Recommended Pets for Children

So you've decided to get your child a pet and unlike a shocking number of people are researching it BEFORE going to a pet store. As a prior pet store employee let me say thank you. It was always surprising to have a customer who had at least done basic research of their desired pet.

If your child is young, maybe under 6, I likely wouldn't bother with any pet you aren't interested in as most are going to lose interest fast. Even worse they aren't going to remember them very well later. According to my mother I had a series of gerbils and occasional hamsters all the way up to 4th grade. Yet I only remember the gerbils and mice I brought home in 5th grade due to our classrooms unfortunate breeding problem. I vaguely remember being told a few times something had died, but I don't really remember interacting with them.

For an older child a pet makes a little more sense, and you can feel free to let them decide what pet they want within reason. Reason being what you're comfortable with taking care of when your child is acting like a child. Just accept now that very few children will be able to or likely to correctly care for any animal alone. Also a big deal is making sure everyone in the family is willing to handle the animal. All the animals here with the exception of fish can be handled, i.e. most will not bite with out provocation unless vastly out of temperament from the normal. Let me note however every animal has teeth and almost all can and will bite if unhappy enough.

These recommendations are based on my own experience with slight additions overheard from other employees who did actually know what they were doing. These recommendations are based on buying at a pet store. Some of these animals will be in better health and may have a better temperament from a breeder, so can become good first pet ideas if gotten in the right place.

Invariably it is a good idea to decide on a pet and set up it's cage at least a day before you get the pet. For aquariums it's better at least two days unless you're cycling the tank before the fish arrive. For small animals this prevents the almost inevitable chewing out of the box while you're distracted setting up the cage. For reptiles this gives you some time to make sure all the temperature gradients are good without an animal to worry about.

You can use this menu to skip down to a specific section if you've already made up your mind, otherwise just scroll down and you can read all the sections.

Aquariums | Cats & Dogs | Small Mammals | Reptiles

Aquariums

If you want the look but don't touch pet, or have allergy issues these are the ones for you. if you are going to try an aquarium and want any of the fish in the tanks at the store please start with a 10 gallon or larger tank. Trying to squash fish into a 2 gallon plastic tank is not fair to the fish and setting yourself up to explain a lot of dead animals fast. The ideal starter tank is as large as you can afford to have. Do yourself a favor and get a good quality submersible heater, good hang on filter and a fluorescent light.

Familiarize yourself with how to setup a tank and do so before getting any fish. Watch fish in the pet store tanks and avoid any hanging by themselves (if a schooling fish) with white spots like salt, with clamped or ragged fins, listing to the side or seemingly unable to swim down, or otherwise looking odd. I'd avoid fish that get larger than 6 inches unless you did get a very large tank.

I personally also avoid any fish in the tank with fish exhibiting these symptoms, and I ask which tanks are connected by the filtration systems. Fish spread diseases among themselves quite efficiently and many larger pet stores have centralized filtration, which is a horrible idea as far as most fish keepers are concerned.

Your best chance for success in a large enough tank (20 gallons) would be 1 top dwelling fish, 5-8 mid-water schooling fish, and 3-4 schooling catfish. These animals will largely leave each other alone and cause the least stress to each other. If you're lucky you can go with a pet store employee's recommendations, but often you can't. If you go to a specialized fish store you will get better information.

My personal recommendations for easy to care for aquarium critters include:

Betta: If you're stuck on a 2 gallon tank get one of the Fighting Fish that are kept in small bowls or cups in most pet stores. They can be kept in larger tanks, but can be fine in small tanks. Do not put anything else in the tiny tank as the water volume isn't enough to support it.

Tetras and Barbs: Depending on type these guys can be excellent aquarium fish. Don't be tempted to buy one of each however. Most are schooling fish and getting 6 or more of the same species leads to much nicer behavior rather than trying to mix and match.

Danios: Also excellent hardy starter fish. Most need to be in groups to thrive, but these can sometimes be mixed as their behavior is all very similar.

Angelfish: As long as you keep in mind these guys get big and eat small fish they can be fine aquarium fish. I've had issues with new ones having fin rot, but this varies from store to store. Good ones should have excellent finnage. if it looks at all ragged or short they probably have fin rot.

Gouramis: Avoid the dwarf gouramis, but most of the others make good starter fish. they can be hardy, however most will not tolerate other gouramis in the tank, so they do best as single fish.

Aquarium critters I recommend NOT trying:

Goldfish: if you got a huge tank you could try goldfish, but they get big, and are one of the messiest fish you can get, so you'll be cleaning the tank all the time.

Fiddler Crabs: These guys always sold well, but they really need their own setup tank with half land half water, or they go wandering out of the tank on their own.

