Please tell me about your rodent friends....

[mykidsintow]

My son wants a pet. I have fish, DH has fish. Our daughter has a service dog and then we have a very old dog. Our son will be 7 on the 17th. I have been pondering possible pets a a gift.

We have never had hamsters, gerbils or guinea pigs in any form. I have been reading for a few weeks and I am leaning towards a hamster. However, I think he would do better with a piggie. I just keep reading we should have 2 piggies and I don't really want 2? Also, what about weekends. If we camp for a weekend I know we could let the hamster out that morning for exercise and then when we get back. I read you have to *board* a guinea pig?!

Please enlighten me about your little furry friends.....

 

[alloyd1170]

When I was young, I started out with a gerbil. While they were fun to watch run around in the little ball and on their wheel, they had a hard bite! Next I went for a guinea pig (just one). Well a few weeks later, we had 5 as it was pregnant! The mother died and my mom had to hand feed the babies. We kept one and gave the others away. I prefer the guinea pig as it is easier to handle, friendlier and not as nippy as the smaller rodents. Plus if they escape, they're easier to find! I also love their little squeals!

As for getting a pair or boarding while on vacation, I dont know. I'm sure you could have a friend watch it-they're not hard to take care of.

 

[newtowdw1]

Ok, my family has successfully had guinea pigs for over 20 years...make that 30 (I'm so OLD! ). We've never boarded them.

Details:

I currently have one as a pet in my high school classroom. He stays there over the weekend. We just make sure his water bottle is full, his hay tray is full, and his food is full. He is happy to see us Monday.

Our guinea pig at home can stay alone for a weekend. If we're going for three days, one of my students who lives in the neighborhood comes in to take care of him.

The gp at school goes home with a student (he rotates) for longer breaks. Our gp comes with us to my parent's house, or the pig sitter comes in.

Concerns:

They HAVE to have a vitamin C supplement. You buy it at the pet store and put it in his water. No big.

Males are nicer than females.

They live between 6 and 8 years. Our first lived to be 10, but I hear that's really unusual.

Positives:
They are great pets. I've never had two at once! You want it to bond to your son, not another pig. Hamsters and gerbils are more fragile. GPs are great. My daughter got hers when she was about your son's age. She did a fantastic job socializing him. Just make sure you pick the calmest one at the pet store, and that your son plays with him a lot. They like to ride in wagons, I hear.

 

[Bobbyzgirl]

Hi there....my boys begged and begged for a hamster and we finally got one about 6 months ago. I can say that I really wished I had researched this before we bought one!

The hamster is adorable (his name is Nibbles) but he is asleep all day until about 9:00 pm and then he wakes up and runs around his wheel all night. My boys go to bed at 7:30 - so they never get to see him!

Positives:
cute and fun

Negatives:
-They also only live about 2 years
-Hamsters are nocturnal
-The wheel is very loud and distracting - cage can not be kept in the bedroom

hope that helps!

 

[stillthefairest]

Hi there....my boys begged and begged for a hamster and we finally got one about 6 months ago. I can say that I really wished I had researched this before we bought one!

The hamster is adorable (his name is Nibbles) but he is asleep all day until about 9:00 pm and then he wakes up and runs around his wheel all night. My boys go to bed at 7:30 - so they never get to see him!

Positives:
cute and fun

Negatives:
-They also only live about 2 years
-Hamsters are nocturnal
-The wheel is very loud and distracting - cage can not be kept in the bedroom

hope that helps!

We have the same issue here. We have two (in separate cages) and sometimes the one is awake...however..it's mean. She bit my son's finger when he was by the cage, granted, he shouldn't have had his finger in there, but what would happen if we tried to pick her up? We just got the hamster and I have tried bringing it out to socialize but have not had any luck....

Now, when I was younger, I had a few hamsters and I was always able to pick them up, play with them...everything..I don't know what was different back then...

 

[stillthefairest]

Ok, my family has successfully had guinea pigs for over 20 years...make that 30 (I'm so OLD! ). We've never boarded them.

