best pet for toddler

Donadea Leo

Hi,
I would like to get a pet for my daughter, she absolutely loves dogs but though we probably have ths space, there are two days in the week when my wife and I are out of the house 8 - 6 so not sure that's fair. Also we travel a bit and car is pretty full with baby stuff without trying to pack in dog. I'd love a dog but I'm not sure my wife is too keen.
I'm not sure really what type of pet we could get, we were thinking of a rabbit - how would they cope with being left alone whilst we are working - anybody had any success or failure stories.

Any ideas or thoughts welcome.

BillyMitchel

No word of a lie, my friends family had some sort of rabbit before and when out of the hutch it was like a guard dog!! It was actually attack strangers!!

Try a hamster or something like that and give your daughter full responsibility and see how she gets on with that first?

loveisdivine

I would second hamster. Guinea pigs and rabbits can be an awful lot of work. They require bigger spaces, which means bigger hutches to clean out. Also they are quite large for a toddler so wouldnt be the easiest for them to learn to handle.

Whatever you go for though, check the rescues first and only get a pet that you yourself want too. Dont get a pet just for the toddler.

maggiepip

I dont really think you sound ready for a dog at the moment. So if you are considering a smaller pet I would recommend a Guinea Pig. But you need to get 2 Guinea Pigs as they are social/pack/herd creatures and it is unfair to just have one by itself in a cage.

I had Guinea Pigs years ago and they are really lovely interactive little things. They are very friendly (you even get a mad squeak chorus greeting when you come home!) they can be trained to do little tricks (for food!) know their names etc.. So I would recommend 2 Guinea Pigs (they will be fine when you are out).

loveisdivine

To be honest I wouldnt say guinea pigs are suitable for a toddler. A child maybe 8+, yes but not a toddler. I have 4 guinea pigs myself and even for me they can be quite a handful when they decide they dont want to be held. Also because they are quite bulky little animals, they need to be held a certain way so that their weight is supported the entire time.

For two guinea pigs you would need a 10.5sq foot space for them minimum. They are VERY timid by nature also, my 4 still run for cover when I go to pick them up because its their instinct too.

Basically I just dont think they are the best starter pet for a toddler.

Oh and they are more expensive than people realise too! Constant supply of fresh hay and vet costs soon mount up. One of mine has an eye infection and it cost me €50 for a vet appointment and drops. So bear that in mind too.

Goldfish

SingItOut

I'd second some fish, hamsters can be narky little things and a nip from one is very painful! If your daughter is under two then I would avoid a hamster. I had a terrier when I was two and she was such a gentle dog, never any problems.

Donadea Leo

Had thought about the goldfish, had them myself for a few years before, used to bring one fella over and back on the ferry believe it or not - not sure what customs would have made of it.

Also had a hamster who mysteriously died after about a month - he was narky alright and did bite a bit - you couldn't really handle him at all.

She is under two so won't be doing the caring, it's just she gets unbelievably excited when she sees a dog and would be good to nurture that a bit.

Cats probably wouldn't tolerate her very well and scrape the life out of her.

I'd also thought about some chickens, they're fairly gentle and you get eggs though would never get through the amount they'd lay.

loveisdivine

To be honest if she's that young I wouldnt be getting any pets for her. Obviously if you really want a pet for you, then get one. But dont get one just cos you feel the need to provide you're child with one.

Do you have a neighbour or friend/relative who you could have little baby/doggy playdates with? That way your child gets to play with the dog and learn to interact with animals, but you dont have any of the hassle or responsibility.

dodderangler

Ferret
Get it as a kit and once the bond is formed you won't look back
And your daughter will love how playfull they are
I have two hunting ferrets but in the house they just so funny to watch playing together
One picked up money I left on the table other day and he hid it behind the couch lol

TooManyDogs

I'm afraid I have to second the others who have suggested not getting a pet specifically for your toddler, I have one myself and they can be very rough on animals with very little idea of empathy yet. Small animals like hamsters can both get hurt easily by a toddler and bit harshly if frightened and hurt the toddler. Rabbits actually make fairly bad child pets because they rarely like to be picked up and cuddled, can be very territorial about their cage and have very strong back legs which they're not afraid to kick with. It's also unfair to leave a rabbit alone for the lenght of time you're talking about.

I have to constantly have eyes in the back of my head when my girl is with my dogs and rabbit that she's not hurting them by trying to involve them too strongly in whatever game she has in her head.

Like others said why not go on doggy play dates with friends dogs or offer to mind dogs for your family when they go on holiday? Or the likes of Newbridge House has a farm with loads of animals she can get quite close to.

cocker5

Donadea Leo wrote: »

Had thought about the goldfish, had them myself for a few years before, used to bring one fella over and back on the ferry believe it or not - not sure what customs would have made of it.

