We have two guinea pigs . They are so easy and have such fun little personalities. I would recommend two girls. They tend to get along better than two boys and they don't smell as bad.

Hamsters tend to bite and are nocturnal. Not much fun!

Definitely shrews.

A rabbit is much more like having a cat than a rodent. It's what often makes them inappropriate pets, as they are generally not happy in small quarters, and are healthiest and happiest when spayed and neutered. Many people don't want to incur that kind of time and cost for a "small animal".

For more info check out www.rabbit.org

Guinea pigs are a nice compromise. Hamsters and gerbils generally don't enjoy being handled, unless you manage to get one who is young and gets conditioned to handling. There are the odd critters that adapt happily,but not often the rule.

Guinea pigs or rabbits. Guinea pigs are very easy to care for, and they can be affectionate. Unfortunately they don't live very long, but neither do most rodents. Rabbits are good if you have the space. They're very gentle. But it's cruel to keep them in a small hutch all the time; you need to give them more space to roam.

Hamsters are ok but can be temperamental. Gerbils are entertaining to watch but they are nasty little buggers. At least all of ours were. And they are not cuddly/snuggly, and they're very small so can be easily injured if your kids are too rough. Guinea pigs and rabbits are bigger so they're easier for small kids to hold.

We went through all of these, plus fish, when I was a kid. I loved animals but was always crushed when they eventually died. Finally we bought cats which were so, so much more rewarding (and lasted four times as long). I'm still a cat owner 20 years later.

Rats, super friendly and smart

Anonymous wrote:Guinea pigs!

But get two, not just one.

I had a guinea pig and LOVED him. He died when I was in fourth grade and it was devastating. I think I wrote a poem about him. We had gerbils after that. Guinea pigs are bigger and therefore presumably easier to catch when they escape (a problem we had from time to time).

Guinea pigs!

Anonymous wrote:More importantly....are you 4 & 6 year old boys ready for a pet and going to be gentle with one?

All these animals can be great BUT the temperment of the animal can be drastically changed by how the children treat it.

You will probably get a sense of if the animal is "nice" from the getgo because it will bite pretty quickly if it doesnt want to be touched but again, make sure your kids do not squeeze or hurt the animal.

They better, or it will be off limits. They will be supervised, regardless. They are gentle with petting dogs, but this will be new. I imagine most of the care/feeding will fill on me, with sometimes willing and sometimes not so willing 'helpers'.

We had hamster for about 18-20 months twice. Once for each child. It was a good thing, but they are not very cuddly. You need to go up to a cat/dog/rabbit to get cuddle.

I assume if you're looking for a pet for your child, you believe your children are responsible enough to take care of it and not hurt it. Guinea Pigs have extremely good temperments and I always favor them for children. hamsters can be mean and bite, so you may want to wait until they're older for hamsters. I'm a big fan of chinchillas, but I had one as an adult I don't know how it would do with yound children (especially because it's adorable tail comes off as a defense mechanism if it's seized by it).

Anonymous wrote:Well for ease of care we had mice in our old house. No care required, they helped themselves. The relationship went south when we poisoned them.

We also had gerbils once. They were not friendly or pettable, and ours only lived about a year. I would get something else.

Sorry, I meant hamsters. I think gerbils are actually friendly.

Well for ease of care we had mice in our old house. No care required, they helped themselves. The relationship went south when we poisoned them.

We also had gerbils once. They were not friendly or pettable, and ours only lived about a year. I would get something else.

More importantly....are you 4 & 6 year old boys ready for a pet and going to be gentle with one?

All these animals can be great BUT the temperment of the animal can be drastically changed by how the children treat it.

You will probably get a sense of if the animal is "nice" from the getgo because it will bite pretty quickly if it doesnt want to be touched but again, make sure your kids do not squeeze or hurt the animal.

rabbit, gerbil, hamster, etc?

In terms of ease of care, friendliness or willingness to be touched. 4 and 6 year old boys. thanks