Will I be horrible for not getting DD 9 a pet?

[ChristusG]

My nine-year-old daughter has been asking for her own pet for about two years now. We have done the hermit crab thing, and she did well with those, but she's wanting something a little more cuddly and that is more responsive to her.

 

For the past six months she's been doing lots of research on guinea pigs. She reads books about them, watches YouTube videos about them, and basically talks nonstop about them. She really really wants one and has been saving her money. I've been thinking about getting her guinea pig supplies for Christmas, and an IOU to choose guinea pigs from a rescue after Christmas. however, over the past week I've been having doubts. i've gone to guinea pig message boards and see how they say they are not really a child pet because of the amount of work involved to take care of them. They need daily vegetables that need to be cut up. Also pellets and hay. We will be using fleece as the bottom since I'm allergic to a lot of the cedar shavings. And the fleece takes daily cleaning, sometimes several times a day.

 

She has her heart set on a guinea pig but I'm just not sure that she can handle the amount of work. I've sat her down and talk to her about it and she assures me that she can handle it. And I do think that she will try very hard. But I think that the whole cleaning of the entire cage maybe a bit too much for her. And I will still need to remind her about feeding and daily cleaning. I guess I'm just worried about the long run. In six months or a year, is she going to regret asking for a guinea pig and still be stuck doing all of this daily work for it?

 

What do you guys think? We do have a dog, but DD has never considered that dog to be hers. We had the dog a long time before she was born and the dog hass never really taken to the kids. He just sort of ignores them. So DD has never had much to do with the dog. Plus he's getting very old now and he doesn't do very much at all. We've also done the fish thing too, but those just aren't very cuddly LOL

 

I have a feeling that she's really hoping to wake up to guinea pig supplies on Christmas morning. Will I be horrible if I do not get them?

 

And I really need the care of the guinea pig to be mostly hers. Between three kids, one of them being a destructive toddler, homeschooling, kids activities, church, cleaning, and an ailing old dog, I really don't have time to care for another pet. I could do things like cutting up the daily vegetables or something like that, but I cannot have sole responsibility of it.

[clarkacademy]

I wish I had never allowed my kids to have pets. I don't want another thing to take care of and eventually they always get busy and forget and I get stuck with it.

[texasmama]

Chinese Dwarf Hamster. Trust me. :)

[Wilma]

Will a guinea pig really be the responsive cuddly pet she's wanting?  I can't imagine it being a relational animal the way a cat or dog is, but I've never owned one. 

 

I think if she's eagerly anticipating the guinea pig supplies under the tree you might ought to have a pretty frank conversation with her beforehand to make sure Christmas morning can be as joyful as possible.  She's old enough to understand if you really just can't handle another living being in the house, but if she's attached to the idea there will likely be some coming-to-grips with it that has to happen.

[KRG]

We've never had pets.  Dh and I both grew up with a whole slew of pets but have never wanted the responsibility of animals since we married.  Our kids have never asked for pets either.  I'd personally skip the pet thing because I don't like taking care of animals and if you think you will eventually be stuck doing the work, I'd skip it, too.

[SKL]

I'm not a pet person myself.  That said, it sounds like your daughter is old enough to take care of a pet.  Maybe you could reduce some of her other chores to make sure she has the time to devote to the pet.

 

Set a rule that if you ever have to do xyz for the pet, she owes you abc as payment.  You could also warn her that if she does not manage it well, the pet will have to go to another home.

 

Personally, I think that as a child becomes attached to a pet, which is partly encouraged by the dirty work, she will become more and more internally motivated to take good care of the pet.  Tell your daughter that the pet does not want to live in a smelly cage etc.  When I was a kid and had puppies etc., I would never neglect the animal, and I knew there would be heck to pay if my parents had to do something we kids were supposed to do.

 

You will have to remind and be there for the difficult things (like if the pet gets sick), but hopefully you won't have to clean the waste or cut the veggies . . . ;)

 

In short, I think I'd probably say "yes" at this point.  If I was certain I didn't want a pet, I would have been unequivocal about that with my kids from day one.

[Matryoshka]

I am pretty much completely against pets in cages.  They poop and poop and then it stinks and you're always cleaning the cages out.  And most of them are not particularly cuddly. 

