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    Joined: Mar 2013
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    Originally Posted by TripleB
    Funny, local pet stores sell plenty of supplies for turtles, but it's illegal to purchase turtles in my state (NC). So I could purchase all the supplies I would need but would have to travel to SC to buy the turtle itself.

    My wife has never been attacked or bit (although I have) by a dog but she's always been afraid of them. She caved in when my daughter was about 6 (12 years ago) and we got a dog. Unfortunately my daughter didn't help to take care of the dog so we gave the dog to my sister after about 4 years. Therefore, I don't believe we can go down the dog route again.

    Nobody has mentioned two that seemed to be recommended a good deal: a rat (although I'd say my wife would be completely against it anyway just because of what it is) and a lizard (leopard gecko or bearded dragon). Anyone had experience with either?

    Thanks for everyone's input so far.

    TripleB[/color]
    I personally have not had rats. I have two cats and don't imagine rats would live for long in my house. But one of my BF's kept rats for a number of years. They don't live that long, only a few years. And it's easy for a kid to learn to care for them on their own. Plus they are fun to play with and quite intelligent. They kept several while her kids were 10 till ~16. My friend wanted a pet that wouldn't still be around when her kids went off to college so she could travel without worry.

    But turns out my own daughter was allergic to their rats. Came home with hives after playing with them once. If you have someone allergic to cats who frequents your house, I might not introduce them to a rat.

    Did you know there are certain breeds of cats that don't cause allergic reactions. I am slightly allergic to cats even though i live with them. I had a Siamese growing up and I never reacted to him ever but I do to different breeds. Might want to check that out if the allergy reason is the only thing keeping you from a cat. I have a personal preference for cats, they are overall easy to care for, are fun to play with and good for snuggling.

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    We have mice. I have mice would be more accurate but they are nice little creatures and fairly easy to care for and transport. If my children calm down in the next few years I might get myself a cat to share with them.

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    How about a guinea pig (cavy)? I never would have given them a thought, but we cared for the school piggie during some weekends and vacations, and long story, sort of inherited him as a full time pet. He was great- cuddly, content to sit in laps or to be dressed up and paraded around (DD did a lot of pet clothing design and sewing at the time, and he was very patient). He was fun to feed (loved dandelions in particular, which we have in abundance). The kids made all sorts of habitats and mazes for him, both inside and out (and didn't seem to mind that he usually just sat in one place).

    The main downside was cleaning the cage, but we managed to get by weekly, and it's easy for kids to learn to do it, with some help. I also think they are social animals, and books suggest they do better with a buddy piggie, but ours came to us solo and seemed ok.

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    Originally Posted by TripleB
    Nobody has mentioned two that seemed to be recommended a good deal: a rat (although I'd say my wife would be completely against it anyway just because of what it is) and a lizard (leopard gecko or bearded dragon). Anyone had experience with either? [/color]

    We have a crested gecko. The species was recommended to us as being more likely to be interactive than other lizards of that size, and more easily accustomed to being handled.

    We invested a fair bit of time and money up front in order to create a low-maintenance pet. We put together a vivarium with soil, water and live plants, which hugely reduces the cleaning (we wipe the obvious parts out once a month or so, and take it apart for a thorough clean and rebuild once a year). We bought an automatic mister to keep the humidity accurate, and use a timer to control the lights. So we can leave for 4-5 days and do nothing; we usually have someone pop by and add in some food once if we're gone a week.

    She eats a fruit-based powder, and the occasional bug for fun and protein (cost: about $25/ year to feed). The bearded dragon requires regular mammals, not to mention far more space. I have been told that sharing a room with bearded dragon after a meal is not so pleasant too... But they are a more interesting animal to interact with.

    As mentioned, do consider lifespan. Our crestie may live 10 or 20 years. Be extra careful with turtles, as their needs vary widely and they are often sold without proper warning: as some may live 100 years and hit hundreds of pounds, and require quite specific diets to keep healthy.

    The crestie is definitely not snuggly, doesn't play, and won't make you feel loved after a tough day. But she is beautiful, interesting, and will hang out with people if you keep her accustomed to it.

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    Some people love hermit crabs. Some people love sugar gliders. These have both been sold through temporary kiosks at our local shopping mall. Personally I'm wary. One mom shared that sugar gliders, upon reaching maturity, will screech a mating call throughout the night as they are nocturnal. Cute, but possibly not too practical.

    Some people love guinea pigs. Some people love rabbits, but I understand they may susceptible to colds and have a short life span.

    We've had cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, turtles, snails, even sea monkeys (tiny brine shrimp), and butterflies which were great for scientific discovery of the lifecycle. Bought the ant farm, but somehow never sent away for the ants.

    If your child is 7 and has not yet had a pet, I think I'd recommend the butterflies. There is a short period of caring for them, before setting them free. A tip would be to coordinate their growth and release to coincide with warm weather.

    When thinking of pet selection, it depends what you're looking for in terms of investing time and effort, and what you are hoping to gain from the experience.

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    Originally Posted by TripleB
    Nobody has mentioned two that seemed to be recommended a good deal: a rat (although I'd say my wife would be completely against it anyway just because of what it is) and a lizard (leopard gecko or bearded dragon). Anyone had experience with either?

    DD14 has both aquatic frogs and a leopard gecko (two different tanks). The frogs are pretty much a desk decoration, but DD14 really likes the gecko. Feeding time is fun as Avari (the gecko) totally attacks the food you put in her cage. She'll also run to the front of the cage and excitedly watch whenever one of our cats wander through DD14s room.

    Initial set-up can be a little pricy, but once your tank is set-up, water, crickets, and vitamins are quite affordable.

    Best of luck,
    --S.F.


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    OK, does anyone remember this Far Side cartoon? A young boy is holding like an ant farm labeled 'roach farm' and the dad is saying something like: "If you show you can take care of these little guys, we'll get you a puppy."

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    We have had the same three hermit crabs for almost four years now, and they're still going strong with very little maintenance. Once you get the tank set up properly (do the research--pet stores will steer you wrong here), there's very little work involved. They're fun because you can feed them all kinds of food, take them out of their habitat and hold them/let them run around for short stretches, and add accessories to their habitat to keep them entertained. It's also fun to see them change their shells and move from smaller to bigger shells as they age. Plus, they're cute! The biggest thing against them (in my mind) is that they're wild-caught animals.

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    We kept a crayfish for a year once. It was a school project with crayfish left over, I brought it a full aquarium kit. We enjoyed it. But after a year it started to grow algae and I mistakenly tried something to get rid of it. Killed the hermit crab as well. But it's worth a try. We had the crayfish when my daughter was 8 and my son 4. Friends were unsuccessful at keeping any alive for any length of time though.

    We have also had hermit crabs at one poing but I don't remember them lasting a real long time.

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    "Some people love guinea pigs. Some people love rabbits, but I understand they may susceptible to colds and have a short life span."

    These were two of my favorite pets as a child (along with cats and mice), I used to dress them up and everything. I had a lot of rabbits though and none of them ever got a cold or even seemed ill at any point. They lived a long time, one of them for over 10 years. The biggest threat to my rabbits was my dad, he ate them if I didn't clean their pens often enough.

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