What is the easiest, lowest-maintenance pet rodent? (eg mice, hamster)?

For me I would say Russian Hamsters. They are smaller than your average hamster, hardier as well. They do not require quite as much training as some hamsters do before getting used to you... in fact some of them are quite willful... coming up to the cage for treats whenever I enter. They do not require much of the hands on care that rats, guinea pigs etc need, although obviously you need to spend time with any pet, Russian hamsters are pretty happy doing their own thing for a while. They are not very messy, usually chosing a few corners for weeing. They are good with children as they rarely bite, my one has never bitten anyone, even kids (though they were carefully supervised).


Here is a link to some pics:


www.hamsterific.com/ RussianHamster.cfmWhat is the easiest, lowest-maintenance pet rodent? (eg mice, hamster)?
Rats by far are the best. Don't bite like mice and hamsters do. Don't need a wheel for exercise.


Are very sociable. Like being in your pocket or on your shoulder.............


We used to own a pet shop. Our children took home just about every animal we had. The rats were the best rodent pet .What is the easiest, lowest-maintenance pet rodent? (eg mice, hamster)?
depends what you mean by easy..





NO pet is easy.. all require some care.. hamsters have problems because they are nocturnal and will keep you awake at night and they might bite..


mice are smelly..


GuineaPigs have special dietary needs (vitamin C)


and rats dont live long...





ALL need to be handled regularly and need cage cleaning...


I would probably say RABBIT or RAT maybe??


depends on your space - at least RATS dont live as long so if you get tired of them its not too bad





this is a great link on RAT info





http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Unusual-Pet鈥?/a>


from that link you can see links on other rodents
christina - I wouldn't consider rats low-maintenance pets, not when you take into account the vet trips and bills (which WILL take place eventually!) that rats need to deal with active myco, not to mention their dietary, social and exercise requirements.





A wheel (a solid plastic one with no small gaps for ratty feet and tails to get caught in) is something you _should_ provide rats with, at least to begin with, because some rats do enjoy using them, and the more exercise they get, the better.





If you're looking for a low-maintenance pet that can be housed alone in a small cage, rats aren't it.





In my two and a half years of ratty ownership, I've had to pay over 900 鈧?for two rats, and not one cent of it was for frivolous reasons. Mycoplasma ( http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/myco鈥?/a> ), pyometra (uterine infection), a pituitary tumour, dental problems, worms (a one-off thing resulting from an ingested beetle of some sort), and a number of ear infections, all of which required veterinary attention, and all of which are something ANY rat can get, whether they're from a breeder, rescue, animal shelter or pet shop.
All little furries need time care and loving, I would say that my easiest pet to look after and one that needed least attention was my robovoski hamster however they are very small and when you clean them out it is easy to loose them although i have been very careful also they are hard to hold because they are so small and also the pet shops find it very hard to sex so i did actually end up with accidental babies the vet even said it was hard. (so dont completely advise) all of these problems come with rusian hamsters to as well as the fact that they bite my sister had a pair..... sirian hamsters are good if you have a nice cage and have plenty of toys and things to keep them entertained however they will need cleaning out and can be potty trained and handling 1-2 times a day.


I have found boys bite less might just be me but thats how it has gone with me. Also another thing is if they bite you must still continue to hold them else your fear will grow and so will theres yoggy drops tend to make them forget about munching you lol.


lara xx
mice, they are so small and easy to take care of. go to PetCO and they should have info there on them!!
Mice and hamsters are probably the cheapest of the rodents, costing about the same amount to maintain. Hamsters can be a bit more expensive at the initial purchase depending on the type you buy.





However, if you're looking for a good pet buy a rat. Both hamsters and mice and gerbils for that matter are hard to tame and even harder to train. Rat's on the other hand are smart, clean, and relatively cheap. Maintenance isn't anymore expensive then mice, at least not mentionably so. The initial purchase costs a few more dollars per animal and the cage might be 10-20 dollars more than a mouse cage. I've always housed my rats in old aquariums with mesh lids. You can get aquariums cheap at garage sales or on craigslist, especially since a rat cage doesn't need to hold water so it can be cracked or improperly sealed.





Rats can be trained to do tricks, ride on your shoulder, they seek out human company, and are easily potty trained. And if your patient and gentle they tame down easily and quickly. I've never been bitten by a rat.





I can't say the same for mice and hamsters, I've been bitten, and crapped on, and gone through the pains of trying to catch an escaped rodent many times.





Of all the rodents out there Rats are the only one I've found to be he best of all worlds and are cheap to boot.





Good luck.
gerbils they are social and they are so sweet and they dont urinate frequently so you dont have to change the bedding alot
MICE plus they are fun. and cute def the long haired type. aka mine lol
nobody can give you a correct answer to that question, everything is opinion. Some of my friends think it is mice, others hamsters, others rats, and almost every rodent that can be housed as pets will probably be mentionned. I personaly think it is gerbils because they are housed in groups so they do not need as much handling as say rats, they are awake during the day so they do not make lots of noise at night like hamsters, they usually do not enjoy being handled like mice but some do, they usually like to explore, they are not as scared of hands as most other rodents, they are easily entertained and they don't need to have there tanks cleaned as often as the other rodents because they do not eat and drink as much as the others. jut do not get anything because it is mentioned here you will be in for a big disappointement. Just choose yourself and do your research first.
rats! they're very friendly and make wonderful pets. they're almost like itty bitty dogs. hehe
Dont get hamsters, they sleep in the morning and are awake at night. If you get two same gender, they will fight untill the death.
i prefer the rat hamsters mice and alot of other small rodents have a habit of biting rats how ever if you get them as babies are normally very friendly i had one that would even come to me when i called her name. plus they come in lots of colors and color patterns right now i have 2 adult rats and 8 baby ratties.all very nicely tempered. just make sure to hold the babies before you buy them to find the one or two that are most friendly and unafraid of people. almost all petstores carry rats just make syre if u get more than one to get either both male or both female preferably from the same cage and if they are all together then get males nless u want some unexpected babies this has happened to me before with a hairless female i bought.she had a litter of 4 babies about 2 weeks after i got her.