 

I am all for easy, easy pets. Low maintenance all the way. Top of my list is cats.  Yes, there's a litter box, but the cat's not sitting in it all day (in a cage, that's what essentially is happening).  if you end up stuck with it, it's still really not much work... waaay less than cage cleaning.  And tossing food at them isn't much of any work either. 

 

Other pets that I can put up with are oddly, chickens - much less work than I thought and if you handle them from chick-hood, they are actually snuggly.  Their coops need to be cleaned, but not constantly and it's outside.

 

And even more oddly, I'm quite happy with dd's ball python.  It only eats and poops about every two weeks, so super-easy maintenance, doesn't stink at all.  And it likes to curl up in a ball and sit on laps. (in contrast, the rats it eats poop more in the 10 minutes it takes for him to eat them than he does in a few months).

 

Cats are still my hands-down favorite, though. ;)

 

My problem is that one dd has been begging for a dog for years.  Now there's a pet that isn't low maintenance. She's wearing me down...

[Zebra]

I think there is nothing wrong with not getting another pet if you don't want to.

 

That being said, we do have a guinea pig and it is hardly any work for me!   The supplies do cost some money every month.  DD is 10, she takes care of the pig almost completely.  She feeds it and cleans the cage.  We got it 4 years ago, and she wasn't able to handle anything at that point, but over the years she has slowly taken over taking care of it.  

 

We only clean the cage once a week.   I check on the pig every day, just to make sure it's okay.  I also keep an eye on supplies, and periodically have to clip toenails.   We don't use fleece, so I can't tell you how that would work.  It is furry,cuddly and sweet.   It's not as interactive as a cat or dog, but they are pretty gentle and easy-going.     

 

Do not believe everything you read on the boards.   I was told I had to get 2 because they must live in groups, and I regretted it.   They got along fine for the first few months (we bought them together as babies) and then the one we still have started attacking the other one constantly.   I tried everything, but ultimately had to buy another cage, and keep the apart.   The second one ended up getting very sick, and the money and hassle involved in that was a big pain.  Even after a lot of work and money we still had to put that one down.   The vet told me this just happens sometimes.   She also has told me that guinea pigs do not need many fresh veggies, they really just need pellets and plenty of hay. 

 

Really think though the logistics of it.   Only you know how well your dd will take care of this pet, and how much it will impact your life.   At the same time, don't let the people on the guinea pig boards scare you!

[marbel]

I love our family dog but I often wish we had never gotten a pet.   My kids have good intentions, and they do more of the dog care now, but  most of it fell on me for the first couple of years we had him.  There are different hassles involved of course, dogs and guinea pigs are quite different, but either way you are responsible for the comfort and health of a living thing for the rest of its life.   

[Pawz4me]

I'm not fond of caged pets, either.

 

We had a guinea pig years ago.  It was supposed to be oldest DS's pet, but of course I knew going into it that I'd be the one doing all the care taking.  And it really was a huge hassle.  IMO dogs, and especially cats, are exponentially easier than caged pets.

 

Plus I always felt sorry for the little guy.  He was cute and loved attention, but it was just hard to give a caged pet as much attention as he wanted and deserved.

 

All that to say . . . no, I don't think you'd be horrible at all.  In fact, I don't think a pet of any sort should ever be brought into a home unless everyone in the family is on board with the idea.

[bettyandbob]

My neighbors have guinea pigs. They've fostered rescued pigs too. Dd has done pet sitting volunteer time with neighbor and rescue for 7 years. From my observations, it is quite clear to me a dog is so much easier to care for. Guinea pigs take a lot of time feeding and cleaning .plus, they are social and need interaction daily.

[Jennay]

I always wanted a pet growing up and my mom always said no. I was allowed to have goldfish and hermit crabs.  B.O.R.I.N.G.  My much younger sisters had rabbits that lived outside.  She got a dog when all the kids moved out of the house. Honestly, I was always a bit bitter about that.

Since you seem to be dog people and have an ailing, elderly dog, what about letting her pick out a puppy after your current dog passes away? 

