Pet fish for a 3 and 5yo?

[Alison's Mom]

I grew up without pets as my brother was allergic to fur, and had asthma, and while I had wanted a hamster when I was 7, got over it, and realize now how much work it is to have a pet.

The kids have asked off and on for a pet. DS tested allergic to cats, and his eczema flared up badly when a friend visited with her two dogs, so fur would be out of the question. In addition, I feel like I am up to my eyeballs just trying to juggle the housework and paying attention to two kids, and would resent extra work looking after a pet.

When they have asked in the past, we had said 'we'll see' about fish, since it is probably the one pet I would reluctantly agree to.

Our friends have a tropical tank with a few fish that they would like to get rid of (kids are bored of them, etc) and offered it to us. My kids haven't asked for a pet for a while now, but I know they do enjoy looking at/feeding the fish when we go visit these friends.

WWYD? My friend has said it's about 1 hour of work every 2 weeks to clean the tank. I have a feeling that it would be fun for a while for the kids to feed and help clean the tank, then the novelty will wear off. Also, my 3yo DS is not great yet at listening and is quite mischevious. We would have to figure out a way to keep him away from the tank when not directly supervised, like with a baby gate or something like that.

I'm leaning toward not taking it, and maybe reconsidering when they are older, but I worry about being too practical and over analyzing everything, and being a no-fun mom.

[zeldamomma]

I think that if you don't want the fish, you shouldn't get the tank, because if you're doing all the work, it should be something from which you derive some pleasure.

Have you considered "Aquasaurs"? You can buy a kit, and the "aquasaurs" (actually the creatures described here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triops_longicaudatus ) grow from eggs, get as big as a goldfish, live a full life, and then die 2-4 months later. IMO, they are the perfect pet for young kids, because they don't outlive the kids' interest in them.

[leighi123]

My ds has his own fish, he really wanted one! He got it for Halloween, he is allergic to most candy so traded it in for cash (at the dentist office), and bought a fish and tank.

He is responsible for feeding it, and helps clean the tank every other week. He has been doing great with taking care of it, and even 'made arrangments' for a 'fish sitter' (our 13yr old neighbor) all by himself when we went on holiday.

[Tigerchild]

Does tropical = salt water that needs to be heated?

I think that your friends might be underestimating the time it takes a newbie to deal with cleaning and maintenance, to be honest.

Unless you want and are ready to be the owner of the fish, please don't take them. It will probably be more work than you think, there are some safety issues if you feel you genuinely can't trust your youngest not to mess with things, and you may (well, probably will) end up disgusting death and having a toilet funeral before you might otherwise have liked.

[Alison's Mom]

Thanks for the insights, everyone.

I spoke to DH last night, who I thought would suggest we take it, but he surprised me and said 'we can't even keep our house clean; no way I'm gettinig fish', which is exactly what we feel like. And yes, I need to work on keeping the house in better order though some organizing and routine clean ups or something!

Yes, it's a tropical tank that requires to be heated, so there's the expense of the electricity, too, which if it were something we really wanted, isn't that much of an issue. However. . . . I'm going to wait until they're older and would take more responsibility toward the care of a fish before we decide to get one.

Leigh - how old is your DS by the way?

[Alison's Mom]

Oh, and the aquasaurus is kind of neat - didn't know these things existed. Both kids are interested in dinosaurs and fossils, so that might be a good option later on - thanks!