Best First Pets for Children

When you adopt your child his first pet, you are making a careful, considerate decision to teach him the virtues of responsibility and compassion, so it is not a decision to take lightly. If you buy your child a pet that he is not equipped to care for, you teach him that life is disposable and that responsibility is unimportant. However, if you adopt your child a pet that he can care for and take pride in, you show him how wonderful it feels to be responsible for the well being of someone else.

There are many very poor choices for first pets, but this list offers suggestions for the best options. Although these pets are hardier and more child-proof than some other species, they still require care and attention, and should not be treated as throw-away toys.

Hamsters

When it comes to pets that are easy and inexpensive to care for, hamsters are an excellent choice. Although they do require some dedicated attention, including cage-cleaning, the purchase of chew toys, and fresh vegetables in the diet, these are care-providing activities that even young children can participate in. Hamsters can also be hardy and forgiving of moderately poor conditions.

Children enjoy watching the playful antics of hamsters as they run on wheels, roll around the house in hamster balls, and carry food in their jaw-pouches. Hamsters are generally less likely than other rodents to bite, and can even become affectionate with their little owners. Of course, avoid keeping male and female hamsters together, or this first pet will become one of dozens or hundreds, within weeks.

Guppies

If your child is interested in watching the miracle of life unfold, guppies are a much better option as first pets. Guppies breed readily and have quaint, dance-like courtship rituals that are much more beautiful and much less blush-inducing than the actions of two rodents in the process of mating. Click here to read about using guppies as a model for teaching the facts of life.

Compared to some other aquatic critters like goldfish, guppies are generally very hardy, and can thrive in a small fish tank, provided it is kept well-filtered and that its owners practice basic aquarium care. A child can assist with water changes, decorating the tank, and feeding the guppies, and will be especially delighted if and when new fry enter the aquatic family.

Bettas

Because they are so hardy by comparison, bettas have replaced the goldfish in most homes. Unlike goldfish, Siamese fighting fish can thrive in relatively poor conditions, and they are one of the only fish that can live a healthy, long life in a five-gallon or smaller aquarium. Owing to their lung-like labyrinth organs, bettas do not even require a filter to thrive, if the water is changed frequently or occasionally.

The betta's hardiness makes it much less likely to break the heart of your little one than a high-maintenance or fragile fish, and it is much more forgiving of being over-fed or under-spaced than many others. Still, the child and parent should be sure that the aquarium, no matter how small or large, be kept in decent condition.

Clawed Frogs

Another aquatic critter that is forgiving of poor conditions the the dwarf African clawed frog, a very small pet that can thrive in captivity much better than average amphibians or reptiles. A group of clawed frogs can live in a small, well-oxygenated tank for years, and will delight children with its underwater "bouncing".

Make no mistake, though: clawed frogs can not survive outside of water, as their skin is designed for constant contact with extreme moisture. Though aquatic pets are hardier and easier to care for than their terrestrial alternatives, they are by default less snugly and affectionate than mammals and birds.

If you decide to get your child a first pet, do so with sympathy and understanding. The best way to teach your child the ethical considerations of being a responsible pet owner is to lead by example. When your child sees you treat his first pet with respect and responsibility, he will be inclined to do the same.