Every since we have been married, DH and I have had two cats :)

[Jeannie in NJ]

what about a cat.  A kitten is more work than an adult cat , especially if you only get one.  They are also more expensive, what with all the series of shots the first year and the spaying/neutering.  What about looking at an adult cat.  If you and your dd visit a shelter, she will be able to select the perfect cat for her, cuddly, etc  Adult cats are easy to take care and usually only have to go the vet once a year for shots and general health.  I have 8 cats ranging in age from 2 years to 13 and they are all very healthy, no medical issues at all. 

 

Basically a clean litter box ( the scooping litter is easiest), food and water and lots of lap sitting and affection from your dd.

[Mrs Mungo]

My dd had a winter White Russian dwarf hamster. She did all of its care-taking, including weekly cleaning of its cage. She handled him daily. Food, new bedding and chew toys are pretty low cost maintenance items. They typically live around a year, dd's lived for almost two years.

 

I don't think I it is terrible not to get another pet, but there are easier options than guinea pigs.

[PrincessMommy]

I am pretty much completely against pets in cages.  They poop and poop and then it stinks and you're always cleaning the cages out.  And most of them are not particularly cuddly. 

 

I am all for easy, easy pets. Low maintenance all the way. Top of my list is cats.  Yes, there's a litter box, but the cat's not sitting in it all day (in a cage, that's what essentially is happening).  if you end up stuck with it, it's still really not much work... waaay less than cage cleaning.  And tossing food at them isn't much of any work either. 

 

Other pets that I can put up with are oddly, chickens - much less work than I thought and if you handle them from chick-hood, they are actually snuggly.  Their coops need to be cleaned, but not constantly and it's outside.

 

And even more oddly, I'm quite happy with dd's ball python.  It only eats and poops about every two weeks, so super-easy maintenance, doesn't stink at all.  And it likes to curl up in a ball and sit on laps. (in contrast, the rats it eats poop more in the 10 minutes it takes for him to eat them than he does in a few months).

 

Cats are still my hands-down favorite, though. ;)

 

My problem is that one dd has been begging for a dog for years.  Now there's a pet that isn't low maintenance. She's wearing me down...

 

We are not a pet family either.  We let our oldest train a dog for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.  So glad when that was done. 

 

Then we allowed our youngest daughter to have guinea pigs.   What you're daughter is not getting from Youtube is how badly they smell... and if she has allergies/asthma -it would be a real problem with the cage lining.   dd only had GP for about 3yrs - in that time we lost about 4 of them.  We never got babies, always rescue.   They were not particularly cuddly.  They would let us hold them, but you could tell they were not really enjoying themselves.  It's not the same as a dog or cat. 

 

We now have a bird.  It is my bird though.  They don't smell but their not cuddly either.

[poppy]

Cats are a lot easier than rodents, maintenance wise and care wise. And smell-wise.  Get her a cat.

[ChristusG]

I forgot to mention that we did do cats a few years ago.....and ended up rehoming after I found out I was horribly allergic.

 

I'm not fond of caged animals either but I had them growing up and I feel bad about hindering my daughter from that experience.

 

That being said, I might can turn her interest to a dwarf hamster. The question is.....can you actually hold them? Or is their main goal to get out of your hands and run away?

 

Oh, and we do intend to get another dog when our current old dog passes away. He's 14 now, diabetic....he probably doesn't have but another year or two. But kids are impatient :)

[ChristusG]

I forgot to mention that we did do cats a few years ago.....and ended up rehoming after I found out I was horribly allergic.

 

I'm not fond of caged animals either but I had them growing up and I feel bad about hindering my daughter from that experience.

 

That being said, I might can turn her interest to a dwarf hamster. The question is.....can you actually hold them? Or is their main goal to get out of your hands and run away?

 

Oh, and we do intend to get another dog when our current old dog passes away. He's 14 now, diabetic....he probably doesn't have but another year or two. But kids are impatient :)

[Alicia64]

I'm not sure you want my advice because I am a big animal lover, but coming from rescue we always told parents to expect to do 3/4 of the work. If the parent wasn't staying fully involved the animal could go days without water, food, cleaning etc. That's not right.

