What is a good "small critter" pet?

Question

We're looking for a small animal as a pet (ie. rats, degus, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.)

We are looking for animals that are good in pairs as well as we aren't home everyday so we need ones that can be ok for a day alone with each other

and just the all a round best little critter!

Answer 1

My critters are two roborovski dwarf hamsters. They are great they get along with each other and dont mind being left alone for a few days. The bad thing is dwarf hamsters need a lot of handling when they are young so they are sociable when they are older.

I have heard rats are not bad pets. They like living in pairs, can live without attentoin for a few days.

Good luck and remember all animals need fresh water everyday.

Answer 2

Hermit Crab

Just give them a wet sponge and some food and you done.

You can change their shell color too!

Answer 3

mice. They are good in pairs, very sociable, and get along well on there own for up to five days.

Answer 4

Since I got them, I always advise gerbils.

They're great in pairs, great to be handled, don't bite, don't smell, are fun to watch, don't sleep all the time...

You just need to make sure you get two, you handle them for at least fifteen minutes a day, offer some fresh fruit and veg, and get the right cage (a tank with a cage topper is best) and NEVER use anything plastic with them.

***

Guinea pigs are fine but can live up to eight years, and need quite big cages. They also need more interaction than a gerbil and MAY fight each other when they hit puberty. You need to find the space to keep them in the house and they will NOT go in a guinea pig ball as they may break their backs in these. They don't bite or scratch, but are quite shy and take time to train, and can be more expensive than smaller animals like gerbils, hamsters etc.

I think gerbils are better as they are cheaper overall and take up less space.

***

Rats are also nice animals, but do need big cages and can smell themselves. They are loyal and faithful and good in pairs but enjoy human interaction and may suffer if they don't get enough of it. A gerbil is like a smaller rat- very interactive, very curious, but don't smell at all and don't need such big cages. Sorry I'm pushing gerbils, but I personally feel for cost and all roundedness, they're a great pet.

Please ignore the person in capitals. What she's saying is rubbish. Get a male and a female? Why on earth would a vet be encouraging breeding from a pet owner? Plus the capitals are annoying and obnoxious and she clearly doesn't know what she's talking about, as guinea pigs don't bite at all.

It's your choice what you get and I hope you decide well, but don't listen to little Ms. Capitals.

Answer 5

A guinea pig! They do wonderful in pairs and are easy to love!

Answer 6

Rats.

I recommend 2 or more female rats because they are more unlikely to fight rather then males.

I have 2 girlies and they are wonderful together.

You can almost guarantee that 2 females will get along.

Although rats are more expensive because they need a bigger cage and more toys to avoid boredom they are amazing pets.

Here are some supplies you will need;

Bedding (I recommend Care Fresh)

Food (I recommend "Regal Rats")

Hammocks and/or igloos

Chew toys

Water Bottle

And Other Fun Toys

Rats are very easily entertained and the smallest things keep them happy.

Rats are very social animals and will not bite unless they feel threatened and even then they are not very likely to bite.

Here's a great site to look at;

http://www.evergreenrattery.com

I love there online store and that's where i get my hammocks <3

Good Luck with your Rodents and I hope you choose Ratties!!

I Hope I  Helped

Answer 7

Rats are the best but NO REAL VET would ask you to get different sexed rats.  That's just commen sense unless you want 10 - 12 babies to take care of and then seperate at 5 weeks to keep more from coming.  I do agree rats are the best for what your looking for but please get two males or two females unless your planning to breed.  They can be house-broken (yes, litter trained) with special litter which is cheap (5 bucks for a big box), they like to snuggle, they bond like dogs to you, they can take care of themselves like cats, they are easy to train, love to play, and if one gets loose in your house, they are the easiest to catch.  Also, rats get along with each other and other animals, and even small children.  They cost around 17 dollars a month to cover food and bedding, which is cheap compared to other critters.  They also love toys and attention anytime.

Answer 8

guinea pigs!

although they need a very large cage (the ones sold in pet stores are WAY too small) they do great with pairs and other guinea pigs since they are social creatures.

However, they do require alot of care, but i found they are great small pets.

Answer 9

Holland lop-eared rabbits are excellent in pairs, small, and easy to take care of. They just need to be fed once a day, water bottle filled up, and cage cleaned maybe once a week. If you get 2, get 2 sisters because 2 boys fight, and 1 boy and 1 girl will have babies. Holland lops are really good because they are very small (2-4 pounds). The rabbits can also have a great relationship with the owner. Hope that helped!

Answer 10

a pair of rats is the best. they are so cute and fun to play with. they are also very sweet and easy to take care of.

Answer 11

A guinea pig.  They are sturdy and friendly especially for a young one and they don't bite like hampsters or gerbils and the love to be held and stroked.  They are also compatible with dwarf bunnies, mine however, was the exception to the rule and I eventually had to separate them.  Bunnies too, like to be held, especiall the dwarfs.  

Two female guinea pigs will get along if they grow up togethr.  They will nestle with each other.  Just make sure you s*x them (we thought we did and ooooops), January 1 ???? unknown I see these babies in the cage.  You never know when a g.p. is pregnant due to their size/shape.

You can also buy g.p. balls for them to roll around in.  Ours never had that, but our hampster loved his.  

Contact a guinea pig site for excellent  information.

