What kind of pet can I get my 4 year old who has allergies?
August 27th, 2008 by admin
JENNIFER D asked:
My babygirl is the only child and I want her to have a pet. We tried a cat, she is severely allergic. I don’t want to get anything with fur or anything that will irritate her allergies. Fishes are okay, but she can’t play with a fish. She’s too scared to hold anything like a hamster. Any suggestions???? I thought maybe a turtle, but how fun are they?
My babygirl is the only child and I want her to have a pet. We tried a cat, she is severely allergic. I don’t want to get anything with fur or anything that will irritate her allergies. Fishes are okay, but she can’t play with a fish. She’s too scared to hold anything like a hamster. Any suggestions???? I thought maybe a turtle, but how fun are they?
- Posted in Pets
August 29th, 2008 at 12:01 am
my sister has the same problem . . . so she got hairless cats and they havent ever given her any problem. . . but she cant come to mah house because all my cats have hair. they do take alot of work and you have to watch for the cold weather, but all three of her cats are very personably and great compainions for her.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:34 am
a pet rock a chia pet a fish
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
4 years old is a little young to have a pet, especially since she has severe allergies. I would wait until she is older (say 8 or 9) and let her choose a pet if SHE wants one.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
While most people don’t consider them; small snakes can make great, low-maintenance pets as long as their heating and humidity levels are correct.
They only need to eat once a week, they don’t smell, they are hypo-allergenic, they shed in one clean piece instead of all over your furniture, they are fine with being handled while you are watching a movie or reading a book but won’t suffer if you don’t take them out a certain day, they are exceptionally easy to clean up after and only defecate once every 2-6 weeks, they don’t make much (if any) noise, if you leave on vacation for 3-7 days you generally won’t need to deal with getting a pet sitter, etc.
As far as individual species go; I would highly suggest a Rosy boa. They are one of my personal favorites.
They are incredibly docile, one of the easiest snake species I’ve ever cared for, small come in several different colors and localities, and all around are a wonderful (albeit often overlooked) snake. Here is a short general care sheet that I’ve typed out; hopefully this will provide the information you’ll need should you consider one of these guys.
Temperament: They are very calm, slow-moving snakes. Generally quite docile, most are fine with handling, and they rarely, if ever, bite people. Mine have all been content to find a comfortable place on my hand, neck or lap and just hang out.
Life expectancy: When properly cared for, a Rosy boa can live 20+ years in captivity.
Size: Males average 1.5-2.5 feet, females are generally 2.5-3.5 feet, some a tad larger, but never more then 4 feet.
Feeding: start babies on mice pinks, and build up to one large mouse per week for adults. The general rule of thumb is to feed a rodent about the same in diameter as the widest part of your snake’s body. They are generally quite enthusiastic feeders; I have never had one that was a reluctant eater.
Humidity: This is a really low humidity desert species. A small water dish is fine on the cool side of the tank, but misting is completely unnecessary for these guys.
Temperature: Mine have done best with a basking temperature in the high eighties, around 87-89 degrees, with an ambient (background) temperature of 77-80. This can be achieved by use of under-tank heating pads, incandescent heat bulbs, or ceramic heat emitters.
Cage size: a 20 gallon tank is ideal for a single adult, but a 10 gallon is adequate. Just make SURE the lid of the cage is very secure, as these guys are amazing escape artists.
Substrate: Mine have done best on eco-earth by zoo-med, as long as it is COMPLETELY dry before putting it in my snake’s cage. Paper towels, aspen bedding, or even reptile sand (as long as you feed your snake in a separate container to prevent sand ingestion) also works very well.
Here is a picture of my male fifteen inch long, two year old San Felipe Rosy boa, Binx, who is cute even by most snake-haters’ standards.
Other good species would be Corn snakes, King snakes, Childrens pythons, and Kenyan sand boas.
If you are interested in a dog; there are any breeds like Poodles, Shih-Tzus, Bichon Frise, Scottish Terriers, Coton de Tulear, Maltese, West Highland White Terriers, etc, that shed little to no fur and are generally a great choice for allergy sufferers. My cousin is severely dog allergic, and she has a Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier that has never once caused her to have so much as a stuffy nose.
