Hamster? Rat? Gerbil? Mouse?

Hi y'all. I'm going to be getting a small furry soon.. the place where I'm staying will only allow certain pets. I would really like a ferret, which are allowed, but my budget will not allow for one right now. I just have a couple of questions. What are your experiences with the above pets? All I've had before are hamsters... can you give me pros and cons to owning each of the different little furry friends listed? And this is a strange question, but can you but a hamster with a gerbil? A rat with a mouse? Any of the combinations? My roommate wants a furry also and wants to know if she'll need to get her own cage. I'm thinking yes, but I just thought I'd ask. Thanks!!

Hiyas Marcie... I'd go for the rat, they have a wonderful personality and temperment, and are very intelligent. Avoid ferrets till you have a large bankroll saved up in case of sickness...I had 7 ferrets till my separation from my husband...I couldn't take them with me to my new apt, and he couldn't keep them any longer, so we found new homes for them I miss them. members.tripod.com/ferretopia I wouldn't recommend putting rodents of different species in the same cage, you never know what might happen. Good luck... Linda

I've had both hamsters and rats. I'd have to say by far I like my rats more. Hamsters are a little unpredictable and sometimes bite. On the other hand I've never had any of my rats bite me or my kids. They are very smart and very social. I'd definitely pick a rat over a hamster any day.

Rats are absolutely the best rodents! I have owned mice, gerbils, hamsters and rats---rats were far and away the best of the lot. Very personable and much easier for kids to hold. I would suggest that you get the rats as babies and handle them a great deal. This will tame them and make them less fearful. I had two rats when I living in an apartment-one of them was so tame he use to sit on my shoulders and give me little rat kisses on the cheek. Have fun! Smiles, Mel

I have 14 rats at the moment. (3 are mine and 11 are fosters) I'm getting 4 more next month. I have owned small animals for 13 years and they are by far the best to own. (small animals that is) I can't stand dogs, they bark to much for no reason what so ever and they also stink and are expensive. Cats are ok but the whole scratching think turns me off. Fish are boring, birds are stupid and annoying. So rodents (In my oppinion) are ALWAYS the best way to go when it comes to owning a pet. =3 I have owned hamsters, mice, gerbils and rats. ATM I have 2 gerbils and one mouse (other then the rats). My rats know me more then every person I have ever met. Female rats tend to develop cancer, so that can be costly (I had to PTS my precious girl a few weeks ago due to Cancer) Boys are great, they do tend to stink though. No matter if you get 2 boys or 2 girls (it's recommended to get 2 of the same sex due to the fact that rats are very social animals) you'll be happy you got them. They love people and are always willing to please. If you have any question feel free to email me. [email protected] Take care.

Rats are the best! Loving,caring, and very intelligent. Unlike Hamsters, they don't try to run away. www.petfinder.com

I am a guinea pig person myself. Why don't you consider one? They have a wonderful temperment and are as cute as can be. They are no bigger than rats.

I am a guinea pig person myself. My boys and I have two males. Skippy and Cinnamon. They have the best temperment. They are about the same size as a rat but do not have a tail. We have them in the living room and are a hoot to watch. They are also very social animals and would rather be with two than just themselves. Although one of ours is a little anti-social with the other so we keep them separated. they like to play and run around and "popcorn". Popcorning is exactly what it sounds like. They hop into the air like a piece of popcorn popping. Its so much fun. They are also very talkative when you hold them....and yell at me when they hear any kind of plastic sac (they think their food is coming). They like to eat carrots, lettuce, apples and guinea pig food. The only problem we have had with them is that Skippy is allergic to the wood chip bedding so we had to change him to a paper bedding which is a little more expensive...but well worth it. I hope you found a good pet! Billie Jo

Hi Marcie, I would get a rat. They are so intelligent and very clean creatures. I got mine over two years ago, he was someone else's reject. They do make very good pets and are very intelligent. You cannot combine two different species together...it doesn't work! Just try to find out all you can about their care. Cage needs to be cleaned every 3 or 4 days or they will get sick from the ammonia in the litter. Sadly, I had to put our Mr. Whiskers to sleep this morning. He had cancer but I couldn't let him suffer. He was a male albino rat, white with pink nose and pink ears. He was very cute and liked to tuck himself in his little house in his cage. I will miss him very much. Hope this helps with your decision. Also, get two as they are very social and can get lonely and depressed by themselves. Valerie