Good pets for children?

[Kw6123]

My dad is wanting to buy a pet for my daughter who is 5. I am not so keen on the idea of a hamster as they always seem to smell. Everything online says that gerbils are great for young children as they are very sociable and friendly, less likely to bite than a hamster and love being held. However, I then came a small pet forum where several comments say gerbils are not good for children as they move too quickly to be held. My daughter is a very sensible and mature 5 year old but would she be likely to struggle to handle gerbils?

[LilyandDaisy]

I think a lot depends on you and your daughter's expectations from a pet. If she wants a pet to stroke and cuddle, gerbils are not a good option. They are on the go all the time and have no time for being stroked, especially when young. Handling them is often a matter of trying to manage them and prevent them running off. They'll run from one hand to another, then up to your shoulder and down your back, and you really have to be reacting to their every move, or they'll be down the back of the sofa or on the floor before you know it. When young children visit and want to handle my gerbils I usually let them hold them in two cupped hands over their lap. Most children find the feeling of claws on hands unnerving and just want to stroke them, so then I pick the more docile gerbil and hold her for the child to stroke for a minute (no more than that, since gerbils don't really enjoy being stroked by children). Under supervision, a 5 year old can handle gerbils, but they would mostly be watch only pets. If your daughter would understand and be happy with this, gerbils could certainly make good family pets (never a young child's own pet).

I have experience with Roborovski and Syrian hamsters, and can say that when they are kept in suitable cages with plenty of bedding, the smell can be minimised. Syrian hamsters wee a lot and because of this can smell. When kept in a suitable size cage of around 80x50cm with several inches of bedding, you can just remove wet areas of bedding every couple of days, only doing a full clean every month or even less often. Syrian hamsters are large and therefore easier for a child to handle, however some can be nervous, like any animal. If you want a really tame hamster, it's best to go to a breeder, and this is true for gerbils too. Hamsters are obviously nocturnal, and often don't come out until late evening, when a young child will be in bed, so that's another disadvantage. Gerbils are awake on and off throughout the day, but most active in the evening.

Gerbils are social and need companionship so shouldn't be kept alone, however groups of 3 or more are more prone to falling out. Pairs are the best way of keeping gerbils.

[Rockstar Gerbil Clan]

No.

I don’t recommend gerbils for anyone under the age of 10. They’re small, fast, never stop moving and are easily dropped. Once dropped it’s hard to catch them again. At this age it would be “mommy’s gerbils” and the child gets to feed them occasionally.

[Rockstar Gerbil Clan]

I would maybe consider a pair of rats as a better option. Much more chill and cuddly.

[thejettgerbil]

I had gerbils when I was 8, and I was a little disappointed. I wanted a pet to cuddle, but gerbils are simply not that pet. They are definitely good pets to look at and watch, and they are entertaining little fuzz balls- but at 5 I think a child may get quickly bored with a pair of gerbils.

I agree with rats if your child can be careful with them, but one thing that I would worry about is the amount of attention they should receive. About an hour a day is best for them- free range, in a pen, just out of their cage.

Gerbils would be a good pet if you could wait a few years- maybe until your daughter is eight or nine and she knows what to expect with them.

[Lysandra]

To mention yet another rodent, I actually used to have pet mice, and I've had robo hamsters and syrians alike, but the mice they were awesome and I had them when I was around 6 I think, and they were always very sweet in my experience, and they seemed to be okay with being handled, they definitely had cute personalities, they're like mini rats honestly, perhaps not as smart, but they were cute and docile and entertaining and I don't recall there being much of a smell and they definitely don't run as fast as gerbils... that being said, it's suggested that they be kept in a glass enclosure like an aquarium because they can squeeze through small spaces... 

[teambenji543]

Gerbils tend to squirm around a lot, and a five year olds hands might drop a small pet. I agree rats are a great option or a guinea pig. I have two and they are entertaining as well as larger and more cuddly then a gerbil.

[betty]

For cuddles - yes, supervised rats and guinea pigs are much better. Give a piggy a blanket on a lap and some greens and you can stroke them till the cows come home - just the odd head push and squeak!

Doops are often seen just pancaking out on young kids - but they can be very individual and not ever doop will sit still - so going for an older one that is already known to be tame might be the only option there.

Gerbils are better for watching really with young uns - or sitting still in a run or bath tub and being run all over. The whole tail-slip thing is always a concern when youngsters try to 'catch' them when out.

[jewels1171]

Gerbils are a really cool pet for a child older than 5. My little 2 year old cousin came in my room twice, and had dumped everything out all over my carpet, and terrorized Oakley, and the second time he bit her, leaving a crime seen of blood in my room, yet Emma didn’t make a peep until she got caught.