Suzz04

Hello TFP'ers!

I'm looking into getting my daughter a pet. We currently have hamsters that she absolutely adores. But, due to the smallness of them, she'd rather have something larger.

Just some info to help on what suggestions might be a good pet to get next. She's 9 yrs old and quite good at handling the hamsters. I'm at home all day nearly all the time other than to do the usual errands. We can't have a dog or cat indoors because of our lease policy. And outdoor would be dangerous since we live right next to the main road.

Our current choices are either a chinchilla or sugar glider. Anyone have any suggestions or experiences with other pets. Also, where would be the best sites to order things for a new pet? We will be saving up for nice things to buy for one prior to getting a new pet. But we don't have a local pet shop for at least a 2 hour drive.

Thanks in advance!
Suzz04

Glory's Sun

Chinchilla's are nice and all but they require a bit more devotion. If their fur gets wet.. well it's screwed. A sugar glider would be pretty cool, or you could go with a ferret. They don't stink as bad as everyone says they do (most have glands removed prior to being sold). They're pretty fun to play with too.

Charlatan

Watch out for ferrets though, they don't litter train as well as cats... I had one for a while and not only did it constantly steal my socks (and chew my toes) but it found one corner in the house and constantly used it as a dumping ground... It was quite foul.

Other than that, it was a relatively pleasant animal.

I would suggest a guinea pig or a rat. They care like hamsters but are a little bigger... rats are also trainable.

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Glory's Sun

hehe gotta love the sneakiness of a ferret. I forgot about guinea pigs. One would probably do really well with a 9 year old.

/me ponders the idea of an attack rat

maleficent

I had a Chin for a while... he was a great little critter (I used to joke about breeding them to make a coat

The dust baths he took were neat, but they are very fragile creatures, especially around the rib cage, I am not sure I would ever trust a child with them. One squeeze too hard, and you're looking at a nice vet bill.

Smokey died because of an affliction that happens to a lot of chins. Chinchilla teeth never stop growing, and the chin is supposed to chew on hard materials to wear down the teeth, but smokey never did...poor critter wouldn't eat near the end and I finally took him to the vet to have him put down (He went earlier because he woudnt chew -- vet said there was nothing that could be done)

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/site...chinchilla.asp

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maleficent

What about iguanas or lizards?

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Cuatela

My brother will probably argue with me, but the nicer cats are fun to have.

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Sweetpea

Have you considered adopting??

http://www.petfinder.com/

This is an amazing national site and they have alot of very sweet animals looking for homes, mostly due to owners no longer being able to afford keeping them.

I would suggest a rabit. Specifically a "mini-lop"

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/crit...ts/minilop.php

They are big enough for a child to cuddle with, but small enough to contain. I had one when i was younger and i adored him, he was one of my best little pets ever.

Good luck in finding your new furry family member!



Sweetpea

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veruca

I would say a ferret..my friend has a pair and they are so funny and frisky..they do liek to be held and will play..but they do poo around the house...thankfully it's small

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Glory's Sun

while that may be true for some people, they can't have cats

maleficent

Doing a quick google on Sugar Gliders - they sound like cool animals -- but very time intensive:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4122.asp

It's also a nocturnal animal (same as a chin) so if your daughter has a reasonable bedtime, she's not going to get much "playtime" with this pet. The beast will sleep all day and play all night.

I have been trying to find it and can't. Someone on the the wonderful world that is the web -- there's a quiz that you can take and it will give you best pet suggestions for you (and it doesn't include just dogs and cats) I just can't find it.

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Lead543

If your house has room a bunny might be a good option. One of my old teachers had one and she said she had a room where the bunny could hop around (no lose cords or toys to chew on) and her kids would go and play with him. He never had an acident and the one day she brought him to our classroom he didn't have one. (Pet days at school are a janitors nightmare). You've got a lucky daughter, I wish I could get a new pet!

Suzz04

Thanks for all the replies!

All these suggestions are great! Though, I have to say that we've had a ferret, white mice, gerbil, guiena pig, cats, dogs, and hamsters over the years.

The ferret... nasty little thing, would hide under the couch and bite my ankles when I sat down. Nobody else experienced that hateful things "playing". The guinea pig was ok til it got loose. Those things are horrid to catch!

On the subject of rats, snakes, and lizards. My mother will refuse to visit me with these... and I'm scared of snakes anyways. Rats, uhm... that was a funny one because we were at a pet shop and there was this "giant" one. My daughter squealed in the store and ran off. So I think the rat is a no so far.

