Best choice would be a baby brother or sister…
A hamster or hermit crab
Ok … the best first pet is a rat… they are fairly clean as they clean themselves. If you keep their cage clean they will have one spot they go potty in and another for bed. They are highly intelligent so they love toys and can run around.the house in an exercise ball. Kids can hold pet and feed/ water it daily and then cage the cage for weekly. You can get them tunnels. They are bigger than a hamster and not as messy as Guinea pigs or hamsters. Less noise too.
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Before getting any pet do research first. Join groups on Facebook to get the right information about feeding and care. Rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters or any small animal require a lot of care. They should never be kept in the cages sold at pet stores. They are too small for them. They need cages at least 4 times the size of what they sell. They need the right type of bedding, chews, food, treats, fruits and vegetables. Guinea pigs and rabbits do well in pairs. Hamsters will kill each other fighting after they are only a few months old. It costs a lot of money and time to have a pet. None are easy.
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Tbh a cat is a good first pet. Easy to care for and food for learning boundaries. If you clean their box they barely have a smell.
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A bunny they are loveable and can be litterbox trained if you put the work into it
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Ive owned so many pets
Gold fish is good starter. Get a little 3 gallon with some plants and some cheap orange fish. Bec they can go through filter if too small. .get some water clarifier, pump/filters , ph stabilizer. Its so much easier than person above said
Small Rodents die easily bec kids dont handle them properly or scare them /give them heart attacks being too high energy. They also are escape artists
Turtles are high maintenance, and like other reptiles, can harbor bacteria if not frequently cleaned. Salmonella central if kids dont wash their hands after handling. Gotta scrub all aquarium pieces every few days or it gets nasty
Birds are high maintenance and cleaning cages sucks
One that you won’t mind taking care of.
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Hamsters…teaches them to play gently and be responsible for keeping the cage clean. Just make sure you get 2 of the same sex…we made that mistake when my son got his 2 hamsters and one day I looked in the aquarium and thought they had thrown up in the corner. I didn’t know hamsters were born pink and naked. Went to remove the barf and it moved!!! They had 17 babies!!!
A fish. Easy to feed, and clean the tank, and fun to watch. A small step into learning responsibility before getting an expressive and long commitment like a cat/dog
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Rabbi,t Guineapig or even if you dont one full term maybe work on a farm or horse riding lessons where you horse share and muck out
I would suggest a goldfish to start u feed them and change thier fish bowl water very low maintenance easy responsibility for a first time pet
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Start with plant and a time line then fish, beta or gold and time line to earn the next thing. Then hamster. Don’t do bunnies for kids under 10. Bunnies can be hurt very easily. They aren’t too fragile to be handled. They can nip
A parakeet is good, preferably a hand tamed baby from a breeder
Depends on the age of the children. Research dog breeds for those good with children. Very young kids should be supervised at all times. I would avoid small breeds.
I feel like a kitten is a great first pet!!
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We have guinea pigs and we love them
Depends on your kids. We had a hamster and they played too rough on him and killed him. We had a beta fish and we had went on vacation so I took it with us and my friends son stared too much and it died. We had goldfish and it died. I have outside cats and when they see my kids, they run away. So I’m not getting them anything until they are old enough to take care of it
I’ve got everything from a 
to a 
!! The easiest thing my kids care for believe it or not is chickens 
feed, water & then they love collecting eggs! My youngest is 3yo and that’s what she wants to do every morning! Mommy we need get eggs 
Get what you want, after all you are the one that’s going to be taking care of it
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I started my son with a beta. They are super easy to take care of. So as he was learning, it wasn’t a big deal if he forgot to feed it for a day or two. And it was just a small bowl to clean instead of a big tank.
Guinea pig! They are sweet!
The age your kids matters alot for instance they could be to rough for a hamster
Ball python lol. If you start with a baby you’ll have a perfect “pet” that doesn’t require a ton of food or constant attention.
