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Pets and Preschoolers
Choosing the Right Pet for Your Family By Felicia Hodges
"Guinea pigs are pretty good as well," says Bob Meyer. "They are pretty friendly, can stand being picked up a lot or hardly played with at all and they don't need to be walked like Fido."
"Sometimes they even get so big that little children are unable to pick them up," he says. "I've seen kids struggle with adult rabbits that they were able to easily lift out of the cages a month or two before." Fischer suggests smaller, palm-sized critters that won't get too much bigger during their life span. "Hermit crabs are good like that," he says. "They only get but so big so a new cage or bigger muscles aren't necessary."
You may wish to avoid lizards, chameleons, iguanas, snakes or box turtles, as they can transmit salmonella bacteria to humans. Salmonella, which can be life threatening to young children, the elderly or anyone with a weakened immune system, causes severe diarrhea and high fever.
"If you do decide on an iguana, remind everyone in the family to wash their hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water after touching or handling the animal," says Fischer.
"If you settle on a ferret, buy a book on ferrets before you buy all kinds of equipment that you won't need or forget something you really might," says Bob Meyer.
"Books are good because they give you the real deal on how to feed and take care of the pet before he comes 
home to stay," says Fischer.
