Animals
Annette Naake
We have two guinea pigs and they've made nice pets for our kids, 7 and 3.
"Firewood" and "Early" (don't ask :-) ) live in a big cage in the kitchen,
where they are easy to feed and tend to, and won't get ignored. They are
very tame and docile and will sit in a child's lap contentedly while he
watches TV or is read to. We always leave the cage door open and haven't had
any problems with escapes. They have a reputation for not biting... so far,
ours don't. They make cute squeaking noises and I think they're cute
critters. I found the chips sometimes used to line the cages to be
expensive, messy and smelly so I line the bottom of the cage with newspaper,
which I roll up and change every day or two. I do the cleaning, and I remind
my 7yo to feed and play with his pets. But of course the responsibility is
ultimately mine.
I think if you could take care of a friend's pet while they're on vacation
for a week or two it would give you a very good idea of how much work they
are and how long your child's interest would last.
We also have a goldfish and a cat, and at the moment, a caterpillar on its
way to being a butterfly.
Annette
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"Firewood" and "Early" (don't ask :-) ) live in a big cage in the kitchen,
where they are easy to feed and tend to, and won't get ignored. They are
very tame and docile and will sit in a child's lap contentedly while he
watches TV or is read to. We always leave the cage door open and haven't had
any problems with escapes. They have a reputation for not biting... so far,
ours don't. They make cute squeaking noises and I think they're cute
critters. I found the chips sometimes used to line the cages to be
expensive, messy and smelly so I line the bottom of the cage with newspaper,
which I roll up and change every day or two. I do the cleaning, and I remind
my 7yo to feed and play with his pets. But of course the responsibility is
ultimately mine.
I think if you could take care of a friend's pet while they're on vacation
for a week or two it would give you a very good idea of how much work they
are and how long your child's interest would last.
We also have a goldfish and a cat, and at the moment, a caterpillar on its
way to being a butterfly.
Annette
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
Russ Anderson
>This is a <very> stupid question but, how do you keep animals like thatfrom
>using the bathroom all over the house? Can they be house trained? Or do youWhen I've had baby goats indoors, it's only because they are newborns and
>just keep them in one place, like the bathroom? See those are stupid
>questions.
>
>:-0)
>-Erin
very weak, so they weren't doing much running around. They spend about 24-48
hrs in a box in the kitchen and then are ready to be sent back to the barn.
I don't think goats could be 'house-trained'.. the ones I've had are
constantly dribbling goat 'berries' everywhere. One of my does always waited
until she was on the milk stand.. if I didn't milk fast her fast enough..
look out!
I was keeping 11 baby chicks in my living room for 3 weeks.. but they stayed
in a box too! But on one of my chicken lists, a lady has a bantam rooster
that lives inside.. roosts on the back of her couch and watches tv with her.
(They put newspaper on the floor under him, can you believe it!)
Julie in MO - who loves critters, but mostly of the outdoor variety.