Hamster or Guinea pig ??? advice please!?

Question

We are deciding to get a little rodent to add the the family pets.

We are wondering and deciding between whether a HAMSTER or GUINEA PIG. which one is the best pet?

which one would you choose? any info is much appreciated, i would like some opinions and advice.

guinea pgs are usualy still and not that exciting and usually bite you when you try to hold them or pick them up?

which one would you choose?

HAMSTER or GUINEA PIG???

BAD qualities and good qualities about each animal would be greatly appreciated as well.

any comments/advice/opinions or anything about the topiccc!

please&thank you!

Answer 1

I'd go with the hamster. They don't need lots of attention or

take up alot of space. They are quite entertaining to watch.

Make sure the cage door is secure, otherwise they'll escape.

Guinea Pigs need more room, and need more attention.

They need hay, pellets and veggies. They need a cage approx.  2x3 ft.

Read up on both, see which one is best for you.

Answer 2

totally agree with AWS. Rats are my favorite.

But if you are choosing between Guinea Pig or Hamster,

well depending on the type of hamster, i've noticed that dwarf and short haired hamsters bite more then teddy bear or long haired hamsters who are very cute and cuddly) If you get a guinea pig i'm telling you now they smell. And you'll have to have a 24/7 supply of timothy hay. The cage you should use should be enough room for a little house food water, and a place for hay. NO WIRED BOTTOMS. They will get they're feet caught in the bottom, and the wires also causes bumble foot.  Good luck with choosing. If you want more information feel free to ask :)

Answer 3

I would say a guinea pig pig because there bigger and better

+ if it runs away its easy to catch

and you can teach youre guinea pig how to turn,name,up,down,stay,go+

Answer 4

Get a guinea pig. They are the better way to go. They like to snuggle, hardly bite, and are not fidgity like hamsters. I have nine guinea pigs so I know what they are like. They love to be handled and given a lot of attention. Hamsters like to bite and just don't hold still to snuggle and love. Unlike the rat lovers say, if you engage your guinea pigs, they are actually really smart. My guinea pigs have learned, from out of no where, to tell us when they want to go back by tugging on our clothing. If that isn't smart what is! Guinea pigs are the best choice!

Answer 5

I agree Rats are the best but other than that a guinea pig, they are very exciting, they talk to you and bounce around, don't bite unless they are scared or just nibbling...http://youtube.com/watch?v=EvFbk1r4wnw&f...

Answer 6

i would completely recommend guinea pigs.  hamsters have such a shorter lifespan and they're CONSTANTLY biting, so they wont be good with kids.  guinea pigs are friendly, relaxing and just plain adorable.

Answer 7

I would choose a guinea pig. I have had a hamster and a guinea pig. The hamster is nocturnal so they sleep in the day and awake at night and the guinea pig is not nocturnal so its awake when you are. I dont know where you got that idea that guinea pigs arnt not that exciting, I have 4 and they always keep me busy. Yes, they cant go on wheels or balls like hamsters but I think out of the 2 I enjoy my guinea pigs better. Also yes sometimes guinea pigs bite but not as hard as hamsters, hamsters can bite until it bleeds.. my guinea pigs just nibble a little sometimes when my hands smell like food. Also guinea pigs have a longer lifespan then hamsters. Guinea pigs in my opinion are more friendly then hamsters and you can cuddle with them. For a guinea pig you need a decent size cage, unlimited timothy hay, guinea pig based pellets, and sometimes a cup of veggies and fruits. Also guinea pigs make these cute noises if there hungry or lonley or happy! My choice would be guinea pig.. check out these sites for information about guinea pigs

http://www.guinealynx.info/

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Answer 8

hamster

Answer 9

If you really want a fun and playful pet get a ferret.... they are usually free on craigslist....

Answer 10

Well for one guinea pigs stay up when you are up, while hamsters stay up at night instead.

My guinea pig can be still sometimes when he is relaxing, but so do dogs and cats.

My guinea pig does not bite me when I hold him unless he is scared.Be good to any pet and they will not bite u! :)

Guinea pigs are also easy to take care of, they will eat almost any veggies, and fruits!

I had to make a similar disusing and I chose guinea pigs and am glad I did!

Answer 11

Rats are the best rodents.  They are smarter than either guinea pigs and hamsters and more sociable.  Read up on rats and forget the other rodents!

Answer 12

It depends on what you want from a pet, and what level of care you can give.

In my experience hamsters are more likely to bite than most other small pets - although many are fine, if they are handled gently and regularly. Guinea pigs rarely bite unless extremely scared or in pain.

Guinea pigs are awake on and off throughout the day so you may see more of them. Hamsters are nocturnal - there is every chance you will hardly see them as they will be asleep until late at night.

Syrian hamsters (ALL the normal sized ones, including teddies, goldens, etc) are solitary animals so should be housed alone.

Guinea pigs on the other hand are a social species and must be housed with their own kind. It is cruel to keep a guinea pig on its own, no matter how much attention it gets.

Hamsters can be interesting to watch - if you catch them awake! They will run for miles on a wheel (should be solid, not open rungs), build nests, forage etc. One warning here - I looked after a friends hamster in my bedroom once - NEVER again! It put all its food into the wheel then ran on it all night. I couldn't sleep through the racket!

Most people who think guinea pigs are boring have only ever seen them in tiny, empty cages - usually alone with nothing to do. How interesting can they be in that environment? In the proper sized cage, with same s*x companions, piggies will play together, explore their cage, rearrange their toys, run laps and "popcorn", chew and eat etc. They will probably wheek at you for attention or their daily veggies.

A hamster would be far cheaper to maintain and take up much less space than guinea pigs.

A good hamster cage should be about 1/2 a square metre. They are good climbers so can have tall cages with multiple levels - there are some very good hamster cage available commercially (and some c**p ones so be careful!).

Piggies are ground dwelling creatures, so they need their space primarily all on one level. A pair of piggies need about 10.5 sq feet of floor space (eg a 2x4 c+c cage). You can not buy a large enough guinea pig cage (most are less than half the ercommended size!) so you would need to make it yourself. However, c+c cages are really easy to make and cheaper than large store bought cages anyway.

Being in a much larger cage means higher bedding costs for guinea pigs (unless you use the fleece method). They also need an unlimited supply of grass hay at all times, and a variety of fresh veggies daily. If cost is an issue, don't get piggies.

For more info check out:

http://www.guineapigcages.com (Check out the forum too - the stickies in each section are invaluable!)

http://www.hamsterific.com/