What kind of small, furry pet should I get?

Question

When I was little, I had a mouse. He was the most adorable little thing ever and I took very good care of him. He lived for two years, which is the maximum time the pet store said his breed of mouse should have.

That was a long time ago, and I was heartbroken when he died. I've just now started considering getting another pet. It would have to be something small that could be kept in a decent sized cage. I am a high school student with marching band practice nearly daily during marching season and AP classes. What kind of pet would you recommend? The longer the lifespan the better, but hey, I'm open to anything.

Answer 1

Mice, hamsters, gerbils, degus are basically your options.

Rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, sugar gliders and chinchillas are high maintenance and most should have the minimum of 2 hours attention a day.

Do lots of research though, don't just go by what the pet stores say, if they say "get cedar bedding" because its cheapest, don't...Research.

Good luck with whatever you get though.

Answer 2

I was gonna say a guinea pig, but maybe a dwarf rabbit would be better. Either a female or a "fixed" male. The smaller the better. They live a decent amount of time, you can let them run around outside the cage a while, and are big enough to hug.

Answer 3

A hamster would be great.

Answer 4

A Little Cute NEW ZEALAND WHITE Rabbit.

They are soooooo cool to have and sooooooo fun

Hope This Helps!!!

Answer 5

i recommend a hamster. i have a fear of rodents but when my best friend got two hamsters the fear vanished. they were just soooooooo cute and friendly!!! neither of them ever bit anyone and neither did my other friend's hamster. so get a hamster, but whatever you do don't get a rat!

Answer 6

I would say a guinea pig they live 5-8 years with good care without sickness, they like buddies so if you left to that got along they would be perfect. All you need to do is put some witamin c in the water and some specaily formulated pellets and some fresh fruits and veggies ( good veggies; ROMAINE lettuce my guinea pigs personal fave but too much can give them diahrea, strawberry tops, spinach raw, rasperrys, and kale) so if u want a guinea pig they are pretty low maintenance but they are prone to heat stroke also so above 71 is a little hot, and clean out the cage a good cage would be:  http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js... bedding: carefresh and they can use bird toys to nudge their noses on and a little hay ball for timothy hay which also gives them vitamin c. They also communicate and when they jump around and run around they are NOT  upset or throwing a fit but popcorning, blup blup, means they are happy and loud urgent purring means they are saying " get away from me"

hope this helps!

Answer 7

Defiantly rats. they are clean, nice, never bite, and they do require daily attention, but not much. i have two females and they are sweet and lovable. i have had hamsters for four years i suggest not getting any of those little biting monsters! rats on the other hand should always come in pairs to keep each other company. you can let them run all over the house and play with anything. I am a rat lover, and i strongly suggest you get a a couple of rats!!!

Answer 8

I was going to say a mouse, but then I read your the details in your Q, I have 3 mice, they are wonderful pets!! I disagree with the person who said ferret, they take a lot of care, and smell bad. A guinea pig would b cool, they are friendly. If you do get a mouse, make sure you get 2 or more (preferably 4, that's a good number. I had four but one died of cancer) I am glad you took good care of your mouse, a lot of people don't!!!

Answer 9

If you don't have a lot of time to devote to a little critter then I do not suggest getting a Ferret and certainly not a sugar glider, because they take a good deal of care and attention.

My suggestion would be either get a hamster, because they are perfectly happy being alone and only need a little time out of their cage each day. Or my second choice would be a pair of rats, with rats you don't loose any of the playfulness or loving attachment you would sacrifice with a hamster, plus rats will keep each other company until you have time for them. Rats would need a little more attention than a hamster but the extra TLC you give them is well worth it because you will get it back in spades!

* As for life-span, my dearest little hammie Hank lived for just shy of 5 years! And my sweet little rat Vash died right before his 4th birthday. So they both went past their expected average life span, it all depends on how well you care for them and if they hit the genetic jackpot!

Answer 10

Before you think about buying an animal, consider where you're going to be in a few years.  It sounds like you might be a Junior or Senior in HS, what are you going to do with this pet when you go to college?  A lot of dorms do not allow pets beyond fish.  Keep that in mind.  Do you plan on traveling at all?  Who is going to take care of your animals?  Animals live for quite a few years, so make sure you're going to be able to care for it beyond today.

If that's not going to be a problem, I'd recommend rats.  Rats are smart, fun, and entertaining.  You should always get more than one as they are highly sociable creatures and need a buddy.  The rats can keep themselves company when you're at school.

Rats usually live between 2-4 years sometimes up to 5 years.  They need relatively large cages to climb and play, and shouldn't be kept in an aquarium.  You can let them free roam in a rat-proofed room while supervised and not worry about them going to the bathroom the floor.  Rats are smart enough to know their cage is the toilet, and you can actually train them to go in a box, vs just anywhere in the cage.

