# gonna love my parents... :-)



## IceBloodExotics (Sep 17, 2012)

Well it was my 16th yesterday (12th)...
I asked my parents to surprise me with my present this year...
They have bought me live animals as presents once before...
I did not say a single word to them about what I wanted...
Got up seen a big box wrapped up loosely with wrapping paper...
Wripped it off thinking it was hiking gear...
Something was hiding under a blanket...
I lifted the blanket to find a sweet little male African pygmy hedgehog...

I'm over the moon, so happy 

And yes I already knew the care of APH and also had hands on care of them


----------



## Rach1 (May 18, 2010)

Aw happy birthday!
Enjoy your new friend.


----------



## Ameliaxx (Apr 9, 2010)

aww congrats on the new addition, i wish my parents would do that for me lol there bloody useless with getting me presents lol


----------



## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Pictures please


----------



## VixxieandTrixxie (Mar 20, 2012)

Aw that was so nice of your parents deffo need pics and more info :2thumb:


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Cool parents! :2thumb:


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Lucky you!! My parents wouldn't even let me have a pet, never mind buy one as a surprise for me.


----------



## Disillusioned (Jan 3, 2012)

Happy Birthday for the 12th! and like everyone else has said, pictures?...or we don't believe you :lol2:


----------



## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

Congrats this is how I'm gonna be with my littlen she's only just coming 3 but if she takes a interst as I'm expecting she will defantly end up with some interst ring pets she so spoilt already I'd hate to think what she will end up with


----------



## genevie (Jul 12, 2011)

Lucky! One of the main reasons I'm moving out soon is because my mum's SO strict about what pets I can have. I think everyone here is going to have pretty lucky kids (if they're into animals!)


----------



## 5plusmany (Sep 29, 2011)

Belated happy bday!

My daughter (3) wants guinea pigs desperately but they freak me out :lol2:


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

jaykickboxer said:


> Congrats this is how I'm gonna be with my littlen she's only just coming 3 but if she takes a interst as I'm expecting she will defantly end up with some interst ring pets she so spoilt already I'd hate to think what she will end up with


I was adamant that my children would grow up with pets and they did. My first Afghan Hound was 2 months younger than my son and so they grew up together, the second one was was a year younger than my daughter - over the years we had dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, budgies, snakes, ducks, stick insects, moths. So they've both grown up with a healthy respect for animals and treating them right.


----------



## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

5plusmany said:


> Belated happy bday!
> 
> My daughter (3) wants guinea pigs desperately but they freak me out :lol2:


Ud be surprised how good a pets these make never had one before just bought my littlen 2 there quality don't bite make sweet noises and are active during the day her brown one just stays on her lap for ages can't recommend them enough u can also teach them basic tricks have a look on YouTube


----------



## benh (Sep 12, 2011)

Having animals has definitely helped my little girl make friends, which she has trouble doing. While I dont consider myself to have many animals, compared to most in my village we do, and her friends are constantly round for a look. 
She is sad at the moment though, as we lost our last guinea pig on thursday. She has never known life without the guineas, and she cried herself to sleep over this. 
Her knee jerk reaction was to want more guineas, but I think we will probably get her an aph next to be honest, or maybe a tenrec. 
We lost a couple of fish to old age as well during the week, so she is having a hard time of it at the moment, bless her.


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I'm nearly 66 and my first reaction when I lose an animal is to get another one and it always has been. You never replace an animal you love, but a new one will fill the empty space the one you've lost has left behind. It's your business, but if this happened to my daughter and she asked for another guinea pig, I would get her one to be honest.

I do think keeping animals is a good way to get children to understand the finality of death, before it happens that they lose a loved relative though.


----------



## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

feorag said:


> I was adamant that my children would grow up with pets and they did. My first Afghan Hound was 2 months younger than my son and so they grew up together, the second one was was a year younger than my daughter - over the years we had dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, budgies, snakes, ducks, stick insects, moths. So they've both grown up with a healthy respect for animals and treating them right.


Same here we had always wanted a dog 2 weeks after the Missus found out she was pregnant we reserved our bulldog as we new she wouldn't be working for a while since then we bought the Bordeaux and her 2 guinea pigs she doesn't have any fear she doesn't like spiders but was stroking a royal python in a shop and a 6 ft tegu il be making sure she has regular trips to London zoo I love it there nocturnal worlds the nuts I want some mouse like lemurs but only ever seen them advertised once and the geezer didn't get bk to me if he had I would have had them aswell


----------



## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

Get her a guinea pig if u want some thing more exotic get a giant one ( cuy ) or something that's what I'm after but struggling to find one


----------



## 5plusmany (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't know what it is about guineas they just give me the eeby-jeebys.. don't know who I'm kidding though cos she'll get her way eventually:lol2: that's one way my kids do get spoilt if they ask for a pet, they generally get it!
I did draw the line when one of my sons asked for a Tegu though - those things get blinkin' huge :gasp::gasp:


----------



## IceBloodExotics (Sep 17, 2012)

Will try and get pictures up asap,
I am 16, and have been brought up with animals since day one, now have about 40 animals :S but i feel they have given me a respect for them, i work in a pet shop and a bird of prey center, and i will always try and talk parents into letting their children get a pet (very rarely let them get it the same day as that would just be a impulse buy)...it gives children responsibility and respect for animals...! :-D


----------



## Ameliaxx (Apr 9, 2010)

IceBloodExotics said:


> Will try and get pictures up asap,
> I am 16, and have been brought up with animals since day one, now have about 40 animals :S but i feel they have given me a respect for them, i work in a pet shop and a bird of prey center, and i will always try and talk parents into letting their children get a pet (very rarely let them get it the same day as that would just be a impulse buy)...it gives children responsibility and respect for animals...! :-D


im 16 too  ive been brought up with animals but not through my parents as there not really too fond of them but ive always loved animals so they didnt really have a choice lol i do think if a child is brought up properly getting them a pet shows them responsibiltiy and respect for all living things which i think many kids and teenages are age have lost.


----------

