Pet?

[gvce]

Waht do you guys think?

 

[madmooch]

Well I haven't voted as i think it depends on the age of the child and ability.

 

My sons 4 and i bought him a guinea pig, he's not interested and my daughter loves cats so i got 2, again, not interested He's just not interested in anything living

[lil_me]

My son was over the moon when we got our dog, now he hates him. He loved the snake we had, and he really likes the lizard. He wants fish which he is getting for his birthday next year.

[Helen]

As you work full time, I suggest you get a very low maintenance pet.

[DaisyProudfoot]

We work full-time too so we have Chinchillas. They're low maintenance and sleep through the day and start getting active about 6pm. If you get them from babies you can get them to become really tame, and their fur is so soft to the touch.

 

They don't bite, even when handled a bit roughly (by my toddler!) and they can stay in their cages if you prefer not to let them down for exercise as they're not toilet trainable! They have dustbaths and need their nest boxes changing every couple of days. They're also cheap to feed although the initial outlay for the animal and cage can be around �100.

 

Only problem is the cages are quite big and they have to be housed one to a cage or they fight, so best just get the one for starters. They live for between 10 and 15 years, so they are a long term pet

 

Does my AS son bother with them - not really - but I like them

 

Daisy

[Malika]

HI.

 

I have two cats a totoise shell and a ginger and white mother and baby well the baby is bigger than mum now and needs a little operation soon...(i feel so guilty about it)

 

For H having cats is great when he is upset or cannot settle to sleep I bring the big baby to him and the pb is solved that cat is so affectionate and so compliante , not like his mum who is quite difficult at the moment cannot tolerate anybody (may be it's autism) around her and so difficult to feed.

 

Yes I think it make things easier especially when H is upset. <'>

 

Malika.

[DAS999]

We have a rabbit and its excellent therapy. they are tough enough to be dropped on the odd occasion, friendly enough to cuddle!

[mel_jayne]

we have a canery,two rabbits which have had 5 babies(going soon ).I look after my mam's dog as she works all day,Kyle loves her been round.We have the joys of a dog and she goes home on a night.

[Tally]

I like cats. Stroking the cat helps me to relax, because I feel like I am doing something, and not 'just' relaxing. Trying to teach my other cat not to bite, and succeeding in reducing her aggression makes me feel like I can do useful things.

 

Adopting an adult cat from a rescue centre might be best if you do not have the time to looking after and training a new kitten. Most cats end up there because their elderly owners have either died, or have gone to live in nursing homes. There are fewer and fewer abused animals these days, so there are many 'normal' cats, without behavioural problems or health issues.

 

What about something like a gerbil or a fish to begin with? You could see how your child will be with a pet, and if he loses interest, it's not too much for you to take on looking after it.

[nikrix]

My daughter just loves her white cat Gollum, he has two different coloured eyes one blue, one brown. The cat sprawls out next to her most nights.

Bless- you have no cat smilies-

Nikrix x

[seeking-sanity]

Hi

 

WE got a kitten about 5 months ago, Js 11 and he loves the kitten more than anything and if the kitten is around when he has his rages she can carm him down sometimes, I know that sounds strange but shes had an amazing impact on him and hes always talking to her, the only think is our other kids dont get a look in!!!

[Kathryn]

Our cat has been in the family for 11 years and my daughter adores her and looks after her very well - if she forgets everything else she always remembers to feed the cat.

 

She is getting on a bit (she was already about 3 years old when we acquired her). She lost an eye a couple of years ago and the other eye is deteriorating now. She has a heart murmur and high blood pressure (she is now on human beta blockers would you believe! We have to give her an EIGHTH of a tablet every day.) She has to have a special low salt diet as well. The vet reassures us that none of this is surprising, given her age, and her quality of life is still very good. She is so affectionate and we can't imagine life without her.

 

So be warned - they can cost a lot of money when they get ill - the last little trip to the vet has cost us �170 - but you get very fond of them.

[smiley]

I voted dog -

 

Our dog is a gorgeous collie (sheep dog), she has a lovely nature and will put up with just about anything!

 

I suppose it depends on the nature of the pet - a cat would be a good idea - especially if your out at work.

 

We did try a fish once - M tried to stroke it!