Guppies: Years ago guppies were very hardy, but the current collection of inbred fish die at the drop of a hat. This is especially true of pet store varieties. You might have luck from a breeder, but standard pet store fancy guppies die rather repeatedly.

Platies, Swordtails, and Mollies: These guys can be good secondary fish, but often die in new tanks. I remember a lot of returns of these fish, and every morning there were some new deads in the tanks. They are quite popular due to the color variety, but I've never had good luck with them. they are also all live-bearers and will breed in any water you put them in.

Rasboras: While one of my favorite groups of fish, these guys can be more sensitive than their relatives. They would be fine as the later fish added to a tank, but should not be the starter fish.

Saltwater: Not for beginners.

Cats & Dogs

I have a few things to say on the big traditional pets. Dogs and cats can make excellent pets for children, provided an adult is caring for them, and taking responsibility for the animals behaviors. If your child doesn't follow directions well I would avoid getting a dog. partially because you may have trouble training it, but also because if you can't keep your child from doing inappropriate things to a dog thy may get bitten. Expecting a dog or cat to put up with lots of childish behavior is not fair to them or the child.

Number 1: The entire family has to agree they want either a cat or dog. both have an impressive lifespan, are generally loose in the house, and can cause significant damage to your house, or in the case of an aggressive dog yourself.

Number 2: NEVER under any circumstances buy a cat or dog from a pet store. NO good breeder will ever sell their animals this way. The store will tell you whatever it thinks you want to hear, but that animal's parents are sitting somewhere pumping out more babies to feed the animal trade.

Number 3: Puppies and Kittens turn into Dogs and Cats. never encourage any behavior in a baby you don't want from the adult animal. For cats this mostly includes play fighting with claws, and for dogs jumping and house breaking issues.

Number 4: Do not expect a child to ever adequately care for either of these animals. They can help feed (which they will be interested in for precisely as long as it takes to learn how to do it) and such, but they are not going to be able to bring the puppy out every 6 hours for weeks on end, and trying to make them is setting them and the animal up for failure.

Small Mammals

These are the traditional first pets. I expect they are so popular because they are seen as cheap, cuddly and short lived. don't be too upset by short-lived. if your child is going to lose interest, let it be in something that only lives 2 years tops. You will however get to deal with plenty of discussions about death.

All will need a basic cage setup, to be kept away from drafts, and daily feeding. Those tube type cages unless very large are not suitable for most small animals and are extremely hard to clean. most stores will recommend either a wire cage or an aquarium with a screen cover. Keep in mind all of these animals chew so anything made of plastic will not survive long.

My personal recommendations for easy to care for small mammals include:

Mice: You don't get easier than mice. As long as you have a nice secure cage they make excellent rodent pets. They rarely bite unless terrified or very out of temperament. Mice were the rodent I was least worried about holding right after I picked it up. If they didn't jump and flee when I went to pick them up they would sit calmly on my hand without biting. This is even including how un-handled mice are in the pet store trade.

Teddy-Bear Hamsters: These guys are the hamster you remember. They come in short and long hair. Other than requiring a larger cage than most stores will sell you these guys can make good pets. Pet-store hamsters will need to be tamed as they are not naturally fans of handling, and will not have been tamed in store.

Guinea Pigs: Other than getting a lot bigger than people think they will these guys make good pets. they also live a bit longer than some of the others in this group. Most don't bite unless provoked and they can get very used to handling. They also live quite a bit longer than most smaller mammals.

Small Mammals I recommend NOT trying:

Chinchillas: For older children a chinchilla might be an okay pet. They don't really like handling, but don't violently protest it and need large cages. They also have some specialized temperature requirements that make them a little harder to handle.

Dwarf Hamsters: I will never recommend a pet store dwarf hamster as a pet for anyone. they were the animal most likely to jump to attack people feeding. At one point we had one that had bitten every employee in the store, and would jump 6 inches straight up to do so. You may have more luck from a breeder, but I wouldn't count on it.

Rats: These guys can make excellent pets, but require a lot more space than most first pet people want to devote. They also need lots of interaction to keep them interested in people.

Rabbits: Rabbits can live a lot longer than one expects and I liken them more to having a cat than another small caged animal. Most do better free ranging in the house, and can be significantly more work than any one will want with their child's first pet. They should be spayed or neutered to get the best temperament as well.

Ferrets: Caging size is the only real issue I have with these guys, beyond their price. they can be excellent pets, but are nippy as babies, and need lots of interaction and handling.