Details:

I currently have one as a pet in my high school classroom. He stays there over the weekend. We just make sure his water bottle is full, his hay tray is full, and his food is full. He is happy to see us Monday.

Our guinea pig at home can stay alone for a weekend. If we're going for three days, one of my students who lives in the neighborhood comes in to take care of him.

The gp at school goes home with a student (he rotates) for longer breaks. Our gp comes with us to my parent's house, or the pig sitter comes in.

Concerns:

They HAVE to have a vitamin C supplement. You buy it at the pet store and put it in his water. No big.

Males are nicer than females.

They live between 6 and 8 years. Our first lived to be 10, but I hear that's really unusual.

Positives:
They are great pets. I've never had two at once! You want it to bond to your son, not another pig. Hamsters and gerbils are more fragile. GPs are great. My daughter got hers when she was about your son's age. She did a fantastic job socializing him. Just make sure you pick the calmest one at the pet store, and that your son plays with him a lot. They like to ride in wagons, I hear.

I've always wanted a guinea pig...how big of a cage are yours in? That's my biggest concern, I looked online and some were huge! I'd like the guinea pig to be in the playroom, so I mean we have some space..but not like the 6 foot by 3 foot cages I have heard that they need!!

 

[mykidsintow]

Could we take a GP camping? Could we get him a little travel cage and take him along? Can you train a GP to a litter box? Can we get him to walk on a leash?

My cousin said her husband had one when he was younger and it had a little leash and harness and we could take it camping with us?

I do think gerbils are too delicate. I would end up tending them. I also think the same about a hamster. This definately has me leaning towards a piggie. However, I still have questions. How fast do they run? Will they come when we call them (I am pictureing it hiding in the house "here piggy piggy, have a carrot"???) I had a ferret that came when called so we were able to leave him out. Can we catch it, say in the yard? Or does it have to be caged out in the grass or garden?

Will our bird dog want to eat the pig? He will obviously need to be taught to leave the piggie alone, but I am not sure if he would want the pig. He is very well trained, he is a service dog. He still likes birds, some things are engrained, ya kno?

What type cage? I keep reading and reading. From what I have read they say not to supplement Vit C, if you give daily veggies. I also ready you should. I read a "typical" cage at the pet store isn't good enough. So then why do pet stores have them if I have to build a huge one for this pig? I feel confused!

 

[Camno's Mama]

Subscribing...very curious about the bird dog thing as well. We have a vizsla and I've heard that they don't necessarily take to small animals.

 

[BeckityBobbidyBoo!]

We considered guniea pigs until I went to the pet store and started loading up all the supplies and the cage- the recommended size was huge! We decided to get hamsters. We've had the two for about 3.5 mo., one has died already. The cages start to smell after just a few days and the bedding adds up $$$. Cute and responsive though. The female rubs against the cage when the kids coo at her. The male (separate cages) was adorable, teddy bear hamster with crazy fur that was really long on the sides. My son asked if we could get a new hamster since the other died and my husband and I both agree that we will not get another one, even though they are cute.

 

[newtowdw1]

I've always wanted a guinea pig...how big of a cage are yours in? That's my biggest concern, I looked online and some were huge! I'd like the guinea pig to be in the playroom, so I mean we have some space..but not like the 6 foot by 3 foot cages I have heard that they need!!

Ok, Reeses (guinea pig) is in a 10 gal aquarium. He is only about 3 months old, so he's fine. Our gp (Skippy) at school outgrew the 10 gal, and is in a larger tank. Our gps at home as a kid were always in aquariums. When we got Maura's first gp (Peanut Butter) we got the huge plastic bottom, wire top cage. It was WAY bigger than it needed to be. It's not like they run laps! Plus, when he scuttled around in the shavings, he kicked them all out. We like the aquarium much better. The pigs stay warmer.

 

[newtowdw1]

Could we take a GP camping? Could we get him a little travel cage and take him along? Can you train a GP to a litter box? Can we get him to walk on a leash?

My cousin said her husband had one when he was younger and it had a little leash and harness and we could take it camping with us?

