How many pets is too much for a 7 year old?

Question

My daughter is a collector of pets. She has a dog, 3 cats, 2 fire-bellied frogs, 2 rabbits, several fish, and of course 1 pet rock (hehehe). She loves all kinds of animals and now has been asking for 2 small birds. She takes care of them fairly well but I am begining to feel a bit overwhelmed. She is only 7 and she is turning my yard/house into a pet rescue some-thing-or-other. Any helpful advise out there?

Answer 1

I think thats enough for now, unless you enjoy alot of animals. eventually when she does school more regularly and homework you will end up being the primary caretaker of this minasheray she has collected. Its great that she loves animals and has the responsibility at such a young age but you have to think about the future and were the animals lie in that equation. She is only seven, and if your already at number 10ish then were will she be at age 12 LOL. Anyways good luck to you!  

Answer 2

I think that's enough for her for now.

I mean, mother knows best, and I'm glad she's coping well, but ultimately, if she does lose interest, you're going to be the poor sod picking up the pieces!

Also, you don't want her to feel overwhelmed- I'm sure she is aware of her responsiblity, but you don't want her to feel like she can't go out and play with friends because she has to play with her animals, or clean them out, or anything like that.

On top of that, in my experience, birds are fine- but not exactly fun pets. They smell and are hard to clean out after, especially in comparison to the animals she has so far- and smaller birds are hard to interact with. Is she going to have time and want in front of all the other more 'fun' animals she has to play with the birds and MAKE them fun?

Again, you know your daughter best, but I'd tell her to wait on for a couple of years.

Also, most of the animals you listed can live for ten years or more (dog, cats, rabbits, and even fish) and that's enough for you to be potentially looking after if she loses interest as a teen or a p*****n.

Answer 3

that many pets and she's only 7?

whoa! if only my parents had been that nice to me!

i'd say just the dog and the fish would have been enough for a 7 year old to be fully responsible for, as fish are the easiest pets to care for (depending on what you have of course). if i were you i'd say no to th birds. small birds are quite difficlt to care for and are more susceptible to diseases and other problems. you also have to be careful when you handle them. because of their small size, these birds are extremely fragile, and with their tiny hollow bines, even experienced bird keepers can do damage and even cause death from stress. stress is a mojor cause of death in birds. a loud noise or a bump of the cage and your bird can get stressed, which may lead to shock, and next thing you know its dead on the bottom of the cage.

all these pets must be costing you a fortune! hold your ground and tell your daughter that she is doing really well with the pets she has, but not to get too carried away.