Reptiles

Few reptiles are suitable for young children. They can likely be handled by young children, but most of their care requirements are involved. Older children can easily handle some of the snakes, a few tree frogs, a few gecko species, and if you're willing to go bigger for care requirements a bearded dragon makes a reasonable reptile pet as well. The basic setup cost for a reptile is higher than small animals and comparable to a similarly sized aquarium.

Most reptiles should be kept alone. Snakes are not social and only come together in the wild to breed. Keeping them together can lead to stress. Animals that can be kept in groups, mostly frogs, should all be of about the same size. Like fish if a reptile can fit it in its mouth it is going to try to eat it. Some lizards can be kept together, but most are so easy to breed they will do so constantly depleting the females resources and causing an early death if not watched carefully.

All of these animals will require some kind of supplemental heating, and most will do better with UVB lighting setups. All would be perfectly happy with no handling at all, but these animals will tolerate some handling without going off their feed or becoming noticeably stressed. if at any point your reptile stops eating, first stop handling and second do a check of cage temperatures and humidity.

My personal recommendations for easy to care for reptiles include:

Corn Snakes: These guys are extremely hardy, 95% of them have excellent temperaments, most feed very consistently and they do not have overbearing temperature or humidity needs. They are native to the South Eastern US.

White's Tree Frog: Good eaters and calm about most handling. These guys need a large tank for their size, but can be kept in groups and can be found in several different colors.

Crested Geckos: Another good pet gecko. These guys have sticky pad feet and most have excellent temperaments. they're squirmy as babies, but I've seen adults at reptile shows just sit on displays. Also highly nocturnal so not all that visible.

Leopard Geckos: These are the standard critters every pet store will recommend. they are generally calm as adults and easy to feed. they are nocturnal however so you won't see them much in a well-designed cage. babies are also extremely flight, though you can expect a 3 inch long lizard to be hesitant to be handled by a giant hand. Most grow out of this with calm handling. Do not be tempted to get two. That way lies lost tails and unbalanced growth.

Kenyan Sand Boa: If you don't mind having a pet you won't see much, these guys are great. They stay small, under 3 feet, and are non-aggressive most of the time. They have high heat needs, but these can easily be met with a heat lamp.

Reptiles I recommend NOT trying:

Bearded Dragons: As babies these guys can be delicate, but I expect that is related more to which store you get them at rather than anything else. If you check a store once a week for a few weeks when they aren't on a sale price they should be noticeable getting bigger. If they are not look elsewhere. Babies grow fast if they are healthy, and are just there if ill. They eat a lot and get big. These guys also like to be quite warm and need specialized lighting. however in spite of all the flaws most have excellent temperaments and tolerate handling quite well, so do make good pets in that regard.

Ball Pythons: Plenty of beginners have started with this snake, so it could be in the recommended pile. I find their tendency to fast for a few months a year disconcerting, and I've had one for over 7 years now. They also can have shedding problems if humidity needs are not addressed. They can potentially get to 6 feet, though few do. Depending on where you get them from the can also be very sickly. If you're getting one from a breeder I would recommend them much more. Pet stores ones are often very stressed out and poor feeders.

Hermit Crabs: I don't quite get the appeal of these guys. Care requirements have finally started to keep them alive, but they still died with startling frequency in either store I worked in. Daily there would be another dead one. It was slightly better in my second store, but I still found them quite finicky.

Iguanas: Large adult size, exacting care requirements and questionable temperaments make me hesitate to recommend iguanas. They need high heat and prefer a high humidity that is hard to manage inside.

Anoles: While cheap their care requirements are hefty as well. The prefer lots of space and need specialized lighting. As all are wild caught their health can be questionable after they have passed through a number of animal dealers.

Emerald Tree Boa: While pretty these guys are known to have a nasty tendency of biting. They don't calm down much either.

Turtles and Tortoises: I know many places do recommend these guys, but I really don't. most beginners will not provide a cage large enough for aquatic turtles and tortoises all require specialized lighting to really thrive.

Red Tailed Boa or Burmese Python: These get much too large for most first time owners. Really they get too large for most owners period. And once they get that big good luck finding anyone who wants them.

Done with pets?

If at any point you decide you can't keep an animal please never "release it into the wild." First this is a death sentence for most of the animals. If it isn't a death sentence they can compete with native animals and cause their own problems. If you can't keep a pet try re homing it. Most pet stores will take back anything they sold. In the case of fish some stores do trade-ins for store credit. Most will require the animal's caging as well, then they will adopt it out or sell it depending on the store.

If all else fails post an ad in your local classified with a reasonable reduced adoption fee. Do not expect to get back what you spent on an animal or for its caging. The fee is just to try to guarantee the new owner is interested and isn't out to resell the animal.