first pet

[CathyBogart]

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

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.

[My Peanuts]

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!

[Roxyluvsme13]

How about a fish?

[Husky_mom]

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

[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.

[Husky_mom]

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

[lute]

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

[Jessika]

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.

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.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

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.

[My Peanuts]

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.

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.

[Jessika]

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.

Of the animals at my old job that smelled the WORST were hamsters and mice 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

[dab_20]

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

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

[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.

[IRescue452]

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.

[Jessika]

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.

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