What age did you get your dc a (non-fish) pet? - Page 2

MtBikeLover · 11-03-2009, 09:42 AM

Regarding allergies - I am very allergic to animals. My parents had a cat and within seconds of being in their house, I would be sneezing and have a runny nose. Same with rabbits. And some dogs.

My kids begged and begged for a dog this summer and I did a lot of research. There are hypoallergenic dogs that are great for allergy sufferers. I found a cockapoo at a local rescue shelter and decided to get it. While at the rescue shelter, my allergies were going crazy. But once we got the dog home, I haven't had any trouble with allergies at all. She is a non-shedding, low dander dog. Almost all dogs mixed with poodle will be hypoallergenic. Plus, there are tons of other mixed breeds that are hypoallergenic.

And to answer your original question, my kids were 6.5 and 4.5 when we got the dog.

buttercup784ever · 11-03-2009, 12:18 PM

Poodles don't shed, that's true. I have a standard, my mom has a toy, and we had a miniature growing up. They are not truely hypoallergenic though, so be aware that they could trigger allergies. Their hair doesn't fall out, but becomes stuck in the hair on it's body, which means they must be brushed frequently, and the person doing the brushing especially may have a reaction.

A poodle mix may or may not shed, may or may not have "poodle hair", may or may not cause allergies. There is no way to tell since the poodle's genes may not come through as much as whatever they've been bred with.

If this is the route you go, I urge you to foster first or at least rescue. If you buy a poodle puppy, or any other breed puppy, only to have to give it up a year later because of allergy issues, it could be disasterous for the dog.

Shahbazin · 11-03-2009, 11:08 PM

A great pet is a bantam (miniature) chicken. They don't necessarily need much space, & while I would probably keep her in a pen/cage outside (birds are dusty), you can let them run around for exercise in any bit of yard or patio, & even hold them in the house (when I was a kid, I often laid a small towel in my lap & watched TV while holding a chicken). Chickens are pretty sturdy, tame well (seem to enjoy handling, cuddling, & treats, come when called), &, as a bonus, lay eggs. They come in all sorts of interesting colors & shapes, too - (www.feathersite.com) including crested (head tufts), feather legged, silkie ("furry" feathers), frizzle (curly feathers), spots, stripes, multicolor, solid color, etc.

Here's one of my toddlers with her (full-grown) bantam Mille Fleur hen.
http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l...trchkn3818.jpg

My other DD with her pet chicken:
http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l...etbeak3901.jpg

karemore · 11-04-2009, 09:34 PM

We pet sat a rat recently to give it a trial run.

It was very social, but those little guys have wicked sharp claws. I'd say they are a great pet for an older child, but not a preschooler or toddler. I "scratched" that off our list......

WC_hapamama · 11-04-2009, 11:27 PM

FYI- as far as dog allergies go, it's not just the dander that can be a problem, but the saliva as well. My dog allergic kiddos are allergic to both the dander and the saliva. Both have had some wicked reactions from getting licked by "hypoallergenic" dogs.

ryansma · 11-05-2009, 06:05 PM

We just got a bearded dragon and we LOVE him. Ds1 3.5 is VERY involved with him and loves to help care for him. Even feeding him. Beardies are GREAT pets. We have only had him about 6 weeks but we couldn't love him more. I am allergic to cats and we have no yard for a dog so he is the perfect pet for us right now. They are naturally very tame and relatively hearty if you do your research and commit yourself to good husbandry. We

him!!

angie7 · 11-05-2009, 07:13 PM

My kids were born into a house full of pets but got their "own" when they were 2 which was a kitten

Considering that won't work for you, I would suggest a mouse, rat or guinea pig. Also reptiles can make good pets although their feeding requirements (besides a snake) can become a pain (constantly having to go to the pet store for crickets, worms, etc.)

The best and by far the easiest pets are snakes. I've had every pet you could imagine from frogs to turtles, to dogs, rabbits, etc and my snakes are easy. They are very low maintence once you get their tank setups right (which can take a little bit) but after that, they are a piece of cake. Change their water everyday, you can use paper towels for bedding and you feed them once a week. Not to mention they are SUPER sweet and calm (we have 3 ball pythons, 2 are morphs and a columbian redtail boa) I

my snakes and my dh and I are hoping to start breeding the ones we have sometime next year.

