first pet

[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.

[Alysser]

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. He CAN watch TV with it if he can traine dit to sit on his shoulder.

[Chilli]

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! I love my Marley dearly, but he is extremely cage aggressive, and he bites hard enough to break skin. Plus he never settles down in your hands, extremely hard to watch tv with!
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!! 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. )

[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.

[chrissycat21]

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)

[Jessika]

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

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

[Suki Wingy]

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.