Umm, we took our gp camping, but he was more of a jelly jar with legs. He really wasn't into running. I can't imagine him on a leash. Maura would put him down outside, and he would sit in the grass and eat clover. If she left him alone for a few minutes, she covered him with a laundry basket. I wasn't so much worried about him running off as I was predators.

Peanut Butter, Skippy and Reeses all know their favorite people's voices. They squeal and say hello. They squeal when their favorite people wander away. Skippy (at school) wanders around on the desks and lab benches, but does not come when called. He does wander over and steal oranges from lunch trays.

Will our bird dog want to eat the pig? He will obviously need to be taught to leave the piggie alone, but I am not sure if he would want the pig. He is very well trained, he is a service dog. He still likes birds, some things are engrained, ya kno?

What type cage? I keep reading and reading. From what I have read they say not to supplement Vit C, if you give daily veggies. I also ready you should. I read a "typical" cage at the pet store isn't good enough. So then why do pet stores have them if I have to build a huge one for this pig? I feel confused!

Well, the dog question... our standard poodle is pretty sure that gps are squeak toys. She has a very high prey drive, and has killed rabbits in our back yard. She makes Maura really mad when the gp is out. On the other hand, my sister's cocker spaniel would baby sit Amy's gp when Amy cleaned his cage. If the gp tried to move, the dog would gently put out her paw and keep the gp still. However, Missy had had puppies, and several false pregnancies. She was very maternal. The standard poodle is NOT! Our gps are not out unless they're being played with and attended by the kids.

Finally, the Vitamin C. You have to supplement. Otherwise, overtime, they get skinny, their hair falls out, and they can die. Our vet told us to just buy the vitamins. They really aren't that expensive, or difficult to deal with.

 

[Magic Mom]

This is my first post...no more lurking for me.
Anyway, we have a blue rat(well she is DD's). Her name is Nibbles. She looks just like Remi from Rattatouie. I was hesitant to get a rat...who wouldn't be.....but she has turned out to be a great pet. She is very smart. She knows her name and comes when called to. She sleeps at night (unlike some other types of little critters). She is affectionate and has never bitten...and she is a lot of fun to play with.
I have had gerbils before and they were not a "interactive" as the rat. So my two cents say rats are the way to go.
Plus...who wouldn't want Remi as a pal??

 

[mykidsintow]

I am not sure momcan handle a rat. I can handle a piggie. I maybe can handle a hamster. I am thinking gerbils and rats, not to much....

Chicken? Yes!!

 

[ChristusG]

Actually, I have heard that rats make extremely great pets. Better than any other rodents. They are interactive and usually dont bite. And you can train them to do things as well. That being said, I've never actually owned one as I am not really into small animals, but my sister has and said that she wants to get some more.

I had guinea pigs when I was younger. Do NOT get a wire sided cage. Unless you want cedar chips all over the floor, that is. They kick that stuff like crazy. They make pretty good pets. I just dont like the clean up from any rodent. I dont like cleaning those cages LOL! But most guinea pigs are sweet. And they learn their favorite people and squeal when they come into the room.

 

[Tam1067]

We got a guinea pig a few months ago. They're good pets and really quite nice, though ours took a long time before she'd calm down enough to be petted. Much better than hamsters for all the reasons posted above.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

Here's my 2 cents worth: We had a drarf hampster for my 4 year old daughter. She did wonderful with him, we didn't get him out every day for excercise, we didn't feed him everyday - it wasn't an everyday attention animal & that was nice. Now drarf hampsters are much smaller & cutier than a regular hampster. Regular hampsters look way too much like rats & I couldn't bare to touch or hold it, but a drarf was just so cute. Now I was also told that drarfs are much more bitty, but the worker that we had help us at Petco said when she put her hand in the cage of the drarfs this 1 would just stand up like he wanted attention & thats the one we got. He only bit once & that was because my daughter tried to pick him up like a kitten (the back of his neck by the fur) after that conversation & tears, never again did he bit. She taught him to beg for his food, we would let her in the bath tub to play w/him. She would sit in there & let him run around - she loved it.

You just have to watch & try & get a nice one that wants to come to you - put you hand in the cage & if they run, look for another one.

Good luck!