[Helen]

We did try a fish once - M tried to stroke it!

When I was younger I had a tank of tropical fish... my favourite fish were the two Japanese Fighting fish. I used to put my fingers in the tank and they would curl their body around my fingers, they also enjoyed being stroked.

[lancelot]

japanese fighting fish -- are they ridiculously tough, or something? My father had a tank of fish in his office once. The office was burgled and the louts threw all the fish out of the tank. When Dad got there, the sole survivor was Brian the Japanese fighting fish, still flopping around faintly on his side in the waste bin. I seem to remember he lasted several years after that (but it was a long time ago!)

[Helen]

japanese fighting fish -- are they ridiculously tough, or something?

I don't know about being tough, but....... they tried eating every other fish in the tank

[Kathryn]

japanese fighting fish -- are they ridiculously tough, or something?

I don't know about being tough, but....... they tried eating every other fish in the tank

Was that after felling them with a karate chop ? Or was it a well timed judo throw?

[lancelot]

Oh well, maybe it was Brian who trashed the tank then, and he just framed the kids for it?

[minerva]

we have a dog, 2 goldfish & a newt......the kids rarely notice any of them anymore!! But to be honest i think they would be completely lost without them, especially the dog!

[lil_me]

You may cringe when I say this, but one of the best pets for a child IMO is a Rat, they are amazing animals, need less attention than a cat/dog etc. They don't bite unless you really hurt them, I've had 6 and never ever been bitten. They are interesting, highly intelligent and very clean animals. One of mine did have a thing for stealing any silky/lacey clothes, when you've got company and the rat legs it across the room with delicate undies it can be a bit embarrassing

[Klou]

We have a house rabbit. Ours not our son's. She lives in a dog crate. Has a litter box and is allowed to hop round the kitchen in the evening/ during the day if we are in for a while. Ds is just starting to get the pleasure of sitting stroking her if we open the crate door. He loves the nursery rabbit and likes to feed it. It is teaching him about the needs of others in some way.

[Helen]

Was that after felling them with a karate chop ? Or was it a well timed judo throw?

It could very well have been a pork chop if I'd had my way... when I was little I had a truly awful appetite. My mother would make food for me and I was expected to eat it, I found this (at times) a very tedious routine. I would try to hide it whenever and wherever possible when she wasn't looking.

 

On one occasion my mum finally found three soggy, mildew fish fingers inside the lower cover of my budgies cage - she couldn't understand where in the house the smell was coming from.

 

For me it was a case of 'out of sight, out of mind' it didn't occur to me that after a certain amount of time food would begin to decay.

 

Sorry, slightly off on a tangent - back to the topic of:

 

Pets-------->

[Lynden]

We have a dog, a cat and fish (well starting to get fish - aclimatising the tank!). Logan is only 2 and a bit and thinks the dog is hilarious - the cat (who thinks he's a dog) he adores and he's mad about the fish.

 

I think the main thing for him with the dog and the cat is the tactile thing as he's very touch sensitive so it took a long time for us to get him to touch them but now he thinks they are great.

 

I'm at home all the time though, and they are my pets - the kids just get to enjoy them too.

 

Lynne x

[Destrum]

Sorry I just hav to say

 

I LUV CHINCILLAS

 

they r so cool durin the day no one is home but because they do not need constant care and r nocturnal they r perfect to hav as pets.

 

NB our chincillas hav recently started actin violent towards each other so we can no longer let them out of their cages (u r allowed to release them in a enclosed enviroment as long as they r supervised) this is a shame because they created so much enjoyment for all they r quite expensive (average �80) but hav a average life expectancy of 15 years sum hav lived into their late 20's.

 

a good pet in my opinion.

[TuX]

You may cringe when I say this, but one of the best pets for a child IMO is a Rat, they are amazing animals, need less attention than a cat/dog etc. They don't bite unless you really hurt them, I've had 6 and never ever been bitten. They are interesting, highly intelligent and very clean animals. One of mine did have a thing for stealing any silky/lacey clothes, when you've got company and the rat legs it across the room with delicate undies it can be a bit  embarrassing

I agree,but i'm being biased.

 

 

 

 

 

Need at least 2 rats because they are sociable creatures and need the company.

