Gerbil? Hamster? Guinea Pig?

[newholidayx2]

which is easier to take care of? most cuddliest/playful? least like a rat?!
what would I need to keep them in? food/etc?

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I actually like mice better. My kids got bored with a hamster because all it did was sleep all day under the fluff. Mice are actually very active and play on the wheel and run around alot.

 

[clarabelle]

We have gerbils.
They are pretty cute and they don't bite. I have read that hamsters can get cranky if you wake them.
Gerbils like company.
Mine are in a fish tank with a topper of stairs.
I would look around on the internet and read some articles and see which ones fit your needs.
The Pet Smart website has some articles.gerbil article

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

My sister as a child always had a Teddy Bear Hampster. I was really cute as far as rodents go. No offense Mickey.

 

[LBAK]

I've had all 3 and guinea pigs win hands down for us. They're so cuddly with the kids and they react to us and I don't worry about the kids squishing them because they're bigger.

 

[kaylajr]

I HATE RODENTS

that being said I went out this weekend and got the girls Guniea pigs they have been wanting for ever

We tried hamsters and they gave me the creeps and bored the kids

so far "oreo and snickers" have been fun for the girls and i even (gasp) petted them I won't hold them EVER

So i would say Guinea pigs are the best

 

[petrymom]

We have had guinea pigs and hamsters. I would place my vote for the guinea pigs. The hamsters were fine and I even grew rather attached to our second one, but they never lived very long. 1st one was purchased with wet tail (a common hamster ailment) and the second one died suddenly at about a year old. These deaths were devestating on DS.

Our guinea pig lived much longer and would be so much fun. When my husband would make his lunch for work in the morning, the pig would squeal because she thought she would get some lettuce!

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I actually like mice better. My kids got bored with a hamster because all it did was sleep all day under the fluff. Mice are actually very active and play on the wheel and run around alot.

Um, they are nocturnal.

We love our hamster (folks, it's not a hampster). He knows our voices and I swear, he begs. He is a joy to have. He is also going on 2 years old.

 

[my3kids]

Gerbils don't smell. Hamsters smell. Something to do with the amount of urine they produce. You'll have to clean a hamster cage a lot more frequently.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have had a hamster and guinea pig. Both were very cute.
Both of them stink, like pee-u.

With the hamster we got lucky and she was a sweetie. Never bit, dd could hold her all the time. They are escape artists.

Wet tail is common and you put "wet tail" meds in the water when you get them home and then you leave them be for awhile to adjust to their new "home". For about 2 weeks, you don't touch them or bother them. Then you slowly build up trust as they get to know your scent, give them treats and things. It takes about 1 month.

Guinea pigs are more sociable creatures. I found that they have more care involved. They can have skin issues if you don't feed them right. They need a good diet and a place to live where they are near people but not too close so they keep you awake at night with their chirping and squeaking.

Neither are "playful", they are rodents. It is more the kids playing with them and cuddling them. You can cuddle up more to a guinea pig, I'd say.

 

[tkd lisa]

We've had all three, and I'd say guinea pigs are the best, followed by gerbils. I'll never again have a hamster. My pros and cons:

Guinea Pig

Recurring costs: Food - est $3 a week. Bedding - est 75 cents a week.

Requirements - fairly large cage, like a BIG aquarium or a rabbit cage; large water bottle; hidey hole (I bought a big cheap bowl, cut a hole in it and turned it upside down); food dish (I got an automatic feeder, because a regular bowl had to be filled every two days)

Optional - exercise wheel or ball (if you don't have this, you need to let them run in the bathroom or something for exercise), hammock (DS's pig LOVES hers!)

Pros: Very social/interactive once they're familiar with you. My DS's GP (Misha) "talks" to me whenever I come into his room.

Big enough that little ones don't accidentally squeeze too hard.

Fairly clean (see con below).

Cons: Take up more room.

Drink LOTS of water, which leads to wet litter.

Can be noisy at night. DS complains about this sometimes, but it's usually when Misha's out of water. As long as her needs are met, she usually sleeps in her hammock or hidey hole.

Largest intake of food, so highest costs.


Gerbil: Recurring costs - food - 25 - 50 cents a week, bedding, 10 cents a week.

Requirements: Cage (small aquarium size, or they sell hamster/gerbil cages for about $20), small water bottle (comes with many of the cages), food dish (they can use just about anything).

Optional: Exercise ball or wheel, chew sticks (they like to chew things!)

Pros:

Fairly social (DD's also sits up and interacts, but she's not vocal). She also likes to be held.

Fairly clean (her bedding needs changing every other week)

Very easy care

Cons:

She's wiggly. Even though she likes to be held, she'll squirt out in a heartbeat! The GP will cuddle in your lap for a long time.

Gerbils are fairly rat like. My mom WON'T touch her, but she will pet the guinea pig.

Hamster: cost similar to gerbil but bedding is twice as much.

Requirements/options, similar to gerbil

Pros: Frankly, I didn't find any

Cons: All the cons of a gerbil, plus

STINKY! They make at least twice the mess of a gerbil. Cage really needed cleaning about every 2 days.

Much less social. We tried a hamster for DH (traded it back in for the GP), and it BIT really badly.

Hope this helps with your choice!

 

[barbeml]

I've had all three: about 15 of hamsters, two gerbils and one guinea pig. I adore hamsters, the gerbils were a rescue thing & they were just okay, but my precious guinea pig Peanut was one of my all-time favorite pets.

Only thing I would add to previous comments: hamsters & gerbils are EXTREMELY clever escape artists (most of my hamsters were named Houdini). Hamsters puzzle their way out, gerbils leap vertically (it is something to see!).

 

[Buckalew11]

White dumbo rat.

We had a small female, Stitch, that was a cutie pie. She lived almost 2 years but had a stroke and my BIL had to pt her to sleep. I cried over that rat. She was my dd's.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Gerbils don't smell. Hamsters smell. Something to do with the amount of urine they produce. You'll have to clean a hamster cage a lot more frequently.

That's odd. Our hamster has never smelled.

 

[Keli]

We had a Guinea Pig when dd was young because gerbils and hamsters are just too 'rat-like' for me.
It was very social and dd was able to form a close attachment to ours. He'd whistled when dd or I walked past dd's bedroom door because he knew either one of us would either stop and talk to him or give him food/water if he was out. He wouldn't make a sound when dh walked past because he knew he wasn't going to pay him any attention! LOL

 

[bananiem]

My sister's family is on Guinea pigs 4 & 5. They have all been cuddly and fun and they do have very fun personalities. THey love attention and will beg for food if they hear the refrigerator open. The 2 they have now are sisters and it's fun to watch them interact. They steal each others food and chase each other around their large cage.

 

[clarabelle]

What ever you get -read up on the bedding.
They no longer recommend wood shavings. We like some stuff called "yesterdays news" made from recycled newspapers.
There are also beddings made from corn cobs

 

[Auggietina]

We love our Guinea Pig. She is very social and loves to be handled and pet

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

I vote for guinea pig too.

 

[vetrik]

I say a guinea pig also. Mine is very vocal, interactive, and friendly. He's really a lot of fun. I only have 2 pieces of advice as far as they are concerned. #1 is definitely get a short haired guinea pig - mine is long haired and he needs grooming and trimming or he gets all matted! #2 is be prepared for a much longer lifespan than a hamster or gerbil. DH had a guinea pig as a child that lived to be over 8, and I've had mine for 6 years and he's still going strong. I really do enjoy him, but I had no idea how long a time I had commited for when I got him.