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Hopscotch
06-02-2008, 05:27 PM
I was thinking it would be lovely to get a little pet for the kids i was thinking something like a rabbit that we can keep out in the garden, and they could name it and we could learn about how to look afterit.
Do any of you have one i think the kids would love it. (just got to try and convince the other half)
Also if i bought it for the kids to teach how to care for animals would this be able to go through my books as a childminding expense?.)

Trouble
06-02-2008, 05:30 PM
i have a dog 1 cat and guinea pigs out of all the pets weve had(just about everything) the guinea pigs are the best but im allergic to them now not good but they make lovable pets and my daughter bathes ours , they have their own leads, and she makes them jackets they are quite happy to play. the little one bites but its not hard at all. should you get a guinea pig make sure the are the same sex as we left it to the girl in the shop to tell us hence spud murphy is now maria:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

fionamal
06-02-2008, 05:33 PM
Its a great idea. I have a dog, tropical fish and 2 hamsters and the kids love to look after them as some of them arent allowed pets and this way they can care for them , and walk them etc when they are here.

I dont know about claiming for them. I havent even thought about it so if its allowed to then i would definatley do that.

Im sure someone will let us know if this is allowed.

LittleMissSparkles
06-02-2008, 05:33 PM
We have tropical fish that the children take in turns to feed each morning and Luca has a Gheko in his room that out of bounds xxx

Rabbit sounds lovely Bev and I'd have a go at putting it through books ;)

tulip0803
06-02-2008, 05:40 PM
Hi

Whilst childminding I have had a dog, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats and a hamster. Guinea pigs are better than rabbits, they seem to be friendlier a lot of rabbits do not like to be picked up. Guinea pigs also talk to you whereas rabbits are silent. Rabbits and guinea pigs are both social animals and should be kept in pairs. The children have loved all the animals even the rats, some are scared of the dog but they soon discover he is completely daft.

At the minute I have a dog, 2 rabbits and a rat. Other rat never came back from the vet's last month :(

Julia xx

flora
06-02-2008, 07:14 PM
Hi we have a full compliment of animals here and the kids love all of them from the rats to the cats, the dogs and the horses. Rabbits can be very anti social and females can be very moody!! Long claws can often scratch even if trimmed so thats worth thinking about. Gpigs are freindlier and they do indeed talk to you when you bring them food, thay are also fast ans some don't like to sit and be fussed too lon, like bunnies they need to be kept in same sex pairs and you need to have somewhere warm for them in winter as they can catch chills easily and then you have the trouble of explaining where they have gone when they are not in their run..:eek: Personally I would get a pair of fancy rats. They love company, are awake when you are, they are cheap to keep, you can get leads to wlk them, they rarely bite and they don't smell.:clapping: Also contrary to populat myth domestic rats don't carry weils disease. As for putting them through the books, you are allowed to put through anything that is purely for work, if you are only getting them for the benefit of cm kids then I say go for it.

Lou
06-02-2008, 07:20 PM
Im sorry, i would never want to offend anyone but.........................

RATS?????????????????????????????????????????

Not for all the tea in china thanks, they frighten me more than anything else EVER in fact im sat here coming out in a cold sweat

Mollymop
06-02-2008, 07:27 PM
I think a pet is a great idea.

I have a little dog.
A hamster that bites, 2 bearded dragon lizards and lots of tropical fish.

The only animals the kids will have contact with are the dog and my fish.:)

Rubybubbles
06-02-2008, 07:34 PM
you can have my dog and two cats if you like:laughing: , maybe it's because the dog is soooo lazy and one cat stays out of the way! The kitten (well he's nearly 2 but will always be the kitten!) thinks he's a child and was playing in and out of the tunnel today with the children, they were throwing a air ball though and he was firing up and down with it very funny:laughing:

Only joking about having my pets I do love them! As they are family pets though and not for childminding I haven't claimed! If you stopped working you would have ot get rid of the pets if you where claiming I think?? worth a try though

Banana
06-02-2008, 07:38 PM
African land Snails.

