What small mammal/rodent is best for a pet? 4 kids want to know.?

We may be getting a small animal - what is best?


Gerbil - ferret - rat - hedgehog - other?


Why is one better than the other? What's the care/feeding/upkeep involved?


What can kids care for easily?What small mammal/rodent is best for a pet? 4 kids want to know.?
I've owned and worked with them all and by far I'd recommend a rat for kids! Gerbils and hamsters are nasty little biters and will draw blood for no reason at all! Hedgehogs are nice, but get scabies and fleas at the drop of a hat and also nocturnal, so not much fun during the day. Ferrets stink always even when descented! Poop all over ruin carpet and chew wire! Guinea Pigs make annoying squeeky noises and keep people awake at night. Rats are quiet, sweet, and love to be held and petted and are extremely clean and easy to care for. The only ones that cary diseases are the nasty suer and street rats, but pet rats are very clean and healthy and will ride around on your shoulder and kiss your ears or lick your cheek and they are always in a good mood and ready to play. You will love them! Good luckWhat small mammal/rodent is best for a pet? 4 kids want to know.?
WOW, I'd never heard of rats as good pets. Would those coming after me please specify what type of rat the others are referring to or is it the same specie that most consider vermin?
richard gere said that gerbils can be be fun
My friend had a few gerbils that didn't last long. She kept taking them back bcuz they wouldn't stop bitting people. Rats even though they sound like weird pets are really very cool! I'd say their easy to take care of. just give them fresh veggies every day and water refills/ two days? clean out the cage 1 a week with new bedding.
I say a rat....they are great and they are not too small here is some info on all the pets..... http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/resources鈥?/a>
Depending on where you live, hedgehogs are not legal to own unless you are considered a wild animal license holder.
i say A mouse!!!!!! they are soo easy to take of. they just like to play like all day.. and they are just too cute.. a child can learn to care and love for them really really fast.. they eat easy thing to find seeds, nuts and stuff. they are the best i had two but i had to give them away cus of my parents.. I 鈾?mice!
A Gerbil
Growing up I had a hamster (was always biting people). When I got older I got a pet rat. Tracks was the best. She never bit a soul and was very friendly.





Rats don't need all the fancy cages as the hamsters and they are a little more durable because they are bigger.





Pine shavings are a great bedding (never use cedar). Change it every week. I fed a rat/hamster grain mix, but she loved banana chips so I'd use those as treats.





Whatever you decide, be sure to check with your parents first. Having all the information in front of them when you ask shows that you're being responsible about getting a pet.
I used to own a couple of ferrets. They are actually really fun, and you can get hours and hours of play time out of them.





They are neat b/c you can train them to walk on a harness, and go in a little box for easy clean up. YOu can set up a cage for them to live in when they arent out, and you can set it up with little beds and other neat stuff.





If you get one that is descented, then they really dont smell.





They are however very mischievious and mine LOVED shiney things and would hide my stuff in random places.





Anyway, I highly recommend a ferret, especially for a little bit older children, we loved ours!
depends on how old the kids are . . . . if there really young youll want something thats very friendly like a ferret ( but those can smell )


hampsters are great pets. but they can get agressive if they ar handled too much or in a rough way.


Rats and gerbals are good too and are probably better for younger kids but ive never had experience in that


i would thinka hedgehog would be too much care for young kids.


