Choosing a Small Pet For Children: The Pros & Cons

The purpose of this guide is to help determine whether a small pet is the right thing to give a child. Specific pets discussed will be:

• Hamsters
• Chinchillas
• Guinea Pigs
• Rabbits
• Cockatiels
• Lovebirds 

Consider these hypothetical scenarios:

It is little Johnny's 4th birthday, and he wants a hamster and all the accessories.  Do you go all out and get him everything he wants?

Christmas time is coming, and 6 year old Suzie wants a guinea pig.  What is involved with keeping a pet like that?

Dear Gramps just died a few weeks ago and 12 year old Josh wants a rabbit to take his mind off the hurt of missing his beloved Grandpa.  Is it a wise idea to make that investment?

Things have been insanely chaotic at home because Mom and Dad are not getting along. They are separated, so Rachel and  Hannah are at each other's throats all the time. Mom is wondering if getting them each a chinchilla will help them to get along better.

Fourteen year old Matt has recently moved from a large west coast city to a small town in the middle of nowhere. He feels as though there is nothing to do and he has no friends. His parents are working all the time and want to get him a bird to keep him company.

Pets certainly can help children deal with the loss of a loved one, a change in relationship, or a move. Research has shown that closeness to a beloved pet can help reduce stress and lower depression. It is always best to weigh the pros and cons of any pet you might be considering before making that giant leap of commitment. Your choice of pet should be determined by your lifestyle, space available, allergies, and other factors.

Some things to consider before making the plunge with purchasing that adorable little furball or feathered friend are:

1. A child under the age of 3 or 4 is usually not able to control impulses (Hitting, pulling tails, stomping and shouting at, throwing objects at, etc. ) and must be monitored closely with any animal. This is very true in my experience with daycare children.
2. If your child becomes lazy about caring for the pet, you may end up being responsible for everything. This happens in the majority of cases when a child gets a pet for a gift.
3. A child will need to be reminded numerous times that an animal is a living thing that needs food, water, and exercise, along with social interaction if it is a pet you wish to tame.
4. A new home may need to be found for a pet whose owners cannot find the time or patience to care for it properly.
5. The space a pet cage and supplies take up can be a large area. Some bird cages are as big as the large ferret cages with all the runs. There is also the food, bedding, extra water bottles and food bowls, grit, powder, and other accessories you'll need to find room to store.
6. The expenses add up over a period of time. Continuous food, cage replacements, and other fun accessories like costumes, leashes, vitamins, immunizations and other vet bills, and exercise equipment can take a chunk of money out of the pocket book. 
7. There may be problems with allergies, odors, or noise with pets.
8. Pets may need a pet sitter when you go on vacation.

There are quite a few pros to the idea of getting a new feathered or furry friend for your child, too:

1. Children can learn responsibility from caring for a pet.
2. Children have someone to talk to, much like a stuffed animal or imaginary friend.
3. Real life experiences are taught, such as life, death, birth, illness, and loss.
4. Animals can connect children to nature and science in a powerful way.
5. Children can learn respect for living things.
6. Children can learn about love, loyalty, and affection with a pet.
7. Children can be encouraged to have more physical contact with a pet.
8. A child can gain valuable self esteem with a pet.

We will share our experience with pets that we have personally had, and leave some tips to ponder.

HAMSTERS:

Hamsters come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, and of course, are so much fun to watch running up and down all the tubes in their cage. They are soft and can be quite social.  They love to climb through the tunnels, they can roll around on the floor in their balls, and they chew on everything! Some points to ponder regarding care and purchase of hamsters are: 

1. Hamsters should have a fairly curious and active nature, not lethargic.
2. They should have a smooth coat and their eyes and nose should be free of any matter.
3. They should not have hard or noisy breathing, or any diarrhea. This condition could be contagious to the other hamsters.
4. Hamsters can live in a wire cage, plastic cage, or aquarium. The wire is great for them to climb on, they can chew through the plastic, and the aquarium does not offer the ventilation or circulation. Secure tops must be kept on the tops of the cages to prevent escapes and other animals' access to them. (We had a hamster that would get out of his cage and climb up in our oldest daughter's bed with her at night!)
5. Bedding needed and used is usually cedar, pine, or aspen wood chips. The bedding needs to be changed at least weekly, and needs to be fairly deep because hamsters love to burrow.
6. A nesting box will need to be provided, with some soft strips of tissue or paper towels. Some cardboard tubes and blocks of wood for them to climb through and chew on would be great.
7. Hamsters can bite! A co-worker of mine who helped take care of  pets in an old five and dime store once got a deep bite from an irate hamster. They often do not like to be woken up! 
8. A plastic water bottle with dispenser and porcelain or ceramic food bowl normally work best for convenience in cleaning.
9. An exercise wheel is used almost universally by hamsters, and they are so much fun to watch! It is a must for all hamster cages!
10. Hamsters can eat either a pelleted ration commercial diet, which they may get tired of, or a seed mix. They may get finicky and eat only their favorite out of the mix, so feed them the mix sparingly and give them food only when they are getting low. They can eat fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as cricket and hay or meal worm.   Foods to avoid are chocolate, tomatoes, raw beans, sugary or salty foods, and  garlic or onions.  

