremely hard to watch tv with! :o
On birds, I think you should only get a very tame, hand-raised bird, and stick with a parakeet (budgie) or cockatiel.
I mostly reccomend a rat, though, being a rat owner myself!! :D They're really loving, and very intelligent. I reccoment a male, since they tend to be a bit more laid back. The only drawback is that many, many people think they're gross...
Good luck to your brother! First pets are always the best! (in my opinion! But then again, my first pet was my dog. :D)

Well, be aware that guinea pigs can bite too.. and HARD!!! My old guinea pig bit me soo hard right through the skin.

Guinea pigs are normally very gentle and sweet. They will [almost] never bite for no reason. If you are really thinking about getting him a guinea pig, you might want to check out these sites.

-http://www.cavyspirit.com/
-http://www.cavycages.com/ (it shows you how to make your own cage and has a message board, too)
-http://www.guinealynx.info/ (This one is probably my favorite, so much info! Taffy had so many health problems that I checked out that site a lot and their message board is great, too)

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Originally Posted by dab_20

Well, be aware that guinea pigs can bite too.. and HARD!!! My old guinea pig bit me soo hard right through the skin.

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Well all animals can bite. But Guinea Pigs are much much MUCH less prone to biting than a Hamster for instance. We used to own three and the only time either me or my sister's were bit was when my youngest sister got watermelon juice on her shirt and he bit it thinking it was food and bit through her shirt and got her belly. But that was IT lol

Just wanted to add, my first pet other than a fish tank was Tigger the Schnieder's skink. She's in my sig. I got her when I was 5 but my parents knew what they were doing with her.She's more of a pet for looking at, not handling though.

How about a bird? I nice budgie is always fun.

When did you get rid of the chicks? I thought you just got them last week. :confused:

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Originally Posted by lute

my brother is 8yrs old. i don't want ducks because i think they stink.lol i honestly think he'ss probably get a gunea pig.

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If your worried about smell then a guinea pig is not for you. I used to clean Kenny's cage ALL the time and it still smelled. Of all the animals I've had over the years he was the smelliest and messiest and I’ve had dogs, birds, fish, chameleons, gerbils, and mice.

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Originally Posted by My Peanuts

If your worried about smell then a guinea pig is not for you. I used to clean Kenny's cage ALL the time and it still smelled. Of all the animals I've had over the years he was the smelliest and messiest and I’ve had dogs, birds, fish, chameleons, gerbils, and mice.

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Of the animals at my old job that smelled the WORST were hamsters and mice :o The ones that smelled the least were Guinea Pigs (also had the easiest cages to clean) and there would sometimes be two or three to a cage LOL

jackie, i had to rehome the chicks because we are moving to a house that has neighbors with a pool. the only place we could keep the chickens without the dogs getting to them is just too close to the pool. i felt it was best. i'll definatly get some more when i move out of the parent's house. the chicks now live on a farm with more chickens. they will be happier there.

i agree with Jessika. when i worked at the petstore in Nashville. the LEAST smelly animals were the guinea pigs. the mice, hamsters, and hermit crabs stunk the worst.

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Originally Posted by lute

i agree with Jessika. when i worked at the petstore in Nashville. the LEAST smelly animals were the guinea pigs. the mice, hamsters, and hermit crabs stunk the worst.

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Oh, I disagree :o I've had mice in the past and now I have 2 Guinea pigs. The guinea pigs are BY FAR the stinkiest animals I have owned! I have noticed that females are quite a bit cleaner than males but I clean both of my cages weekly, sometimes more often because they start smelling and my mom starts complaining!

And I honestly don't think a guinea pig is the right choice for an eight year old (IMO)

I would actually suggest a mouse or a rat...

I personally wouldn't put a child in charge of an animal, waay too many of my friends' siblings have lost hamsters/guinea pigs/bunnies in the house and backyard for me to feel safe with that.

But, as long as he's supervised, Cavies could be great for him! He will need to do some cleaning in the cage daily, just like with Buns, Hamsters, etc. k9krazee, weekly isn't bad at all! :p I cleaned my Bunny cages every day, and my ferret cage... it's just like litter boxes would stink if you left them uncleaned for a week.

When I worked in a pet store we had four GPs to a cage and there was never any odor to it. We cleaned their cages twice a week.

On the other hand, when I had mice.....PHEW!! It took MONTHS after my last, little Jess, died before the smell was gone. My rats weren't nearly as bad but they definitely had an odor.

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Originally Posted by bckrazy

I personally wouldn't put a child in charge of an animal, waay too many of my friends' siblings have lost hamsters/guinea pigs/bunnies in the house and backyard for me to feel safe with that.

But, as long as he's supervised, Cavies could be great for him! He will need to do some cleaning in the cage daily, just like with Buns, Hamsters, etc. k9krazee, weekly isn't bad at all! :p I cleaned my Bunny cages every day, and my ferret cage... it's just like litter boxes would stink if you left them uncleaned for a week.

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my lil brother is actually VERY responsible and mature for an 8yr old. he's always hel;ping me clean the kennel, clean Lucy's cage, he helped feed and handle the chicks, he can even clean the fish tank by himself. he's not a kid who will get bored with a pet after 2 weeks. i taught him to respect animals and ALWAYS put their safety and well being first. i've even heard him preach to the neighbor kid about letting his dogs run loose. it was pretty darn cute! :D


Edit: rats and mice are compleatly out of the question. my mother is scared of them. :rolleyes: if we were allowed to have rats we'd already have some! i love them! :D

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No gerbils, I don't recommend them to kids, they tend to be biters no matter how "tame" they are

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I have been breeding gerbils since I was 8 years old, they I would say they are a WAY better choice then hamsters for kids, no normal tempered gerbil bites for no reason, they are very playful, they love people, they tame easy, and they are neither nocternasl nor diaternal, which means kids can play with them whenever they want to play, and they dont have to adust to the animals schedual. they are however as others mentoned, very fast, but once tamed you can let them run around on you or the couch or bed while watcing TV etc.. I have had ones that just run off the edge of the bed, but most are happy to stay with there mommy and and daddy

lol I see I am not the only one who commented on this one hehe

I wasn't saying guinea pigs are bad. I'm just worried that they might be too much responsibility for an 8 year old. ALL animals have a smell and if that's a big concern then maybe he isn't ready. My guinea pig was a pig; I was just offering my opinion.

one of my friends was goign to get a pet turtle but then she found out that she had to keep it in the fridge or freezer or something during a certain season, so she got guppies and neon fish instead, and they eat each other and die a lot, which is sad.

Icedtea, neons and guppies can live together sometimes. I'm concerned that she needs to read up on the nitrite cycle if the fish keep dying.

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Originally Posted by icedtea

one of my friends was goign to get a pet turtle but then she found out that she had to keep it in the fridge or freezer or something during a certain season, so she got guppies and neon fish instead, and they eat each other and die a lot, which is sad.

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Wait... what? You don't have to keep a turtle in your fridge or.. worse yet.. a FREEZER during any season. If its an indoor turtle, they don't need to hibernate! haha

And yes if the fish keep dying you need to have your friend read up on the nitrogen cycle and MAKE SURE the tank is cycled before adding any more fish