BabyMae09 · 11-05-2009, 07:20 PM

DS is seven and we just got him a kitten. He's doing pretty good with her. Our DD is 5 months and she loves the kitten too, and she's actually pretty good with him. She seems to realize that he needs to be played with gently.

littlemizflava · 11-05-2009, 07:36 PM

our cat is 1 year older then my dd. i have had different kinds of fish over the years. my son wanted and chose to get a siamese fighting fish. i bought out litter of robo hamsters when my dd was 5.5 and ds was 1. i wanted them to be able to breed and sell them.

as a pet i 200% i would recommend Roborovski dwarf hamsters. they are tfor his second birthday.they are the smallest of all the hamsters. they all look alike. they grow to be 2 inches long. cute as can be. i breed them so i know how they are very well. they are amazing pets. they live in a group so 2-3 or more work great together. they can be handled but they are able to keep each other company. they are very cheap to keep.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roborovski_hamster

One_Girl · 11-06-2009, 06:09 PM

When your husband is on board with getting a pet then I think you should get a pet for yourselves. If he isn't on board though then I don't think you should. Having even mild allergies all the time is no fun and allergies often get worse not better. Taking allergy medicine all the time may also not be an option for him because allergy medicine tends to make many people very grumpy, sleepy, and hard to be around.

Pepper44 · 11-06-2009, 06:26 PM

We have a bearded dragon but he's mean! I was/am so disappointed. We got him as a tiny baby and I tried to hold him and tame him gently, but he has always bitten viciously. He puffs up and hisses when we try to touch him. Anyway, he is still fun to watch! My 3 year old DD loves to watch him eat and helps me give him a bath once a week.

We have had cats, dogs, and chickens almost her entire 3 years of life so she's very used to pets and how to handle them.

I think you should look into the bantam chicken idea. Chickens make GREAT pets. We have 30 of them and we raised them all from baby chicks. Some we hatched ourselves. We live in a suburb in an agricultural-ish area.

We have one bantam rooster who is so sweet and adorable. My DD loves to carry him around and he will ride on her shoulder! His crow is nothing but a squeaky noise, so it doesn't bother any neighbors.

boigrrrlwonder · 11-08-2009, 11:52 AM

The problem with the toughing it out idea is that his allergies might get worse. As a kid, I was allergic to cats. We got cats anyway. I became more allergic to cats and eventually dogs. The more exposure I have, the worse the reaction seems to get. At this point, I get rashes that cover my body, not just where I've had contact, in addition to the traditional water eyes and sneezing. I think when you get an animal, you are making a commitment to keeping that animal. Personally, I would not want to make a commitment to keeping an animal knowing I was allergic and my reactions may get worse (and they may get better, too - you just don't know).

However, I'm not allergic to ferrets. If your family can stand the smell, a ferret might be a good alternative to a dog. I hate the smell. If my daughter wants a pet, we'd probably go with a guinea pig, fish, rabbit, etc...

caj · 11-08-2009, 11:59 AM

We used to have a maltese puppy, DD was 3 years old. But DH gave it away last week without me or DD knowing about it

buttercup784ever · 11-08-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caj

We used to have a maltese puppy, DD was 3 years old. But DH gave it away last week without me or DD knowing about it

WTH?? I can say quite honestly that if my DH gave away my dog like that, it would be the end of our marriage. And I'm being totally serious. Not that I wouldn't choose DH over my dog if he asked, but if he gave him away without even talking to me about it....

BarefootGirl · 11-08-2009, 01:43 PM

You could visit various homes of friends who have pets, animal shelters, breeders, pet stores, etc to see if you could find out if certain animals or certain breeds are less likely to trigger allergies.

If you think you may want a cat, you should check out Bengals. I show/breed them as a hobby and know of several people who are usually allergic to cats but are not bothered by Bengals. They are really active cats and love to play, so are great for active kids and kids that get bored easily because they are more interactive than a cat that's just going to lay around all the time - more like dogs in personality, but less work. They look like little leopards. PM me if you want any additional info.

If you are considering a small pet, guinea pigs are cute and fun, and not a whole lot of work. They are not as apt to escape cages as hamsters, gerbils, and the like, which is of some consideration when you have little ones that may not remember to latch the cage properly. They are also big enough to play with out on the floor without being able to hide in/under every little thing.