Also had a hamster who mysteriously died after about a month - he was narky alright and did bite a bit - you couldn't really handle him at all.

She is under two so won't be doing the caring, it's just she gets unbelievably excited when she sees a dog and would be good to nurture that a bit.

Cats probably wouldn't tolerate her very well and scrape the life out of her.

I'd also thought about some chickens, they're fairly gentle and you get eggs though would never get through the amount they'd lay.

Im really sorry but i have to agree with the other posters, 2 is far too young to get her a dog, while i know she adores them, it would be the wrong decision by your daughter and by the dog.

puppies will do the following: run around / jump up on her more than likely knock her over (by accident)... play bite (takes months for them to stop this and like a cat will hurt her - by mistake).... chew everything (including her toys etc)....

maybe when your child is 5 / 6 then it may be time to get her a dog, and if you working conidtions change...

TBH its ALWAYS a bad idea to get a dog for a child / toddler... alot of the time in ends in diaster: meaning then dog goes to a rescue centre / pound and the child learns dogs are disposable... sorry just my two cents worth.

Get her a stuffed dog toy.. cute, cuddley and fun (well nearly as much fun) with none of the hassle :pac:

Sigma Force

Have to agree there are no small pets that are suitable for toddlers that's not to say people don't have pets and have toddlers but if it's specifically for a toddler than it's not a good idea, as a family pet if the animals is well supervised that's another thing but hamsters are nocturnal, rabbits can be jumpy and delicate, guinea pigs need a lot more care and space than people think and are too delicate for toddlers. I think fish might be an option if you can get a really nice tank and have all the advice from an expert in how to keep them (I don't 'do' fish myself..I like them but I just know they'd end up dying so I don't want to risk it) a tropical tank rather than a standard goldish could be the way to go maybe with just a couple of fish in it and concentrate on the lovely decorations you can get for the tank because kids love that more than the fish sometimes. Or you could even go with a tank and have a pretend fish for now..sounds mad I know but the tanks themselves are fun for kids to look at with the bubbles and colours etc.

While my young one was waiting for her pup (she knew she had to wait till she was 10 and she'd been waiting till she was 7 ..very patiently). We got her a toy dog ..the one called Lucky that sits and begs and barks etc. she was probably a bit old for it at that stage but it did the job. A toy like that is helpful anyway. Or Squawkers Mcaw or any similar toy or a furreal one.

ShaShaBear

At that age, I would recommend this:
http://www.toys.ie/Animagic-Abby-My-Playful-Puppy-!123105-prd.aspx?qwSessionID=168b5f99-47ad-4851-bc5b-610181f80794

No, I'm not joking. If she is that young and excited about dogs, this is the perfect opportunity to teach her how to properly interact with a dog, by petting, feeding and walking the "dog" the correct amount of times per day, without ever fearing little scuffles or teeth-related accidents Show her how gentle this little "dog" likes to be petted, and by the time she is of school age she will have much better doggy manners.

I also second a fish. Incredibly simple to look after, you can even hold her up and let her feed them herself. She can watch it all day, and if you are a bit sounder financially, you could work towards a proper aquarium with a few varieties. At that age, the colour and movement alone would fascinate her! Especially if you go to Seahorse Aquarium in Dublin and see about getting her a Nemo Starter Kit (tank and provisions for a few of her favourite stars out of Finding Nemo).

foreversky

my cousin get a puppy last year,his son just turned one.a year on the son loves him .he wud go outside and call him in.hes a small dog.he was in vet for few days brought him home went straight to my little cousin to say hi:).
hes 2 and few mths now

gething puppy can be a good thing for..little scared at first. he cudt walk yet so puppy would come over to play.would be lost without him now


good luck.

Donadea Leo

Thanks for all the feedback. Different experiences by everyone which is good. Any pet we get would be a family pet as opposed to a pet for our duaghter, though maybe she's a little bit young as yet and would most likely pull, stand on and drag out of anything we get. Anyway will keep the options open for another while.
The petting farm idea was good, she'd enjoy that. Fish also a good idea, might be a good starting point.

ameee

To be fair in my experience cats are more tolerant of little children then dogs or at least my cat is my two year old once sat on him"like a horsey" as she put it and he didnt seem too bothered there was a lot more supervision after that! I think because cats can very easily get up and away from a toddler if they are fed up playing or the toddler is annoying them were as a dog can easily feel cornered and cant get away from a child.My daughter is three and a half now and is great with the cats and can be left with them no problem our six month old pup is another story she is ok but can be slightly rough and boisterous with him and he is forever nipping and getting out of hand so its a strict if there are no adults in the room there is no dog in the room rule.Like you we wanted the dog for her as she loves them so much we wanted one ourselves of course too but it has been a lot more work then I thought it would be!love him all the same