They also need to be taken out of the cage daily,I have 7 rats(in 2 groups) and let them roam in a room which hasn't got any holes,with the door locked of course,to keep cats out.

Ideally,the cage should be checked every day for taking out any mess,to stop any amonia building,which can irritate the rats lungs.

There are many varieties and types of fancy rat(no breeds as such)-dumbos tend to be highly sought after by rat fanatics,dumbos ears are further down the side of the head than regular fancy rats-a genetic mutation.

Rat colours all have names,champagne,himalyan,hooded,roan etc

There's also names for rat hair types as well,such as rexes (who's hair is curly).

 

Rats do bite if they are given food through the cage bars at a very young age.

with fingers being put through the bars-they will relate it to being given food so avoid it to avoid nipped fingers.

 

Rats are better than hamsters because they do not sleep all day,they have random naps instead.

They like to sleep on top of each other in cage hammocks.

They have a territorial game which looks very strange at first,but it is just showing who is boss of the cage,they try to get each other to submit,and roll over on their backs,then the winning rat lies across the downed rats belly and either just lies there or nibbles the rat until he squeaks.

 

A problem with rats,chinchillas,degus,ferrets etc,is their cages can cost a lot,I've just ordered a new cage (called the tom rat) for my 2nd group of rats,which costed �50(free postage) it's a reasonable price for a decent sized cage.

Rats can be housed in ferret cages and avaries that have had shelves put in,as well as cages made for them.

There are cages in places like wilkinsons that say they are for rats but they're too small for rats,best place to buy them is from online,such as zooplus (free delivery),acrorats or ebay if the person can find one that actually offers delivery,a lot of people can't be bothered to package the cage and find out costs so they will just say pick up only,most non awkward shaped cages can be sent,one good cage to look out for second hand is the Furret Extra Large,cost about �15 postage but well worth it. they cost over �100 new though are sometimes found second hand in excellent condition for around �50.

 

It is better to go to a animal rescue/sanctuary rather than buying from a petshop (that goes for any animal),as so many animals need homes,and out of those there's a lot of babies/kittens who need homes to.

For rats,they would usually cost about �5 which would go towards the cost of keeping the others,there's no profit in it for them,whilst pet shops are just creating a bigger problem purely for making money.

 

Have a look on the rehoming rescue rats board on here: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/index.php

There's a lot of homes needed there,all of my current boys have come from rescuers who use that board.

 

 

One problem with rats,is it's quite common for them to get tumours when they're older,

so make sure vets fees would not be a problem.

[Viper]

Tux and lil me,

 

I love rats. Everything you say is true, rats are wonderful pets. We used to have some, 2 when our youngest DD was 18 months and she used to walk around with them on her shoulder or in a pushchair. We then got two more and decided to breed them,we bought a male and only one of the females liked him. We had 11 babies. My kids sat and watched while she gave birth and when she had finnished she climbed out of her tank, and sat on my shoulder cleaning herself while I had a look at her babies, she even let me pick them up and never ate them afterwards as the books say. I knew her so well I had no worries about handling her babies.

 

when they all finally died we didn't get any more (hubby not a fan) but my kids always ask for more, DD no'2 has them on her christmas list again this year. But we have so many pets already I don't think hubby will allow it.

 

We have, A cat, very old and disabled. A dog, a tortoise, 3 parrots (1 African grey,1 maccaw and one called a rock pebler?) 2 goldfish and around 45 tropical fish + about 20 babies. Out of them I would recomend the fish for someone working full time, they are very theraputic to watch and calm Ben down at times.

 

Viper.

[Strange girl]

I had 2 cats before my son was born so he was raised with them. the oldest is a bit too old to want anything to do with my son and sadly last year the other one died of cancer. Now a year later, my son seems even more upset about the death of the cat, crying and crying about it whenever he thinks about it..... i didn't know just how much that cat meant to him or I would have sold my house to get him specialist treatment (which I practically would of had to do.) I chose to have him put down, but like I say, had I known how attached my son was to him.. (I loved the cat too, don't get me wrong)

but since the remaining cat is too old and not really child keen at this stage, I'm thinking of getting my son a kitten for his birthday. The older cat is used to being around cats and it might even be a bit of company for him too?) but this kitten would have to be immortal because I don't think my son could take another bereavement this side of the millennium..

