Beyond The Cuddles: What Are The Best Pets For A Family Unit?

Want to teach your children lessons in life? Get a pet! It can help teach responsibility, a caring nature, but also, it can help your children learn how to clean up a lot of mess! But, there are so many types around it can be difficult to find the right one, not just for your budget, but for your family. With that in mind, here are the best pets for a family unit that doesn’t know what they want…

Hamster

Generally, they are low maintenance. And as far as the budget is concerned, there is not much that you need to purchase. As you are are looking for the hamster cage best suited to your household, because the hamster so small, you don’t have to go overboard and get everything. You can just provide them with food, water, bedding and a wheel. The fact of the matter is, with pets like a hamster, they don’t do much. It’s a perfect entry-level pet for children who need to be taught some responsibility. Because hamsters are nocturnal, you don’t get to see them in action. But also, you need to bear in mind that hamsters have quite a short lifespan, about two or three years. While we all could do with learning about grief at some point in our life, it all depends on how old or young your children are. Also, be sure to supervise your children when they are handling a hamster, because they can easily get startled and bite.

Guinea Pig

One step up from a hamster, a guinea pig is a little bit more exploratory in their nature. A guinea pig needs time out of their cage every single day. On top of this, your children would need to learn how to clean the cage, groom them, but also, have an abundance of supplies. But having one guinea pig is relatively straightforward. According to Guinea Pig HQ, it’s recommended that you get a second one, because they need companionship. This is when your expenses can double. But because a guinea pig is is a small pet, the supplies aren’t much in comparison to others, such as cats or dogs.

Dog

Yes, they are man’s best friend, but there are so many different dogs out there, you’ve got to choose the right one for the whole family. It’s not just about picking the right breed for your needs, but it’s about personality and compatibility. A dog is a unique individual, and some have impeccable manners, are very difficult, and require a settling in period. It all depends on the type of children you have. For example, if you’ve got a baby or toddler, a small dog is not the best choice. If you have children want to pick up the dog and treat them like a toy, this could end badly. But remember, it’s all about the structure that the dog needs. They need feeding, walking, socializing, and grooming, as well as an occasional treat. All of these things need to fit into your schedule. And this means that you might have to make considerable changes. If you are all out of the house during the day, what is your dog going to do? You need to think about hiring a dog walker or putting them into doggy day care if you have a busy life. Dogs need so much care and attention, and this is gravely underestimated.

Rabbit

Very sociable creatures, rabbits need a lot of stimulation. As nice as it is to have a fluffy bunny around the house, beware, they can chew through pretty much anything. In addition to this, they do require a lot of accessories. They need to live in a large enclosure, because they can grow substantially in size. You also need to think about giving them adequate exercise, and appropriate food. In addition to this, if you have children in the household, as nice as it is to cuddle these animals, they need time away from people, and have to be by themselves. Animals can easily get overwhelmed, and rabbits, similar to cats, don’t like to be carried around. If you have got children like to handle everything, this could cause issues.

Lizard

If you want a pet that’s low-maintenance, and pretty quiet, a lizard could be a good option. One of the best pet lizards you can keep in your house is house gecko. Lizards tend to have long lifespans, and don’t require much in the way of grooming. But, lizards are delicate creatures, so if you have young children, this might not prove suitable. Having older children could mean that your family is more compatible with a lizard. Older children are more gentle with them. And you still have to remember that their diet is pretty specific, as they do feed on insects.

Cat

It’s so easy to lump a cat and a dog into the same category. But while they both require a lot of responsibility, cats are more independent. And, like dogs, they can vary from creature to creature. Some cats are really cuddly, depending on their breed, and the KittyWire blog goes into more detail as to exactly why this is, but others might prefer to be on their own. The great thing about having cats is that you are free to do more things. As long as they have enough food and water, you can leave them for an extended period of time. Remember, if a cat is unhappy, they aren’t backwards in coming forwards with their claws! If you have children, the lessons in having a cat can be transferred to a dog later on in life, such as the cleaning, grooming, and feeding. But as cats don’t need walking, this can be a perfect animal to bridge the gap.

Birds

Some birds can be very destructive, not to mention very loud! And they are incredibly intelligent, not to mention social, pets. There are gentle pet birds too. But it’s best not to keep them in cages all the time. This means your home has to be well adapted to allow them to fly. And birds like parrots can live up to 25 years. Visit parrotspecies.org to learn more about the domestic parrots. But if you are very young children, be careful because there are health issues associated with birds, such as avian tuberculosis, which can make your children very unwell.

If you want to teach your children some life lessons and responsibility, a pet is one of the best ways. These are the most common, so choose wisely.