rats or guinea pigs?

Question

should i get a rat of guinea pig? i have 1 dog

Answer 1

I have owned both. I would say rats! rats are interactive, friendly, affectionate, and intelligent. They learn to come to thier names, and do tricks, they are very much like dogs, and virtually odor free. Males will sit on your lap for hours, while you watch tv, and females are more playfull always up for games and fun!

Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

Hi, there is one big factor in you need to consider before you make your choice: guinea pigs are great. They can be tamed, and are quite vocal, often making a high pitched squeal if I'm late with their greens. They also jump in the air and run around when they are happy, which is a lot fun to watch. If you like taking care of animals, but don't really want to spend a lot of time handling them, guinea pigs are a good choice, because they will be just as happy if you don't pet them or hold them as long as they are well tended. Also, baby guinea pigs are born fully haired out and able to run around, and it's hard to beat them for the cuteness factor. You should keep no fewer than two guinea pigs together in the same cage, as these animals need the companionship of another guinea pig. If you don't want babies, get two males or two females, and the cage should be no smaller than 36-40 inches in length, 2 1/2 feet wide, and 1 1/2 -2 feet tall. The bigger the pen/cage the better. Guinea pig pens/cages need to be mucked out at least once a day and new bedding put in, and once a week the cage should be washed with soap and water. Some breeds of guinea pigs will also need regular grooming and their hair wrapped. Rats on the other hand are like having little miniature people living with you. They can not be just left in their cage, but need to be handled and worked with the same as a dog. Their minds must be given something to do. Rats can be trained which will strengthen and exercise their minds, and must have time to roam and play outside of the cage. One adult rat can be housed in a ten gallon aquarium tank, but it must be thoroughly cleaned at least once a day. A larger cage would be much better. To maintain rats correctly takes a lot of time. I suggest that you buy a book about each of these animals and read them carefully and think about it some before jumping in.

Answer 3

The rats that I have had will actually play with a dog if the dog is not prey driven so that is a plus for a rat. Guinea pigs don't seem to be as interactive with playing whereas rats will play-wrestle and 'fake' bite your hand much like a tiny puppy once they get used to you.

Of course guinea pigs are cuter since they don't have that 'rat' look to them so you have to ask yourself, 'Do I want a small animal that I can play with, and maybe will even play with my dog, but that may turn people off, or do I want a little more socially acceptable animal that may or may not eventually play with me and my dog?'

I have had many of both species, at one point I had a whole colony of piggies in my yard in Phoenix which was awesome to watch for hours each day as they went out from their shelter and grazed in the big yard every day. They reminded me of tiny wild horses as they had 'lookouts' while the rest of them grazed in the center. The nice thing about pigs is that they don't dig out of the yard.

Caging and cleaning may also be a factor, since a G.P. is quite larger, it will produce more waste and need more frequent cage cleaning, at least by 2 to 1 compared to the rat. The G.P. will require a larger cage as well. Your situation, the maintenance you are willing to provide and your dog's temperament should be able to tell you which is best for you.

Answer 4

I have had both, and like both. Both are social, enjoying the company of others of their kind. Both will bond with a human caretaker if handled frequently and at a young age. Guinea pigs would need a somewhat bigger cage, and not two or more levels as they don't climb as well as rats. Beyond that, it is a personal choice. Some people really dislike rats, but tame pet rats are quite sweet. Guinea pigs trigger my son's asthma, so it's rats for us, not because we don't like guinea pigs as well.

Answer 5

having had both now.. I'd go rat. Truely, guinea-pigs are only happy if they can spend most of every day running around, hence the need for a big area. plus they can eat a fair bit.. in summer our 2 guinea pigs would eat equivilent of a lettuce, a cucumber or about 4 carrots between them, on top of grass and dandelions, and their dried food. Yes they were tubby.. but not fat. No good for showing admittedly hehe, but as pets go, they were about average, and very healthy.

