Mice.. some questions! good pets for kids?

[Maxy24]

I find reptiles SO boring. My little cousin loves watching me feed the leopard gecko though, he thinks it's cool. I don't know, all my gerbils have been great, I'm itching for more but I can't in the dorm. I actually had a dream last night that I had some.

I don't like the ones at Petco/Petsmart though (at least not here). They often have them in singles and they don't look well handled. I buy them from a local store that breeds them, they don't appear to over breed, they usually have two tanks with babies in them (not ready for sale) and it's not just gerbils at the store, they have all kinds of hamsters. If you go to an actual breeder who has them in their home it'd be even better as far as handleability goes.

I don't like gerbils, because when I was young we had two female gerbils as a class pet, and the one at the face out of the other (they were sisters). It was very gory and there was blood ALL over the cage. Kinda scarred me for life

That's really odd, usually if they've lived together all their life they are fine. I've never heard of something like this unless the tank is way too big and they declan. That must have been terrible to see as a child. Mine did start to eat her sister but I decided she had died naturally because there was no blood anywhere in the tank and they were both three years old, it was kinda time.

 

[Brattina88]

That's really odd, usually if they've lived together all their life they are fine. I've never heard of something like this unless the tank is way too big and they declan. That must have been terrible to see as a child. Mine did start to eat her sister but I decided she had died naturally because there was no blood anywhere in the tank and they were both three years old, it was kinda time.

Well, I'm glad to hear that's not the norm. I wish that helped how I feel about them! Litterally, when I see them now (kind of embarassing to say as a full grown adult lol) I cringe and get all freaked out. Goosebumps and eyes will water and everything. I'm fine pet store, I really don't go down that aisle or look at them, really... but I was taking an ECE class 1st semester of college, and another student brought two in (I don't even remember why) and it freaked me out so bad... I think I left class early...

I would really like to learn to ... not be scared of them. But I don't know anyone who has a nice one

I know that sounds ridiculous. Especially since I like rats

 

[k9krazee]

I had a gecko, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters and mice as a kid (not all at once), and I think the best option for your niece, in my experience, would be mice.

The Tokay Gecko was not handle-able and was a money sink. It seemed like she always needed more crickets or pinkies or a light was burnt out. I'm too frugal to have a pet that I can only feed and not play with

The guinea pigs were fun, but they were stinky and ate a lot of food. They need a large area to live in and need to get out a lot. They weren't too exciting to watch, because they were pretty lazy. They didn't run on wheels or run around in balls either (not good for their backs). But they were easy to cuddle with and usually just sat nice when you were holding them. They were able to run around in the room on the floor because I wasn't worried about them escaping. They make a ton of fun noises too and mine were genuinely interested in people and would come running if you talked to them, which made them a fun interactive pet.

The hamsters were less people-oriented and bit me more often than the other guys. I wouldn't recommend rats, as they do need a lot more interaction and day to day handling.

I think mice are a good idea for a child. I loved my mice. They are little, not too messy, don't eat a lot and are easy to care for. I loved making obstacle courses for them and letting them run all over my arms. They are very active, which makes holding one rather difficult. And if they get away they can get into your walls, etc. But they aren't as dependent on people and can be entertained by themselves for the most part. I had two sets of mice, I think I bought them from Meijer (*gasp*) and they were skittish at first but NEVER bit. The first time I got a male and a female (which I didn't know at the time) and the female ate the male the first night home. That was a little traumatic. My second set of mice were two females, I believe, and they lived a peaceful coexistence. Each of them (well besides poor Yogi who was eaten) lived a year or two. That cage that you posted would work fine, as long as the bars are close enough that they couldn't squeeze out. They definitely need a wheel and I always used a hamster ball with mine too.

 

[smkie]

My son carried an imaginary mouse that he would take out and play with and put back in his pocket when he was 3 and 4. at 5 i got him his own first mouse, a beautiful tan creature with delicate features. He knew the rules, and was in charge (with supervision) of feeding watering and cleaning. His mouse lived for 3 and a half years. I was able to get some fun artwork out of the experience and great memories as well.

 

[Romy]

Please don't get a reptile without a ton of research. Most of them do tons of hiding anyway, and the more common/beginner ones DO like to get out of their enclosures regularly.

Bearded dragons, uromastyx, iguanas, corn snakes, pythons and boas, geckos, ALL like getting out. And believe it or not, a regularly handled reptile is very social as well. An animal that isn't social with humans probably shouldn't be kept as a pet anyway, because that means they are stressed out by your presence. Not a very good quality of life if you aren't willing to make an effort to help them overcome that.

The only ones I can think of that universally hate handling are chameleons (very delicate), and most of the amphibians (handling damages their skin), and some of the rarer, more delicate snakes and lizards.

 

[Southpaw]

Something to consider is that a lot of these animals are nocturnal. So if she wants something mostly just to watch, then she might end up just watching them sleep. Which isn't very exciting lol. Of course if she takes them out of the cage, they'll wake up and be more active but that's the downside of pocket pets for kids.... they just aren't awake at the same time most children are. It's 10pm and my rats have -just- woken up for the evening.