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Kitten is the best I reckon. Fish need lots work that little ones cant do by themselves and I dont like rabbit and Guinea pigs etc. Cats become part of the whole family and young children can feed them independantly and play with them etc and less likely to die than fish or rabbits etc
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Fish. In a simple tank.
All animals can get expensive, and time consuming… But i would say a cat because you dont have to let it out but you do have to scoop poop and feed it… There is cute little toys you can play with the cat with, and they love being touched… Not as much food as a dog…
A fish, or Gerbils. Gerbils are great first pets! Very interactive & attentive
Axolotl, u can freaze their food, cool to look at, just got to keep the tank and water clean and it should stay healthy :)) or just fish like most ppl
I would say any of the following would be great first time pets fish, hamsters, mice, rats, Guinea pig, or bunny all of these pets are fairly easy to take care of I’ve owned or have currently every pet listed …rabbits can also be potty trained to use a litter box I had two who used the litter box you will still find a few little poops outside the box that can easily be swept up or vacuumed but most poops are inside the box and urine is always inside the box making cleaning up after them easy they do not smell unless you let the litter box go unchanged for more then a 1-2weeks depending on how much your pet uses the restroom and the gender males do smell stronger from my experience
Guinea pig or turtle
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A guinea pig is a really good first pet. If they’re in a really nice cage with lots of room you can actually leave them for a weekend if you want to go away. I don’t need to be taken for a walk but they do need to be petted and played with. They love to be held and petted. They can be try lots of tricks if you spend some time with them everyday. Do need to have their cage completely at least twice a week. If it’s not done they will be very stinky. My grandson has had one for five years now it’s so sweet. When you walk into his room he gets all excited and makes all kinds of noises because he wants picked up
Pig. If it doesn’t go well there’s still free bacon!
A bird. I had a cockatiel and they are a smaller one. There are lots of different types
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A kitten. Cats are very low maintenance. Food, water, vet visits are fun for kids. Keep indoors and you won’t deal with fleas. My English Cocker Spaniel has grown up with my grandchildren and is their best friend. He is more work, more expensive because of grooming, but so worth it.
Nothing that you aren’t willing to take 100% responsibility for if the kids get bored and don’t want to put in the work. Fish have varying requirements for tank size and water quality that will involve water changes and using chemicals to maintain a healthy balance, and many are schooling species that do best in groups. Hamsters/gerbils/guinea pigs/rabbits/rats actually need more room than what the pet store cages will provide and can smell if their space isn’t cleaned constantly, on top of being shy or even bitey if they don’t come from a breeder that handled them. Birds can be so delicate that even scorching something in a Teflon coated pan can kill them, on top of bird feathers being an allergen. Reptiles will have varying requirements but all of them are susceptible to metabolic bone disease if not given the right amounts of calcium and vitamin D. And depending on your location it can be hard to find a vet that works with anything considered a pocket pet or an exotic, which means you’ll be driving to the next city over and paying extra for care when needed. (My vet makes farm calls for livestock and has office hours for dogs and cats and has some experience with rabbits, but she would refer me to a specialist nearly an hour away if I were to call her about something like a bird or snake or gerbil)
I don’t say this to be discouraging, but just so you’re not biting off more than you can chew and the situation ending up with an animal being neglected or rehomed or stuck in a rescue. Figure out what you’d be most willing to take care of and include the kids in the conversation. Make sure they’re aware of how much responsibility they will have and if there are consequences for not following through. Cover all the bases first and that should make it easier for all parties involved to be happy with whatever you bring home
Guinea pig, Beta fish only 1, or a kitten…
Guinea pigs can be a fun animal to hug and hold but it has to be consistent. If they aren’t getting everyday attention they get mean. And their teeth HURT and will draw blood. Been there done that. Never doing it again. Fish are good. Betas are easy to take care of. But with them only one male per bowl or you will end up with dead fish because they fight to the death. You can put females with males but I would suggest more than one female because the male will never stop chasing her. I had a tank with one male and six females and those poor ladies were always on the run. Lol
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pet rock, it doesn’t eat much, doesn’t need cleaning up after, doesn’t whine, bark or keep you up at nights, no walking required, doesn’t get sick or require a veterinarian.