Rats.. need a varied diet, but don't eat as much. A lot more tamable quickly.. I'd say you'd be looking at minumum of 3 months for a guinea-pig to be really "yours", my rat was very much mine within a month. Also much more playful. It's like having a puppy on your lap, really!

But if you have the room, and you prefer them, guinea-pigs are fun little pets. It's all down to how much space, money and time you have.. plus whichever you prefer.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

They're both good companions. Rats are more interactive with humans & their cages are small enough to fit onto a dresser or other piece of furniture. Of course, get them the largest cage you can afford & have room for & please get either 2 boys or 2 girls b/c they're social animals.
Guinea pigs are also social animals, so again it's best if you have 2 of either sex. They need a *lot* more room than rats do & can be very vocal (if that's a concern). From what I've seen, guinea pigs tend to be much more nervous than rats, so it's possible that your dog might freak them out, although our pig doesn't mind our cats. Our rats could care less about the cats (except for our hairless, who tries to chase our kitten). Our boy rats are from a rescue & we've been told they love dogs.

Answer 7

I have had both before. Guinea pigs are OK but they are always hiding, It takes a long time for them to feel comfortable being around you. Rats on the other hand are more friendly and intelligent and I feel make a better pet cos they show more affection to you. Plus they don't hide all the time. The rest is up to you?

Answer 8

I find rats to be far less noisy than guinea pigs. If that doesn't bother you, then it's ok.

I find rats easier to care for, and they are more interested in you.

I agree that rats are closer to dogs in that you can train them.

A rat is usually not bothered by cats and dogs in the house, especially if they get to close to the cage. It will likely be the dog or cat scared of the RAT after they get too close and get nipped or scratched. Rat was likely just curious anyway.

I've taken mine to the vet, and in the waiting room they sniff the curious dog at the cage bars, decide it's no longer interesting and turn their butts to the cage and ignore the dog!

Answer 9

DEFINITELY RATS!!! rats are amazing, i dont know what these people are talking about ( no offense guys ) but rats are by far the most social, and intelligent. I just got done baby sitting my friends guinea pig and while it was pretty cool, it doesnt do much of anything, not that i didnt like it, but it just was no where near as cool as my rats are! when we held him he just sat there, didnt move around much, the only thing i really enjoyed about him was he made alot of funny noises..and he was way messier than my rats are. Also, Rats are only stinky if you dont keep their cage clean!! that such a stupid misconception! you would be stinky if you were living in your urine and feces for a couple days too! its very worth it to potty train them, and its pretty easy! but you have to clean their cage like every 3 days tops, to keep things un-stinky...I have 3 rats of my own...they are so smart and fun! But really it depends on what you are looking for in a pet....with rats you can really tell what kind of mood they are in, you can tell when they are happy or upset, you can teach them to be potty trained, you can teach them to do tricks, they can even learn their own name! here are some great websites, im sure if you do some research online you will see that rats are much more interactive, and smart pets....actually alot of people and i completely agree....say that rats are a lot like dogs...its funny you wouldnt think so, but if you get one you will know what i mean! they are awesome!!
OH but one more thing you must consider is that rats should ALWAYS be kept in at least a pair of 2, rats are very social animals and they will never be happy if they do not have another rat to hang out with....human interaction alone will not satisfy them...so if you want a rat...you must get at least 2!
http://www.ratfanclub.org/
http://www.dapper.com.au/

Answer 10

guinea pig is better i own 1 guinea he name is chichi he is a boy and h not scare of me at all then i first buy him he only scare a little but rat bite last time my friend buy a rat and he bite my piggy and my piggy start fighting and it win and rat tail are ugly

Answer 11

Well i have had both... rats are more social so if your looking for a pet to play with i would choose a rat. If you get a rat make sure you spend a lot of time with it so it doesnt get shy, or get two rats instead of one so it always has someone to play with. Rats also bite less... a lot less.