How to Choose the First Pet for Your Child
The desire and subsequently begging for a pet is a kind of children’s rite of passage. Most kids will want a dog, cat, hamster, rabbit, goldfish, or all of the above at some point. For parents who enjoy having a home full of animals, adding a third cat or other tank filled with animals may not be a big deal, but if pets just aren’t for you, the decision can be confusing and overwhelming. So I spoke to the veterinarian to ask: What should parents be mindful of when buying their baby’s first pet? Here’s what she said.
Don’t buy impulsively
Did you know that after a while, mice can actually stink in the room? Or that bearded dragons, often regarded as the first reptiles, can move surprisingly fast and unexpectedly and should not be handled by young children? The box turtle can be a great pet (if cared for properly!), But if you let it roam and have a dog too? The dog can try to eat it.
Some fish, such as fighting fish, can be chilled alone in a small unfiltered tank (just do not put them together with other fighting fish so that they do not fight, injure or kill each other). Other fish require much more specific tuning in the form of filters and temperature control.
Before adopting or buying a pet, think about the space you live in, the amount of time it takes to train and care for it, how it might interact with children or other pets in the home, its average life expectancy and its diet.
For example, “some reptiles need fresh food every day,” says Dr. Valerie Patton, a Sacramento veterinarian . “Some reptiles require live food as well as fresh food. I had to go after crickets every day for one [mine]. “
So it’s best to know what you are getting yourself into before falling in love with and infatuated with a chinchilla.
Consider applying this cat versus kitten rule
Sometimes the smartest and most useful rules are created out of necessity, such as when your young child asks you for a cute fluffy kitten and you are trying to weigh what they can do, what time you have, and how much constant supervision you can provide. It just so happened that when each of Patton’s little twin daughters wanted their kitten as a pet, she immediately developed a rule.
“I looked at these kids – I think they were five [years old] – and I thought the kitten wouldn’t be strangled to death,” she says. “I very quickly worked out this rule in my head, and this rule I say to many parents: you can get a cat when you are five. But if you want a kitten, you have to wait until you are seven years old. “
Of course, all children are different and ready for different responsibilities at different ages – and she is not entirely sure how she ended up at the age of seven, especially for the ability to carefully handle the kitten. But in her decades as a veterinarian, she says she has repeatedly made sure this is true with her clients.
“I can talk to a seven-year-old and explain a little [about caring for a kitten] to them,” she says, “and they have a range of attention span to watch videos about that kind of thing.”
The rule also gives children some responsibility for making decisions; In the case of the Patton daughters, one decided to immediately adopt an older cat, while the other wanted a kitten so badly that she decided to wait until she was seven years old.
Benefit factor
Children can learn many lessons from caring for their first pet – even before they actually have one. It takes patience to wait until you finally agree that they are old and mature enough to care for another creature. Perseverance is shown if you have tied a condition to owning a pet, for example, saving for an adoption fee or buying some equipment. They even hone these leadership skills when they sit down to a presentation titled Why Am I Willing To Train A Puppy.
And once they really look after the pet, they build their empathy muscles by caring for the other living creature on a daily basis. But Patton’s favorite benefit kids can get from a pet is the emotional support the pet can provide.
“The kids are dealing with so many things,” Patton said. “Children have emotional upsets that don’t always make sense to us, but they have that [animal] that gives them love.”
This is one of the reasons Patton thinks cats are great pets for many children: cats can react to them and show affection, they can curl up and snuggle together, or sleep with children at night.
Or maybe you have a child who, during this time of social isolation, really could use a more active companion – a dog that they can train to play looking and walk around the neighborhood. Consider the types of benefits and experiences that different pets can provide, and also consider them when making your decision.
Final Words of Wisdom
Patton’s last piece of advice is simple but adamant: don’t have a bird.
“You don’t want a bird for the kids,” she says. “They are messy and gentle.”