whatever you decide to do good luck !
I say hamster! everyone can care for a hamster...just have them clean the cage once a week, give it fresh food and water everyday, and put it in one of those ball things and push it round on the floor. A child would get so much enjoyment out of that!
I prefer rats and hamsters. Ferrets bite but can be lovable once trained. Gerbils just don't have the capacity to show love so I'm thinkin' no on that one. Hedgehog...well, just no. Rats are very smart and lovable and so can hamsters. However, rats, if trained right, can go with your kids anywhere and simply sit on their shoulders happily getting loving pets from your kids. They are easy to care for as long as you have lots of newspaper, water, and rat food (usually sold in big bags and last for at least a month). You just have to change the cage every couple of days since they urinate like every 20 minutes. Good luck!!
well it depends on the kids' ages but if they aren't too young a ferret is alot of fun are great pets to have around. They are really smart and loads of fun but if they're too little that may ne a problem because some of them can nip at small children. Not all do thoough, mine doesn't. They're also not that hard to keep you just make sure it always has some food and water and clean the cage once a week. Just make sure they get alot of time out of the cage!
Well, I used to have pet rats and they were adorable. If the kids are serious about taking care of it, then it should be alright (although adult help may be needed). Rats are very sweet and affectionate and you grow attached to them very easily. The only problem is that they don't tend to live more than 3 years, and it can be quite upsetting for little children. Make sure you research a little more before you make your choice! Best of luck!
Ferrets have a must that they give off that personally, I'm allergic to so your kids should be around a ferret first to make sure they don't have the same allergy. I vote for gerbils. They are fairly clean and small.
i think that ferrets are the best pets i have owned many and they are litter box trained and they are so loving. They get shots just like any animal. Kids love them, mine do.
i suggest a rabbit. i have breeding and showing holland lop rabbits for a few years now and they make great pets. they usually dont get over 4 or 5lbs and love attention. theyre not hard to take care of either, we even have a couple of ours trained to litter boxes. i also suggest a guniea pig , but they are a little noisy.
hamster and guinea pigs or a small mouse or just go to a pet store and they will help you and they will tell you everything to know about the pet and they will tell you about taking care of it


too.
guinea pigs are great. just make sure your kids dont have allergies to them. i had my guinea before my son was born then when he was about 1 we found he was allergic and causing severe asthma attacks. so check before so you wont have to take the pet back. guineas are usually kind of cuddly and make kind of a high pitched oinking noise when theyre happy. mine lived in a big aquarium. theyre pretty cheap to take care of they need their cage cleaned about once a week. u just throw the bedding out and hose it down. and theyre bigger than hamsters and mice which is better for small kids.
ferrets are wonderful pets.
Guinea pigs
First of all I have to ask How Old are all your children??





Do you plan on useing this animal for 4 H?





IF not If you don't mind cleaning up messes I would say a parakeet they are easy to train in 3 days time ... and they do cuddle and and cue and talk to you change there cage every week and you can play with them just buy the toys they can play with..





I used to breed and raise Birds...
I agree with Alli. Guinea Pigs are great my niece has one she loves it.
Guinea pig. It's small enough to cuddle, but large enough to avoid the ';crush factor';.
I adored our guinea pigs.





They're easy to care for; the only thing that needs daily attention is their play and their poo tray. If you pick up a well socialized one, they rarely bite and they love being cuddled. Hamsters tend to be mean, so I wouldn't reccommend them.





They don't live very long (about 3-5 years) and are susceptible to colds and pnuemonia without the right bedding (never use cedar bedding!) but their pros far outweight their cons. They whistle and grunt and some are quite smart. We had a female that would whistle when she heard grocery bags rustling, because we kept her food in plastic sacks.
Well I think hedgehogs have to have special diets with live insects and stuff so I wouldn't have them as my first choice. I'm going with dwarf hamsters. They are small and not as messy as mice and are really fun. I think you only need to change their litter every 1-2 weeks so that isn't so bad. And I hear ferrets make good pets although I've never had one. Whatever you get, don't get mice, they make terrible pets. I know from experience. So yeah, your best bet is either a hamster or a gerbil IMO.
It depends on how old the kids are. but I would say to try a hamster. they are really kid friendly and very easy to care for. the only problem is they like to play at night so if you have the cage in the child's room the child may not get much sleep.
Guinea pigs are great for kids, but they do require more care than other small animals.


Gerbils and Hamsters are very easy to care for, but a lot of them bite, and they bite pretty hard.


I think the best pet for your children would be a rat. They are easy to care for, and they are Very friendly and sociable.
I'd suggest a rat, mainly because they are easiest to care for. You can feed them just about anything. Also, like others have said, gerbils and guinea pigs often bite.
I cannot reccomend guinea pigs enough! Unlike hamsters, they are not nocturnal, so they are always ready to get out of their cage and play. They make adorible sounds, and have super cute looks. Guinea pigs also bite much much less than other small pets. And, they come in a wide range of colors and ';hair styles,'; including long, short, and rosette. As a child I owned hamsters, rabbits, rats, mice, and guinea pigs, but the pigs were by far the best, gentlest, and most enjoyable.