Pets for teens

[Violette]

I'd also vote for rats! They are so intelligent and a lot of fun. Mine were very interested in being around me, sitting on my shoulder, etc. They much more of an interactive pet than hamsters or guinea pigs.

Rabbits are also great, but in my opinion larger breeds are the way to go. I breed Angoras and they are soooo different in temperament from the smaller Dwarfs. If you get a larger breed, they are much calmer and remind me of a dog. They are also more costly as it is really recommended to spay/neuter them (decreases chance of certain health problems and nixes hormonal problems).

What breed of Angoras do you raise? If they want to keep the pet in their room I wouldn't recommend an Angora as they require AT LEAST every other day brushing once their fiber grows out and need clipping every 3 months, they can get wool block if their diet isn't right or if they aren't brushed enough resulting in death for the poor rabbit. Angora fiber is 7 times warmer than sheep's wool so an Angora as a house bunny probably wouldn't be a great idea. We recently acquired an English Angora that was a house bunny and she had 5 large hotspots all over her body, they cleared up with treatment and she is much happier out where it is cooler. Perhaps a short haired rabbit like a Mini Rex? Or a Lop?

I have English Angoras. And very true, forgot to mention that Angoras require a lot of care so they are more suited to experienced rabbit owners. I have also raised a lot of Lionhead x Angora crosses and they have the size of the Angoras without the wool that requires upkeep. Lops and Lionheads are great.

 

[thekarens]

I'd also vote for rats! They are so intelligent and a lot of fun. Mine were very interested in being around me, sitting on my shoulder, etc. They much more of an interactive pet than hamsters or guinea pigs.

Rabbits are also great, but in my opinion larger breeds are the way to go. I breed Angoras and they are soooo different in temperament from the smaller Dwarfs. If you get a larger breed, they are much calmer and remind me of a dog. They are also more costly as it is really recommended to spay/neuter them (decreases chance of certain health problems and nixes hormonal problems).

What breed of Angoras do you raise? If they want to keep the pet in their room I wouldn't recommend an Angora as they require AT LEAST every other day brushing once their fiber grows out and need clipping every 3 months, they can get wool block if their diet isn't right or if they aren't brushed enough resulting in death for the poor rabbit. Angora fiber is 7 times warmer than sheep's wool so an Angora as a house bunny probably wouldn't be a great idea. We recently acquired an English Angora that was a house bunny and she had 5 large hotspots all over her body, they cleared up with treatment and she is much happier out where it is cooler. Perhaps a short haired rabbit like a Mini Rex? Or a Lop?

I have no intention of getting a rabbit, but I wondered about them doing better outside due to their thick fur. Most of the time my house is way cooler than outside here in the UTC, Texas.

 

[SilverSage]

Or a Netherlands dwarf? Have to admit those are my favorite rabbits! But I'm biased I had a house at who kept rats, they were fantastic pets. I have had friends with guinea pigs, and none of them were flightly except the ones who were never handled. I had a friend with a hamster, I want s hamster someday, but hers escaped into the house and was never seen again. I would also love a bearded dragon and a bs ale of some sort, but I i choose not to get a divorce

Can I just take a moment to say THANK YOU for looking into pets for your teens that have SHORT lifespans! Since most teens leave home for college or vocation at 18 or 19, it is refresing to see a parent who isn't rushing out to get them a pet with a 30-90 year lifespan.

I would also suggest that if you Ge them pets, get pets whose upkeep can be done enentirly by the kid who owns it, and that the kids can afford the upkeep, at least the day to day expenses. Great learning opportunity

 

[Sunset_Chaser]

{/QUOTE}I have no intention of getting a rabbit, but I wondered about them doing better outside due to their thick fur. Most of the time my house is way cooler than outside here in the UTC, Texas.[/QUOTE]

Karen: In your location they may do better inside

Or a Netherlands dwarf? Have to admit those are my favorite rabbits! But I'm biased

Dani: I have 3 Netherland Dwarfs! Fudge (Broken Chocolate Buck) Bluebell (Broken blue doe) and Delilah(black doe) The girls are pregnant, I'll be sure to post pictures for you when they have babies

 

[Betrisher]

Ahem. What about mice?

My kids and I kept fancy mice for about five years and I have to say they were the funniest, most absorbing pets I've ever kept (aside from my birds, of course). If you put the time into training them, mice can learn all sorts of tricks, like walking a tightrope, opening boxes, selecting items etc etc. One of the most satisfying things about keeping our mice was that we spent a huge amount of time making complicated living arrangements for them. The kids and I would spend Saturday mornings hot-gluing toilet paper tubes together to make labyrinths for the mice to hide in. We made condominiums out of cheese containers and suspension bridges out of slinky toys and all sorts of other things to keep our little guys busy. It was SO much fun!