One of the things is that I have alot of time on my hands. So, it's not a problem for that kind of pet. I tend to play with the hamsters alot during the day when they wake up for whatever reasons.

I was also worried about having a small furry animal around my daughter due to the fragile nature of most of them. But, she's done remarkably well with the hamsters and we have only lost one in the past 2 years. That was a unfortunate accident tho and partially my fault. But the danged thing loved the recliner and that's where she'd run to all the time.

Bunny? Those things? Sure... I just got the response of "Those things hurt when they scratch you!"

Why do I have such a picky child?

la petite moi

I've heard ferrets stink to high heavens.

la petite moi

Why not a large bird? You can clip his wings, and if he's been well-raised he will be very friendly. Also, you can pet and scratch a bird like a cat or dog (just with feathers) and he will love it. Your daughter might like to teach it to talk. However, big birds can be expensive and can bite, if they have not bee raised around humans.

Suzz04

I would love to have a large bird... but... unfortunately that's not within my budget. All the large birds I've seen so far have been 500+... I know of one that I'd bring home in a heartbeat. It's a white umbrella cockatoo.... 7 years old... but.. it's a thousand dollars!

And, yes ... ferrets do stink if their glands haven't been removed. Though... they smell some without the glands it's not as horrid as with them!

JStrider

i would have her look at a smaller rat... it might grow up big and scary... but it would be gradual... so she prolly wouldnt be scared of it then

rats are really affectionate and amazingly smart... you can litter train them so cleanup is really easy and they are so fun to play with... and to watch their interactions if you have more then one (make sure they are both the same sex or you will have babies!)

if you wanna train the rats do a bunch of research before hand and find a good breeder, not just a pet store with snake food rats...

the sugar gliders are really cool but their very emotionally sensitive
my freshman year a guy down the hall had one at the begining it was really cool and friendly... but about half a semester in it started getting mad cuz he was leaving for class... after a couple weeks he ended up having to make a pouch to go inside his jacket for it to sleep in while he was at class... it was a much happier sugar glider after that...

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la petite moi

OMG, I wish I could have a kitten pouch for my baby to go in while I'm in class! (He would probably jump out though. )

splck

Take a second look at a rat. My sisters kids had a couple of them a few years ago. I was amazed at how smart and easy to train they were (the rats, not my sisters kids).

check this thread http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=84497

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Sweetpea

Good suggestion LPM, Birds ARE amazing . . . however i will add in my two cents from experience . . . Birds are VERY time consuming and they eat Money like it grows on trees with their special care and food.
Plus, they tend to live a long time and can develop nervous disorders if not taken care of perfectly and provided the right amount of intellectual stimulation . . . They are almost like small children and require alot of care, affection and time . . . something i'm not sure a small child could handle, birds are recommended mostly for adults with alot and i mean, alot of time on their hands

She really doesn't want to at least HOLD a rabbit and see what she thinks?
Picky children . . . that's cute

Sweetpea

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ranger

i'd say get a labrador puppy, but since that won't fly, from personal experience ferrets would be awesome to have. they are gentle and really don't smell as bad as everyone says they do. i worked in a kennel once and we boarded a ferret for two months... that thing was fun! plus they are durable and they keep themselves clean.

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Disk_Pusher

I'd say a bird could be trouble, but it's because I've had bad experiences with birds. This is a long story, please forgive me. My family addopted an African Grey parrot, and it became attatched to our elderly dog. Greys are incredibly smart - the thing learned how to call the dog by name, would even play games with him. The dog was old though, and died. The parrot went insane, and attempted to chew it's own leg off in grief. We got it medicated and had a colar put on it, and it seemed OK, if not perma-stoned. My dad brought home another dog from the pound, which looked like the old dog (stupid), and this made the parrot even more crazy - it would scream the old dog's name at the new dog and throw stuff at him and act very violent whenever the dog was around (agressive noises, beating wings, trying to bite him). Finally he found a way to start chewing on his leg again, so we took him to the vet. Vet held him and promised round the clock care. My mother and I left, the staff went to lunch, and Peepers chewed off his leg, and died. My family has never had another bird - as sweetpea said, they really need a lot of intellectual stimulaton and are pretty sensitive. We had no idea the bird had bonded so deeply to the dog, we weren't even aware it was possible, but it happened, and it made everyone in my family miserable.

