What kind of pet would you recommend for a seven year old girl?

BroncoGirlAmy: What kind of pet would you recommend for a seven year old girl?
My seven year old neice loves animals. And I know she would love to have a pet for Christmas. What would be an ideal 1st pet? I have been thinking about a hamster but wanted to get other opinions. It would have to be something small, she would love a kitty but I dont think they will allow a cat in the house all the time.
I do plan to get the OK from her parents before I get her anything. I’ve just been trying to figure out what to get her first.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Maalru3
guinea pig

Answer by Proud♫Mary™
Gold fish. very low maintenance.

Parakeets are OK also .

Answer by dnllseel
Hamsters are too small and could bite her. I personally love my rabbits, they are fun and cute! They can also be litter trained!!!

Answer by emucompboy
Cat sounds good to me… but the pet thing is a job for the parents. Don’t get your niece something that’s alive.

Answer by Kaylyn
I prefer gerbils over hamsters. They seem to be a little friendlier and create less waste.

Of course, rats are the best, in my opinion. They are a lot more social then hamsters & gerbils, are easy to take care of, and can be taught little tricks. However, I know people are afraid of rats… But they really are great pets!

Answer by Sour Girl
i think a hamster is a good idea. or what about some goldfish? easy to take care of and a good start.

Answer by TA
i would get a frog or fish easy to take care of ps.hamsters or guine pigs die fast without proper care

Answer by Nandina
Pets are not good Christmas presents, because they should not be considered “gifts” like everything else and lost in the chaos of Christmas Day. I would recommend maybe getting pet supplies (habitat or food for a hamster, for example), and then going out AFTER Christmas to let HER pick out her pet.

It’s not like buying a pair of shoes, after all.

Answer by cyn99di
Unless you know how the parents would react, I would start with fish. They are the least invasive and easiest to take care of.

Answer by Risse
Fish, and I would definately get permission from the parent!

Answer by vee
Get her a bearded dragon. they are good with kids, they don’t bite.. just lick. they are cute when small. i have one, its a good pet to have and my B/fs 6yr old daughter likes to hold it.

Answer by SU
Fish are great, but most 7 year old girls want to hold their pets, so if she’s the snuggle-up type, that wouldn’t work too well.

My kids have had just about every animal over the years (and still do!) — hamsters, mice, rats, cats, dogs, fish, frogs and a rabbit. Rabbits are good pets as are rats, but they require a great deal of maintenance/cleaning, etc. and need large living habitats. Fish are hands-off as are most frogs. Frogs, lizards and turtles carry illnesses that can affect some young children’s health easily. Dogs and cats require a whole family’s participation.

We found that dwarf siberian hamsters are great — they’re a lot friendlier and they don’t nip or bite like the teddy bear and other larger hamsters do. But they are small and your niece would need to be taught to care for it gently. Your niece is at a terrific age for learning about pets though.

And our latest addition was a fancy mouse (a colored mouse, not a white one). She’s terrific. She’s always friendly, never bites, and loves to be held — but also likes to play with toys too like the balls they can roll around in, etc. Toys are a great option to consider because your niece will have fun picking out things for her pet and it also makes for great gift giving later on!

Dwarf hamsters and mice are good on their own too, so she would only need one instead of a pair, which makes maintenance a lot easier. The down side is they only live about 3 years — so you’d have that issue to deal with when the pet passes on.

One word of advice from one parent to another though — check with her parents first before getting any kind of a pet!

Answer by This Guy!!!!
stear clear of reptiles. Some reptiles contain bacterieas such as salmonella that can make a shild sick if they do not wash their hands properly. I would suggest a small dog like a Yorkie (more work for you) or maybe a goldfish or a baby coi. The goldfish will die fast, a coi will grow up and live a long time except over time you will have to keep upgrading the tank. On the lighter side you will not neeed any special lights or a heaters. Good luck

Answer by Ringer Dog
I personally think a hamster is a lot of work.

You have to clean the cage once a week and hold it every day. You also have to let it run around a little bit or it will get all depressed and sleep all the time, bite, and avoid human touch. I have a pen. I also use a bird harness to walk it around the house.(size small, almost as tight as it gets)

Get a short-hair Syrian if you do get one. The dwarfs are too fast to handle. The teddies have long hair that gets snagged and has to be cut and brushed. The are basically a mini dog.

Cats do not need much attention. They use a litter box by instinct.(just clean it often) They will remind you to feed them and pet them. The only drawback is that they live for 20+ years. If you get a cat, go get it a month in advance. Also let her pick it herself. That way she will be happy and won’t end up giving it away.

I would hate it if I hadn’t gotten to pick all my pets. I pick for personality not looks.

Dwarf hamsters and mice have to have more than one or they will not do too well and be lonely. They live in large family groups in the wild.

Answer by Everbely
The best pet for a 7 yr. old is something she really really really wants and that her parents want almost as much. Nothing else will work, IMHO.
At 7 my daughters had ponies, goats, dogs, cats, mice, fish and then there were the pets then made out in the barn like chickens and ducks and barn cats. Of course, the ponies and goats were in the barn as well, but you get what I mean.
But I would agree that a wonderful first time pet for anyone, and a darn good pet for someone who’s had many, is a pair of rats, both of the same sex. They are an undiscovered gem in the pet world. But they are very social animals and need a friend of their own species.

Answer by gidget
guinea pig

Answer by Me-ow
A parakeet,thats what I was started with my bestfriend mom got it for me on my bday I picked the bird I wanted too. My 1st was actually fish but those were boring 2nd was a dry turtle.Then as I got older I ended up getting a kitten in 4th grade.My aunt taught me how to take care of all my pets by myself & I did if I wanted to keep them.If you get her a parakeet make sure the wings are clipped so it wont fly away I used to clip my birds wings also when I was young.

Answer by birdgirl
Hamsters can be tempermental and bite. They are basically nocturnal and may sleep all day so your neice would not be able to interact with it during the day. They tend to get grouchy if you disturb them while sleeping. I think a rat would be much better..they are highly sociable and you can handle them, cuddle them, etc. without fear of being bitten. They are inexpensive to purchase and care for, and pretty easy to maintain..food, water, clean cage.