Pet for 2 year old

[yesjenks]

Hello All,

We want a pet (besides fish) for our 2 year old daughter and want to know what pets you have. We can't get a dog because our landlord wont let.

We rabbit sat for a friend a little while ago and my daughter loved him! However, he would nip at her occasionally.

Ideally we're looking for a pet that my daughter can play with (she's gentle and is beginning to understand boundaries) that we could train not to poo in the house and not nip/bite.

Any ideas?

PS I don't like cats.

 

[albano]

that we could train not to poo in the house and not nip/bite.

impossible...have you heard of the 'build a bear' store?
IMO...2 is too young for a live pet

 

[yesjenks]

impossible...have you heard of the 'build a bear' store?
IMO...2 is too young for a live pet

At what age do you think a child is old enough for a live pet?

 

[Geraud]

For some kids... never (my parents have 5 cats from always "inheriting" from my sister's cats).

Otherwise, I would say 4-5 year old. If you want her to take care of the pet completely, aka clean the poo rather than just feed, then a bit 5-6.

 

[Gabe]

We had a pug, that took a beating from my daughters when they were 3 and 5 respectively. I'll say 2 is too small. Toddlers have the tendency to put everything in their mouths. So really think about it, before you put the welfare of both pet and a precious baby at risk. I'll say wait for 2 to 3 more years and go for a chinchilla or something like it... Hope this helps.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Chinchillas poop all over the place, or at least the one i use to have did :lol2:

 

[Gabe]

Chinchillas poop all over the place, or at least the one i use to have did :lol2:

That's funny.

 

[Koolaidreef]

A baby rabbit should do. I was in love with them and still am since I was a kid ( well lets say young kid, since I still am). They were very gentle and even breeded and I had ten total then.

 

[duke62]

Rabbits are dirty creatures. Stay away from them. Unless you have outside pen area

 

[albano]

Rabbits are dirty creatures. Stay away from them. Unless you have outside pen area

+1...and they seem to go from a cute baby to full grown in days!

 

[Lenny718]

When she is a bit older try a guinea pig. Less likely to nip or bite like hamsters do and don't get as large as some rabbits do. Most larger pet stores will even give you a 14 day trial period to see if it works out or not. Also try petfinder.com because there are lots of animals besides dogs and cats that can use a good home. I would also have to agree with others that 2yrs is young to properly care for a animal.

 

[thirty6]

Id wait until your in a place that a dog is an option, lets be honest very few kids would are cleaning up after or walking a dog

Hermit crab, not exciting, migh be an inexpensive option

 

[Tonyscoots84]

My sister had a rabbit in a cage and let me tell you they stink really bad. And agree they go from small to huge really fast and should be outdoors. To alleviate the smell you would need to clean the cage once a day.

 

[Koolaidreef]

I should have mentioned we kept the rabbits outside in a custom cage/pen

 

[yesjenks]

Thanks for all your feedback!

I'm not crazy about rabbits. When we sat for our friends I was cleaning the cage twice a day.

It would be nice to get a pet know but it just doesn't seem realistic. I guess we'll have to wait until we can buy a dog.

Thanks again for all your input!

 

[Geraud]

Something to consider though... unless the kid asks for it and is ready to do the work involved in keeping a pet, offering an animal to a child is not a good idea.

 

[rcharliesam]

Parakeet? Something that can quickly move away (or even better not be caught by) from a 2yo. I have a 3 year old and there is no chance that I would trust her with an animal other than larger dog or cat. Kids can be unintentionally rough and their behavior can easily harm or kill a small rodent type pet.

 

[yesjenks]

Thanks for all your feedback!

I realize I wasn't clear in my OP. The responsibilities of the pet never would have been my daughter's responsibility. The idea was a "house pet" that would have been compatible with my daughter.

I decided (with all your help) that I'm going to wait until we can buy a dog.