first pet

[k9krazee]

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.

Oh, I disagree 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...

[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! 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.

[CathyBogart]

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.

[lute]

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! 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.

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!


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