There are few things in life that can teach more responsibility than having a pet, no matter what age you are. In fact, one of the first things Stefan and I had together were our two cats — and we even had Ayla for 2 years before Mack came along, always telling ourselves that if we could handle a big dog and not steer it too wrong, we could handle having a child too. And as it turned out, it was a rather smart (and accurate) choice!
If you are a parent, you know that at some point in your child is going to ask you a question that you will have to think very hard about. And there’s a high likelihood that it will sound something like this: “Can I please get my own pet? Pretty please with cherries on top!”
While some may throw all caution to the wind and agree, it’s not something you should take lightly. Owning a pets means expenses, grooming, clean up, feeding and all the other not so fun stuff that comes along with getting a pet. But you cannot deny the fact owning a pet can teach a young person so many lessons to help them be better people in life. So, while parents may dread that point when their child is going to ask them the question, it is important that they too consider all the good that it can do.
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Allowing your child the opportunity to take care of a pet at an early age teaches them, first and foremost, how to handle responsibility. Several months ago, when I was talking about pets on the NOH Facebook page, Jennifer chimed in with some brilliant advice:
“We are animal lovers and had several animals as decided upon as a family. When my daughter was around ten she decided that she wanted ferrets. She researched their care and expense and wrote up a proposal. These were not creatures that we wanted for family pets, but we told her that if she were to save her money for them, we would consider them for her.
Long story short, she saved birthday, Christmas, and any other money for two years and she got her ferrets. She continues, over two years later, to take care of them and financially support them with food and vetting. The agreement we made with her was that she would need to rehome them if she no longer wanted to care for them. Now, yes, we love them, too, and we have a family value that when you bring an animal into the family, it is their home until they die.
She took this responsibility so seriously and my husband and I talk about it as a sort of “right of passage” in a way. She expressed and interest in getting a puppy to train to be a therapy dog that can be taken into nursing homes, etc. She wrote up another proposal and saved for over a year. She got her puppy 10 weeks ago and has done really well with him. She has paid for all his vetting and takes care of his very demanding needs. She admits that she got into more than she thought it would be, but is sticking with the process. Both kids take the animals very seriously, but I think that the homeschooling aspect has really helped. They get more time to bond and observe. Their level of compassion is extraordinary.”
Now obviously, it’s hard to get a 3-year-old to comprehend the full responsibility of having a pet, or how to take care of it — but I definitely believe that the sooner you help your kids understand what it means to have a pet and how much is involved, the better.
When you do decide to introduce a new pet into the family, ground rules should be set and followed to make sure you’ve not just added a new burden to the family. Along the way, your guidance is necessary and the younger they are, the more you actually have to do for them. But the responsibility of having a pet allows your child to grow and take on a more caring attitude towards not only pets but also to the people around them and that is really something great to learn at a very young age.
Choosing a pet should be given much thought. You can’t simply pick one from among the choices in the pet store because one wrong choice could lead to disaster but the right kid paired with the right kind of pet could actually mean great things not only for your child but also for everybody.
What is the right kind of pet for your small kids?
There are certain pets that work better in familes than others. Obviously if you have infants at home, you’re probably wondering about how existing pets will respond to the new addition and if your pet will cause any harm to your baby. The most important thing to think about is always allowing only supervised exposure to each other and never ever leave an infant alone with a dog or cat, regardless of how docile they are.
Toddlers will be very curious about new or existing pets, and may tug and pull a pet to its fullest limits. Many pets will take cover when a toddler appears, but you want to make sure that the child knows what is ok and what will injure the animal. You have to see to it that you teach the child not to grab, pull or tug too hard. Also teach them to that they can’t grab on pets’ food, water dishes, litter boxes or wires if you have an aquarium.
Once your child turns 3, the ability to understand rules and be more gentle with animals grows. And by the time they are 5, your child will probably be able to do many things to help with pet related chores.
Guinea pigs – Great starter pets for smaller children (and older as well), they generally like to be held and are more robust – and usually not quite as fast to run and hide under your dishwasher – than a hamster. Guinea pigs are also pretty laid back and seldom bite. And they can whistle when they get excited or happy which really amuses the kids. Little kids can water bottles and food dishes, as well as help you add clean bedding to the cage.
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Hermit Crabs – These are interesting and very low-maintenance creatures which are just flat out cool. They require very little, only needing fresh food and water daily, and some misting every now and then to keep them moist. Their habitat can be quite simple, and a tank with gravel on the bottom will be fine. The only thing you really need to watch out for with this kind of pet is that they will need larger shells to move into as they grow. So both you and your kids will need to be very attentive to their growth.
Hamster or Gerbil – One of my first pets was a hamster (much to my mother’s chagrin) although I grew up with dogs and cats around my house all the time. Hamsters and gerbils are classic and popular pets for children that are quite simple to care for. They require only food, water, a clean and comfortable cage plus a wheel to exercise in. They are good-natured and can be adequately socialized with only 5 minutes of handling a day. However, these kinds of pets are clever and expert escape artists which you definitely have to watch out for. They also get a kick out of gnawing through some types of cages so you’ll want to do some regular checks to make sure the habitat is still safe and secure.
Fish – Always a classic, fish can be a great option for kids. But make sure you don’t try to go too big from the start. If you don’t want to start an aquarium for your kids, Betta fish are more than happy with smaller fish bowls and do not need filters. They are very beautiful and appealing to a child’s eye. An aquatic snail can be added to help with the cleaning process, but regular cleaning and water changes are still necessary. Also be sure to keep males separated since they will fight each other until there’s only one left standing.
Small Lizards – If you’re thinking about reptiles, a leopard gecko would be great to start with. Iguanas, although very appealing to kids, start out cute and small but can grow to be very large (which means expensive habitat upgrades) and are very capable of inflicting nasty bites. Leopard geckos have a docile nature and are also low-maintenance and small in size. They may be a little delicate at a young age but are very resilient and hardy as they reach adulthood.
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Do you have pets at home? Do any of them “belong” to your kids and do they take care of them? Or is it more a family effort?