The Best Pets For Young Children

If you have children, then you know just how difficult it can be to constantly be hearing “can we have a pet?” To be fair, the appeal is completely understandable. If you were young and you saw an animal, wouldn’t you want one too? Didn’t you want one, when you were their age? Now, there are ways to settle your kids down and the questions will stop (eventually!), but take a step back: why don’t you want to get a pet? They’re often more manageable than you’d think, and can bring a ton of benefits to the family household. And there are also plenty of animals to choose from, as our examples below show…

Small and Fuzzy

The biggest arguments against getting a pet are that you might not have enough time to take care of it properly, you don’t know what they’ll get up to when you’re away from home, and that your children will get bored of them and you’ll be stuck with a pet you didn’t even really want in the first place! Enter: small rodents! These cute little creatures are small enough that they won’t cause you any worries; stay almost exclusively in their cage and couldn’t destroy your home even if they wanted to; and, besides from offering hours and hours of entertainment (what will they do next?), don’t live all that long. Of course that last point is a bit sad, but they are nature’s rules - not ours! Rodents came in general just one shape and size, but they do vary - you can get a hamster or gerbil (similar but not quite the same), a mouse, or a rat (eek! No need to be alarmed; they’re cool).

Can’t Touch, Won’t Touch

If you’re concerned about how your children will interact with your new pet, then you could consider getting a creature that they either can’t touch, or a creature that they won’t touch, but which they’ll also be entertained by and learn good life skills from. Specifically, for the ‘can’t touch’ angle, we’re thinking fish - visit this website to see the weird and colourful creatures that are available. On the ‘won’t touch’ front, we’re thinking along the lines of reptiles (endlessly fascinating!) and creatures from around the world. Great African snails, for instance, are a complete curiosity - they’re different to what you might think of when you think of a pet, but they’re great to watch and can broaden your child's horizons.

Source: Pexels.com

The Dog Question

Yeah, you knew this was coming - your children don’t just want a pet, they have their heart set on a dog. In those cases, all you can really do is: get one, or don’t. Obviously, getting a dog is a much greater investment than getting a hamster or a gerbil, and you’ll have to personally want one yourself. A dog that is only acquired for the children will end up being more hassle than it’s worth - and ultimately that won’t be fair on the dog or anybody else. Remember - a dog is for life!