My Pet World: Choosing the right pet for a child
Q: My grandchildren are now 10 and 8-years-old, and I want to get them some kind of pet so that they will learn a bit of responsibility. The landlord will not allow dogs or cats, but said they could get any pet that stays in a cage. So we were thinking of a bird or rodent and wondered what you suggest. Their parents both work so it would have to be something with low maintenance. -- Fran Williams, Arlington, Va.
A: This is one of those questions that has no right or wrong answer, however, I do have two Morrone rules here that weigh in on and affect the answer:
1. A child should never be expected to learn responsibility from caring for a pet -- being a pet owner is supposed to be fun! Responsibility is learning to do unpleasant tasks for no immediate reward.
Petkeeping can teach a child better time management skills, but it really should encourage a child's fascination of the natural world rather than the omnipresent virtual one. A child should never think that caring for a pet is not a pleasant task.
2. The best pet for a child is whatever pet the child's parents have time to care for. In a busy household sometimes it is not practical for children to be 100 percent in charge of a pet's needs. In spite of a child's best intentions, when children try to clean a cage or cut up fruits and vegetables for a pet to eat, then the children make such a mess. In turn, that creates more work and household drama for busy parents to deal with.
With all that being said, now I can give you some options.
1. Hamsters and gerbils are the easiest to care for. Being desert animals they urinate very little and the cage stays dry and cleaner than other pets; a twice weekly cleaning will suffice. They are very content just to be alive, and if nobody has the time to take them out for a day then that is fine with them.
However, they do not make any noise, which some children find hard to relate to, so children can lose interest in them quickly. From a parent's point of view, though, no pet is easier to keep.
2. Guinea pigs are extremely responsive to children -- they recognize each child as an individual and are as sentient as dogs and cats. The fact they can vocalize to children with their squeals keeps up a child's interest and concern for the animal.
However, they do need a lot of care. The cage must be cleaned daily and they need daily fresh vegetables and fruits. This may be too much for some parents to keep up with. Though, if the time is available then this is probably the best small mammal pet.
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