CHINCHILLAS:

We currently have a chinchilla named Chewy, and he is the light of our daycare! He is so soft, fun to watch and feed, and different than any animal most people have seen.

Some points to ponder when considering a chinchilla are:

1. While a large cage is so much more fun to watch a chinchilla run around in, it's not necessary. Recommended space for one is one sqare foot of floor space per animal, though larger would be great. 
2. Chinchillas need to be place away from direct heat, dampness, and drafts. They also need protection from other predators, plenty of air circulation, and moderate temps to keep them from overheating or getting too cold.
3. The best bet for a cage is one made of wire. Anything else is guaranteed to get chewed on! One with a wire bottom should have a piece of soft wood to stand on.
4. Pine or aspen wood shavings are recommended for the cages, and needs to be changed at least once a week. 
5. Chinchillas need something to chew on constantly. A wood toy, pine board, or pumice stone will provide a chinchilla the teething comfort it needs.
6.  Fresh water is needed daily; food can be a chinchilla pellet diet in a bag or a plastic container with a lid. Some foods are noticeably more expensive than others, so watching for prices and what the chinchilla prefers will be helpful. Chinchillas LOVE raisins. They don't need too may raisins in order to avoid teeth and intestinal problems. 
7. Chinchillas love to hide. They will thrive in a coffee can, commercially made toys, or a glass goldfish tank.
8. The thing that makes chinchillas unique is that they need no water for keeping clean and keeping their fur soft and from looking matted or falling out. They need powder to "take a bath" in. We offer our Chewy a dust bath about once a week. He tends to think his large powder bowl is the toilet, so we have to empty it often.
9. Chinchillas are very quick and their ribs are fragile. Don't pick them up by their back! Scoop them carefully from underneath. We have to be very careful with Chewy because we have not played with him enough to make him tame, and he is quite hard to catch.
10. Chinchillas will bite!  I was holding Chewy on my shoulder once and curiosity got the best of him so he nibbled my ear! I told him no thanks, I already had pierced ears!  He has bitten a couple of little fingers that go poking into his cage, too.
11. Chinchillas are nocturnal, and usually like it quiet during the day. Chewy, bless his heart, has gotten used to lots of noise from daycare kids and adjusts his schedule to theirs. He definitely knows when they are gone because he comes out over the weekends looking around as though asking "Where are the kids? It's too quiet around here!"

GUINEA PIGS:

Guinea pigs are gentle, social, low maintenance animals that love to squeal and communicate with humans and other guineas.  They are one of the most popular pets for the younger child. We currently have a beautiful auburn red haired Guinea Pig named Ruby. She has the most unique mohawk fur-do down her back, and won't let anyone pet that mohawk!

Some points to ponder when considering a Guinea Pig are:

1. When choosing a Guinea Pig, look for one that is active, alert, and plump, has bright eyes, no crust on the eyes, bottom end, or ears, and has no red spots on the skin or parasites such as lice.   
2. Guinea pigs need lots of attention. They will suffer if left alone with no social life.
3. Guinea pigs like to hide, so they'll need a small wood or cardboard box where they can get away from humans and other audiences.
4. A wire cage with no raised grid is best. Aquariums may get too moist, and a raised grid will hurt the guinea's feet.
5. Guinea pigs need to be kept in an area where the temp is between 65 and 75 degrees. They handle the cold well, but can get heat stroke easily.
6. Flaked pine wood shavings or hard wood chips do well for bedding. The bedding needs to be changed at least once a week.
7. Guineas need exercise time outside their cage. They will get into electric cords and anything else that is out, so they need to be watched closely if let loose.
8. Guineas can bite! Ruby is the sweetest animal, but she has even bitten our then 11 year old daughter for no obvious reason.
9. Guineas drink a lot of water! We have to water Ruby at least once a day, maybe twice. They need a lot of vitamin C, which is found in all their pellets. Timothy hay, kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard, romaine lettuce, and freshly picked and washed dandelion are great for guineas. Alfalfa is ok if given sparingly.
10. Heavy ceramic food dishes and water bottles with stainless steel ball bearings work best. This keeps the food and water from getting contaminated and spilled as easily. 
11. Guineas need safe wooden or bone objects in their cage to chew on.

