My sister promised her son a pet when he was "old enough" and now he is 5 has decided the time is right !

So much thought went into what would be best and it has been decided a caged furry would be best.

So we went and had a preliminary look around today and he fell in love with the degus. But we have no idea what they are like as pets.
He is a good boy, and very gentle with my dogs. So I think he would be OK with a rabbit or a rat (sister not so keen on rat).

So I am looking for some recommendations for what you think would be best for him.

I have had Degus, they can be hyper active and HAVE to be handled a lot, a rabbit would probably be the best as they are calm and easy to hande.

I'd say a Rabbit or a Guinea pig =] Degus are quite hard to care for properly, and I wouldn't say they are suited to children.

I know your sister isn't keen on rats but I couldn't recommend them more. They are really sweet and affectionate and very smart. Never had degus but a friend has and loves them. You could get your sister to read up about rats and she might change her mind. Otherwise I guess rabbits are good for kids too.

Another vote for Rats here. Clean, intelligent, affectionate - can't beat them imo.

None.

5 years old is far too young.

Agree

5 is a bit young, but i'd say a guinea pig over a rabbit as rabbits scratch and bite a lot more than guintys

A Gruffalo!

He isn't going to be the major carer - my sister is well aware she will be doing the looking after. And as I have said he is very gentle with my dogs so I would not hesitate saying he could have a dog (with my sister being the major carer) if they were home more, but as my sister works it isn't feasible.

I had a feeling they may be as the ones we saw were quite manic !

degus need very large cages, with tons of room, much like a chipmunk type cage with lots of things to jump on and climb. they are prone to diabetes and are not especially handleable as they have super sharp claws and are very fast.

rabbits are ok, but need plenty of space, and not all enjoy being handled.

guinea pigs need to be in at least pairs, they are highly social. 2 females are best. they need plenty of room. they are usually good for handling, but can be easily scared and hard to catch, once caught they rarely bite and will sit with a carrot etc to munch on while being stroked.

hamsters, especially the dwarf breeds are usually hard to handle and wouldnt be a good pet for a child IMO. also nocturnal so chances are the child would get bored of rarely seeing their pet.

mice can be fun, nocturnal again and can be very fast so probably not best for a young child.

rat would be a good one, most are friendly and easy to handle, but need a large cage again.

gerbils can be good, diurnal, but can be fast and jump, plus the tip of their tails can come away when handled poorly so probably not a good choice for a young child.

personally i feel 5 is too young to have a pet. my 5 and 6 year old want all manner of pets, but i know they would get bored quickly so i refuse to let them have any. we have a dog a cat and many fish so they have pets to help look after until they are older.

Don't get a cat. They don't like children.

I think caged furries can be a lot of work for a very little reward. Rabbit hutches are smelly and need cleaning frequently and lots of rabbits do not like being handled so with these circumstances a child WILL get bored easily. I think a rat could be a good choice or even, stepping up a bit a cat. If the boy is gentle then a cat could be a good choice.

Reason they aren't considering a cat is they are very close to motorway in one direction and a main A road in another so chances of cat surviving is remote.

I'll suggest rabbit or guinea pigs and see how they feel. My sister is aware cage cleaning etc is a smelly job and is very willing to do it, think in some ways she is almost as excited as the child Whatever they get will be well loved and cared for I promise.

I think Rabbit's are always best for the under 12's. It also helps to teach them on how to care for something else without needing too much attention the way a dog would for example.

A goldfish.

or not.

does this woman have the space for a large 20-30 gallon minimum size tank for fancy goldfish, double this for commons, for at least 2 fish as they are social?

goldfish are not a childs pet, they are hard work to keep happy and healthy. although a betta fish would be an option if they wanted to go the fish route, get a tank of at least 5 gallons, a small heater and filter, and a little fighter fish. they come in many colours and can live 4-5 years

I'm never sure goldfish are good pets at all - most are not kept well IMO.

Fish generally are quite hard to keep - hubby used to have an aquarium and it was quite hard work to keep the fish healthy and happy.

I agree with this too. I was gonna suggest a kitten thinking the child was about 10.

It highly depends. I have two boys, my brother's girlfriend has two girls. The boys are far friendly and more confident. They live indoors and are never hard to catch - they rarely run from being picked up.

Most of the cages they sell are on the small side. I've got a medium sized one and wish it could be bigger but we don't have the room. That's why, in the evenings, ours run around the living room under our supervision (and one of them really does run, the other is too lazy ).

They're lovely pets but they need a lot of handling to become friendly. Also you need to ensure you are aware of their dietary requirements if you want them to live a long and happy life. Also, they will need their claws trimming which does worry some people as regards having to do it.

I know 5 is young but as I have repeatedly said care will be done by my sister who at 42 is I think old enough for a pet
He is I think an old soul, he has a very grown up head on his little shoulders and I would not be asking or helping them to get a pet if I felt he would not make a good pet owner.

He has a mild case of aspergers and does not interact with children well but can hold a perfectly good conversation with adults and seems to have a very lovely affinity with animals. He won't get bored and is much more likely to be obsessively involved in the animals welfare and care.

Cats or dogs would suit him perfectly but where they live and time they can realistically give to the animal mean a caged animal would be best for them.

I am suggesting either 2 guinneas or a rat. As from what has been said here seems to suggest they would be best but we will then do more research into just what they need and best housing for them etc. This is not a rash purchase and is being planned for very well IMO. If they didn't have the best interests of the animal at heart they would have come home with a degu from the store yesterday !

you go from rabbits being smelly... to suggesting rats?

a rabbit cared for properly does not smell. if you allow them to smell they can quickly end up with fly strike!

I agree that caged pets are generally quite high maintenance for little reward. I had a hamster when I was around 7 years old, I found it a very boring pet and the novelty quickly wore off. But at least a hamster's lifespan is usually only two or three years - whereas rabbits and guinea pigs can live a lot longer and despite best intentions the novelty will probably wear off long while the animal is still quite young. My nieces & nephews are lovely gentle kids, they had two rabbits which they lost interest in after a year or two and my SIL was well cheesed off having to care for a pair of bunnies for 7 or 8 years.

So whatever your sister gets, it had better be an animal that she likes and will enjoy mucking out during its entire lifespan!

Sorry xdow....I did not mean to be offensive about rabbits....I know that there are a lot of devoted bunny owners out there with happy friendly rabbits! I just think ( based on my limited experience ) that a rabbit outside in a hutch does not offer much interaction for a child....and that the very necessary chore of frequent hutch cleaning can become a burden.
I have had friends with indoor bunnies so I know that presents problems too as bunnies do love to chew.