Small furry animal - which to choose?

I only have experience of cats which would be totally unsuitable but what springs to my mind is that these animals do not live very long, 2-3 years and a child can become very attached in a short space of time. Maybe I am being negative.

Hamsters can be a bit nasty I think. I had a really sweet one [Minnie]but I'm not sure that they're all nice. But, if you do get one with a nice temperament you can at least handle them. You can keep more than one Russian hamster but I don't think you can handle them. You can't handle gerbils because they move so fast. I had two in a small'ish cage so I treated them to a real state of the art cage but, unknown to me the bars of the cage were slightly wider apart and the cat got his claws through and killed one of them. They're probably more fun to watch and a little boy would probably like all the tunnels and tubing.I think I used to put mine in the bath when I cleaned the cage out, because they couldn't get up the sides of it. My daughter put their hamster in his exercise ball one night and forget he was there and the next morning he was still going round and round the living room [this was when she'd grown up and left home]. Strangely enough, even though I've got a rat problem in my garden and I'm working out how I can kill them I'd love a pet rat. I've wanted one ever since I saw someone at the vets sitting with his pet rat sitting on the bench next to him. And I knew someone else that had a pet rat called Nancy [named after his ex girlfriend] that used to live in his pocket. [sad postscript; I found Minnie dead in her cage one day and buried her in the garden. Years later I read that hamsters can go into a coma if they're scared, and we'd had some rather noisy work done in the house. I still worry that I buried her alive ].

Charleygirl; they have even shorter lives when owned by a numpty like me .

Gerbils make lovely pets. They are not strictly nocturnal (unlike hamsters), rarely bite, and are a good size for a child to handle. They prefer to be with another gerbil but don't need too much space as long as they are played with and allowed out to explore regularly. They are not difficult to catch. Hamsters are sweet but spend a lot of the day asleep.

Having said all that, and I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I would consider a rat. They are lovely, intelligent animals who connect with humans far more than any other small pet I have ever known. I was horrified when DD decide to get a pair as a teenager but can honestly say that I became very fond of them. They do not bite and are also a good size to handle. They like to be kept in pairs as well and do need quite a lot of space, which may be a problem.

Great minds about the rats Tegan. I did quite well with the gerbils but didnt have a good track record with guinea pigs

I'd forgotten about Russian hamsters. Savage little beasts!

Does it have to be a mammal?
consider this instead

That should have taken you to Kids Corner.

I put one guinea pig out in the sun after he'd had a bath and he collapsed with sunstroke. My ex, who'd just come back from a run and realised how hot it was outside, had to resuscitate him. One of my bosses used to have rats [think she still does] and when I used to babysit for her I'd sometimes find a rat down the back of the sofa. Someone was telling me the other day of someone he used to deliver to that used to have a pet rat draped round his shoulders. I loved our 'guinea pig years'. A friend of mine bought a pregnant female and the babies were adorable. For years whenever I went to a pet shop to buy dog food I used to say as I walked through the door 'please don't let me buy a guinea pig' because I love them. Although they're bad news for anyone that suffers from asthma. I've know people with 'house rabbits' as well, that are house trained. that wouldn't work for me because I can't even get dogs or cats house trained.

lizards

If you get two gerbils make absolutely sure that they are two males (brothers) or two females (sisters) If you get two of the same sex but unrelated they will fight. If you get one of each you will end up with several million gerbils.

The babies can get through a gap you would have trouble pushing a knitting needle through.

We kept gerbils in a birdcage with the base taken off and the whole thing fixed over a fish-tank that was about the same size. We half-filled the tank with sawdust and added a ladder that led up to the partly-floored cage. They were very busy digging around in the sawdust, but it didn't get kicked out and over everything, and they could be seen working away. They loved chewing up paper and cardboard to make nests in their burrows. We put in kitchen roll inners for them to run through. the inevitable babies enjoyed that.

Once we put in a tube that was narrower than usual. The babies were fine with it, but Mum kept trying to follow them through and got stuck every time. She seemed not to grasp that it was her child-bearing hips that would not get in, and she should back out - she just kept scrabbling to try to go forwards. After rescueing her half-a-dozen times we took that tube out.

Thank you for all the answers. I still don't know what to do! The other family of GCs have done the bearded dragon thing and grown bored so gave it away. I really want GS to have something to stroke without being bitten, as the family is going through a tough time at the moment (his dad has b**gg***d off with DD's friend), and he would benefit from some calm moments I think.

So why not cat. They are a lot better company that the small furry animals more strokable and need less nurturing.
Make Soop an offer for Rory. He might cost you though. #hidesfromsoop.

I agree about the cat, but they will soon be homeless and penniless so the future is a big unknown at the moment. We just thought a small pet could move with him. He and older siblings are all behaving badly at the moment, I can understand why DD is being soft, but they need boundaries! Anyway, that is whole other story!

At one stage in my childhood when I wasn't allowed an animal I had a pet coconut, won at a funfair. We called him Humphrey and he was really easy to look after. he had such a cute little face and used to sit on the sideboard and watch us.

A lovely big Teddy each?

Kept white mice!

It's a lovely idea, but if they are going to be homeless, then a pet is hardly a good idea, unless granny wants to keep a pet which they could "adopt". Being really boring, you have to consider the animal's welfare too and also if they were not allowed to keep a pet in wherever they are going to live, DGS risks having his heart broken to part with it. Do you live anywhere near e.g. a donkey sanctuary? You can adopt a donkey and visit it, or alternatively rescue kennels are always on the look out for dog-walkers to relieve the monotony of kennel life, but accept that not everybody is in a position to take the animal in.

Get him a book on creepy crawlies and one of those clear topped bug collecting boxs.....he can find his own little 'pets' and if they dont last long it will not be so upsetting.

White mice are lovely I had lots when I was at school. The males do smell though so you need a female. Rats are best of all, so intelligent and nice natured. Mt daughter always adored hamsters. They are definitely solitary, mainly nocturnal and will bite if they aren't used to being handled. If a hamster has a wheel in it's cage it will run in it all night which can be quite noisy!

I think gerbils are easy to keep because my friend keep one. I am only familiar the dogs www.petsdogcollarscom

Guinea pigs are really cuddly, if you handle them from babies, and they are more solid than, say, rabbits. Their legs are short so they don't stick out all over the place when you lift them up. They do need a reasonable amount of space though, and a chance to be ouside on grass at least some of the time. One of ours lived for about ten years but I think she was an exception. She was very loving and patient and it upset us all a great deal when she died.

Agree that if their future home is uncertain pets would have a question mark over them.

A few years ago there was a remote-controlled stuffed guinea-pig on the market. That was fun. Just had a look -they are still around. Someone is selling them on Ebay

I love the way they talk to you as well. I had one that lived in a cage in the kitchen sometimes and kept the dog company.

....I don't mean actual conversations but just cute squeaky noises...

Our Winifred would greet me with a squeal when she saw me. When you held her she would put a paw on top of your hand, then rest her chin on it. That is how a family of guinea-pigs huddle together. Toward the end of her life, she was under the weather so I visited the vet with her (by bus) I carried her in a hold-all and put my hand in to pet her while I sat in the bus. She put her paw over mine and I felt her furry chin on the back of my hand.

As we walked to the vet, we passed a fruit shop, so I went in to buy her an apple (number one treat) As I took it off the shelf she smelt it and started squealing the shop down. I'd to take her out of the bag and hold her while she tucked in - the queue was most impressed by her voice and appetite! Many smiles.