The only reason we don't still have mice is that they do have a short lifespan and it got to be very hard on my son, who has autism and who was affected very deeply when the little guys passed away. The only thing you need to really worry about with rodents as pets is that they absolutely PONG! In my case, it wasn't a problem as I have no sense of smell. LOL! Visitors would delicately try to find ways to let me know my mice were stinky, but it didn't worry me one bit. You can try cleaning the cages daily, but when you do that it only stimulates the mice/rats etc (especially the males) to re-mark their territory all the more. I found cleaning every three or four days worked best.

Sigh. I miss my dear little mice. We had one fawn girl, Ruaridh (pron. 'Rory') who had the intellect of the western world! She figured out all on her own how to shinny up the boys' fishtank and let herself in! Guess who had the first litter of babies? Cecilia was a cranky, irascible girl and the only one who would bite occasionally. When her friend, Angela, had babies, Cecilia lactated and helped to raise them. Later on, another of our girls had a litter and naughty Cecilia kidnapped four of the kittens and raised them on her own. She was such a dear little mother, but she never had a litter of her own.

Sorry. I could go on and on about the virtues of fancy mice.

 

[RavensGryf]

Trish I loved reading that! I like to look at the mice at the pet store.. They're such cute little things. It sounds like if they're tame, you shouldn't fear them getting loose on the floor never to be seen again?

 

[Ann333]

Ahem. What about mice?

My kids and I kept fancy mice for about five years and I have to say they were the funniest, most absorbing pets I've ever kept (aside from my birds, of course). If you put the time into training them, mice can learn all sorts of tricks, like walking a tightrope, opening boxes, selecting items etc etc. One of the most satisfying things about keeping our mice was that we spent a huge amount of time making complicated living arrangements for them. The kids and I would spend Saturday mornings hot-gluing toilet paper tubes together to make labyrinths for the mice to hide in. We made condominiums out of cheese containers and suspension bridges out of slinky toys and all sorts of other things to keep our little guys busy. It was SO much fun!

The only reason we don't still have mice is that they do have a short lifespan and it got to be very hard on my son, who has autism and who was affected very deeply when the little guys passed away. The only thing you need to really worry about with rodents as pets is that they absolutely PONG! In my case, it wasn't a problem as I have no sense of smell. LOL! Visitors would delicately try to find ways to let me know my mice were stinky, but it didn't worry me one bit. You can try cleaning the cages daily, but when you do that it only stimulates the mice/rats etc (especially the males) to re-mark their territory all the more. I found cleaning every three or four days worked best.

Sigh. I miss my dear little mice. We had one fawn girl, Ruaridh (pron. 'Rory') who had the intellect of the western world! She figured out all on her own how to shinny up the boys' fishtank and let herself in! Guess who had the first litter of babies? Cecilia was a cranky, irascible girl and the only one who would bite occasionally. When her friend, Angela, had babies, Cecilia lactated and helped to raise them. Later on, another of our girls had a litter and naughty Cecilia kidnapped four of the kittens and raised them on her own. She was such a dear little mother, but she never had a litter of her own.

Sorry. I could go on and on about the virtues of fancy mice.

I'm so glad to meet people who appreciate the lives of even the smallest and shortest lived pets. I have a pet tarantula (actually lives about 20 uears) but most people think of pets like spiders or mice as pests. I believe all life should be respected. Not to sound like a hippy, I don't cry over flies, but you know what I mean. Lol

 

[flyingron]

My daughter raises/rescues guinea pigs. They may be a bit longer lived than the child's interests and do need a bit of attention that they may not always get. They also need a bit larger habitat than they might have room for in their bedrooms. I'd start with hamsters. My daughter went through a number of hamsters from the time she was about ten through college and then her and her husband switched to guinea pigs.

The pigs definitely give audible signs of stress vs. contentment. It doesn't take long to realize the happy noises from the bad noises.

 

[4dugnlee]

I went through all kinds of pets with my kids growing up...well I wanted the different pets too so we shared. We never had much luck with hamsters as they were always escaping but they were so adorable! Guinea pigs were cute and cuddly but needed their cages cleaned daily or else they smelled, but they were very vocal and sweet. Never had rats but I know they are supposed to be great pets. Turtles and frogs...boring..lol. I would HIGHLY recommend bearded dragons!! They are fairly easy to maintain and can be easily handled. They don't get huge like iguanas and have a much better temper than iguanas. I would get another beardie in a heartbeat...I'm hoping my granddaughters want one as I kept my beardie set up just in case. My daughters and I had parakeets way back when and they were awesome too. Of all our pets from their childhood the birds and bearded dragons were the ones I would want again. Possibly a guinea pig...but hubby says "no way!"..lol.

