A good pet for a 6 year old girl?

[beemarie]

My sister wants a new pet. I want to get her something she can hold and take care of. My mom has two dogs and a cat but she wants a hamster but i know it takes a while for hamsters to get socialible. My sister loves my chinchilla but I think she's to young for one. She's graduating kindergarten and I wanted to get something for her as a gift. I just don't know what I should get her. I was thinking about a fancy rat? Any ideas?

 

[smhufflepuff]

At six years old, one question you really want to be asking is, "what kind of animal do you or your mother want to be taking care of?" Because it's going to come down to an adult to ensure that whatever it is is healthy, happy, and otherwise well-cared for.

After you figure out what you and/or your mom want to take care of, then start thinking about something that goes with her personality and abilities -- for example, a rat might be nice, but what about when she's "playing with" the rat and the rat decides it wants to run? Will she always have the rat-room secured so it doesn't end up holed up in the underside of a stove (that happened to a co-worker of mine). Or can you or you mom always be with her to supervise?

I was thinking maybe if your mom is interested in hamsters, a guinea pig might be nice. They're larger, harder to "lose," are often both interactive and snuggly.

Oh... but what about the mom's cat vs rat/hamster/piggie situation? Predator and prey...

 

[Stackie]

I usually recommend guinea pigs for the smaller children, but like Melissa said, be sure her mother is on board for taking care of most of the pet's needs.

 

[mercynursie]

I would say guinea pig or a spayed/neutered bunny.

 

[PetoftheDay]

I, too, would recommend a guinea pig, and there are plenty available in rescue in most areas. They are still small, sturdier than rats, and tend to live longer, too - and dealing with the death of a pet with a ten-year-old is far different than with a seven-year-old!

Guinea pigs can be a lot of fun, and have more personality than most folks give them credit for. And they are pretty happy being in their habitat most of the time, whereas a bunny usually wants to run around more, and it's a lot more work to "rabbit proof" a house for that!

 

[Jenn]

I'll have to go along with everyone else and suggest a guinea pig as well. A little bigger and sturdier for a young child to handle, and easy enough to care for.

 

[Lillybabe]

While a guinea pig is a great pet for a small child I think it might be best to start with something simplier. What about a gold fish or something of that nature for starters? That would give you and your mom the chance to see if she's ready for a pet. A gold fish is much easier to care for and requires a lot less work than a guinea pig. Or what about having her take over some of the responsibilities for the cat and/or dogs for a little bit and see if she's willing. I just think it's a bad idea to get a pet if she's not going to be willing to feed and water it at least. While guinea pigs make great pets she might not be able to care for it much on her own and it may end up being more of a family pet. This would be fine so long as everyone is on board with that. Also, need to make sure she's not going to take the guinea pig out by herself where it could be harassed by the cat or dogs.

 

[jess32247]

I don't think a goldfish would make a good starter pet, as mentioned above. They require a eleaborate set up, as in a huge tank, strong filter, ect, and aren't "rewarding" as other pets are. I'm guessing the she would want to hold and interact with the animal rather than watch it.

Hamsters are pretty easy to care for and don't require much. Guniea pigs, from what I know, wouldn't make very good starter pets.

 

[pamszoo]

I like chinese dwarf hamsters. They are not as bitey as the bigger hammys, or I second the rat! They are great pets

 

[Lillybabe]

When I mentioned a gold fish I meant the sort that are happy in a small fish bowl. Not those that need a huge tank. Hamsters as others mentioned escape easily. Also there's the risk of her crushing one as she tries to keep it from escaping. I had hamsters for several years when I was younger and they were always figuring out how to escape their cages. Besides escaping they always were very bitey and I had the chinese dwarf ones. A child I think is going to much rather a pretty pet they can watch and feed than one that is going to bite them. She's six, that's quite early for a pet of her own, especially one with a floating rib cage.

 

[3chins]

Rats make excellent pets. My son has rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas and a hamster don't even get me started on his reptiles. My son has mulitible medical issues and the pets are therapy.