G.P.' s like lettuce, carrots, celery, make sure they have their pellets as they need vitamin C otherwise it MUST be supplemented in their water with special tablets from the store.  They love hay, and all things vege. related.  Mine was addicted to carrots.  Try each vege as they all have their own taste buds.  

Remember the wood shavings.  They MUST be CEDAR, Pine will kill them.  

Enjoy your pet.  

Oh, if you get  a long hair g.p., they must be brushed as they will knot up and stuff stuck in their butts too.  So, personally, we liked the short hair ones after that unpleasant experience, although Dusty was really cute but the long hair on him made him a challenge to look after.

There are actually g.p. shows which is where we got our first g.p.  Her name was Gracie.

G.P.'s also have a cute "whistle".  My last one, before he took sick (he could not urinate) and was 9 years old, older than the average lifespan, always "whistled " when we were up and it was his way of saying, "hey, I'm up too, feed me "   Carrots....whate else.  



Chinchillas are not a great pet.  Cute, yes, but they don't like to be held.

Answer 12

I really like mice.  They are very friendly and do well in pairs.  I happen to have a pair of females and they get along real well.   Easy maintenance also.

Answer 13

HI SARAH, I AM A VETERANARIAN.  NICE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS....

I DO SUGGEST YOU GET A PAIR OF RATS, A FEMALE AND A MALE AS A GREAT COMPANION.  DONT EVER GET 1 , BECAUSE THEY ARE KNOWN TO GET LONELY AND EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DEATH FROM BORDOM.

**SINCE YOU NIT AT HOME OFTEN FOR A DAY OR TWO, CLEAN WATER IS A MUST, ENUFF FOR 3 DAYS MAX!!

FOOD TRAY ENUFF TO LAST 1 WEEK MAX AS RATS ARE KNOWN TO EAT OFTEN.  OTHER THAN THAT, KEEP RATS IN WARM PLACES, ANYWHERE COLD WILL LEAD TO SICKNESS AND DEATH.  LEAVE IN LIVING ROOM WHILE UR AWAY.  DONT  WORRY  PET RATS(NOT SEWAGE RATS) ARE CLEAN ANIMALS AND USUALLY SLEEPS MOST OF THE TIME, WONT EVEN KNOW UR AWAY.   OTHER ANIMALS LIKE HAMSTER, NEEDS ATTENTION AT ALL TIMES, MICE(TOO NOISY),G'PIGS(BAD IDEA, WILL OFTEN BITE , TERRITORIAL REASONS),

GET THE RATS...

Answer 14

Hamsters are great pets! A syrian hamster cannot be in a pair, and is happier alone. A dwarf hamster can be in a family group. If you want two, go to the pet store and get two dwarf hamsters in the same cage from the same litter. Same goes for mice! Good luck!

PS: Rats are fabulous pets too, but since you won't be home everyday...rats are very social creatures, like dogs, so I wouldn't advise rats for your situation. Generally, don't get a big exotic pet(s) (i.e,  guinea pig(s), chinchilla(s), rat(s) etc) if you won't be able to spend lots of time with it every day.

Answer 15

Nobody has said this one! lol! get a hedgehog most of them are the same size as a hamster and they dont smell like all those other rodents! They are really sweet and fun to cuddle with! They mite get a lil grumpy if you leave them in their cage forever and wen you dont play with it! They eat cat food so if you have cats that is an advantage! They also eat mealworms for a lil snack lol! They do have spikes but dont mind them they only poke you wen you disturb them.They are really unique animals and they are a really great pet you should look into them i have one and his name is danny lol he is great :)

Answer 16

I would say gerbils, degus, rats, or ferrets.

Gerbils are very cute, little animals.  They are very social so it is best to keep them in pairs.  I would recommend getting a pair of female gerbils.  Try to avoid getting a pair of males unless they are litter mates and have been together all their life.  If you get a male gerbil and a female gerbil, you might wind up with ten more gerbils.  Gerbils have a weird sleeping pattern-they sleep for a couple hours, stay awake for a couple hours, sleep for a couple hours, stay awake for a couple hours, etc.  The life span of a gerbil is 2-3 years.

Degus are very social animals and are very playful and curious.  Without the opportunity for exercise and social interaction, degus tend to be aggressive and neurotic.  And the life span of a degu is 5-8 years, and 10 years is possible.

They need to be kept in pairs of the same s*x.

Rats are intelligent, social animals that can make great pets.  Rats need at least an hour out of their cage for exercise.  They are best kept with other rats.  Groups or the same s*x pair is ideal.  Males will usually get along with other males fine especially if they are littermates or introduced at a young age.  Rats are nocturnal and their life span is 2-3 years.

Ferrets are also very good pets.  They make great pets, but are expensive.  Ferrets are playful and curious.  They are socialable, friendly, and affectionate.  It is often recommended to get more that one ferret, but is not essential.  Two or more ferrets increases the fun for the owner.  Ferrets will interact and play with each other.  Ferrets are very intelligent animals.  They have determind minds and will work at figuring something out with persistence.  The life span of a ferret is 8-10 years.

I hope this helps.

Answer 17

guinea pigs. as long as you give th their vitimin c, feed them, take them out atlest twice a week,and also change their bedding twice or once a week they will be fine home alone

Answer 18

I would say a cute cuddly chinchilla

Answer 19

Ferrets are really good pets. The are social animals who loves to be around people and other ferrets. They are funny and have their own personalities and are a joy to have.