 

[Birdman666]

I agree aswell about ferrets. They can crush bones and are big carnivores. They are naughty and will chew things and hard to tame. Carfull before getting ferrets

Ferrets cannot crush human bones. Certainly they can bite hard enough to cause you to need stitches, but not crush your bones.

Agreed. They cannot. And in fact, the parrot is more likely to bite hard enough to require stitches. Ferret teeth are like needles... so it's more like a dozen little conure or lovebird bite holes...

But ferrets are difficult to get 100% tame (they really never are in my opinion), and they pretty much always can and will bite.

They also smell, and attract fleas like nothing else...

And if you have birds in the house, they will go after them incessantly... these are tenacious hunters.

 

[Birdman666]

What about a small dog? They are certainly old enough to take care of a small dog at that age.

 

[Birdman666]

Rats are quite smart.....gerbils are not bad...Ferrets are a bit of a mess, but my daughter had one named bandit....funny little guy he was. Like having a cat in a way.
Forget the house plants, little buggers can dig them up in a hurry. Missing anything? You'll find your watch, keys, and your other slipper or sock in it's Liar....under the couch. Ha ha ha.......

They have curious little hands...

Mine was WAY worse than a cat.

 

[JerseyWendy]

My son somehow talked me into these. VERY low maintenance...but not very cuddly. :54:





(NOTE: If I still had them, I'd never 'handle' them again for safety reasons)

 

[Emilymaggie]

Trish I loved reading that! I like to look at the mice at the pet store.. They're such cute little things. It sounds like if they're tame, you shouldn't fear them getting loose on the floor never to be seen again?

When I had rats, they knew how to get out of their cage easily. They wouldn't go far, and if I called them they would always come running back. Sometimes one of them would get out of her cage in the morning and come and find me. She would wake me up- Umm hello, breakfast time!

 

[Betrisher]

Wend-eeeee! The first thing we were taught when we studied the Arachnidae was 'Every spider can and will bite you, given enough provocation'. Since that lesson (it included the info about necrotising fasciitis, where an allergy to a protein in the spider's venom causes your flesh to 'die'), I've been QUITE RELUCTANT to handle dear little spidies.

Don't get me wrong: I love watching them, especially dear Christine, who is a sizeable young lady and who inconveniently knits her web across the doorway of our outdoor dunny. I just don't... hold... them. Unless I miss my guess, your pictured spider would have had Rather Large Phangs, yes? Did s/he ever - um - give you a love-bite? And how long did s/he live?

 

[Betrisher]

Our Mice rarely ever got out because we have always had cats as well. I had to make sure the little guys were safe from Seamus and Genevieve. Just once, dear little Diego managed to climb along the air filter cord and made it down to the ground. I found him huddled beneath the picnic basket and when I put my hand down, he ran to greet me!

Diego was a sexy-looking little lad. He was white with a fawn-coloured whorl of hair in the very top of his head between his ears. He looked as though he was wearing a dahlia for a hat. LOL! His little friend, Frida, was also white with fawn patches, but all their babies were PEWs (Pink Eyed Whites).

My girls were always kept in a very large budgie cage which hung on the wall (so no one could get in or out). One time, I heard a great squeaking going on in the Girls' cage and looked up to see a Dark Mouse poised on top of the louvred cupboard doors, just hanging out to go a-sowing of his wild oats. I just smiled, knowing he'd never be able to leap the gap between the door and the cage.

Twenty-one days later, five of my good girls gave birth to enormous litters of half-feral kittens. Hm. For the life of me, I don't know how he did it, but Dark Mouse got in and did the wicked deed! The poor little half-feral babies all died (they usually do, as they rarely ever survive in captivity) and my poor little does had a hard time after losing their litters. It was a disaster all round!

My boys lived in a fishtank because it was critical to keep them far away from the Girls' house and especially out of smelling-distance. They'd go bonkers if they ever got a whiff of lady mouse! Also, once the boys know what they're missing out on, they begin to fight each other as their hormones ramp up. Once a buck has been sexually active, it's very hard to house him with other male mice (except his own sons, which can be good or bad, depending).

Everyone should keep mice at one point or another. They're GREAT!!!

 

[Roanoke]

Everyone here has given some great suggestions! I myself am a teenager who has 'gone through' quite a few pets. My advice is to ask what species they want and check it out online. Please, please, don't get them anything that lives over 3-4 years. It only takes even the most 'devoted' of teens about 2 years before the fun wears out of a new pet.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Wend-eeeee! The first thing we were taught when we studied the Arachnidae was 'Every spider can and will bite you, given enough provocation'. Since that lesson (it included the info about necrotising fasciitis, where an allergy to a protein in the spider's venom causes your flesh to 'die'), I've been QUITE RELUCTANT to handle dear little spidies.

