Perfect pet........rabbit, gerbil, kitten or bird???

[Farm Chic]

Currently I have an 8 year old cat, the best cat in the whole world!! Plus 6 chickens with 15 more new ones coming next week

My son who is 8 years old as well, cat doesn't really like him, wants to have a pet of "his own". He was thinking maybe a kitten would be fun, but he didn't realize that the kitten will grow up and be just like our cat now, not very playful. I was thinking that maybe a gerbil was a good idea. It would be very easy for him to take care of and play with. Hubby brought up a good point, if gerbil got loose and cat would eat gerbil for sure!!

My son really likes the idea of a bird or rabbit. I know that a bird is pretty easy to care for and you can let them out, mindful of the cat of course, but I don't have enough experience with birds to know what they are like for a pet. Or what kind of bird either.

Rabbits are cute, fun and a little harder to take care of than the above mentioned. Again, not a lot of experience with rabbits to know what kind of pet they make. Also, can you have them in the house or do they need to stay outside?

What would you recommend for an 8 year old boy who is still very new at taking care of animals but loves them very much. He would love to take care of many animals, especially the creepy ones like snakes! But he also doesn't have the experience of handeling different animals. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[ButtonQuailBoy]

Bird all the way! Rabbits are way to hard to keep healthy!

Pros

-Birds never need to go to the vet for shots

-They can talk sometimes

-they love to have treats and can be very loving


Cons

-they're loud!

-They can bite

-They're usually expensive

and get either a parakeet ($10-$25) a cockatiel ($85-$150) a green cheek conure ($125-$300) or a love bird ($40-$100)


Ands the best pet of all for your kid is a dove!!!


They can't bite

The love to cuddle no experiance needed

and all you need to do is clipp their wings

 

[timbofarms]

which ever u could train to go get u a cold drink from the frig. and bring it to u.

 

[supermom]

I have 3 boys. I think I've had every pet imaginable. I vote rabbit... Yes, they are messy BUT they can be handled, they are soft, they can be played with and they are cute. Yes, you can keep them in a coop in the yard and they require little more than food, water and a weekly cleaning. I built an inclosure, like a play pen, for my son to get into with his rabbit so he could play with it without fear of it running away and getting lost. Birds are boring, gerbils are only awake at night and just sleep all day... again, boring. Cats can be finicky.

 

[fowltemptress]

If you get a bird, I very much advise AGAINST getting any type of parrot, including a cockatiel. Parrots need much more attention than most people are capable of giving, and as a result are one of the most neglected pets out there. They should never be considered easy keepers . . . if you have a parrot and think they are low maintenance, you are doing something wrong.

Doves are a good idea, but be sure to get two . . . they are much happier together. Personally, my favorite pets as an eight year old were my rats, and my second favorites were my gerbils. You could also consider guinea pigs. Guinea pigs tend to be much less moody than some rabbits can be, and they make the sweetest little noises.

 

[menageriemama]

The best pet I have EVER had was a green parakeet named Bindi Sue. And I have had a lot of pets... eta He could talk and say about 10 different phrases and was the sweetest, most cuddly thing

 

[texasgirl]

Please don't get him a gerbil, they can be terrible biters!
I vote for a pet rat....they are awesome little pets...super easy to care for, never met one that bit and they are super "sturdy" for young kids to handle without worrying about hurting them.

 

[spydertoys]

Give him his own Chick to care for.

 

[Chicken Boo]

I agree with Texasgirl. Rats are great pets. They are intelligent, clean, friendly, and like to be touched/handled. They can handle the lack of real tactile control of an 8 year old. Gerbils and hamsters are not sociable and do not like to be handled. They break very easily. Rats answer to their names and can be trained. I kept mine in aquariums with wire lids. They ran around the house when I was home. One was best friends with my cat and they played tag all day until they fell asleep together.

I vote for a pair of rats (of the same sex unless you want a fast growing colony).

 

[PitterPaws]

I vote Rabbit

they are a dual purpose pet they can be played with by the kids and the droppings can be used in the lawn to make it very green! and if you get them when they are young they can get used to being held and they become very cuddly.

I would probably say no to a cat/kitten since you already have one there is no excitement with having something new the novelty will wear off to quickly also your resident cat might not like the intruder.

I myself would say no way to a rat they get as big as a cat

and scare the bejebers out of me

A gerbil is Ok but they can be nippy and they do draw blood. but again if they are handled with care they are fine, they do great in a ten or twenty gallon fish tank with screen lid. give them plenty of chew toys. and they are awake at night they love to make noise right when you are trying to go to sleep. and they sleep during the day.

a bird can be messy and loud if they think they are being ignored example if you are trying to watch TV or you are talking on the phone!