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When I was young my dad started me and my siblings off with a hamster, then moved along to a small fish , then we ended up getting a 3 year old pug .
A Kitten! 
Once Raised To A Cat 
and The Kids Grow Older, The Cat Will Only Want To Be Bothered On Thier Terms and Vice Versa! 
That’s why I Love Cats…They’re Very Independent (when Trained Properly)!
GOOD LUCK!
We love our dwarf hamster she is so easy to care for
Fish arent fun when you’re a kid you can’t play with them.
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Gold fish or a syrain hamster
My daughter has a ferret and loves her.
I’d start with a leopard gecko, maybe. They aren’t hard to maintain and they eat crickets and mealworms. I’ve had mine almost 2 years. Just have to keep up with changing the bedding in the cage and feeding it and you dont even have to feed it every single day. The bedding I change every 3 days or so.
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A cat is actually perfect. They clean up after themselves and are lower maintenance than a ginuea pig or hamster
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We have two bunnies and they are pretty easy. However we also have 7 cats. lol
Rabbit! They can be potty trained and taught tricks. Can even housebreak them!
We got our son a bearded dragon for his 9th birthday! So easy to care for! And now my son is 15! We love our beardie! And my son cleans the tank and stuff.
Hamster or a pair of rats. NO FISH they take alot of work to make sure they are properly taken care of . Most people don’t care for fish the right way. People who are saying guinea pig should be saying a pair they are social creatures
Hamster!! Guinea pigs are messy.
Wr have reptiles and arachnids. Oh my kids love them.
I got my daughter a gecko for her birthday a few years back … super easy to take of and they live forever lol.
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A betta fish, so many pretty ones to choose from, and they are curious and interactive with humans. You can get a 3 gallon clear glass cookie jar from Walmart for 13 bucks, makes a perfect home for a betta fish.
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You might want to go by their ages and personalities. I got my girls a kitten and bunny as their first pet. They were 3 and 6. Obviously we had done fish but they die rather quickly. My girls were (are) well behaved girls that are gentle with animals. No rough housing, or grabbing fur etc. Since then we’ve added another rabbit, kitten and baby chinchilla . My girls are now 9 and 12. Oh and I have an 8 months old daughter too lol.
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Guinea pig, bigger and less fragile than a hamster, but honestly a cat would be best. Way less maintenance to clean a litter box than to try to clean a cage or tank.
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Hear me out, Rats were always my go to as a kid. 1) Contrary to popular belief, they are extremely clean animals (they think were gross) 2) they are SO smart, you can teach them tricks, courses, even to play basketball. All kinds of things. 3) they are much nicer than hamsters and gerbils (they are nocturnal and tend to bite when messed with during the day) but rats really don’t care, if they are handled a lot they are the nicest pets, they cuddle and everything. About the same clean up as any other cage pet, tho I would also suggest getting a female as the males tend have stinkier waste.
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RATS they are wonderful kind and clean we have rats and have for many years❤ we have had rats that could walk on a lead and rats that come by name we love them
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Got my kids 3 guppie fish for xmas & as long as you take care of the tank properly, its so easy to maintain them.
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A cat is the easiest in my opinion but my since that’s not an option I go with a hamster or guinea pig.
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Rats make good pets. They’re sturdy and incredibly smart. A cat actually isn’t a bad idea. They’re independent.
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People saying fish?? Nahh tanks are pains to clean and kids get board fast!!. Fish also need lots bigger tanks then people believe so them tiny bowls? No no.
I’d personally get something you would enjoy also. If you have kinda older kids I’d say possibly a hamster if you know your kids are gentle. Rabbits are fun if you have a calm house and a space big enough for a pen (no small cages.
In my personal opinion id be against ferrets as a first pet. But they are fun.