 

 

btw I'm a big fan of rats and they make great pets. They are intelligent friendly and portable. But after the last one died of cancer it broke my heart, and their life span is relatively short, about 2-3 years average.. although my favourite rat lived to 5 years, which the vet was very impressed by?... but due to the short life span.. too soon to grieve, i have decided to pass on any more for time being.. but they are A+++++ pets, if raised with love and attention.

Edited November 17, 2005 by Strange girl

[TuX]

Tux and lil me,

 

I love rats. Everything you say is true, rats are wonderful pets. We used to have some, 2 when our youngest DD was 18 months and she used to walk around with them on her shoulder or in a pushchair. We then got two more and decided to breed them,we bought a male and only one of the females liked him. We had 11 babies. My kids sat and watched while she gave birth and when she had finnished she climbed out of her tank, and sat on my shoulder cleaning herself while I had a look at her babies, she even let me pick them up and never ate them afterwards as the books say. I knew her so well I had no worries about handling her babies.

 

when they all finally died we didn't get any more (hubby not a fan) but my kids always ask for more, DD no'2 has them on her christmas list again this year. But we have so many pets already I don't think hubby will allow it.

 

We have, A cat, very old and disabled. A dog, a tortoise, 3 parrots (1 African grey,1 maccaw and one called a rock pebler?) 2 goldfish and around 45 tropical fish + about 20 babies. Out of them I would recomend the fish for someone working full time, they are very theraputic to watch and calm Ben down at times.

 

Viper.

 

Is there no where in your house where you could fit a cage so it doesn't get in the way?

There is no such thing as too many pets in my opinion how about going on a trip to a rat rescue with your husband to look at all the rats and see if he would change his view?

Do you have any cages left over from your old rats?

 

Strange girl,5 years lifespan is great,was she/he a pet shop,private-breeder or rescue originating rat?

[lil_me]

Yes Tux I had 2, both Albino Casper and Taz, both ended up with cancer aswell unfortunately. Would love another but the smell would drive my lizard loopy. If I had the time I would probably get

 

Blue tongued Skink

 

Tortoise

 

and a Parrot

 

 

And a few dozen rats

 

It is all the time involved in care etc, maybe when the boys are older.

[Strange girl]

Strange girl,5 years lifespan is great,was she/he a pet shop,private-breeder or rescue originating rat?

Hi, Torah was actually quite amazing. I lived in a block of flats and someone's domestic rats had escaped into the building's communal pipes and bred. Someone else had called the exterminators as they feared an infestation. On the morning they were to come in and check my flat and pipes, I discovered some movement behind my boiler. I couldn't get in behind it or reach any of them but I could see it was at least one adult behind there and her baby rats of probably a few weeks old. It was really sad actually, because I knew they were to be exterminated any minute and yet I couldn't get at them to save them They would just disappear back into the pipes when I tried getting near. In the end I just tried to call them out, made some cooing and clicking noises. And one little one came out a bit, so i just kept luring it until he came close enough. I picked him up and kept him. I had kept a couple rats a few years previous, who both had to be put down because of tumors, so I still had all the kit. So it truly was a special rat. lucky. although i always felt bad about the holocaust of the rest of the litter . He lived for 5 years after that.

[jayjay]

we have a minature schnauzer who is absolutely brilliantly with our son, when our son wants a cuddle he is abliging and when he doesnt want to know him which is most of the time the dog will leave him be and let him have his own space

jayne xx

[Kerre]

I want a kitty. That'd be special. But the dog might not like it... but if I got some of the dog's blankets and rubbed them on the kitty, then maybe she'd think the kitty's part of her property...

[Viper]

Kerre, When I was younger (many moons ago) I had a dog then I got a kitten and the dog was wonderful with him they even shared the same bed. On the other hand we now have a cat and got a puppy a few years ago, the cat hates the dog and hisses at him if he comes within sniffing distance. The dog just wants to be friends, he hates all other cats but seems to know Smudge belongs to us. What I am saying is, you have the dog first so he should be ok if you got a kitten.

 

Viper.

[Kerre]

I see. Well, I'll bump this so Mum sees it. The problem is, the dog goes bonkers at anything nearly anywhere near my mum. She's a very protective dog.