> Personally, I was 7 (way back in '73) when I first became a gerbil owner.
I
> fondly remember watching them in their ball every Saturday while she
cleaned
> out their aquarium. I'm sure she made sure they were fed and well cared
for,
> just as she looked after all our family pets
Ooops, sorry, I was referring to my mother. She's the "she" I'm referring
to. ; )
----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Elizabeth Chang <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 3:50 AM
Subject: Re: age debate
> Personally, I was 7 (way back in '73) when I first became a gerbil owner.
I
> fondly remember watching them in their ball every Saturday while she
cleaned
> out their aquarium. I'm sure she made sure they were fed and well cared
for,
> just as she looked after all our family pets. But they were my
> responsibility, and I think most kids over the age of reason can be
> marvelous pet owners.
> That said, legally and morally, I will not give any animal (or anything
> else) to anyone under the age of 18 without first discussing it with the
> parents. To me, this just makes sense.
> A few weeks ago we gave some gerbils to some family friends. They have 5
> daughters age 2-14. When we delivered the gerbils, we all sat down on the
> living-room floor and the girls all got a chance to meet and hold the
little
> guys. I just saw the little guys this weekend and they're doing fine.
Even
> a two year can understand that it's necessary to be careful and gentle
with
> tiny living beings.
> So, in a nutshell, I don't have a set age for what's to be considered
> responsible. I view it as a pet being placed in the home of an adult. It
> doesn't matter to me who does the feeding, cleaning, etc., as long as
it's
> done and the pet is cared for.
> One other thing, when I do place gerbils, I provide a complete set-up (
> aquarium with lid, house, water bottle, food, litter, wheel, print-out of
> info, etc. ) so I know they have what they need to get started. It think
> this gives me and the new owners piece of mind.
>
> Just my two or three cents,
>
> ~Mary
>
>
>
>
> > I know this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything in
> > the GML archives and I am breeding again, so I wanted to raise the
> > question:
> >
> > What is the appropriate age for a child to have a gerbil? Certainly I
> > think 4 is too young, and 10 is probably fine, but I haven't decided
> > where to draw the line in between.
> >
> > Opinions?
> >
> > --
> > Tana and The Little Rascals
> > http://members.home.net/tlr-gerbilry
> >
>