We got 2 of them - just got them a flashy new tank too cos they are enourmous now!!

Hows your Angel?

Was a bit dubious about them to start with but I gotta say, im quite attched to them now - no matter hom much I moan about cleaning the tank lol

The kids love them too!!

We have a cat too but he hates me and is pretty anti social - the snails are more company :D

xxx

Twinkles
06-02-2008, 07:44 PM
We have several animals too. If you're thinking of getting a dog remember it's just like having another child as far as time and attention go. And if you get a puppy it's like having a baby without the benefit of pampers!!
Our rabbit is a honey he is in the house a lot and if we sit on the floor he will jump onto our laps for a cuddle. The children all adore him.

sarah32
06-02-2008, 08:13 PM
I have 2 dogs, 2 rabbits, and a tank of tropical fish. My rabbits are quite tame and happy to sit on a childs lap, we've had them from a young age and my 5 year old holds them with no problems. The little boy i mind loves watching the fish. Ive had guinea pigs and they were lovely but they are very delicate which weve learnt from experience (niece dropped it) long story.

I would go with rats as well, my husband has them when we 1st got together and they are so tame, my niece also has them and they go everywhere with her and have never bitten.

Sarah

Tily Bud
06-02-2008, 08:20 PM
We have a dog ( very old and docile ) a rabbit and some fsh.

The children love the rabbit in summer and regularly get into her run with her to stroke her.

I must admit though that a couple of the parents who have been to see me over the years have not come to me because of the dog - they went to childminders who had no pets :rolleyes: Saying that all of the children i have do not have a dog at home and love him to bits :)

sarah707
06-02-2008, 08:37 PM
We have fish and a red bellied fire newt... the children love them and the fish tank is very therapeutic after a hard day... :D

louise
06-02-2008, 08:42 PM
Hi, We have two cats two fish and a rabbit. I had one interview jsut after we got Misty and the little girl spent the whole time playing with her asked to come again and we ended up signing contracts that day!
We did have two rabbits untill hubbie left them in the run and one got caught by a fox. My son got upset for awhile but our kitten came home that day so i think that helped. We got both of them free with cage Hubbie decided to suprise me with them as i had mentioned about getting one! Any way the kids loved them all summer wasn't to great when one escaped out of its run and i had to try and catch it for 2 hours. We have ummed about having my sons gpigs that are at my mums.
So have a look out for them free. I dont know what site he found them on but it wasnt friday ad.
Lou

angeldelight
07-02-2008, 11:06 AM
Lana I meant to ask if you had your snails

We gave ours to our school 2 weeks ago

They were massive wish I would have taken a pic of them now to show you

The kids lost interest and the tank always seemed dirty to me and it bugged me

How are yours ?

Angel xx

berkschick
07-02-2008, 11:18 AM
If you get a rabbit then go for a lop eared one.

They are more dosile than the others!

Rosie ( our lop) is lovely, really friendly. We have had other rabbits in the past that were evil!

flora
07-02-2008, 07:01 PM
Im sorry, i would never want to offend anyone but.........................

RATS?????????????????????????????????????????

Not for all the tea in china thanks, they frighten me more than anything else EVER in fact im sat here coming out in a cold sweat
:laughing: Lou, I am not offended, my own mother is terrified of them and I know you either love them or you hate them and thats ok, they just make great pets for small kids. :jump for joy:

Sandie
07-02-2008, 07:11 PM
I think a pet is a good idea it teaches the children that not everything is a toy, and that some things need special looking after.