Rats can be taught tricks and can learn their names.  My rats can find food anywhere in a room.  I've watched mine jump from the floor to a small table, to a desk chair, to the desk to get at jelly bellies my bf left there.

Rats are curious and like people.  They usually never bite if you handle them regularly and don't have Cheetos crumbs on your fingers. :D  They're relatively inexpensive after you buy the initial toys and cage and whatnot.  I spend about 40-50 bucks a year on food and 15 bucks a year on bedding (I litter trained mine so I don't use as much).  They don't get very smelly if you spot clean every morning and clean their cage out once a week.

They are also pretty fun to watch.  They'll groom each other, sleep in hammocks together, run the wheel, rip apart peanut shells, etc.  Rats have been called the dogs of the rodent world.

Whatever pet you decide sounds good, do your research!!  It's important to know what you're getting into before you go out and purchase an animal.  You should also check your local humane society first.  When rodents/small mammals are brought in, they are usually at the shelter for many months.  The cost is usually comparable to a pet store, but the money you spend at an animal shelter will go towards helping other animals, instead of a big corporation.  

If you do decide that maybe a rodent isn't the best idea, you should check out fiddler crabs.  They are about the same in amount of care as fish, but are more entertaining.  They wave their claws around, shed, eat weird things, climb all over the place....very fun.

Hope that helps!

Answer 11

rat, they are so cool and loyal

Answer 12

It is very difficult to look after a small animal when you never see it, and if you never have time to spend with it it may be better if you do not get a pet. It is not fair on any pet to be stuck in a cage their whole lives, and many pets have been known to become untame due to their lack of handling. If you were stuck in your bedroom all day and maybe allowed out for an hour a day, would you be happy? What is the pet supposed to do while you are gone?

Maybe it would be better if you did not get a pet until you are ready to handle it more often. If you just had school, maybe that would be OK, but since you also have band practice most days it would simply be unfair. When you have more time, maybe then you can consider getting a pet.

Animals have feelings, so is it alright just to leave it stuck in a cage most of it's life?

Answer 13

a hamster is cute but they die to quick.trust me i had 2.a gerbil looks cute or Ginnie pig

Answer 14

ferrets are amazing pets! but.. they do need baths, and and a large cage to live in..

i would suggest a guinea pig

http://www.petfinder.com/search/search.c...

Answer 15

A mouse, or maybe 2. They are the cutest, easiest pets to have. But wait, you should know that already :-) Other than mice you could get a sugar glider, but then again they do require a bit of time. Don't get a ferret or anything like that they're notorious for causing difficulties and do require lots of attention. If you want something small, and don't mind something not furry how bout a small turtle or tortoise, they require minimal care and are really cute. Or you could get an axalotle, they're weird creatures and so fascinating to watch. But yeah, some mice sounds like the obvious choice, good luck.

Answer 16

Maybe a chinchilla or maybe sugar glider...  They require a lot of time and love to keep them sweet, but they can be soooo sweet!!

Answer 17

I think you should get a dawf hamster they are SO cute.

Answer 18

Guinea pigs.

They do need a biggish cage. The minimum being 30 by 36 inches.

They are fairly expensive. Remember you need 2 guinea pigs (they get lonely). They will need hay, dry food, vegetables, fruit and water.

I am 17 and have 8 guinea pigs and although I don't pay for the food and stuff, I find looking after them no problem. I am away from home at least 6 hours a day in school term time.

Please look on my Youtube channel to see how adorable guinea pigs are. http://www.youtube.com/user/Trinagirl05

If they were boring pets I would not have this many. Also, I have never been bitten by a guinea pig. They are very friendly, like little dogs. They live for roughly 6 years. The oldest ever recorded was 14 years!

I tried rats (they bit!) and rabbits but they weren't good pets in my opinion. But I might just have had a bad experience.

Hope I helped and hope you find the perfect little critter =)

Answer 19

The best small animal pets, in my experience, are gerbils. They are not very aggressive, and most owners are never bit. Mice and rats are overbred, and often have short lifespans as a result. Hamsters usually have a decent lifespan, but bite often.

Answer 20

Go for rats this time!  They're smart, can be trained, very clean, very friendly and mischievous.  They live 2 - 3 years so you're not totally devasted when they die like you would be wiyh other pets.  Strongly suggest you get two of the same s*x as they like company, especially since you seem very busy.

Answer 21

i would get a hamster there the best.

Answer 22

HAMSTER!!! They live for like 3 years! But you shouldn't expect that much cuz small furry pets don't live for a very long time.

or chinchilla... they live longer but bigger. They are the most adorablest little thing!

or bunnies! Buy the ones that are smaller. I had one before... but i'm not sure how long they live cuz i had to send mine to SPCA cuz i was leaving town... forever. Lol.

Hope this helps. =]

Answer 23

i would recommend a hamster , there very cute and loads of fun! just dont get two males or they'll end up fighting!

good luck!

Answer 24

two rats coz they can keep ech other company whiel ur away

Answer 25

ferret!