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Best Pets for Kids: How to Choose Pets for Kids
Filed under: Pets
When I was a kid, my parents indulged nearly every animal whim that I had, as long as I was responsible enough to back it up. And believe me, there were many. Puppies, cats, a parakeet, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs... we had them all. As an animal lover, I'd like to do the same thing for my own kids. As a parent, I see now exactly how much responsibility goes into owning a pet and it gives me pause.
Jeff Corwin was on the Today show recently talking about the best pets for kids, and his choices may surprise you. For instance, if Junior wants a reptile, Jeff recommends a corn snake over a lizard or a turtle. And he thinks rats make far better pets than hamsters or gerbils. No matter what kind of pet a family chooses, however, Jeff has some stern advice for all of us:
Jeff Corwin was on the Today show recently talking about the best pets for kids, and his choices may surprise you. For instance, if Junior wants a reptile, Jeff recommends a corn snake over a lizard or a turtle. And he thinks rats make far better pets than hamsters or gerbils. No matter what kind of pet a family chooses, however, Jeff has some stern advice for all of us:
- Always choose an animal that has been bred in captivity.
- Think once, twice, then think again about whether you're ready to be a responsible pet owner.
- Consider life spans -- a corn snake can live up to 15-20 years.
- Many non-traditional animals require parental control.
- Do your research. Pets are not an impulse purchase.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
9-16-2008 @ 9:29AM
hlake said...I would also encourage parents to not get dogs/cats from pet stores. They have often gotten those animals from puppy mills and are raised in terrible conditions!
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9-16-2008 @ 9:54AM
Mary said...Rats are very underrated as pets. They're very sweet and very smart and don't bite like gerbils and hamsters often do. They're also very easy to hand train. I also like guinea pigs, but they do tend to bite as well, so they may not be good for small children.
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9-16-2008 @ 10:54PM
ris said...after much research i bought 2 pet rats for my daughter. biggest mistake i ever made. they not only made a huge mess all around their cage the smell was unbearable no matter what kind of bedding i tried and how much i cleaned their cage. one of them ALWAYS bit no matter how much we tried to socialize her and then the other one started biting as well and not little nips either. if we ever get a small animal again it will be a guinea pig or something like that.
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9-16-2008 @ 11:19PM
mamaloo said...We actually just got our first pet(s). We definitely went non-traditional and pretty low maintenance.
Check them out: http://theclevermom.com/?p=56
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9-18-2008 @ 9:45AM
Heather said...I agree rats are great pets. I have had a few over the years and have never been bit. I have been bit quite a few times by hamsters and gerbils. I found the recycled newspaper bedding is much less stinky then the pine. You can also buy odor reducer drops that are added to the water bottle.
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