Pet Choices for Children: The Pros and Cons

Fish

Pros

• Most are inexpensive to buy and maintain
• Most are easy to feed (except those carnivores!)
• Most aquariums are simple, unless you prefer larger more complex ones

Cons

• Most children will not remember to care for the fish, leaving the parents to feed them.
• It’s very easy to disturb their environment which leads to the death of the fish.
• There’s no 1-on-1 contact between child and fish.

Mice, Gerbils, Other Various Rodents

Pros

• They are relatively inexpensive to buy.
• Most are easy to house.
• Can be very entertaining.
• Easy to maintain.

Cons

• Short life spans, this means more common deaths.
• They always somehow manage to escape no matter how hard you try to prevent it.
• They tend to like to chew on anything and everything.
• They can and WILL bite.

Rabbits

Pros

• Inexpensive to buy, easy to maintain, and are easy to house.
• Rabbits tend to live longer than most rodents.
• To some extent they can be little box trained.
• They’re cute and are one of my personal favorites.
• They’re really fun to watch and play with.

Cons

• If not held properly, they can and will kick to the extent of hurting themselves.
• They need to be spayed or neutered.
• They will bite if you don’t handle them properly.
• They like to gnaw on things, such as electrical cords and wires.

Chinchillas

Pros

• Are extremely gentle, very amusing, and like to interact.
• Easy to feed, and maintain.
• Moderately inexpensive.
• They have long life spans (10-12 years, but sometimes up to 20)

Cons

• They are vulnerable to heat stroke during the summer.
• They like to take messy dirt baths.

Reptiles (Lizards, Iguanas, etc.)

Pros

• Can be fun to watch, and are interesting due to their similarity to dinosaurs.
• The smaller reptiles are cheap to buy and easy to maintain.
• Once their terrarium is set up, it’s easy to maintain.
• Most reptiles are easy to feed.

Cons

• Larger reptiles can tend to be aggressive and will bite a child if provoked.
• Some reptiles, such as snakes, require live prey like mice.
• A lot of reptiles can carry salmonella, which will upset a human’s stomach.

Birds

Pros

• A vast amount of bird species and colors and personalities to choose from.
• Can be trained to talk.
• They like to interact.
• The cost varies a lot due to the different species.
• Easy to feed.
• They are very attractive in looks as a pet.

Cons

• The larger the bird, the more attention it needs.
• Some birds can live for up to 50 years!
• Most birds will bite, and the larger ones can tear up skin.
• Some birds are small in size and fragile to touch.
• Their cages must be cleaned daily.
• Psittacosis is a disease birds can carry that children, the elderly and immune-compromised people can acquire.