The rodents look so cute in the movie, they dance, they talk, they perform heroic actions the kids beg to go to the pet store and get a guinea pig or hamster. They promise to take care of it, feed it every day and clean it's cage. Ya, right.

We want our children to have positive experiences with animals and learn responsibility, so we head to the pet store to buy them a pet that will keep them company and they can feed and care for and start learning important lessons. Let's start with the lesson 'real animals and movie animals are not the same'.

Inconvenient Facts

Hamsters often bite and are generally bad tempered. Guinea pigs don't have much personality and their urine and feces smell really bad if the cage isn't cleaned daily. Mice are escape artists and will not come when you call them. These rodents also all have constantly growing teeth which they grind down by chewing on wood, cabinets, books, drywall, whatever is within their reach.

If you're really set on getting a rodent for a pet, the best rodent pets for kids are female rats (males are good too, but they stink and their male parts grow to amazing proportions). If you can get past the ick factor, you will find a friendly, relatively clean, trainable pet for your child that isn't inclined to bite.

Warning: Toddlers and Small Pets of any variety are not a good mix

Small children (or rough children) are not a good mix with small dogs, rodents, cats or anything that isn't sturdy and very tolerant (i.e. full grown black or yellow labs). Both the toddler and pets can be injured and that can have a life long effect on the child. Wait until your youngest child is through the toddler stage before introducing a small pet into the home.

Not all dog breeds are good with small children. It's better to stick with larger, sturdier non-agressive dog breeds until your child is a teen, as a general rule. Pit Bulls, Rotwiellers or protection type dogs in general should not be left alone with toddlers as a safety precaution. I know this will anger the pit bull set, but ask the grandpa whose pit bull mauled and killed his 2 year old grandchild last summer, it's just better to be safe than sorry.

Pets are good for children and they do enjoy each others company, but parents need to use discretion and be sure that the type of pets in their home aren't a danger to the kids or in danger from the kids.

©2009 KC Leader Writing