The rats are always eager to be held and will come to him when ever he is around the cage, his hamster[syrian] does the same, they love to be held and climb all over him. The guinea pigs will come up to him but when he tries to pick them up they will run off but then they have a 4 level 40 square feet of space to run in. Once he has one they will lay in his lap calmly.


I think it depends on how much poop they are willing to clean up. Guinea pigs produce a lot of it and personally we prefer to have at least 2 [except syrian hamsters]of the critters for companionship.

Depends on the child to because my 7 year old little girl has frogs as pets and isn't interested it the others critters as much.

I would take her somewhere and let her hold the different ones to see if she even likes holding a rat/guinea pig/hamster.

 

[beemarie]

My mom has ruled out fish because you cant hold a fish. My sister always goes to the furry animals when we go to the pet store. she always asks for a chinchilla, hamster, guinea pigs, or a ferret. I know hamsters always escape from past experiences when i had them growing up.

She is very good with animals. She helps with the dogs taking them for a walk and feeding them so i dont think she will have a problem helping. I threw out the idea to my mom about a guinea pig because she didnt like the whole rat idea. she said she doesnt mind taking most of the load of taking care of it as long as my little sister would be able to interact with it.

I told my mom if my sister looses interest in the guinea pig that i will take it in.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[tunes]

Rats. They rarely bite, are easy to care for, and love to interact with their humans. My boys got their first rats when they were 6 and it's been an ongoing love affair since then.

 

[jess32247]

When I mentioned a gold fish I meant the sort that are happy in a small fish bowl. Not those that need a huge tank. Hamsters as others mentioned escape easily.

No fish can live happily in a small bowl, just throwing that out there..

My first few hamsters bit, but so does any animal. I can't count the times I've been nipped, scratched, pee'd on, ect. The price for owning a animal I guess

Thats great your mom liked the idea of piggies! We will deffiantly be needing pictures if (when lol) the piggies arrive!

 

[InkedupTara]

Just make sure to do the research on proper GP care so the animal has the best care given to it. Having a chinchilla, I am sure you are aware of all the misinformation out there, and good luck to your sister and mom with a new pet

 

[beemarie]

I just wish I could find a website like this one for piggies. I learned soo much information from the amazing people on here.

My mom asked me to write up a packet on how to take care of piggies. So I'm going to start that now before I get one. I have been looking at rescues and Craigslist but they all want pet store prices or have two but I really want to start her out with one. I don't know how my mom will enjoy having two.

 

[Megan]

There are good guinea pig forums. One is Guinea Lynx. They can be a bit hot headed, but the information you will gain is priceless. If cavies galore is still around, that was pretty decent too back when I had guinea pigs.

Guinea Pigs SHOULD be kept in same-sex pairs, or groups if space allows. They really are "herd" animals, and benefit from having a companion. I had 5-6 females at one point, and they were extremely happy with their "herd". Please consider getting atleast two, same sex pigs.

Research, research, research. They are great pets but require a lot of care and attention to their dietary needs. They need fresh veggies on a daily basis, specifically for Vit. C content as they cannot make vit. c like other small animals.

 

[beemarie]

thank you so much for those sites. I've learned so much.

 

[Dreamlite]

Guinea pigs are great pets. I've had at least one for the last 10 yrs. I always adopt the older ones so I've had a few over the years they have great personalities. I have never been able to get males to live together. And once seporated do great alone. I wouldn't feel pushed to get more than one. Right now I have 2 girls I rescued. Just keep looking, there is a piggy looking for a home near you!

 

[Gabby88]

Guinea pigs are great, but they aren't cheap or easy to take care of.

Their cage needs to be cleaned daily. They need fresh veggies daily. They can be very skittish. They aren't "sturdy" animals great for small children. They actually have very fragile spines and if dropped, they can very easily break their back and die.

If you do decide on guinea pigs, definitely get a bonded pair. As much as people say "they do fine alone" they really do prefer the company of other guinea pigs to be happy.

Also, if you decide on guinea pigs, keep in mind that the MINIMUM size requirement for 2 pigs is 7.5 square feet. So she would have to have a lot of space for a large cage.

And definitely remember that she's only 6, so she can not handle the responsibility all herself.