Gerbils are diurnal but I don't know what they're like as pets. I think they're probably the only rodent that I've never interacted with.

Mice are okay but they're fast and small. For entertainment purposes I suppose they fit the bill, but I'm not a fan of handling them. The ones I've handled have been skittish (even with plenty of human contact) and difficult to hold.

I had hamsters as a kid and while I probably wouldn't own any in the future (after having rats, I can't go back to hamsters!), mine were friendly pets. My males were nicer and more docile than the female I had, but she was fine too. All of them were syrians. I don't think I'd get any of the dwarf species for a kid. They're easy to take care of and while human interaction is always important, they don't crave it too much. They like the run-about balls which is fun to watch too.

 

[Laurelin]

My favorite rodents other than Scout of course have been my Syrian hamsters. I adored them all and they were all very easy to handle.

I think you should get her fish though. I think they're the best small pets to watch.

 

[Romy]

An amphibian may be a good choice too, if she likes those types of animals. Axolotls are extremely cute (they smile! lol) and have pretty simple care compared to a lot of other tank critters. No heated water. They can eat a wide variety of foods, both commercially prepared and natural. Plus they come in pink!

 

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

Romy - those things look way cool. What kind of a tank size do you need for one of those?

Another recommendation I have (besides the rodent angle) is birds.

Parakeets are sweet little guys but they really do need out-of-cage time, unless you have a ginormous cage.

If she's looking for something to just watch and not interact with, then possibly finches or canaries? Finches are really interesting to watch, they have a very flock-like mentality, it's fun to watch them interact with each other and stuff. They do need a decent sized cage (bigger is better with birds), but they don't really cost that much financially.

 

[Maxy24]

If she does get a bird though make sure they stop using any non-stick pans. My cousin got a parakeet and died suddenly after like a week, they are pretty sure that's what killed him.

 

[MaloreyAnimal]

If they got mice, just know males can't be kept together. And most of the other rodent-type animals need companionship...

 

[Punkygirl0101]

I have kept mice for years! I would recommend a
20 gallon tank and a couple female mice. I have never noticed any kind of smell with females, but males smell absolutely horrible!! And they mark everything in the cage! I always handled mine, but they were never very hand tame anyway!

Dont use pine or cedar shavings.

As for food, I fed mine Mazuri rat/mouse blocks supplemented with a homemade grain mix I feed my rats anyway.

If housed in a tank (which i recommend! A 10 gallon would be fine for a single male, but i would personally use a 20 gallon for 2 females.) it needs to be cleaned weakly so there is no ammonia build up.

BUT i think a Syrian hamster would be better. I have had them since I was 5, ive never been bitten by them. They are easier to handle and get a good grip off, they are so fun to watch and mine have always been very friendly.

 

[mwood322]

Another vote for mice. And another person advocating NOT getting whatever animal from a chain pet store. This could be related to a dwarf hamster jumping 6 inches straight up to latch onto my thumb this morning.

I had a mouse around 5th grade, and it was the most handleable of my small furry critters. I had gerbils at the same time and found them much harder to handle. Mice will sit still, whereas I never really got the gerbils to do that at all.

I don't recommend hamsters at all, maybe a breeder might have luck with nicer hamsters, but in my experience they bite. I also wouldn't go up to a rat, rabbit, or guinea pig. They require bigger caging, and realistically live a little too long for a first pet.

I'd avoid any fish, bird or reptile as also lots of work and a very long commitment. Most of the beginner handleable reptiles live at least 10 years with proper care, and like time out exploring. Fish is a bit too much work for any child and most people heavily screw it up anyway. Birds also have a significant lifespan if properly cared for, and I find them inappropriate for children. They can be delicate and really all require large cages.

I kept my mouse in a habitrail hamster cage. It got out twice. Once it woke me up late at night crawling on my neck, and once it walked out of my bedroom. Both were due to me not securing the cage. It was extremely tame. I got it fro my 5th grade classroom, we'd convinced the teacher to get a class pet,a dn ended up with a pregnant mouse and to pregnant gerbils. The result were a number of very handleable mice, and me ending up with some old breeder gerbils.

--Mia

 

[Samantha's pet]

I haven't read the whole thread but I will always recommend gerbils! They are very social, friendly, and adorable. The only downside is that they are big chewers! Some people have trouble keeping them in the neat containers with tubes and such. Sometimes they do okay as long as they have plenty of things to chew on, sometimes they will chew on the plastic no matter what. They are best in a metal cage.

Mice are good, too. Hamsters are generally less social and even mean. I can only rave about rats and gerbils b/c they are the only rodents I have ever owned. Rats can be more expensive to own b/c they require much more space and as you go bigger with those habitats they get exponentially more expensive.

 

[setter-chick]

I vote mouse too!

We have 2 of them in our dorm room, we clean their cage ever week (they are in a little mouse cage thing) We got lavander scented bedding too, and a little air freshner. they need a cage, bedding, something to chew on, food, wheel, water bottle, and a toy! They are realllly easy! We take our out every day and they are super nice! I havent been bitten once! They are my first rodent and im really impressed! (Oh and def get 2 girls, and find a good person to help you pick which ones are the nicest, we got to hold bothof then before we bought them.)