How To Pick A Pet For Your Kids

Almost every kid In America asks their parents for a pet at least once a month.  Sometimes they are asking for a dog or a cat, and other times they are asking for a horse of pet lion.  My 4-year-old son has even come home from daycare with a caterpillar in his pocket that he wanted to keep as a pet.

As parents, it’s our job to figure out which pets will and won’t work for us, our home, and out family.  Living in an apartment, you simply cannot get a pony for your daughter.  It doesn’t matter how much our kids will learn about what do lions eat, sometimes we have to be smart enough to pass.

The key is figuring out what kind of pet you can feasibly feed, shelter, exercise, and afford.  All 4 of those will need to be factored into your decision from the start.  If you overlook a single one, you could potentially be in big trouble.  Especially when your kids stop caring for the animal and you have to!

Food

You will need to look at what kind of food each possible pet will need you to provide.  This is where the common pets stick out because their food is readily available.  You can bet that the convenience store down the street carries at least one can of cat and dog food at all times.

What you can’t expect is that you are going to be able to produce enough raw meat to feed a pet lion.  You may even be considering a reptile that feasts on mice like a snake.  Make sure that you can find a good source of mice locally before you get the snake and have to drive an hour once a week for food.

Shelter

You can safely say that shelter is important to just about ant pet you could possible obtain.  While dogs and cats find shelter in your home, horses and goats will need a small shelter to keep them warm and dry.

Figure out what your potential pets will need for shelter and decide if you can provide that for them.  You don’t want to come home with 2 horses and then realize that you can fit or afford a barn to keep them warm.

Exercise

Pets need exercise in order to survive.  If you don’t let them expend some of their energy, they are going to get fat and have health problems.  Some pets are going to need more exercise than others and it is important to keep that in mind when selecting a new pet.

If you have the room to exercise a horse, then having a pet horse is certainly an option.  If you live in an apartment however, you are not going to have the space to give that horse the exercise that they need.

It is also important that you look at how much time you can dedicate to giving your new pet exercise.  If you don’t have the time to walk a dog, then getting a dog is just a bad idea.

Conclusion

Purchasing a pet is a huge decision that requires a lot of research before you go through with it.  Make sure that your children are ready to take care of the pet and many sure that you can support it.  Having to give up a pet that you live is much harder on a child than never having it in the first place.  Do your research and you are sure to have a good time with your new friend!