 

So, we finally got my kids a cat -- who'd been begging -- and they are required to play with him a lot each day. I make sure it happens. He's only a year old and very playful. But I feed, do the catbox etc. At some point I'll have them feed, but it'll still be with supervision because I don't want the cat over- or underfed.

 

We also have a large, young dog. My husband and I always wanted a German shepherd and the time had come so we don't mind plowing the work into him. But the kids love him.

 

The kids, however, LOVE the cat. Love, love, love the cat (I did see that you're allergic; I'm just pointing out that kids can maintain interest in an animal and it sounds like your daughter is really interested). I think a relatively easy animal is a great part of childhood. As long as the parent is willing to really watch out for the animal's well being.

 

I'd also look into the Chinese dwarf hamster someone mentioned. That sounds interesting.

 

Alley

[texasmama]

I forgot to mention that we did do cats a few years ago.....and ended up rehoming after I found out I was horribly allergic.

 

I'm not fond of caged animals either but I had them growing up and I feel bad about hindering my daughter from that experience.

 

That being said, I might can turn her interest to a dwarf hamster. The question is.....can you actually hold them? Or is their main goal to get out of your hands and run away?

 

Oh, and we do intend to get another dog when our current old dog passes away. He's 14 now, diabetic....he probably doesn't have but another year or two. But kids are impatient :)

Chinese dwarfs are sweet and will let you hold and pet them. Females stink less. Just get one because they do better. Ours is a year and a half old and just turned eight year old dd can manage her just fine. They are cheap to keep. They are nocturnal so we don't keep her in the bedroom. I change the cage about once a month. The cage doesn't get stinky quickly. The more you handle them the friendlier they get.

[Loowit]

I wouldn't get a pet unless you are ready to take over care or take up constant reminding if interest is lost.  My niece has had multiple guinea pigs and other rodents and my sister is the one who ends up caring for them.

 

We have fish.  They are not cuddly, but the are non-allergenic.  My youngest is highly allergic to cats and dogs, and I suspect would not do well with other furry animals in our house.  For the first year or so the kids were good about cleaning the tank and taking care of their fish, but their interest has waned and yet the fish still need to be cared for.  It is a bit of a battle each week to get someone to do it.  The fish are slowing dieing out and we won't be replacing them.

[ChristusG]

I don't mind doing daily reminding about the pet. I'd always question DD about whether the crabs were taken care of.

 

Hmmmm..... I may try to steer DD subtly over towards a dwarf hamster lol.

[Guest]

No.

 

Pets aren't toys and there are valid reasons why not everybody should own one.

 

I tell little ds, "We don't need a whole cat/dog." because people go on vacation and need pet sitters. Mammals should be socialized with other humans as well as their owners, so he gets plenty of opportunities to interact with animals in ways that are helpful and healthy for the animals as well as fun for the child.

 

I learned this the hard way with my olders and it's kind of a soapbox issue of mine, so I'd better stop now. I don't hate puppies and rainbows, but I don't need to own either of them to enjoy their existence and I'd rather spend my limited time, money, and resources on my child right now.

[Berta]

I love animals and have had just about everything you can imagine, and more. My parents had a permit from the state to raise distressed wildlife when I was a child, so we have had just about everything.

 

I would go for another dog instead of anything like guinea pigs or hamsters. We have had a bunch of those and the maintenance is more than I liked. If you weren't allergic I would have suggested a cat. You already have a dog, so you know what kind of maintenance to expect. And, you get the addition of cuddles and puppy breath!

[LibraryLover]

NM. I missed you were allergic to cats.

[SKL]

My kids get their critter fix by hanging out with my sister's dogs, watching the deer in the backyard, and going riding once a week.  ;)  The only reason I'd hesitate saying "no" is that it sounds like you already kind of said "maybe."

[Mrs Mungo]

That being said, I might can turn her interest to a dwarf hamster. The question is.....can you actually hold them? Or is their main goal to get out of your hands and run away?

 

My dd's would walk out of the cage into her hand. But, they do have to be handled regularly to get to that point.

[Word Nerd]

I think it helps teach kids to be responsible, but in my experience they still tend to underestimate the amount of work it will require—no matter how easy to care for the pet is—and view pet ownership through rose-colored glasses.

