Choosing A Pet

Choosing a pet for your child
* Don’t limit yourself to just the standard puppy there are lots of pets out there to choose from
* Fish aren’t as easy as one might think to maintain and beta fish in particular can actually be very difficult to care for
* Allergies should be considered
* Many small cage animals are prone to be awake and making noises at night and won’t provide much entertainment, hamsters, hermit crabs, mice, etc…
* Anything reptilian while very interesting looking and a large lesson in care is going to be very expensive to house and sometimes to feed
Many pets are litter trainable in addition to cats, ferrets, chinchillas, rabbits, small dogs, there are lots of options
* Before adopting your new pet pick up a book about their care to read with you child
* Have your child choose which pet care tasks the will be doing 100% on their own, which they will need help with, etc and write them down. Add them to your daily chore list if you have one
* Ask your child if they have any questions about the new pet, pet care, etc?
* To help them feel more involved let them choose things like pet toys, collars, leashes, and food bowls. Just these little things make them feel more responsible for the new pet before they have it.