There’s more to it than just feeding them and walking them. Veterinary care can get expensive, but it is also an important part of pet ownership and helps you raise a healthy pet that could be in your family for years to come. That means not only investing time in the pet’s lives, but also thinking about things like pet insurance and how long they’re going to be in your life.
Some pets can live for decades. Make sure you look into this before picking the type of pet that you want. Birds, like parrots, can live forty years or more and if you don’t want a pet in your life for that long then that won’t be the right choice for you.
Proper Feeding
Before you decide to get a pet for your children you should look into the diet of that pet. You may think a hermit crab is an easy pet, but when you realize they need certain foods and certain other items to be healthy you may realize they aren’t so easy. Plus, you want to find out if your children will be able to help with feeding, an important responsibility to learn.
A snake may seem like a clever pet, but remember that they like to eat live mice. Will your child deal well with that? It’s also important to work with food aggression in dogs if it arises, for your child’s safety.
Veterinary Care
Before you buy a family pet just because your children want one you should do a little research on the veterinary care required for the type of pet you are considering. Pets need veterinary care for healthy and happy lives, and it isn’t a cheap investment. Are you prepared to invest hundreds of dollars a month into a pet?
Consider requiring your children to do chores or small assignments and jobs around the house in order to earn money to put towards the care for their pet. That money will go toward veterinary care, feeding, and things like bedding as well. These are all costs that go into pet ownership that you need to teach your kids about.
Exercise And Love
A pet of any kind that is brought into a home and then ignored is going to be an unhealthy pet. You need to make sure that you and your children are ready to give the love to a pet that is needed to give them a healthy home. Pets don’t just need love and attention, but they also need exercise.
Even a hamster or a mouse needs a little exercise wheel and some space to run around, Cats can get exercise with their toys, and laser pointers. If you have a dog they will need the most exercise of the pet options out there, from walks to having a space for them to run.
Originally posted on November 8, 2016 @ 1:38 pm