Don't get me wrong: I love watching them, especially dear Christine, who is a sizeable young lady and who inconveniently knits her web across the doorway of our outdoor dunny. I just don't... hold... them. Unless I miss my guess, your pictured spider would have had Rather Large Phangs, yes? Did s/he ever - um - give you a love-bite? And how long did s/he live?

I openly admit I should have never handled ANY of my tarantulas. I had quite the collection at one point, and even had success in breeding 2 different species. :54:

This here was my Flicka (Acanthoscurria geniculata = Brazilian Whiteknee)


Now this here was my Brachyplema Boehmei = Mexican Fireleg, and I would have never dreamt of picking her up (she had bit of an attitude problem)


Here is a picture of my Avicularia avicularia breeding


This here was Venus, Avicularia versicolor (still very young in the photo)


And here is Emily (Brachypelma emilia) QUITE docile and QUITE pregnant


I kept the terrestrial species in glass aquariums, setup like this:


Yes, I was tagged - but only once. "Blue" (Avicularia avicularia) got me, but it was a dry bite.

 

[Betrisher]

Wendy, for once in my life I have no speech. You never cease to amaze me!

 

[SkyandHoudini]

If you decide to get a crested gecko I would encourage you to feed Pangea diet rather than Repashy. Allen Repashy's diet has been going steady down hill over the last few years with many people I know actually losing prized geckos over it. Matt Parks (a wonderful stand up guy) runs a website called Pangea LOTS of info there. I know people and have had cresteds and chahoua years ago that have seemed to enjoy hanging out with you, they are not super fast, in fact most walk around on you at the speed of "sloth". I do believe that crested benefit greatly with a few calcium dusted crickets once a week but really not a big deal to feed bugs once in a while even every two weeks is better than no bugs. The larger chahoua's must have regular bugs but cresteds can go longer without them but still highly recommended.

I have gone on Pangea, but have also been in contact with more Crestie owners. I had NO idea about the whole Repashy thing, so thank you for this information! A lot of people have redirected me to Pangea as a reliable source, so I will definitely be spending some more time on there.

Although, from what I understand, the horrible thing must be that if Repashy isn't working for those Geckos they must suffer from MBD or something like it as a result. That's really sad, considering Repashy is supposed to have all the essential nutrients.

As for the whole bug thing, I have asked and done some more searching. I think Pangea recommends a combined CGD and a cricket a week kind of diet, so if I get one, I will offer him/her a cricket and see if they want it. I've found that it really isn't a big deal; if the CGD is good your gecko won't NEED the crickets. But the bugs do help them grow faster. It seems that if they're not into it, though, they'll be fine on a good crested gecko diet. But, I will still ultimately try.

Everyone here has given some great suggestions! I myself am a teenager who has 'gone through' quite a few pets. My advice is to ask what species they want and check it out online. Please, please, don't get them anything that lives over 3-4 years. It only takes even the most 'devoted' of teens about 2 years before the fun wears out of a new pet.

Well, this is a pretty pessimistic view of teens for someone claims to also be a teen.

The thing to remember is that every baby, child, teen, adult is different. An adult is just as prone to forgetting about their pets as a teen is, and in this world, where adults are "always right", we tend to forget that. In fact, lots of parents get soft, small, fluffy animals for children who forget about them, and lots of adults get dogs, cats, parrots, and reptiles (especially big snakes like boas and pythons) that they ultimately forget about. The feral snake explosions in Florida isn't really exclusively on the part of teens as it is on the part of adult men who think "snakes are cool".

I was close to the same age as gracebowen's oldest boy, 14, when we adopted Sky. My sister was only 11. As children whose parents had instilled in us an appreciation for animals and life, as a young adult now, Sky has only consistently become a more intimate part of our family. He is always chilling with us. If I could safely take him to my classes I would

It's ultimately up to the parents to decide what type of kid they have, and what future the animal will have in their household.

If your one of those families that know your kids are going away for college, than don't get them pets you'll end up taking care of, unless you of course are happy taking care of those pets when your children go off to college. If you're like me and my family, who are going/planning to go to college close enough to home that its commutable...well a long lived pet might be just fine.

In this world we can't underestimate every teen. It's a combination of parents' discretion and their child's personalities, and we especially can't blame teens for the way they grow up. If a parent has no passion for animals, then its more likely their kid won't either. And even that is not always true. Know yourself, know your kids, and plan ahead as much and as safely as you can. As a person who knows lots of good teens...it's not fair on their part.

Consider everything, but don't be pessimistic.