~Sandie~

Cammie Doodle
07-02-2008, 08:41 PM
We dont have any pets at present:( But had a dog who was a best friend to a few of my Mindees.) She was soooooo funny she used to go into Carolyn's (we have a gate between our gardens ) every day when she was making dinner. She must of had a great sense of smell or timing. She was spoiled rotten by us (she was my baby) Mindees, their families , Carolyn her hubby and her 4 boys. Sadly she had a brain tumour and we lost her a 2 years ago, but the mindees still talk about her. I would love another pet for the kids and me to be honest.;) If I ever work out how to put her photo on here I will do so .

son77
07-02-2008, 08:49 PM
I used to breed chinchilla's. Now they make great pets. So friendly and soft and lovely!!

Wish I still had the room to keep them now.

Also have a cockatiel but he bites!!

caz
07-02-2008, 08:55 PM
I agree with Debbie, if your getting a rabbit go for a lop. We have 2 lionheads and a lop and he dosnt need much attention, however the lionheads spend all day chewing everything, despite having lots of toys. Kids love feeding them and even nervous ones like to see them running about the garden.

x Caron

brillminder
07-02-2008, 08:57 PM
we have 2 rats (ist time for us from dec ) i like them recently converted there very intelegent- also 2 chinchillas - one form rescue in nothants ( they had loads, email if any one wants the web site)
and two spaniel dogs- the kids love them all. last year had two guinea pigs died age 7 ish the oldest ever had and lovely hamster called smooch aged 2 1/2 sadley missed.
go search rescue sites ( donations cheaper too) on the internet as usually the people have much more knowledge than a pet shop ( no offence some are good)as their passion. our rats were from a litter from pregnant rat missed sexed from pet shop lol
the boys had big bits! so hard to get wrong i believe. we went to rat show last weekend and daughter got a rossette, so she was realy pleased lol. I held lots and was so brave ( sticker please) ours our still fast so not so holdable unless your 12 years old and brave lol
**rats & guinea pigs better in same sex pairs and no rabbits & guinea pigs together g.p get killed**
check out local tips for cages & car boots too

brillminder
07-02-2008, 08:57 PM
if any one wants some raT & CHINCHILLA PHOToS FOR PET TOPIC EMAIL ME AND I CAN SEND YOU SOME OK

Schnakes
07-02-2008, 11:58 PM
We have two cats and some tropical fish. Our older cat is a proper cat..as in - wont put up with any nonsense from the kids! The younger one though...oh my goodness, he may as well be a raggy doll! He just sits there and lets the kids fuss him and my oldest lad (hes three) has the great honour of feeding him his dinner...little lad looks so proud every time hes spooning the food out, and then watches the cat eat - its the sweetest thing!

I would say about any pet though....watch out if its a nipper. Sadly, our dog had to be rehomed (to my sister, luckily - she lives on a farm, so probably he has a better life there anyway! :) ) because he didnt like "new" people and could get a bit nippy with the kids. Saddest thing ever, giving my beautiful baby away because of it, but it had to be. :( :(

Sx

Hopscotch
08-02-2008, 02:12 AM
I think after considering it i will go for guinea pigs, i think i will have have to get 2 of them as they don't sell them on their own, ive been spending all evening trying to convince the other half and he keeps saying no but i know that he will give in eventually ( he always does). i had a hamster years ago he said i wasn't allowed one so when he was at work one day i took the day off work and bought one he wasn't happy but he loved the hamster to bits so i know he will be ok its more for the kids than anything my son is 2 and he hasn't got any brothers or sisters yet!! and when it is the weekend he really misses the other children so i want to get him something to care for i think he will love it.
Thanks everyone hopefully i will be getting the guinea pigs on saturday if i have managed to win hubby round by then.
Bev X

Monkey1
08-02-2008, 06:23 AM
Im sorry, i would never want to offend anyone but.........................

RATS?????????????????????????????????????????

Not for all the tea in china thanks, they frighten me more than anything else EVER in fact im sat here coming out in a cold sweat

Couldn't agree more!!!!! One of my mindees keeps rats and she keeps offering to bring them to show me! ...so far i have managed to put her off!!!!
Give me my doggies and my cats anyday!