So,my son wants a hamster or guinea pig......?

Question

Any current owners willing to share their experiences? We were at PetSmart last weekend and he thought the small critters were cute and funny (he is only 5 years old).We are waying the pros and cons, and of course one of the cons would be that I would probably be the primary caretaker..... I've never had either as a pet so it would be a new experience for me. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hamsters & Guinea pigs do make great pets! I have had both for many years.

For a 5 yr old, though, I'd recommend a guinea pig - they are larger, so if the pet escapes/wiggles free of being held it will be MUCH easier to catch him. Also, it will be a little harder to squeeze the poor thing to hard-partly because they are bigger, but also because guinea pigs will squeal if they are being hurt (hamsters don't squeal and they will bite if they are hurting).

Guineas also live longer - 5-7 yrs on average, hamsters only 2-3.

Both critters are equally easy to care for - guineas must have citrus fruit as part of their regular diet- they are like humans and can't make their own vitamin C.

Answer 2

If you have a 5 year old you would probably want to get an adult guinea pig. They are a little bigger and if they get handled a bit they tend to be very tame and will sit with you and be affectionate. They will also be able to take a little bit rougher handling by a 5 year old then the hamster would. Hamsters tend to be a little more energy then the pigs so they are not as good for holding and petting. They also seem to have a tendency to escape and are hard to find the guinea pigs are pretty easy they are a little bigger. You will also want to look at the life span a hamster will only life o be about 2 years old whereas a guinea pig will life till about 5-6 years. As for the amount of care that is needed it is about the same for both animals. They need to have their cages cleaned every week or two depending on the size of the cage and the type of bedding that you use. Also they need fresh water and food daily. I have had both and prefer the guinea pigs and have found several other people who do as well.

Answer 3

I am also an animal lover and have always been and I got a rabbit when I was 4 and she is still alive today and I am now 14 and she was perfect and we did resently get a dog but it is a breed that gets along with the rabbit, but since you have 2 big dogs I dont think a rabbit would work, but guinea pig might work but it couldn't be around the dogs cause they would kill it. I think the best thing would be to say right now isn't the best time for a little furry animal but maybe another fish, also a guinea pig or hamster don't live very long and would probably not be the best idea he would get really upset but maybe since he is 11 he would be ok!

Answer 4

My neices and nephews have a guinea pig (8,7,4,2) while ours (11,9,5) have had hampsters

The guinea pig is kinda interesting, but also a bit stinky and jittery and their kids have long ago lost interest in him.

Our kids have had a couple of hamsters and they still love them. We keep it in the kitchen and it is a very interactive and friendly little guy, not smelly if you change the bedding every week or so. He has bitten them lightly and a few rare occasions, usually because he was scared, but our kids love to handle him all the time (including our 5 year old, she takes him out the most).

Hampsters also only live a couple of years usually while guinea pigs are apparently much more long lived. Not that we enjoy having them die, but it isn't such a bad thing to not have them live so long that the kids get bored of them. Gives you a chance to take a break and then the kids get excited again about a new one.

You'll have to do most of the caretaking but its no big deal, feed him a couple times a week and it'll take 10 or 15 minutes once a week to change the bedding. If time spent caretaking is a concern, consider getting a simple rectangular wire cage instead of those fancy plastic ones with tunnels -- the plastic ones are much more work to keep clean.

Answer 5

A guinea pig is definitely better. If your son wants a pet he can play with a guinea pig is better since hamsters are nocturnal and they can be grouchy in the morning. And if you want to have a boy and girl hamster they make babies FAST. And if the mother comes under any stress at ALL she will eat the babies. And the female sometimes kills the male. Guinea pigs are more caring about their kids. Also hamsters can give quite a nip. A friend of mine was bitten and his finger wouldn't stop bleeding. Also guinea pigs actually have an inborn reluctance to bite someone. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

For a five year old, a hamster or anyother small animal of that kind (mouse,gerbil etc) is not a good idea. Guinea pigs can be good pets for younger childern, BUT they need constant supervision with them, and they shouldnt be allowed to hold them unless they are seated indian style on the floor.

Remember guinea pigs live anywhere from 6-10 years with 6-8 being the average, make sure you are prepared to care for them that long, and if you son loses interest you will still take care of them.

Here are a few "facts" that might help you make the desision.

Guinea pigs are social animals, and need to be kept in same sex pairs.

The best place to get a guinea pig is a shelter. Often, there are pairs already matched up and the shelter can tell you if they are male/female. Sometimes, the pigs are even spayed/neutered. Plus, when adopting you are saving the pigs life!