[Amy in NH]

Despite being a rabid animal lover, I wasn't allowed to have ANY pets as a child.  I was a socially awkward and lonely child, and in hindsight I think a pet would have been good for me.  My mother always said I could have any pet I wanted when I grew up.  Since I moved out of her house, I've had fish, cats, a dog, and chickens.  My kids have had hamsters, guinea pigs, and sheep.  Now Mom complains about our expense and time with our own animals, which I find very annoying. 

 

My 8yo dd had not had her own animal project until this summer.  She had asked for a rabbit for two years, did a bunch of reading on her own to become educated about the tasks involved, and we got her a rabbit for her birthday in August.  The rabbit is in a 3 story condo in the playroom.  Dd takes care of her rabbit during our daily animal chore time.  She does 90% of the care herself.  She isn't quite strong enough to carry the full litterbox outside to dump it, and she can't lift the full bags of wood pellets (every 2 months) and rabbit food (once so far) into the storage bins next to the cage.  She also needs help flipping the automatic waterer (every 2-3 days) so that it doesn't spill everywhere.  But she does all the feeding, brushing, playing, and cleaning the cage.

 

If your dd has been asking for two years, this need to care for something obviously isn't a passing phase.  She's proven that she can care for an animal (crab), and educated herself on her choice.  I think that shows responsibility, which should be rewarded. 

 

If you want her to be successful taking care of an animal on her own:

1.  Set up the animal and supplies in a manner that makes them easily accessible to her.

2.  Set aside a chore time and announce it ("time for animal chores!") each day so that it becomes a habit.

 

When we had guinea pigs, we built a C&C cage and kept them in the house.  Ours weren't as friendly as some that we've seen (two friends have had very friendly piggies) because they had each other, but we could still pat them and play with them.  We used fleece on the bottom of the cage, and only changed it a couple of times per week.  You may be successful with a small litter box like this.  We got a cheap litter box at Walmart and made the screen out of hardware cloth and electrical tape.  Wood pellets under the screen to collect the urine + dumping the pellets off the screen into the trashcan each day = no odors.  We set up the feeder to hang from the side of the cage on the inside of the litter box because they are more likely to poop while they're eating.  Our piggies liked the fresh vegetable peelings from our meals.  We made them hidey bags and corner hammocks and had all kinds of fun with them.  They really don't have to be that much work...

 

Guinea pigs only live for a few years.

 

The hamsters we had weren't cuddly at all. 

[Berta]

Although not really cuddly, chickens are awesome as pets, pretty low maintenance and the entertainment value of watching is priceless. And.. they make you breakfast!

[texasmama]

Not to hijack...but why a Chinese Dwarf Hamster? Why do you prefer them over a Syrian Hamster?

They are small, gentle and slower moving than some other breeds. They were recommended to us by a friend, and it has all proved true. Great pet for kids 6 and up, IMO ours tolerates being wrapped in a tissue and held in dd's hand. She seems to enjoy this, kind of like being swaddled. They may nibble at first while they are being socialized to people, but they are very sweet. We had two, and they lived together happily for a year until one bit a hunk out of the other so we separated them. One passed on after about a year and a half. The remaining one will be at least two in March because that is when we got them.

[Matryoshka]

Although not really cuddly, chickens are awesome as pets, pretty low maintenance and the entertainment value of watching is priceless. And.. they make you breakfast!

 

I'm telling you - they can be cuddly!  My kids used to always beg to go over to their friend's house to snuggle the chickens. They'd wander about the yard carrying the chickens all about.  Their friend used to watch TV with a chicken on his lap...

 

My kids are actually begging me for chickens at the moment partly for this reason.  I'd have relented already, but we've got a lot of predators and I'd need to build a big, impregnable chicken run first. 

[City Mouse]

With your other allergy issues, I would suggest being cautious about Guinea Pigs. I grew up in a house with lots of animals, including guinea pigs. I am now highly allergic to them. The last time I touched one and the touched my face i thought i was going to have to go to the ER. I have not had trouble with any other rodents yet, but we don't have rodEnt pets for that reason.