I love rats and they are simple to care for and cage takes up less space then day a rabbit. Buuuut people have this “eewww gross” thought when it comes to rats 
.
Geckos are neat and easy also.
Cats and dogs to me personally are the “funner” choices when it comes to kids cause they play more 
but whatever you choose please do research and remember this is a forever pet so choose something for the long run not just “right now”.
If your kids are into reptiles a ball python is cool first reptile.
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Rats are wonderful pets for kids
We had hermit crabs and they’re so easy to care for, granted you cant play with them to much, but they definitely help my kids learn responsiblity, they’re easy to feed and water and they love climbing
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Reptiles can be a good first pet. Like a bearded dragon. But make sure you do some research and are providing the correct diet and care. They are friendly and sturdy animals however.
Fish. My oldest won a goldfish at the fair and we’ve added more since. She feeds them and helps clean the tank
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My 6&4 yr old have a bearded dragon (lizard) and they love it! Easy to take care of and gentle
As a parent,no matter what kind of pet you get your kids, you will be caring for that pet. Kids can help but ultimately it’s your responsibility to make sure it’s cared for. A lot depends on ages of your children as to what they can help with. Pets are the best! Personally I’d get a dog, but that’s just me. Our 3 year old helps me feed the dog every day. You’d be modeling how to care for a member of the family 
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Bearded dragon, rats, guinea pig, fish…
I see people recommending rabbits. Do not start with a rabbit for a first pet for a child. They poop A LOT. You have to change their cage every 2 days depending. They’re smelly so you wont want them inside. I just dont see a rabbit as a good fit for a first pet for a kid.
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I’m not sure how old your kids are, but a fish is a good start. They will have to feed daily, clean the tank…. A Betta would be a good start. It’s a small tank, and they’re fairly easy to take care of. If you’re looking for more of a pet pet, something they can hold and play with, we got our son a bearded dragon when he was 9. They’re a little more expensive though because of the set up and feeding live crickets. We got our 7 year old a hamster. She plays with her daily, so there isn’t any biting. She changes her bedding once a week, feeds her and gives her water when needed. I know you said you didn’t wanna go for a dog or a cat yet, but a cat is a good choice. They’re pretty self sufficient. We have self feeders for our cats, so we fill the food and water once a week, scoop the litter daily and then do a full litter change weekly. Other than that, the kids just cuddle them and play with toys with them.
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honestly, start with a cat, I found they were the easiest. my kids started helping with kitty chores around 2.5 (food/water) my son now 9 helps with litter (he offers, so he gets an extra reward for the week if he does lol)
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Everyone saying guinea pigs, they are actually a handful. Most ppl think you can keep them in just a regular cage but that’s not the case. They need a huge cage to be able to run, their living space has to be spot cleaned everyday, every other day, with a good cleaning weekly. They are very fragile and very scared animals. Sometimes they are friendly but it usually takes a good bit to have them warm up to you. Their eating is also complicated. They can only have certain fruits and vegetables a certain amount of times a week, month.
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If you’re not ready for a cat or a dog (imo cats have always been easier than dogs to handle especially with children)…
Fish are horrible to keep up with and keeping tanks clean and water at right levels can be a pain in the butt.
Hamsters, rats, guinea pigs are usually fairly easy to handle.
Cats are actually way easier than most pets in my opinion.
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I’d for sure do a fish.
I would never recommend fish. The children can’t interact with them which then they get bored with and won’t want to care for them… it’s all work and no play with fish… also a tiny mess up with changing the water can lead to the fish dying…
I recommend rats. They are amazing pets, very interactive with children, very sweet. They thrive on attention!!! I recommend doing research on them and getting two. They get lonely! We have a cage that the poop falls directly through the grates and into a tray. All I have to do is change their blankets out and pull the tray from the bottom and empty it 
i have 7 kids for the summer and they all love them!!!
