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.