 

I actually think the snake idea is good. Once, I worked in a school district where they had a program where teachers could check out animals for the classroom. I found out I don't like taking care of birds and took it back early. The animals I liked best were the reptiles. The big downside to snakes for me was how long they can live. I did not want a pet that I am going to have to arrange custody for in my will. :-)

[MIch elle]

NO, don't do it. 

 

Our guinea pig was not all that cuddly.  It lived WAY longer than we expected.  My sister has cats, & a dog and she was highly allergic to our guinea pig. Hamsters are nocturnal animals - they sleep all day and don't want you to bother them.  We had one of those too but it only lived a couple of years.

 

We love our 2 terriers.

[Barbara H]

Ditton to the concern with allergies. If you are allergic to cats, I'd tread very carefully with getting a guinea pig. A lot of people are allergic to guinea pigs or develop allergies if they live with them. I had guinea pigs as a kid and I love them but I am very allergic to them now.

[GreenKitty]

No, I vote not to get another pet.

 

She can start taking care of the dog, pick up the poop, feed & water, brush, take it on walks and whatever else is necessary. Let the dog sleep in her room at night.

 

My kids said our dog wasn't theirs'. So, I made it be theirs. I have nothing to do with it. They do it all, including grooming now! Thank goodness too, I couldn't get anything done with it following me around all day!

[Terabith]

Honestly, I would find out if you are allergic to it, but given her long standing interest, I do think it would be kinda rotten to not let her get a guinea pig....

[TeachingTwins]

We got my kids two guinea pigs for their birthday this summer.  The kids do most of the work to take care of them.  I do help them change the bedding once a week, and wash the fleece.  We have a C&C cage with fleece flippers and a small area of wood shavings and Carefresh bedding.  They do poop a lot, and that has to be spot cleaned daily.  It's not too messy since you can just pick it up with a scoop.  I was actually surprised by how little they smell.  The kids hold them a lot, and they seem to enjoy getting petted.  They are pretty cute, and are fun to watch.

[Χά�ων]

Other pets that I can put up with are oddly, chickens - much less work than I thought and if you handle them from chick-hood, they are actually snuggly.  Their coops need to be cleaned, but not constantly and it's outside.

 

I agree with chickens. DS loves his birds

[Just Kate]

My thoughts...

 

We also have a dog who is older than our kiddos and 9 year old ds is a big time animal lover. He had already had fish and hermit crabs and was begging for something he could cuddle. I was considering a guinea pig. But when I started to research, I learned that dumbo rats ate actually great pets for kids! So last year on Christmas morning, ds woke up to two dumbo rats under the tree.

 

One year later, I'm still pleased with my choice. Ds has not lost interest at all. I do have to remind him to clean the cage, but I'm okay with that. The rats are sociable and they like to cuddle. They are supposedly easy to train, but ds prefers to just play with them. They are stinky, but not nearly as stinky as guinea pigs. We currently have ds's class pet home for the weekend and dh and I were both commenting that the pig smells way worse than the rats.

 

And yes, rats have long tails. But if you get dumbo rats they also have big ears. They are cute.

 

So my vote is to keep researching. :)

[Lizzie in Ma]

Well, no.  But if the info helps....

DD got two of them when she was 10.  We always bought a bale of alfalfa hay for bedding, cheap, lasts a long time and smells nice if it's changed once a week.  They beed a pen a LOT bigger than the ones they typically sell for them.

Lay down newspaper, add hay.  When it's time to clean it, just roll of the whole shebang and put it in a trash bag.

They are sweet and can be quite cuddly.  She would need to learn to clip it's nails.  We gave ours just pellets and the fresh alfalfa from the bale.  Treats were a small piece of carrot or apple, that's it.   They don't need a lot of care per se.

I did have to nag to get her to clean up and I hate that but that's a 10 year old for you.  They ALWAYS say they will take care of it.   Her extra chore to earn the money to pay for what it needed was to clean the entire bathroom weekly.

It died over the summer and then nothing would do but that she needed a bunny.  I caved.  It's for therapy, she struggles with depression and anxiety and she seriously asks for nothing. 

I expect that I will have to take care of it to some extent, that's just the way it is sometimes.  Some days she can't even get out of bed so I give her a lot of grace with chores and other physical things.