I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions at all on reptiles in general or any of the species that I named; please feel free to message me and I’d be more than happy to assist you.
Good luck!
September 5th, 2008 at 6:11 am
I will preface this by saying that I have terrible allergies to everything and I have guinea pigs. Although I have to have them in their own room because of the hay. Your daughter is not necessarily allergic to the fur, but rather the oils and things on the fur (so dogs that don’t shed often can still cause allergies and for me, personally, schnauzers are terrible for allergies).
Turtles are really fun, but small children can get salmonella or other bacterial things from holding the turtles and not washing hands. If she’s not allergic to hay, then you can get guinea pigs. If you guy fleece instead of aspen (don’t use cedar or pine at all if you don’t use fleece), then you can wash their bedding and reduce the amount of fur.
Also, if you choose to get a pet, please do try adoption first and then a reputable breeder if no adoption is possible. Don’t buy from a pet store!
P.S. Don’t get a hairless cat. That won’t help with dander at all. There is this new medicine that you can drop on their tongue to help reduce the dander.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
yah i have 2 turtles the size uv a quarter. they r so much fun. but i wuz thinkin lizards or snakes. my frend has a snake & dey r awesome. they wont hurt u as long a u dont jerk them or hit their heads. i have 2 lizards. they r fun because the little suction cups on the bottom uv their feet tickle ur skin.
September 8th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Chinchillas are great pets for small children. I have 2 of my own, and my 5 year old sister loves to hold them, feed them, pet them and play with them. They CAN be expensive but usually range from $85-$250 @ the most. They are exotic animals but u get ur money’s worth because they can live up to 20 years old!
Chinchillas are very easy to keep. They don’t harbour fleas (their fur is too dense), they have little or no odour and they require no vaccinations. Allergy is rarely a problem, though I do know of someone who was allergic to the chinchilla dust chinchillas require to keep clean, and some people may also be allergic to the hay, though the problem can be minimised if you buy the “dust-extracted” type. If you can, have your family handle and have a good sniff into a chinchilla’s fur to ascertain if there’s a potential allergy problem before you decide to buy, as well as checking for dust and hay allergies.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Well Fish can be fun at first but then they get boring after a while
all pets will get boring after awhile so a turtle would be fun but it will start to get boring after a while…..
When i was young i always wanted a rabbit or a pet bird but birds bite if they are scared but the rabbits they will be shy
or a frog or even a fat tailed lizard my friend has one she loves him but she might be scared to feed him the cricket’s they don’t move also reptile though.. SO she will get bored with any thing you get her.
go to this website it tells alot about animals and it could give you a idea
September 13th, 2008 at 12:45 am
get a bird!
September 15th, 2008 at 2:00 am
hm, when i was little i had fish. a 10 gallon filled with lots of fish and a bowl with a betta in my room, until i found out that was bad, he went in my big tank.
fish do get boring i have to say, so well, ive never had a hedge hog, but they sound cool.
i had a garter snake once and it bit me, but i only tried taking it out once since my dad was afraid of it and wouldnt let me touch it, it died. and I paid for it!
i think a gecko would be nice. ive never had had one, but i want one and my friend has one. they dont bite.
a frog or toad would be kool to. and a bird. or, you can get a hyper-allergetic cat. my uncle has one. ppl usually arent allergic to those. theres some ideas.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Get land hermit crabs, they’re amazing. They are completely hypoallergetic, and they don’t have any diseases they can spread to humans.
They are relatively easy to take care of, an empty fish tank, some sand, food, and humidity. You have to make sure you have a cover that will keep the humidity in.
I highly recommend them for small children and people with allergies. They’re easy to handle, and if your careful they won’t pinch (to get them to release if that happens, just run the claw under warm water). The smaller ones you barely feel it if they pinch anyway (:
Its a lot of fun to watch them move around, and they have cute little eyes. Also, you can buy decorated shells (I have one with a rainbow shell) that make them cute and fun, I bet a child would like it.
If you google land hermit crab care, you’ll also find a ton more specific information to help you care for them. All in all, they’re fairly low maintenance.
(just make sure to get LAND hermit crabs)