4/30/09

Pet Poll

Nick and I keep discussing getting a pet. So far we know cats are out. Besides the fact that Nick hates cats, he and Emma are both allergic to them. We'd love to get a dog, but neither of us are ready for one at this point. We've talked about fish, but we wonder if the kids would get bored of them too quickly. Our latest thought has been a guinea pig. Ever since Ashlyn saw a rather shaggy one at the local pet store and insisted that it was a lion, I've wanted to get one. I owned a hedgehog before we had kids, so I do know a bit of what it would take to care for a guinea pig, but neither of us have ever had one. What's your opinion?

8 comments:

Heidi said...

They're fun if you can find a nice one that isn't crazy and likes to bite... Also, they make this very high pitched squeaking noise that can get very annoying... Good luck!

April said...

I love animals! I don't know anything about pets smaller than a cat though. I know I learned a lot as a kid having pets around all the time. Pets are a lot of work but I think kids benefit greatly from having any pet around. Tonya you know we don't have any pets but my pet battle is silent I need more troops on my side before I can put up a really fight for a pet. Good luck with finding the right pet for the Charles'!

Karen said...

I'm a dog kind of person. There's a cute stray dog that showed up at my house yesterday. He seems like a good family dog, you're welcome to him!

Sabrina said...

I know this might sounds gross, but when I was about 10, my brother and I asked for pet mice. We each had our own and we loved them. I actually think rodents are really cute, as long as they have been bred in captivity and don't carry all those diseases with them ;) I think guinea pig would be a lot of fun for your girls. The downside is cleaning the cage, but at least you have their mess contained to that area, whereas with a dog, your house becomes the cage. Good luck with your decision!

Jen said...

Hi Tonya! I came across your blog a few weeks ago and thought I should say hi. You have an adorable family. How fun to have to girls!

As far as pets go... I have only experienced guinea pigs in the pet store and they always strike me as very scared :) I have had hamsters and rats (among many other pets that weren't in a cage). My favorite were the rats. They were very sweet and surprisingly smart! Good luck with your adventure.

I have a private blog, but if you want an invite you can email me at jc.crazydays@gmail.com

Have a good day!

Newell and Julienne Fam said...

Hi Tonya,
We have always had one animal or another around here. So as I am sure you know there are good things and bad things. One of our very first pets was a parakeet and we would let it out and it would crawl up our leg and talk to us. We called her Bonnie Blue, because she was all blue. Austin(my oldest was 1 to 2 when we had her) he loved her too. She used to come and find me in the bathroom getting ready and would climb up my pant, shirt all the way to my should and just jabber at me. She ended up going into that same bathroom and drowning in a toilet. (I felt she was looking for me, and felt bad). Under there cages is pretty easy to clean when you just layer is with newspaper and papertowells. My kids also have enjoyed their tropical fish that you can buy in a cup at wallmart. Hope that helps.

jmw said...

ok, I'm chiming in late. Don't know if you've acquired a pet yet? But my sister had 2 guinea pigs when we were kids, and I had a couple of hamsters, though only one at a time on my end. I would recommend a hamster over a guinea pig, myself. GPs are very, very loud and sort of emotionally unstable...well, at least my sister's were... They aren't especially snuggly, their fur is often coarse, and their nails are quite pokey and scratchy. Hamsters are more difficult to keep in their cage (!) and a bit harder to hold onto, (especially for youngsters) - but they are soft, pretty quiet, and do cute things like play on their wheel and store a bunch of food in their cheeks. GPs just sorta sit there and "wheet". Loudly and often. :) We loved to let my hamsters run around the house in a plastic sphere. It was cute to watch them run.

so just my two cents... if you decide to get a GP, may yours be sweeter than my poor sister's!

jmw said...

you had a hedgehog! I'm so jealous! :)