First pet ideas?

[Sasha87]

My sons are 7 and soon to be 5, and both are very keen to get a pet of their own. We already have 2 family dogs and 6 chickens. When I was 5 I was given 2 guinea pigs by my mum and I did care for them myself with only very little help from my mum, one of them was my older sisters but she soon got bored of caring for them. I know that could happen with my boys but whatever we get I will look after it till the day it dies. I would love guinea pigs again but sadly my eldest is allergic :( we were going to get rats but then I fell pregnant and rats aren't the best pets to have with a new baby in the house.

Any ideas on what would be a good idea? Our house is roomy enough for inside pets and we have a half acre garden :)

[feellikeadairycow]

Rats are lovely first time pets I have two with a baby and can't see where there would be a problem unless an older child maybe put one in the crib so baby could meet the new pet but I do appreciate they aren't for everyone
Hamsters are fun and don't live long if you don't want to be stuck looking after said pet when DC get bored
Personally when I was growing up my parents brought me and DB a tropical fish tank and can't think of anything better there are lots of strange types of fish to interest DC like Axolotl or Polypeterus

Mum to dogs cats rats hamsters chickens ducks ferrets and many tropical fish :)

[Sasha87]

I've kept rats on and off my whole life, and I love them so much, but I can't stand animals being trapped in cages; if I had rats I'd have to have them running around outside their cage for at least a couple of hours a day, in which case it means I'd have to make sure the babies (I've expecting twins) were in a different part of the house, as although rats don't bit, if they got grabbed by a baby they would in self defence, which would neither be fair on the rats or baby. I also think keeping hamsters and tropical fish is kinda cruel, I just look at them and wish they were in their natrual home :/ although I do think the boys would love digging a big pond and choosing goldfish for it :) fish is defo a good idea, thanks :)

[feellikeadairycow]

I guess I'm lucky with my rats i can leave the cage open for hours but they just don't want to come out but they are getting on in years
If your not a fan of caged animals then your best bet is probably a cat as they are pretty much one of the few animals who can be loose all day every day but if you are near a road which would be considered dangerous it may not be worth the risk
I'm working on getting DP to let me have a few goat's in a year or so
Id love a pond but one of my dogs would be sat in the water all day every day if he had his way so we settled for a 6ft by 2ft tank instead :)

[Sasha87]

Ooh goats, now that's an idea! I've been sat here thinking of all the classic pets, when goats, pigs, cow and sheep are in many ways so much better; sadly we don't have enough room for cows or I'd already have a herd haha. I've never kept goats before so that'll be fun for me to learn about as well as the boys. I think building a goat pen will defo be next on the hubbys todo list ;)

[feellikeadairycow]

A friend of the family keeps goats and is lucky enough to have a few maiden millers ( think that's the right term)
They don't have kids but lots of their family do they all love learning how to turn milk into ice cream and cheese and walking them down the village roads
Also handy to keep the grass down :)

[GwennieF]

Another vote for rats here - they're intelligent and sociable and cleaner than mice. What more would you want of a pet? I've never had guinea pigs or hamsters so can't really comment. ..

[GwennieF]

Sorry didn't read your post properly - got caught up in rat enthusiasm. ...

[JustDanni]

Fish? or a turtle. I had a turtle when I was a kid. And it was exciting enough that I didn't loose interest as no one else has one. Normally around £25 - £50 to buy, but admittedly the set up can be expensive and they need rather a lot of research before getting one.
Other than that they are rather low maintenance. Feeding every 2 days and a partial water change on the tank once a week.
On week 4 I would do a complete water change so everything was fresh.
Great pets and they do become attached to people quite quickly.

[Odessa88]

I'm a total freak I have 3 tarantulas!
Though they are quiet, cheap to look after though not a pet I'd recommend handling for obvious reasons.
They are beautiful creatures.
My 4 y o think they're the coolest thing ever, though again-go for display but not something I would let a child touch x

[MNPinto2014]

Ducks?
Ferrets?

[Kim82]

I think cats make very good pets, they're pretty low maintenance - feed twice a day, clean litter tray once a day, de-flea and worm once a month and that's pretty much it then it's just stroking them - when they let you - and playing with them.

We have 3 and the kids play with them loads and get the giggles watching them chasing things in the garden. It's also a bonus that they keep you warm when they cuddle up on your knee purring away.