Which would be a better pet for my 2 and 3 1/2 years old girls, a fish or hamster?

Question

Which would be a better pet for my 2 and 3 1/2 years old girls, a fish or hamster?

Answer 1

A fish! Hamsters are fragil...and may bite!

Answer 2

I'd say fish.  Its not as hard on them if a fish dies.  Hamsters are so fragile if they were to step on it.... it just wouldn't be pretty.  I'd say wait till their a little older then get a hamster.  They are really good pets to start with.

Answer 3

It depends on what kind of fish you would get if you chose the fish options, because if you get a tank that cleans itself then the fish might be easier, but not as much fun.  I had a VERY social fish who if you put your finger in the water, she would rub up against it.  She was a female beta or japanese fighting fish.  After she died we bought a male beta, but they are not social at all.  I kept my beta in a small bowl that I cleaned once a week (ask someone who works at the pet store how to do this properly and do not use a dish sponge) I also owned a hamster, when I was too young to clean his cage and it was pretty low maintenace and my mom would put him in a ball and take out the things in his cage and just dump the shavings in a trash bad and put new ones in.  So it really depends on how much interaction you want your children to be able to have with it.  If you go for the rodent, I might pick a gerbil, they are a little bit more fun.  Word of advice, if you pick a rodent, research wet tail because it can be transfered to humans from rodents.  Good luck! :)

Answer 4

i would get a dog

they don;t die as easy and they won't have to deal with death

i would go with the hamster

when i was 3 i had a pet bird!! they are the best pets in the world and they can talk

go to petsmart and ask for the best pet for a 3 year old

Answer 5

Fish.  They are still *really* young to have any pets whatsoever-especially ones like hamsters that need a LOT of attention to keep from being cranky and biting and you won't have enough time to give it the attention it needs yourself (you have two kids under five, you don't have the time or energy to properly socialize a hamster).  You can't trust young kids not to hold a hamster too tight even if you are watching.  

At least fish aren't likely to be squashed by a heavy book just to see what would happen, or thrown against a wall when they bite or don't do what the kid wants.  Don't make the mistake that almost any parent makes in assuming that *their* kid could never do that.  Even if you tell them not to, they can't understand *why* you're saying no.  To them, they probably know that misbehaving will get them spanked so in their minds if the pet doesn't do what they want it to then the pet deserves to get hit just as if they had disobeyed you.

I wouldn't let a kid under 8 or so even have access to one.  I certainly wouldn't let anyone younger hold one-those teeth can so a massive amount of damage if a kid holds it even a little too tightly and the kid's first reaction would be to drop it (or worse, hit it), causing injury.  It would also be very likely that the hamster would get loose and accidentally be stepped on or otherwise injured/lost.

Young kids can also be exceedingly malicious even if their parents teach them better.  I wish the family cats (present since before I was born) had been fully clawed so I would have learned to properly respect them-and I grew up in an animal family but that didn't stop us from tying up the cats in pillow cases, dumping them in the hamper under all our clothes, dragging them around the house in a makeshift collar and leash or in the previously mentioned pillowcase, ect.  All that our parents' punishments served to do was to make sure we didn't get caught.  I didn't actually get it through my head until I was about 7 that what I was doing was actually wrong and harmful (and they say that only boys are phisically malicious...there were none in my family).

If you do have to get a pet that the kids can interact with, get a pair or trio of same gender guinea pigs (or have the male neutered) and keep them in a C&C cage (http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm)...  It is far less likely that a guinea pig will get hurt than something as small and delicate as a hamster.  They also have wonderful dispositions and rarely bite unless something is really wrong.  It is also far easier to watch them around little kids and far harder to loose them (unless you're outside).  My family had guinea pigs both when I was a toddler and then again several years later.

Answer 6

a fish a hamster they will see running around it's cage and try to take him out of his cage and play with him and may hurt him by accident

Answer 7

I think a hamster would be nice but they can get hurt more easily than a fish. But you cant pet a fish, and a hamster you can. So get them if u want to buy both, but if you are getting a fish get a goldfish, for hamster get the biggest one they have.

Answer 8

fish.  get them a hamster when there older

Answer 9

They can bond with a hamster which they'll remeber forever, fish are often found dead when they belong to little kids, not saying your daughters would do or forget anything, just sayin. But get a tank to put the hamster in, safer for you. Plus they're cuddly

Answer 10

Well since your girls are so young, you should get them something that won't need a lot of care. I would suggest a fish  because all they have to do is give them a pinch of food every other day and every once and a while clean their fish tank. A really good and interesting fish is a betta. I have one and it is really easy to take care of. At least every two to three weeks, refill it's tank with room temperature water. Then get Betta ColorBright food and you will be set. The very pretty ones are the males.

Answer 11

Neither - don't get a pet FOR them. They're too young to handle a hamster, and they're too young to care for either fish or hamsters. If you get a pet, be prepared to do all the work yourself!

Fish are actually a lot of work - you can't just get a bowl and stick a fish in it. By the time you buy a tank, hood, filter, stand, etc, it'll get quite expensive. You'll also have to cycle the tank and maintain good water chemistry. If you've always wanted a nice fish tank for your home, your girls will probably enjoy looking at it from time to time, but it's more work than it's worth if you want to get a pet FOR them.

As for hamsters - they're small and fast-moving, and not ideal for little hands. Hamsters WILL bite if they're mishandled. They're a bit cheaper than setting up a fish tank, but if you want one for young children, it'll still be a "watching" pet.

Answer 12

Fish are easier to take care of and teaches responsability as any other pet. Hamsters no matter how friendly and cuddly tend to bite if they are woken up from sleeping. fish (I am assuming you are talking abot goldfish) do not bite and are low maintenence. *warning* they cannot be taken out of thier tank to be pet and cuddled. So I guess it depends on what you think is best. Some places can even "rent" pets to families interested in getting pets to see if they can handle one. Maybe depending where you live you can "rent" a hamster for the day/week and see how things go. If it seems easy to care for a hamster then by all means go and buy one for your kids. Just make sure you supervise them when the animal is out of its carrier,

Answer 13

Fish--b/c then they can only look at them.  A hamster might get out and would probably be better for them when they're older.  Either way, you'll be the one cleaning and maintaining.  It's really nice of you to get them a pet.

Answer 14

well you are asking which would be a better pet for THEM, a stuffed one.  Assumably you will be essentialy taking care of their pet since they are both too young for that responsibilty.  they may promise they will take care of it, but after the pet loses its novelty they will stop feeding it regularly and you will have to take over.  which one are YOU more willing to take care of?  Fish are easier for you to take care of, but they would probably enjoy a hamster better

Answer 15

fish

Answer 16

fish, get a hamster when they are a bit older because they wont be able to handle it with care, not that they will realise but id recommend a fish :)

Answer 17

Neither, really. They are both too young for a hamster and too young to care for a pet they cannot do anything with and that cannot be touched. That's boring.

They are getting to be just about old enough for a dog. Careful what you get, do some studying, but a dog would be great. Give it another year or two and they'll be ready for a kitten or a guinea pig.

Good luck to ya.

Answer 18

A nemo fish