Dont get the pigs from a petstore/breeder. More often than not, you will get a sick and/or pregnant pig, and it would just be contributing to the huge overpopulation problem.

Guinea pigs need lots of space. The best cage is a C&C cage, made from cubes are coroplast. Its easy to make and very inexpensive (less than $50) plus guinea pigs love them!

For more information on C&C cages- www.guineapigcages.com

To ask more questions- www.guineapigcages.com/forum
(register and make a board)

The SMALLEST size that pigs should be in is-
1-2 females- 28in x 42in
1-2 males- 28in x 56in
3 females- 28in x 56in
3 males- 28in x 70in

For pellets- Make sure you dont use anything (pellet/hay) made by Kaytee, they contain an ingrediant that is known to cause cancer. I recommend oxbow, they are great quality. www.oxbowhay.com

Hay- Make sure there is always timothy hay in his cage, it helps wear down their teeth, just like a chew stick does for hamsters.

Make sure you dont add anything to their water (no vitamin drops, etc.) if you are feeding oxbow pellets, and fresh veggies (in moderation) they contain the necessary vitamin C, so you dont have to add anything. Vitamin drops can make your pigs sick.

Also, dont use salt wheels/licks, they are not at all necessary, and are not good for your pigs.

Runaround balls and wheels are also not a good idea, so make sure not to use those, it could seriously damage your pigs backs.

NEVER use pine OR ceder like one of the people said, the contain harmful oders that will kill any small animal!

Once again, I recommend guineapigcages.com they are great, and very helpful. You can join the forum and ask questions. If you decide to join, you can send me a message on there.. my username is wickedrodent

Answer 7

As a manager at PetSmart, I can say without a doubt the bigger the better. Small animals bite, no matter what they are, but the rule of thumb is the larger the animal, the less likely it will freak out and bite out of fear. Rats are the least likely to bite, followed up by Guinea Pigs. G Pigs live longer and are harder to loose, too! Set aside at least $80 for the Guinea Pig cage and supplies, and about 30 for the piggy. after that, it's just food, bedding, chews, oranges and carrots, vitimins, and timothy hay. If you go for the hamsters, black bears, honey bears, dalmation, Panda bears, Chinese dwarf, blackberry, blue berry, and Robo hamsters are a lot nicer in my area than Syrian and Siberian hamsters. Allow $50 for hamster supplies and up to $20 for the hamster. And yes, you will be the primary care giver:) hope that helps. go to www.petsmart.com and look up the care guides for more info.

Answer 8

When I was a young lad I received 2 hamsters for Christmas. They fun. Not too smelly. For some reason I think guinea pigs are, but it has been a while. My hamsters only made a year or to, but it was a good year. I could never convince my parents to let me out those cool tubes all over the house though. I still think that is cool. I also never got a go-kart - that would be fun too!

Answer 9

I can only speak of having rabbits, whose cage and bedding are similar. My kids begged me for rabbits. We got 2. We got the cage, drink bottle, food bowl, food, cedar shavings, toys, snacks, brush, leash, etc. etc. It was great for about 2 weeks. Then I had to clean the cage. I had to dig my hand with a small shovel type thing and scoop out cedar shavings soaked in urine. It falls all over the floor, and stinks bad. Little poop terds fell everywhere. And of course, I had to do this, not the kids. And I had to do it for 2 rabbits in 2 separate cages because we got them so young, we didn't know the sex, so we kept them separated. Anyway, it got to be so bad, I dreaded cleaning those cages so bad. The kids stopped playing with the rabbits and the rabbits started biting me when I'd put my hand in to clean the cage or pet them. I don't know why or what happened .I have since heard that I should've gotten them fixed. Anyway, we gave them to a nice home out in the country where they can roam and have fun. I am still finding rabbit terds all over the house! Kids seem to get tired of some pets and you end up with all the work. Also, with any pet, there is a mess, smell and a lot of work. That will get old to you very quickly. You might come to resent the pet and your son for wanting the pet. But that is just my experience. You have to also find someone to watch and feed the pet, when you're gone! Pet ownership is truly a lifelong committment! Think long and hard about it first!

Answer 10

I have had both. guinea pigs are more reliably friendly.. I've met (and owned) many biting hamsters in my day that couldn't even be handled because they would bite any hand that entered their cage. They also tend to escape their cages and die in a couch cusion or a hole in the wall. In 4th grade my best friend was a guinea pig. they are very sweet and wont ever bite, which is better for a young child. Plus, they make really cute snorting sounds!