Hi mamas, I want to get my children a pet but at this point a dog or cat is out of the question. What do you think a “fun” pet for boys that would be to good to get them? Prefer one that’s pretty low maintenance and doesn’t smell too bad lol
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That eliminates about everything!! Lol
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A turtle or a tropical fish aquarium 
Guinea pigs! I raised them for years! Very lovable and good with children
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Axolotol, my girls had one and they are super low maintenance and they absolutely loved her
Bearded dragon turtle frog!just few ideas!bird of some kind!
I got mine a hamster at 5…
Gekos and bearded dragons
Bunny, they have so much personality, you can open their cage and let them hop around they’ll only poop in the cage.
Depends on the age of the children as to whats best for them. If they are still at the grab and pull stage would suggest a pet that can be caged guinea pig rabbit hamster. If old enough to learn not to pull on or hit an animal dog is a fun and can be a playful companion for little boys
Bearded dragon, easiest and not messy.
Tortoise !!! Low maintenance and NO smell. I have a Russian tortoise. He is the best.
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Bearded dragons , bunnies, hamsters. All smell. Tortoises have 0 smell.
Hermit crabs!!! They are low maintenance and your boys would LOVE them!
My kids have 2 dogs and a guinea pig
A tortoise, they can live 50+ years, can be socialized to interact with you when taken out of their cage/ enclosure, and very low maintenance. A Russian box tortoise would be a good first to get, and they don’t stink. I’ve had one for about 5 years now and he’s awesome
Daughter just got a parakeet $25 at Petco. She’s psyched and easy maintenance.
Honestly a rat they are GREAT pets and highly intelligent and can be trained trust me do some research
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Lizards are super cool
We had a rat named Lucious, he was amazing!
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We have 2 cats. Brother and sister. High maintenance. Very high maintenance. And litter box smells if you dont clean once a day. But there the best pets.
My son has 2 hairless rats and loves them
In all honesty if you want low maintenance a snake is really easy only needs fresh water daily and depending on the size and type less food, beardies are great and more social but require daily veggies insects water and cleaning fish are fairly low maintenance if the tank is set up properly, just daily feeding. All in all depending on how much maintence you want and how much you want to spend on daily food and initial cost
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His bearded dragon named sunflower
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Leopard Geckos are easy and fun. Not much work
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What ages? That’s an important factor
We got our daughter (8 years old) a Guinea pig & she loves it. She takes care of it all on her own. I helped her the first two weeks & after that it became her responsibility. It’s her baby lol
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My 10 yr old has 2 guinea pigs
I’d start with a fish to see if they take care of something simple first
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My kids have cats and they are low maintenance they are outside cats mostly in the summer so the litter box stays clean in the summer but in the winter I have to change the litter three times a week
Just saying rabbits absolutely do not make good pets for children. If you properly care for a rabbit, you will know they are very high maintenance!!
Just get a fish
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Two guinea pigs) s’mores and patches) and a hamster (cotton)
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This is snuggles my dream puppy, he seems to be a hit in our house lol. It’s the dog that stole Christmas 
Crested Gecko. Like to be handled. Don’t smell at all (mine is actually on my kitchen counter) they eat a food paste so you don’t need to always buy bugs! No heat required just have to spray the tank twice a day with water and replace food when dry. Mine is 4 years old and they can live close to 10 years
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Hermit crabs are cool they can each have their own and they have decorated shells with Batman and such
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Guinea pigs or a bearded dragon we’re great for us! Turtles are nice water ones
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We got ours a ball python and they love him he eats once a week and you only have to clean out his cage once a week and he’s really docile lets the kids hold them and love on him it was a great first pet for my kids
How about a gold fish
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Bearded dragon. Depending on age. I was 8 when I got my Mushu. But a fish for anyone younger. Can buy a cool fish tank and add awesome accessories and only feed it a pinch and clean the tank whenever it’s dirty.
We have 2 Guinea pigs and a rat
They all stink if left uncleaned for too long.
Birds or a guinea pig
I have a leopard gecko and theyre super low maintenance, keep their food dish full of mealworms and their water dish, clean the tank every so often, give em crickets semi-regularly and theyre all good, just wanna make sure you take them out of the tank semi frequently so they dont become aggressive (even if they do it doesnt hurt when they bite they just kinda latch onto you feels like getting pinched with a clothespin)
Watch with lizards and maybe turtles they are carriers of salmonella. Birds have some kind of something that can cause major eye issues.
A bird I had one when I was young
Our boys love their bearded dragons. They get to feed them bugs and make them salads, but they are crazy low maintenance.
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Guinea pigs, not too high maintenance but teaches the little ones responsibility.
Guinea pigs!!! They are awesome! They are interactive ( not as much as a dog) but they make awesome noises when they are happy
I recommend staying away from hamsters I know that’s not much help just speaking from experience
Rats are by far the best pet I’ve ever had they are highly intelligent very sociable animals and if handled frequently can be your best friend. Amazing little creatures 
Fish with an aquarium that lights up
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A beta fish… your child can pick whatever color they like. If you get 2 they do have to be in 2 different bowls
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Fish or hamster…that’s what we got for our boys’ first pets
One beta fish, self cleaning tank, refresh filter weekly and feed daily. Very interactive. I have to admit…I love “my son’s” fish. Every time I walk past he swims over to say hello. He’s my new free therapist
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Bourke parakeet. I have several pets (dog, red ear slider turtle, Indian ringneck parrot, parakeets, cockatiels and the bourkes). The bourkes are the calmest birds I have, are friendly without biting like my cockatiels will, are quickly learning their names and will sit on my shoulders as I walk around the house. Just have to make sure they are in the cage before doors are opened. They love to fly and only require frequent food/water change (daily) and cage cleaning once a week (I use junk mail as my cage liner under the grate so they can’t bite it).
