In my opinion the best pets for children are:-
RABBITS;
I have kept a rabbit,or two for most of my life; from regular size rabbits in childhood, to 2 giants as an adult.
If you decide to get a rabbit as a pet for children please don’t let him live at the bottom of the garden in a dirty hutch where he is almost forgotten about. Ideally rabbits should have daily access to a run on grass where they can stretch out and nibble on the grass,
GUINEA PIGS;
Quite similar to keeping a rabbit, but as guinea pigs don’t scratch with their hind legs as much as a rabbit, they may be better suited to children as a pet
HAMSTERS;
The disadvantage to having a hamster as a pet for your child is that because they are nocturnal they may be asleep when your child wants to get them out to play and they don’t live for very long (18 months to 2 years on average)so this can be upsetting for children when they pass away.
BUDGIE/CANARY;
Male birds usually make the best talkers
If you decide to let your bird out of the cage to fly around ensure all doors and windows are firmly closed, drawing the curtains will prevent them from flying into glass windows which can be alarming.
GOLDFISH;
Please don’t keep goldfish in a round glass bowl, it is cruel get the largest aquarium that you can afford and have the space to accommodate
DOGS;
Dogs can be fantastic pets for children if you research suitable breeds and breeders before purchasing a puppy
NEVER EVER LEAVE A DOG UNSUPERVISED WITH A CHILD no matter how well you know it
CATS/KITTENS;
Cats are amazing pets keep any litter trays away from children and empty several times a day
Re homing centres often have animals looking for a forever home, these will have been given necessary inoculations, been neutered and treated for parasites, dogs will have also been temperament tested.
Whichever pet you decide to get for children make sure that they are always supervised around them and be prepared to take over their care if the novelty runs out- often pets will be a 5 minute wonder and they still deserve to be cared for correctly should this sadly happen.
Taking out pet insurance for dogs and cats is also something that I recommend
I have written about all of the above pets in more detail in my blog section titled pets for children..
As always questions/comments are welcome.
Until next time
Karen
x.
Another brilliant blog especially at this festive time as children always want a pet for Christmas. Lots of important detail as to how to look after your pet. Rabbits can be very lucky or lead a very sad lonely life in a cramped hutch
I am so glad we have a small pup in our house. #thatsatsesh
At one time, we had four rabbits, and our sons loved them. Right now, we have a 150 pound St. Bernard to love on, and he’s a fun part of the family!
we have a bunny and I’ve found it to be an ideal pet. Its litter trained, runs around the house, and mainly keeps to itself. Not very cuddly, but easy to care for #triumphanttlales
I think it is great for children to learn about caring for others through having a pet. We have a dog called Ollie. Thanks for linking up with #globalblogging
Hamsters and guinea pigs do make great pets for children. We had so many of them! The only downside is their life span is short and it’s really heartbreaking when they die.
Oops ! I forgot the tag #BloggerClubUK
Thank you Karen for linking up with us at the #BloggingGrandmothers End of the Year Link Party 2018! Party ends January 5, links are unlimited so feel free to add more!
#thesatsesh puppy on my lap, 2 goldfish behind me, 2 stick insects and one african zoo 🙂 we love animals – guinea pigs are better for kids than rabbits 🙂
luckily little dude hasn’t asked for anything else…i can’t say no to the animal kingdom.
we have chickens and the kids love them esp feeding them treats and we get eggs #Blogstravaganza
You raise some good points here Karen, such as not leaving a child alone with a dog, and making sure that you really want the responsibilities of caring for a pet, before getting one.
When I was little I had a hermit crab, easy to look after but not very exciting as a pet, to be honest. Then we got a rabbit, and I loved it, but cleaning its hutch, always making sure it had fresh food, water etc, was quite a task for me. And I did feel that maybe she wasn’t very happy, as life as a pet rabbit is very lonely compared to how rabbits live in the wild.
As an adult, I’ve had two Siberian hamsters (we bought them together, but then kept them separately after the got older and started fighting (we’d been told they wouldn’t as they were siblings, not true…). They were wonderful, but didn’t live very long, and I’m not sure they would have been great with kids, as they would sometimes give you a little bite, and they were quite samll and fragile, so a child might accidentally hurt them?
We’ve also had an aquarium, with fish. That was quite nice, but I always worried that it migh break and water would flood out and cause great damage (think ripping up the floor etc…).
So, for now, we’re very happy to not have any pets of our own. Animals can be wonderful indeed, but they are a great responsibility and I feel that I have enoguh to be responsible about as it is! 🙂 x #thesatsesh
I was always a dog person but where we live its too small for one so we got cats. One hates everyone so stays away on the stairs sleeping all day or in the bath at night. The other is like a dog in ways as he loves attention and and affection. They’re amazing with the boys, the one who hates everyone sits still if the kids go past and stroke her, then she runs when she gets the chance, the other laps up the attention and has even started showing Ben his tummy which is the ultimate sign of trust from a cat!
Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next year, merry christmas!
I think we had your cat’s double, our cat, Socks would sit on top of the fridge freezer, no ca in the neighbourhood would come near him, or our house, thanks for sharing your experience x
We have a cat and hamster the boys love them and they learn to be gentle X #Blogstravaganza
Lovely post and great photos! We wouldn’t be without our pets, they complete our family 🙂 thanks for sharing your thoughts with #Blogstravaganza
We want to get a pet for the kids at some point but can’t really decide what… this is helpful #Blogstravaganza
What a lovely post about pets. I’ve always grown up with pets, so it felt very natural to have them – just as part of the family really. Our pets were already established before the little one came along and it’s been lovely to see them bond as she’s got older. Thank you for joining us for the #dreamteam linky. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas.
Thanks, merry Christmas to you also x
Mhm never thought of rabbits and always thought hamsters are too boring, messy, and shorlived. I had a cat myself and that was a great yet independent companion, not requiring too much care but just enough responsibility.