Fish Make Great First Pets for Children

There comes a time in the life of all parents when their children start begging them for a pet. Often, the negotiations start with things like ponies and dinosaurs, dwindle rapidly to dogs and snakes, and then settle somewhere in the hamster and gecko range. Indeed, parents can get bombarded by requests for all sorts of pets: dogs, cats, snakes, lizards, turtles, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamster, gerbils, mice, parrots, finches, and everything in between.

Not too many children ask for fish.

However, fish can make an excellent first pet for children. With a few basic rules – no dumping stuff in the tank, no taking the fish out of the tank – and a very small amount of daily and weekly care, keeping fish can be an educational and enjoyable experience.

The following is a comparison between several popular first pet types, and fish.

Dogs vs. Fish

Sure, dogs make great pets. They are cuddly when small and fun to play with. You can even teach them tricks. However, they also stink and need bathing regularly. They bark, harass the mail carrier, and pee on the floor when excited. They need daily food and water, and they need to be walked several times a day. While out on this walk, any excrement will need to be picked up and taken home.

Fish, on the other hand, never need to be walked. They do need to be fed daily, and all of their excrement will be easily taken care of by a filter and once per week water changes. They do not smell or make any noise. If they lunge threateningly at anyone, they will just bump their nose into the glass. They will never pee on the floor.

Cats vs. Fish

Cats are another great cuddly pet. Unlike stinky dogs, cats are quite clean and take care of bathing themselves. They also do not need to be walked, and instead do their business in a convenient litter box. This litter box, however, needs to be cleaned out at least daily, and will have quite a bit of odor. Again, change one quarter of the fish tank water once a week and you are fine.

Reptiles vs. Fish