I know you said no cat, but they are the easiest in my own opinion. V
Honestly, I would say a cat. They’re the lowest maintenance animals I can think of. Reptiles require a lot of work when it comes to adequately caring for them. They’re caged have to have a specific moisture/dry index in different spots, the lighting has to be just right, their water has to be treated, sometimes they need extra calcium, plus cleaning the terrarium. It’s just a lot of work that most people dont think about when they think of getting a reptile
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Guinea pigs are amazing first pets they are so gentle, my 3 year old feeds and fills there water (with supervision) and always helps clean them out also he handles them daily and just snuggles with them
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Cat dog fish bunny hamster gerbal snake thes are just a few easy pets to care for
I love my hamster he’s a good boy my daughter is responsible for his food water and cleaning his ball and Handeling and I just do the cage
Guinea pigs! Nice and easy to look after but still cuddly and fun xx
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We have a dog and a cat. My kids are responsible for letting the dog out (fenced back yard), feeding them and making sure they have clean water daily. I do not believe they are quite old enough (6&8) to be cleaning the litter. I watch them very closely and make sure they do their jobs and get them done right.
Having a pet they can touch and cuddle at times has been the best thing, especially for our special needs kiddo. We would not have gotten the same out of an animal that isn’t a 4 legged furry baby. I would really consider either cat/dog especially depending on your kids ages, they could do a lot, but no matter what everything will still fall on you. Reminding them to feed/water/clean is always going to be there. Monitoring them to make sure they do it the way that’s needed. Monitoring them with the animals themselves. It’s all a lot of hard work. The smaller the animal the easier they are to get seriously injured too and not many normal Vets see exotics.
Syrian hamster. Do not get the dwarfs, they are fast.
A hamster and fish hamsters die after 2 years I think so it’s not like you gotta take it out for walks of anything but it will teach the kids how to care for a pet and change its bedding etc
My son had hamsters 
since he was 3 years old n now we got two cats one dog n he does amazing with them (he’s 13 now)
Fish or rabbits I think
It was a huge amount of research/$$ at first but our bearded dragon is an awesome pet and loves attention
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Honestly a kitten. I’ve went from crabs, to mice, to frogs, dogs, rabbits. All ended up being my responsibility. They can do everything with that kitten and it can grow with your child.
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It really depends on the ages of the kids and what your expectations are.
Cats are good first pets, but are unpredictable with their dispositions.
Dogs are great, but that’s a lot of work.
Hamsters are tiny and easily lost.
Guinea pigs can be fun, but they smell, and again, dispositions are tricky.
Gosh are cool to watch, but there’s interaction.
Ferrets are fun, but they also smell.
Leopard geckos are easy to care for, but again, not much interaction.
A ferret they are super playful you can give them a bath so they don’t stink teach them how to clean the cage it’s like a mini cat but more playful in my opinion
Rat smart easy to handle
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Unless you are willing to put in a lot of work and provide loads of fresh fruit and veg, clip nails regularly, clean grease glands and all the other health necessities for guinea pigs then please ignore the recommendations to get one. They can be very expensive and time consuming to care for properly. Plus should always be kept in pairs (except very rare circumstances). Most cages in stores are far too small and most pet store treats are bad for them. Stores take profit over care unfortunately.
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My girls have guinea pigs. 6 and 11
Depending on the ages of the children… dog/cat is gonna end up being your responsibility. A leopard gecko was my son’s 1st pet. But, the “leftover” crickets (dinner) could be annoying… I don’t remember cost-aquarium, heated rock, calcified sand, artificial plants, water dish/lounging tub, light, accessories, 2 dozen crickets every week)
Rats need to get at least 2. They are very smart, need a really big cage with multiple levels. Can be litter trained
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I would get a cat. Fish and hermit crabs will get boring. Reptiles are hard work to keep alive. Guinea pigs, hamsters, and rats are also hard work and need their cages cleaned out pretty often and have certain diets. We have a hamster, 3 cats and 3 kids and the cats are actually easier to take care of haha they are pretty low maintenance.
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