I do think pets are good for kids and if you can handle it, I would opt to let her have it.  But it won't make you horrible if you don't let her get one.

 

[Murphy101]

I wouldn't say you are horrible... But... ;)

 

I would have never even encouraged her to look at other pets unless I was open to it. It just seems mean to do that unless you are actually willing to get a pet. If you aren't, say so bluntly and be done with it.

 

And though I know a let is not a requirement and for many early years of our child raising we didn't have pets for other reasons, as soon as we could have pets, we did. We both strongly believe that pets are very important. Not just for kids, but people in general.

 

Guinea pigs can be a lot of daily maintence. We loved ours, but when they died their natural death, we didn't get more.

Looking back, we liked the indoor rabbit more than the guinea pigs and there isn't much difference in set up.

[Matryoshka]

Looking back, we liked the indoor rabbit more than the guinea pigs and there isn't much difference in set up.

 

If I ever were somehow forced to choose between a bunny and a guinea pig, I think I'd take the bunny, as they can be litter trained and free-roam around your house.  I previously mentioned my aversion to caged pets. ;)

 

I do hear the bunnies can be destructive with chewing (like on cords),  but maybe there's a way to minimize that?  A bunny-safe area?

[Murphy101]

Really any new pet is likely to chew things. Even cats do that.

 

General baby rules of keeping cords off the floor or otherwise out of reach usually suffice. We didn't have much of a problem with that.

 

Our mini Rex bunny was mean to our cats and kind of spazzed when the parakeets were out, but otherwise was no problem. If I could do it over, I'd not have gone for a mini Rex, but a much larger bunny.

[celticmom]

We have two sugar gliders. They are pretty cuddly but somewhat expensive. They also have a relatively long lifespan. You might consider that good or bad depending.

[Mommy22alyns]

I don't think you'd be horrible at all.  The girls would be over the moon for any kind of pet, but it's just not something I can take on.  Plus, 3/4 of us are allergic, I'm sensitive to smells, and we rent a very small place.  I just have to kindly tell them no... a lot.  I think it's actually a good thing that you know you couldn't handle it.

[Hoot]

This.

 

I wouldn't say you are horrible... But... ;)

 

I would have never even encouraged her to look at other pets unless I was open to it. It just seems mean to do that unless you are actually willing to get a pet. If you aren't, say so bluntly and be done with it.

 

And though I know a let is not a requirement and for many early years of our child raising we didn't have pets for other reasons, as soon as we could have pets, we did. We both strongly believe that pets are very important. Not just for kids, but people in general.

 

Guinea pigs can be a lot of daily maintence. We loved ours, but when they died their natural death, we didn't get more.

Looking back, we liked the indoor rabbit more than the guinea pigs and there isn't much difference in set up.

[ktgrok]

You might be allergic to guinea pigs also, you need to make sure. 

 

How about a cat? Seriously, a cat is way less work than a guinea pig. 

[Zebra]

I've had cats and I've had guinea pigs.   I love cats, but am super allergic and can't have them.  I'm not allergic to guinea pigs.  Guinea pigs do not hang from your curtains or jump on your face in the middle of the night.  They are far less work than a cat, and to some extent you can control WHEN you take care of them.   Their cage can smell, and obviously they are some work.   But, I find guinea pigs much easier than cats. 

 

That being said, if you simply can't handle having a pet, (that ultimately YOU will be responsible for) you need to just tell your dd "no" and not feel guilty about it.

[Splash]

We did guinea pigs for kids. They were sweet, fun and stinky. Problem we found is we were really allergic to the hay and feeding them was horrible for our allergies. Traded guinea pigs for small dog, cuddly, lapdog. Definitely a good trade in my opinion. We do have a large older dog but he's not cuddly and type to spend time with kids, he's my shadow. Rosie has been very loved addition for kids. Glad I didn't wait for Splash to die before getting her.

 

Other animals we've had (brother owned a pet store and i was trying to be supportive) hamsters who always managed to get out of cage, fish, and bearded dragons. My boys loved their bearded dragons. Oh and barn cats.

 

Good luck deciding. We do have a rule at my house though, no live animals for Christmas, though Rosie came for Thanksgiving.