by Judith Willson

Created on: November 09, 2010

When considering getting a pet for your child you need to consider first and foremost the welfare of both the child and the animal.  Then what you want your child to gain from the experience of pet ownership.  Owning any pet will teach a child about responsibility, caring for others, and life and death.  The most suitable pet will depend on your family’s circumstances and the age and maturity of the child.

Bugs

There is no such thing as a low maintenance pet but bugs come closest.  They are cheap, easy to care for, and a good way for a child to learn some of what is involved in caring for an animal without suddenly having a huge responsibility. 

Suitable pet bugs include stick insects, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars (which can be released when they turn into butterflies) and snails.  These can all be kept in tanks and need only a fresh supply of leaves or vegetables and to be cleaned out occasionally.  You should check your child is looking after Mr Cricket or Mrs Snail properly but caring for them is pretty easy.

If you know your child gets bored quickly then a huge advantage of bugs caught in your garden is that they can be released back there when the novelty wears off (although don’t do this with exotic species from the pet shop).  You most certainly cannot do this with other pets when your child’s enthusiasm wanes. 

Small rodents 

Small rodents such as mice, hamsters, gerbils and rats can make good pets but they are a much bigger responsibility than bugs.  Your child will need to know how to handle the animal properly without hurting it (or getting bitten), to clean out the cage at least once a week, to feed and change the water every day, and to let their pet out for exercise. 

There will also almost inevitably be vet bills at some point.  You will also have to deal with the death of an animal your child has probably become very fond of in a couple of years.  Small rodents don’t live long.  If you are unable to keep a cat, dog or rabbit then small pets are an alternative but they are certainly not to be seen as ‘starter pets’.  There is too much involved in their care. 

Cats, dogs and rabbits

These animals will be more part of the family than one child’s pet.  If your child desperately wants one then he or she should be prepared to do most of the work, but the overall responsibility is yours.  If your child becomes sick you will have to do all the chores yourself. 

While feeding a stick insect or checking on a hamster doesn’t take much time, walking a dog or cleaning out a cat or rabbit’s litter tray might not be something you want to do.  All these animals also need housetraining, and before they are housetrained you will have to deal with any little accidents.  You may also have ongoing chewing or scratching to contend with.

Larger pets like these might seem the perfect animals for your child, and probably what they want, but they aren’t a commitment to be taken on lightly.  Your child will learn responsibility, but you are also taking responsibility for an animal who will live for years and needs a lot of care. 

The best pet to teach a child responsibility depends very much on the personality of your child and your personal circumstances.  In order of expense and commitment the best pets are probably garden snails, stick insects, a hamster, rats, then one of the larger ones.   Pets are not disposable so unless you are prepared to ensure your child looks after the animal properly (or release it back into the garden if it is a snail) then don’t get one.

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