Tips for Choosing Your Child’s First Pet

a couple of dogs sitting on a couch

Many people across the United States and across the world have made pets a part of their lives. These animals often become a part of a larger family or a single-person home. Pets are seen as companions and emotional support. They reduce our stress levels, help to handle our sense of loneliness, and they are even seen as protectors. Pets can also help to increase our social activities, and they help to add to a child’s self-esteem and positive emotional development. Summed up, adding a pet to your household means a lot on a variety of fronts.

Pet ownership is a huge part of the lives of many people across the United States. For the period of 2019-2020, approximately 67 percent of U.S. households, or 85 million families, or 85 million families, owned a pet. Many pets were bought or adopted by parents for their children. When you add a pet to your home for a child, there are certain tips on things you should first consider. We’ll dig more into this below.

Eating Habits

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When you add a pet to your household, you have to consider what the eating habits of that animal will be. This will help you to figure how much food you will need to purchase for the animal, what type of food should be purchased, and how much that food will actually cost. All animals don’t have the same eating habits, so this is something which you’ll have to factor in when choosing your child’s first pet. Once you determine what kind of pet you’ll get, then this will help you to better focus on the diet of your animal.

The most common animals which your child might ask for will be a dog or cat. A dog is expected to have a diet filled with organ meats, muscle meat, whole or ground bone, raw eggs, fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. For cats, they need mainly meat and animal organs to live. For both dogs and cats, foods that contain these ingredients can be found at local stores.

Let’s say your child doesn’t want a cat or dog. They possibly want a “cooler” animal like a reptile or amphibian. Maybe they want a bearded dragon, a chameleon, or a gecko. Most of these amphibians eat insects. You’ll have to open up your web browser and begin looking for Dubia roaches for sale. In addition to Dubia roaches, you’ll also have to find other tasty insects like crickets, mealworms, other types of roaches, arachnids, and other feeder insects for your chameleon or gecko.

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When you order such feeder roaches and feeder insects from online retailers, you’ll get free shipping and a live arrival guarantee for the insects. This will make your child’s bearded dragon, chameleon, or gecko all happier when they receive a tasty meal. Definitely weigh the eating habits when choosing your child’s first pet.

The Responsibility of Taking Care of Pet

One thing which prevents a lot of parents from purchasing pets for their children is this little thing called “responsibility.” Depending on the age of your child, there’s a good chance that any responsibility which comes with adding a pet to your household will fall on you, the adult. You’ll be one who will have to provide a dinner of Dubia roaches, mealworms, or other feeder insects to your child’s pet gecko, or chameleon. You’ll have to be the one to clean up any “accidents” that may come in any variety of sizes via your kids’ new puppy.

For example, your children are going to want to stay focused on playing with toys like their new magnetic blocks set, rather than doing pet chores. Their minds are possibly being blown with the magnetic building blocks which come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Using their imaginations to build structures with these magnetic wooden blocks and magnetic building blocks can often be more fun than actually taking care of their pets.

Some parents try to use adding a pet to their household as a teachable moment for their children when it comes to imparting lessons of responsibility to a child. What parents have to realize is that, based on age and temperament, some kids aren’t ready for such a responsibility. So unless you want to have to wake up at all hours of the night to walk a dog, or feed the bearded dragon its morning dinner of Dubia roaches, or mealworms, maybe think twice before buying a pet for your child.