RABBITS:

Rabbits are one of the all time favorites for preschools and classrooms. Our daughter's kindergarten class had a white rabbit named Marshmallow that the kids loved, and he in turn loved the kids. We have had three rabbits, only one of which has been tame. Our current rabbit is solid black, named Black Jack. He is a true delight to have. He loves the daycare kids, and will hop around the room without a care in the world. I love to take him outside and walk around the block holding him. He knows what I say to him (well, he acts like he does!) and he is litter box trained. Some points to ponder before purchasing a rabbit are:

1. A rabbit will require a fairly large cage. A cage 4 times the size of your bunny is best.
2. Rabbits are quite social and will need a lot of interaction with their people.
3. Rabbit urine has a strong odor so the litterbox will need to be changed frequently. Aspen shavings work quite well for bedding, as does straw or hay.
4. Rabbits drink a lot! They will need a large water bottle with ball bearings, and will need it filled frequently.
5. A rabbit's diet should consist of fresh grass hay and vegetables along with pellets. Vegetables might include carrots, parsley, collard, mustard, dandelion, and turnip greens, ramaine lettuce, kale, and spinach. Beans, cauliflower, cabbage, and potatoes should be avoided.
6. Bunnies can be so much fun to play with! I discovered quite by chance one day when we had Black Jack out that he likes to play catch or keep away. I rolled a wooden block towards him and he picked it up with his mouth and tossed it back at me. Thinking it was just a fluke, I rolled it back again, and again, and again, with the same result. We now play games with him when we have him out of his cage. Some "toys" to have on hand might be paper bags and cardboard boxes, shredded paper, junk mail,  cat or parrot toys, baby toys, a hand towel, and hard plastic laundry detergent caps.  Yes, your bunny might just help knock over a tower you just made with the caps!
7. Rabbits are very sensitive to the heat. We sadly believe one of our rabbits got too hot and that's why it died. The other was well cared for, but there were foxes around and they figured out how to open the rabbit cage. That's why we have Black Jack inside.
8. Rabbits will chew on most anything they come across.  When they are out of their cage, they need to be spared the unpleasant surprise of a shock from an electrical cord and other dangerous items they might find. Black Jack loves to get hold of the daycare books and chew on them!.
9. Some places require immunizations for rabbits.
10. Rabbits need exercise out of their cage. 

BIRDS (Cockatiels and Love Birds):

Birds are loved by many as they represent freedom and beauty, and can make their owners feel as though the birds are talking to them. We have had 2 birds and will discuss our experiences with both of them. Some things to ponder when considering a bird:

1. The size of cage suggested for 1 cockatiel is 18" x 18" x 24".  A plastic tray on the bottom makes cleaning much easier for any bird cage.
2. Love birds do best in pairs and need a minimum 32" x 20" x 20" space.
3. Both lovebirds and cockatiels can be very noisy and annoying. There is a lot of chirping with these birds!
4. Cockatiels live an average of 12-15 years, lovebirds 10-12 years.
5. Both types of bird will need perches, water and food dishes, and toys.
6. Cockatiel diet includes a quality cockatiel seed mix along with fresh fruits and vegetables. These might include apples, grapes, kiwi, orange, peach, pear, strawberry, watermelon, broccoli, carrot, celery, chard, peas, spinach, and zucchini. Avoid avocado, chocolate, caffeine, milk and cream, raw potatoe and rhubarb. Occasional people food is ok, crackers, cornflakes, hard boiled eggs, and cooked rice, pasta, and pumpkin.
7. Lovebird diet includes about 2 oz of small parrot mix daily, along with greens, fruits, and vegetable supplements. Millet sprays are quite a treat for the birds, and  other supplements are berries, apples, grapes, bananas, pears, spinach, radish, parsley, dandelions, and carrot tops.  Again, avoid avocado! A cuttlebone can be offered for calcium.  
8. Male cockatiels are generally more noisy than females. Our "Romeo" is definitely very noisy!  They like to strut and lift their wings, and generally have darker and brighter coloring on their face, along with orange cheek patches.
9. Both kinds of birds can bite.
10. Both kinds of birds need companionship. They love people! Our blue lovebird Sequoia was case  in point. When we moved from California back to the central U.S. we strapped him in his cage with the seatbelt the whole way. He absolutely LOVED the trip in the van with us right there beside him talking. He pranced and danced and sang the whole time!  
11. Both birds need exercise. Whether just climbing on your shoulder and sleeve or flying around the room, they need to get out of their cage to explore and exercise. 

Pets have been a huge part of our life since our kids were very small, and we wouldn't trade them for anything. Our favorites have been the chinchilla, the rabbit, and the blue lovebird. While our experiences with these pets have been mostly positive, we strongly urge you to consider all pros and cons of any pet before making any purchase.

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide, and we sincerely hope it is helpful in determining if a pet is right for you and your child.