guinea pig or rat?

[minnieandmickeymouse]

I am thinking of getting either a guinea pig or rat. I've had a rat before when I was young, and she was nice, and never bit. So I know what they are like. Don't know too much about guinea pigs yet, but I am reading about them. They sure are cute.

 

[Princess Mindy]

I vote for rat. They are very smart and cleaner than guinea pigs.

 

[poohandwendy]

We have two guinea pigs and they are adorable, I wouldn't give them up. BUT...I think rats are more interactive and intelligent. Either way, both require some work. I guess it depends on what type of pet you are looking for and if you have kids and how old they are.

 

[nhrenee]

We had a gunea pig when I was a kid. I loved him! He was so sweet but I was always very gentle with him. I've never had a rat so I can't compare the two.

 

[Micca]

I had a GP as a kid. He was cool, but was kind of a lump. I have never heard one bad thing about pet rats.

 

[drgnfly30]

I've had many a guinea pig in my time and each & everyone was as sweet as could be... However, I have heard that rats make really good pets....

 

[lulugirl]

My brother used to have two rats as pets, I think they were called roof rats? Very sweet animals.

 

[gallaj0]

Voting GunieaPig here; we've got 4 now, they are VERY social, lively, friendly animals.
They like being held and petted, they are vocal when they want something or happy. They can walk on a leash if you train them.

 

[LadyBears]

I have had both as pets - I prefer (& voted for) Rats. They are smarter & easier to train (including litter boxes!). GP's are great for petting, but you can actually play with rats. Rats are also more entertaining to watch when left alone in their cage. Either way, I suggest you get at least two so they can keep each other company when you are not around.

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

We have two guinea pigs and they are adorable, I wouldn't give them up. BUT...I think rats are more interactive and intelligent. Either way, both require some work. I guess it depends on what type of pet you are looking for and if you have kids and how old they are.

I do have 4 kids ages 4-10.

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

For those who have gotten a guinea pig, did you get them from the pet store? I don't trust pet stores and hate to get a sick guinea pig.

 

[fabumouse]

For those who have gotten a guinea pig, did you get them from the pet store? I don't trust pet stores and hate to get a sick guinea pig.

No!!! I would never get a guinea pig from the pet store for so many reasons. One of which is that there are tons of animal shelters out there (check out petfinder.org) with GP's because parents tend to get them for their kids, and when the kids get bored, the GP gets abandoned.

I have two rescued GP's who are very sweet.

But they ARE lumps.

My pet rat that I had years ago was much more interesting. I would probably get pets rats (they're smaller and more fun) if I were doing it over.

 

[Buckalew11]

I voted rat. We had a white dumbo rat that was very sweet and once I got past that tail *shiver*, she was my buddy. She died after a year and half. She had a stroke.

 

[Taylor]

Guinea Pig - Brutus thinks they taste like chicken.

 

[Mandabella]

Oh sigh, this thread makes me miss my little guinea pig. She died ten years ago. What a sweetie she was! I used to play with my piggie, not as interactive as a rat, but I still played with it. I used to let it go free in one room and she'd run laps around a table, plus they are great to cuddle with. They love hiding under things.

The only thing is when there was an electrical storm, she would get so scared she'd shake and you just had to hold her to calm her down. Also trimming her nails was difficult, it took two people...one to hold the pig and the other to trim the nails.

For your guinea pig viewing pleasure:
http://oinkernet.com/

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I voted rat. When I was in middle school I kidnapped a rat from the science lab and took it home. I named him Henry and he was one of the best pets I ever had! I could let him run loose and he'd never leave my bedroom - of course my mother wasn't thrilled with it at all!

I don't know much about guinea pigs, but a friend of mine had a couple of them and they were the meanest things. She had to get rid of them because they kept biting the kids.

 

[fabumouse]

I don't know much about guinea pigs, but a friend of mine had a couple of them and they were the meanest things. She had to get rid of them because they kept biting the kids.

That's really really rare. Almost any guinea pig will passively accept any treatment (petting, nail clipping, bathing, taking out of cage, etc) with little resistance except running to hide.

 

[PixiePop]

We have a guinea pig and she is the sweetest thing. She is pretty funny too. She likes to "rearrange" her home, food bowl and toys every couple of days...and if you move something back, she stops and looks at you and will push the item back where she had it. She's a tough cookie.

 

[DisneyStar006]

I have never owned a rat, but I vote Guinea Pig! We have had 3, and they are the sweetest! They have such a range of noises according to their emotions. The more and more you talk and spend time with them the less shy they get. I miss my piggies

For those who have gotten a guinea pig, did you get them from the pet store? I don't trust pet stores and hate to get a sick guinea pig.

But we are friends of the owners and know they only take in good quality litters. Our oldest one lived to 5.5yrs