Pets arent for christmas.....but.....opinions please

[mummysnowflake2614]

Hi peeps

Right, I'll get straight to it

Ben wants a pet of his own. We have a dog Bruno and two terrapins but he wants a pet to live in his bedroom - his own pet but he wants something he can play with etc.

Anyway this has been going on since March this year and he is desperate to be a zoo keeper.

For his birthday in May he asked again for a hamster, but with a Jack Russell terrier we werent sure this was the best idea - Bruno stays downstairs in our house - its only the bedrooms upstairs but still I didnt want to risk an escaped hamster. So we brought him a wormery, which he loved and he has been looking after them well but wasnt satisfied with that.

Well he lulled for a bit with the asking and since the beginning of August, hes been at it again asking for another pet. So I made him a deal that if he kept his bedroom clean and tidy we would see about a goldfish in his room, but he had to keep it tidy otherwise it was a no. He asked why he couldnt have a hamster and I told him if he was responsible enough to clean, feed and care for a goldfish (obviously with my supervision and guidance) then maybe Id consider a hamster at a later date.

Anyway I should have given my son more credit because I presumed after a day or two of trying he'd give up and his room would return to its usual bombsite

It is now six weeks on, his room has been immaculate every morning with his bed made and him fully dressed before he leaves his room.

Now I know you shouldn't get pets for Christmas as presents but Im thinking of getting him his tank/filter/gravel etc as presents and then putting a letter in along the line of IOU 2 fish and then after Christmas taking him to pick a fish or two.

Do you think thats an acceptable gift?

 

[luludou]

I think he is being very responsible and wants this very much. I think it is a wonderful gift and he will be a very happy boy. I think you are a great mom to buy him a pet.

 

[MrsSoup]

I, also, think it's a great gift and he has obviously proven himself.

 

[jinglemom]

I think it is a great idea too. You still may want the gift to be from you instead of from Santa though. My kids went through a time where they wanted an iguana and even a snake Being able to say Santa doesn't bring pets sure helped me with that.

Since you are still considering the possibility of a hamster, I actually recommend getting the hamster over the fish. I did exactly what you are considering, thinking it would be easier and would be enough, but in my opinion the fish is SO MUCH harder to deal with. We first had a small rectangular tank with the filter. With they weight of the water, we had to clean the tank in their bedroom using a vacuum thingy and a bucket. My kids really weren't able to do it themselves and I was afraid dirty water would end up all over the rug if they did...so I was they one who was stuck with cleaning the tank. We gave that fish to a friend, then tried a beta fish that we could put in a smaller more manageable container in the bathroom, but still the fish water gets dirty much faster than I ever expected, even with 3/4 water changes. All the little decorations end up at some point getting algae on it and is a real pain to clean. The rocks need to be rinsed before putting them in the tank and I know at least some fish need the conditioner added to the water to take out the chlorine, so he may have to know how to measure all that out too. Our fish sits in the bathroom and the kids really never interact with him at all.

Our hamster is really easy to care for. We just have to remove the bottom of his cage (hamster goes in the hamster ball...which is much easier than getting the fish out of the tank) then dump the old bedding, wipe any spots that need to be cleaned off the bottom and his wheel, refill with the bedding and just make sure he has water and food. It isn't even necessary to feed him every day, just fill up his bowl and it lasts awhile. Much easier too if you want to leave for a couple days. if you do end up getting a hamster, I recommend though, not getting the wire cages. Ours got his foot stuck one night while he was climbing and now he only has three feet I would also have gotten the regular size hamster not the miniature roborovski (sp?) ones. Ours is only about the size of my pinky and is too little and squirmy. We are too afraid to even try and hold him. He did get loose twice, but only when one of the wires became detatched on the cage and only because ours was tiny enough to fit through the small opening. We have a dog too and he is usually in the same room as the hamster. Our dog growls and goes after anything that moves, even flies and balloons. He will swat at the cage every now and again, but otherwise leaves him alone. We do only put the hamster in his ball when the dog is outside rhough. I definitely would have skipped the fish and just got the hamster if I were to do it again though.

One other thing to consider. I had read the life span of a goldfish can go Up to 20 years. I' m sure most do not live that long, but I did have an uncle who had one for Years...he was huge...just another thing to consider.

 

[FrostyShimmer]

I think it sounds like a great gift. I think the idea of no pets for Christmas has more to do with cats and dogs that may be unwanted or the people don't have time to give the attention they need over Christmas.
It sounds like your son is being really responsible. He must really want this.
If you still aren't sure on the fish, and you think he'd go for it, SeaMonkeys are super easy to care for, and they make racetracks and everything for them these days.

 

[Cindylouwho]

I was in a similar situation last year. Both kids had been begging me for kittens for like 3 years and they ganged up on me and put only one word on their Christmas list last year. "Kittens." We have coyotes and I was very worried the door would get left open and that would be it.

The kittens were a surprise for them because I spent the months before Christmas lecturing about all that could possibly happen to those poor kitties and did they really want to risk the life of a cute little kitten by bringing them into this environment. By the time I was done they were sure they were not getting kittens. But they did and they snuggle with them ALL the time. They were worth it for the joy they bring. (Sounds like your boy wants something small and cute to cuddle with). A year later the kids still have their cats and are the most responsible ones about being sure the doors are always shut.

How old is Ben? Is he responsible? Does he really want the fish or is the fish just the path to the hamster? My thought is skip the fish if you plan to ultimately get the hamster, install a gate (or three) at the bottom of the stairs so there is a minimum of 2 layers of defense between the dog and the hamster - and make it a hamster ball you put under the tree with the hamster hidden elsewhere so he will have it on Christmas morning.

All this aside, if you can sell him on the fish instead of the hamster, it is much lower risk. And if he is not old enough and responsible enough yet, get the fish. I could never have sold my kids on fish -- and they were both old enough. I had a fox terrier as a child and we lost both guinea pigs and mice to her. But we kids weren't too smart about keeping all the critters separate. (We didn't realize the dog was so high risk and just carried them around right in front of her. Duh!)

 

[HouseElf]

I think pets can be a good idea given careful thought. I enjoyed my hamster very much as a child!
For my son it was a guinea pig - they are not very much work (really) are funny (they make this cute 'wee-wee-wee' sound when they see a treat coming their way) and you can compost their 'leavings' and they are not nocturnal - so no noise at night (was great since her cage was in his bedroom).

Best of luck with the hamster!