My wife has tropical fish and even though she loves them, she's been through a lot of deaths and stress with them dying for reasons unknown, unidentifiable diseases etc. One of the worst things was coming to the tank one afternoon and the three shrimps had been torn apart by something, each snapped in half. We never found out what it was, it was brutal. The fish are beautiful but I don't know if their attractiveness outweighs the issues experienced at the end of the day.
Shrimps shed so that it looks like they snapped in half but really it's their old skin, legs and all.
I was waiting for someone to say this: they hadn't shed - my first thought was that they were shrimp skins but no, all three had been snapped in half and their insides had gone lightly pink like prawns, that's how you know they're dead. It was very weird.
Great pets, but the kids might not be too keen on their food.Bearded Dragon?
They're more interesting than a tortoise while still being fairly child friendly.
^This!Crocodile?
Not worth the hassle of sourcing food, as virgins are in short supply, and there's always some Greek scrote round the corner who'll turn it to stone for a laugh.Get a Kraken. That way you can legitimately say "Release the kraken" which means you're cooler than cool.
Cats don't need you to be home much, do they?
Cats are super easy but they don't particularly like hanging around children or they just go out all day and night and you only see them for food.
^^ I've never kept rats but I know plenty of people who swear by them. As far as rodents go it seems they actually are rather sociable with humans and enjoy the companionship. As opposed to the Russian dwarf hamsters and gerbils I kept as a child who seemed hell bent on running under the nearest bit of heavy furniture
How about a house rabbit? An old friend of mine had one that was really tame and would go toilet in the corner of his cage.
Rabbits are a big investment. Really wouldn't advise on them as a first pet. They're a 10 year commitment minimum.
I say this as someone with 3 house rabbits.