Hellobee Boards

Ugh I also remember me and my brother each had hamsters and they were the wooooorst. Running on the wheel all night, pooping all over when we took them out of their cages, pushing all their wood chips out of the cage. We thought they were pretty cute but my mom told me when I was an adult that her and my dad were not sad at all when they died ha! I would stick with fish

My wife had a rabbit and cats as a kid and she loooved both. Her rabbit was gigantic! I don’t think I would risk any small animal with dogs though...I’m imagining an accidental bloodbath

We got a Glow Fish a few months ago, and honestly it’s been more work than I expected it to be with changing filters/water, doing full tank scrub downs, dealing with some weird algae that grew when the kids left the blue light on, etc. the kids (3, 6, and 8) aren’t all that interested now that we moved them out of the kitchen and into an upstairs alcove. The three year old tends to remember to feed them, and then the others want to help, but the novelty definitely wore off fast. For the cost/effort, next time I’d be inclined to go for something more likely to give the kids some attention back and might get a hamster or Guinea pig.

Or what about hermit crabs?

Hermit crabs aren't a low maintenance pet. They need heat and humidity some species need salt water and fresh water pools. They need a varied fresh diet.... they are also nocturnal and escape pros.

Hamsters and other rodents arent good choices because they're nocturnal and small - easy for kids to harm.

A larger critter like a guinea pig (you need more then one they're very social animals) or rabbit or rat might be a good choice if you think they'll be safe with your dogs. But they all do need larger cages but once set up are some what lower maintenance.

Bettas are good and there are other fish that don't need water heaters if you keep your home a decent tempature. If you have a established fish tank you shouldn't change all the water at once just 10-50%. (Like most weeks 10%) you can actually get tanks where you just need to add water.

If you want a pet that's looks only you could look into some reptiles. Most are low maintence as long as you set up their cage/tank properly for their species. Though you have to deal with their food (ie mice for snakes) . Crested Geckos are pretty low maintenance once you set up a tank. (Mist once a day, give fresh water, mix up their powdered food, only need to feed bugs as a treat). But again most are nocturnal and the kids wouldn't be able to handle. (The 6 year old could supervised).

It all really comes down to what you ( or your spouse) is willing to devote. I'd highly recommend googling care sheets for any animal your thinking of getting and avoiding care directions from most major pet stores as they're often wrong.

Agreeing about hamsters - I remember having one and it was cute but I had to put the cage in the bathroom at night because it kept me awake. Also it was a biter.

What about some kind of lizard? We currently have some caterpillars that we found in the garden and are trying to get into butterflies and I’m enjoying them and was thinking similarly about low maintenance pets, and those occurred to me.

Do you have a garden/yard? Or a patio/balcony/window box? I think the lowest-maintenance way to introduce new animals to your children is to put in native plant species that your local animals/birds/insects like. You have to do some minor research, as the stuff labeled "native" at the big box stores and even some locally-owned nurseries frequently isn't, but it's not hard to figure out what plants the local butterflies especially like. Then all you have to do is keep the plants alive (way less work than a pet) and the animals/birds/insects come to you.

I know this approach isn't a pet-in-your-room solution, but it has lots of benefits, I think.