I'll stop my terrified rant about birds. I apologize.

lindseylatch

I'm not a fan of birds. They're dirty, and they bite. BUt I suppose all animals are like that to some extent.

I vote for a rat. They are clean, very affectionate. If you get them young, you can insure that they are sweet by constantly handling them (which you'll need when you go to clip their nails). You just have to explain to your daughter that there's nothing wrong with rats. Seriously, folks, we gotta get these girls toughened up a little. My mother screams every time a mouse runs in front of her. It's silly. Total social programming at work.

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thingstodo

I have had many pets through the years. I can tell you that my absolute favorite - and I now have two - are toy poodles. I also have a mcaw and they are expensive to maintain, messy and require individual time and attention since you can't just let them sit around with you like other pets.

Here are a few reasons why I think toy poodles are great:

1. they don't shed or have any pet dander....in fact, the new labradoddle is a lab/poodle mix bred for people that need service dogs but have allergies
2. you can get them in several neat colors besides the typical white; mine are red
3. they love to be around people and in your lap
4. poodles are the second smartest dog, right behind border collies

Nine and up is just the right age to have a dog like this.

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Suzz04

Love all the suggestions!

Unfortunately, as I stated before thingstodo, that I can't have a indoor dog or cat due to my lease. Also, I live right next to a busy two way road that leads to our state park. That means huge chances of the pet being ran over since I don't have a fenced in area.

She's still looking at the chinchilla and sugar glider. She's a bit iffy on the rat. I don't think that's going to go over with it. She's a bit of a girly girl when it comes to stuff like that.

After a few talks, she's decided against a rabbit since the last one she held scratched her at a friend's house.

Hopefully, this picky little girl will finally decide on a pet before I pull my hair out. One of the great things is, that I'll have something else to do during the days while she's at school and gone on vacation. I'm usually by myself all day and wouldn't mind something that likes alot of attention!

smooth

Is she all about something soft and furry to pet and love?

If you want to start considering water pets, an oscar (south american cichlid) is inexpensive, grows very large, and is said to be very loving (like the labs of fish).

Well violent toward other fish but will become very social to its owners. Will watch you around the house, eat from the hand, etc. And she can actually watch it grow just about in front of her eyes.

Turtles are really cool, too, and won't wander too far from the property as long as you do proper fencing (like rockwork or something) and feed them. My friend's children love their turtles.

Short of that, I'm not too fond of iguanas for children or most people for that matter. They are very intelligent and sensative. They aren't like other reptiles in that once trained, always trained. An unstimulated iggy can become aggressive later in life. And huge--say 7 feet!

I believe the same way about birds. My wife's friend keeps small parrots. Not as expensive as the large ones, and still talks and is intelligent. Unfortunately, birds become attached to one person (or other), as one previous poster found out the hard way. That means big trouble for a married couple, or for your little girl if the parrot becomes attached to you or your wife.


One of my friends went through a dog-selection service before purchasing their pet. The service went through the house, size, living conditions and styles, and children, etc. She said it was the best investment she made before purchasing their dog. Perhaps there is a general pet selection service? So many people select pets without doing the proper research. I didn't realize how important it was until experiencing bad things myself, and hearing from so many others--including pet rescue workers.

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Suzz04

We have a oscar.. unfortunately it likes me. Oscar the Oscar has a 2 yr olds personality. One of the ones where the 2yr old clings to the favorite parent if you know what I'm talking about. He doesn't like to be in the line of traffic, preferring to be in a quiet room til feeding time. Other wise he lays behind his driftwood (only thing he will allow in the tank besides his marble) when anyone else comes in the room. Yes, I said marble. He has a candy stripe marble that he plays with. Why? I have no clue.

The biggest problem we're going to have is when she "loses the interest". I'm the primary feeder, player, and cleaner of all these pets. Probably I should just pick something I want instead of letting her decide!

Something that isn't so fussy about who plays with it. But, unfortunately the best two for that, the cat and dog are out of the question. Otherwise I'd get a small house dog for myself.

JStrider

if a rat is handled relatively often they just enjoy human contact and arent fussy about who plays with it.

maybe have her look at a dumbo rat... they have big cute ears that might win her over

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maleficent

That's the reason why I would strongly suggest against a Chinchilla... It's a lot of money to spend on an animal (and chin's like company, so it's usually suggested that a person get a pair of them) for sometehing that is a temporary interest. Chin's require a lot of care and handling, and special foods - they are not set it and forget it animals.

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