My boys like fish. 
they enjoy watching them and they also have a very active hermit crab they enjoy. He comes out and crawls all over them
Rabbits are great! Outside in an easy to clean hutch. 
Just get them a fish. Please DO NOT get them a parrot if you want low maintence. Or a rabbit. If there is any potential that said animal is going to be ignored for any amount of time, stick to a fish.
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I’d say rat, they can be really lovable their durable and easier to clean up after the other caged pets. If they’re consistent they might be able to teach it tricks and walk it on a leash to scare people, what more could a little boy ask for, plus they can eat a wide variety of things so the boys can pick it some fun snacks to eat together.
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I got my son a piranha they are a doys fish not as terrible as you think
Fish, hamster, hermit crabs, rat… Don’t get rabbits or birds they aren’t low maintenance
Hermit crab. Affordable and easy to maintain.
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You can liter train rabbit . Ferrets smell and will chew up things. Rabbits will too but they are gentle. Have had all kinds of pets i would go with gold fish
Get bearded dragons I have two and they are easy. All you have to do is clean poop out every other day sometimes less. Water every other day and bathe them once a week.
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I loved my pet Rats! They are smart, do tricks, and are surprisingly clean. Get a female though they don’t have the musky smell like a male!
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My experience birds, ferrets, rats, Guinea pigs are stinky. Fish are low maintenance but if you dont keep that tank clean like really clean they will die!
If cared for properly, fish aren’t easy. DEFINITELY NOT a goldfish. They are not starter pets.
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A plant or pet rock. I know its silly but plants can be fun! They require care & love, too.
Guiena pig or hamster or beta fish or hermit crab
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Hermit crab fun to watch and low maintenance and cheap.
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A good first pet is always a fish. Teach them to care for it. Teach them what it takes to care for an animal. Make a little schedual where they share responsibility feeding it amd help keep the fish bowl clean. We have always had pets. We have had fish, rats (which the boys loved so much),a hampster. Cats, dogs. We are animal people. Right now we have 2 cats and 2 dogs. Kids walk them,feed them. We have a schedual that rotates the care for them. They sift the litterbox and take the yuckies to the garbage outside. I love love rats. They are amazing. I personally got my first pair of rats when i was around 11. Amazing. Friendly…fun…sweet and soooo smart. Ive probably had 12 in total in my life. But low maintenance would be a fish.
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My daughter has guinea pigs. As long as the cage is cleaned every couple of days, we haven’t had a problem with smell. We do have to trim the long haired one and bathe him or he gets smelly, but haven’t had a smell issue with the short haired one.
Hermit crabs - great starter pets.
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I have rats and they are wonderful
turtle,lizard, hermit crab, or fish
I love my bearded dragon and those are good for all ages
Oscar fish or a bearded dragon both are pretty great
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A gold fish. Let them decorate the tank, it might be fun.
There is nothing smaller than a cat or dog, that doesn’t stink, and is low maintenance. They are all messy, high maintenance, or stinky.
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My first pet that wasnt either of those were fluffy hamsters. They stink if you dont clean their cage but not bad if you keep up. Mine were really cool. I would put a scrunchy around their waist (nothing harmful) and walk them gently on a leash in my room. I had the hamster ball. My one would just hang out on me and sleep he was awesome.
A stuffed dog, low maintence doesn’t eat much and won’t shit on the floor😂
My box turtle didn’t smell too bad. My water turtle is a little stinky. But both are awesome pets for everyone
Fish, a good tank with a good filter i have a 75 gallon with two filters and I only have to clean it once a year to clean the filters out. It’s the only pet smaller then a cat or dog that doesn’t stink or alot of maitness. We started our kids off with fish then, rats, rabbits, cat, dog.
No pets smell when taken care of
We have a ball python.
2 Male rats because they have to go in pairs but make sure they areboys. Alot nicer then girls. They dont bit there cage needs to be done once a week. Nothing ur son sticks in there cage will make them sick and they are very loving if u get ones that are handled at a young age. I have had boys and girls and my kids love them and they kiss and sit on u forever. Takes about a week or 2 to get really attached to your son.
A beta. Or an ant farm. My Beta lived for 8 years. Alls we had was the fish bowl he lived in and food is inexpensive. I want a Beta now in fact. Been wanting one as a class pet. Birds are messy we have one. And yes dogs and cats are a lot of work.
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Leapord Gecko. My daughter loves our little Mushu and holds him
A chinchilla but they aren’t cuddley and don’t really like being held. They don’t really stink much clean the cage once a week. I feed mine maybe twice a week 
she doesn’t eat a lot so a whole bowl lasts nearly a week
I would recommend a ferret 
They can be some work but are sooo much fun. I have 2 and my little boy absolutely loves them
Fish on a skateboard That’s what my mum used to tell me I could have when I complained I couldnt walk a fish
A parakeet. A young one. They are very trainable. And fun and you can teach them words.
Bearded dragon. Mine is super gentle and low maintenance.
We just got a rabbit! It’s cute, low maintenance, fun to play with and our kids love him! No hair everywhere
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Ball Python. Join Ball Python Enthusiasts for wonderful info 
We also have a rabbit. I clean it a lot but he enjoy helping feed everyday and playing with them
2 Chinchillas because their best as a pair
Bearded dragons are amazing, ball pythons, frogs, or rats make great pets as well!
A turtle or bearded dragon
Guinea pigs. I follow a guinea pig rescue group on YouTube. I had to do lots of research on guinea pigs when I had someone in my family impulse bought one and I took it in. The YouTube channel is saskia from Los Angeles guinea pig rescue