first pet

[lute]

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.

[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!

[cali]

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

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

[My Peanuts]

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.

[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