What's the best rodent type pet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guinea pigs do require a large cage and weekly bedding changes. Handle them gently and often when they are babies and they will grow to like cuddling. We had ours for 8 years and he hung out in the living room, was used to people coming and going, and TV noise. We all cried when we had to put him to sleep. He never bit anyone but would nibble on your clothes when he wanted to go back to his cage.

So 8 years huh? We have one (we bought two, but one died the first year). He is a nice little piggie. he has a fairly large cage and my kids can pick him up and cuddle. Like yours, he has never bitten anyone, nor has he peed in anyone's lap. So for a rodent, I consider that a win! Our is only 2 though. I did not realize we might have him for 6 more years! Oh well. He is cute.

8 years is on the high side. We did treat him VERY well, though.

[Anonymous]

Gerbils. Mine were open to being held (but not for long periods of time) and never bit me. They were quick though- we had a few great escapes when transferring them so we could clean their cage. Low maintenance and very sweet natured- I understand this can vary, but some of it has to do with how much and what kind of attention you give them early on.
They lived for about 2.5 years- I wish I'd had them for longer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please adopt if you can. Make sure you find a vet that treats exotics. And remember, guinea pigs get bored so you need to give them lots of attention and floor time. Kids cannot really handle cage duties and extras until they are about 8 years old, so an adult will need to take care of them. Please look at the guinea pig application for Small Angels Rescue near Mount Airy to get an idea about taking care of guinea pigs. It is somewhat instructional, but that's because they want people to understand what they are getting into. http://www.smallangelsrescue.org/

I just had to put one to sleep who was nearly 8 and haddeveloped tumors. He slowly lost weight from the cancer, but did keep eating, squeaking and enjoying life. I had to supplement him with a tablespoon of mashed pellets every day for 8 months and give him butt baths about once a week since his poops got a little soft. Pigs can live a long time. Kids get bored, you get bored and they end up in shelters at age 3 when people want baby piggies.

Then again, you may discover you are a pig family because they just are so cuddly and affectionate when tamed! GL!

This rescue is great - we got our pet rats from there and they were such a good source of information. That said, we've had rats for 1.5 years. My ten year old loves them but I will never get another small animal that needs it cage cleaned again.