Guinea pig vs. hamster?

Question

I have 2 kids (11 and 8). I just found out that we are not able to have dogs in our home, so I gave my kids an option of a guinea pig or a hamster. Which do you think is better for the kids? ei. age approriate, costly, easier to handle

Answer 1

i have both guinnea pigs and hamsters and find that the hamster keeps me up at night and can give a nasty nip.
guinneapigs are plasid and very gental i have 7 and have never been bit by one of them, but ave been bit alot of times by my hamster.
if i was you i would get a guinnea pig you can also get indoor cages and outdoor so they can be either indoors or out.
guinneapigs alos have a longer life span of around 6 years but a hamsters life span is around 1.5 years.

Answer 2

I would say hamster even though they don't live that long. Guinea pigs live only about 5 years and they need alot of space and time. Hamsters don't need alot of space and are easy to take care of. Remember it will be you taking care of the pet and if you don't have alot of time for the animal pick a hamster. If you have hours a day to devote to a guinea pig to feed, water, give veggies, clean the cage, and let them be held for about 2 hrs a day pick a guinea pig. Hamsters are less costly and easier to house and handle. Guinea Pigs can become very costly over time and take alot of responsibility.

Answer 3

Hamster. My bro had a guinea pig and I had a hamster. Hamsters are so cute and cuddly and it is fun to just watch them run in the wheel. Mine use to climb on top of its wheel and do back flips off of it. It was amusing and very cool. They also can be warm and nice. My hamster bit me only once in the 4 years i had it and it use to sit on my shoulder. They are very sweet. Get a ball for them to roll around in too.
Anyways, about guinea pigs they stink, so bad. My mom would clean the cage and the next day it would stink. Also, the guinea pig we had was scared to death and you couldn't hold it because it would almost go into shock. It was also a thin haired one, but the hair would go everywhere.
So I'd recommend getting the hamster.

Answer 4

Remember that with a guinea pigs, you will need two since they are social critters. They just won't be happy alone. I think the guinea pigs are rather easier to handle, less likely to be aggressive. They will need a rather large cage, much larger than most commercial guinea pig cages are, to be happy. There's a website called cavy cages I don't remember the address, but you can look it up. It will show you how to make a piggie cage. Because they eat more they tend to be somewhat more expensive to care for and then they will need more bedding also.

But I would really go for the guinea pigs. Hamsters aren't all that fun, so children are more likely to lose interest. Also they are nocturnal, so they will stay up all night making racket and be grouchy and sleepy if you try to play with them in the day so they would be more likely to bite.

Another option, rabbits make wonderful pets. They are quite intelligent and have a personality somewhere between a dog and cat. They can be litter trained easily, so they can roam the house as long as its rabbit proofed. They are very sweet, but also mischevious. quite fun to play with but also like to be alone at times. They do need to be kept indoors and need a large pen or lots of out of cage time. But I've had dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, and almost anything else you can think of and my rabbit was undoubtedly the best. Companionwise as well as easy care.

Whatever choice you make, please consider adopting from a rescue. Petfinder.com has a listing of pets and rescues and you can search for one in your area. Rescue rabbits tend to be much better pets than the pet store variety since they are usually already fixed and litter trained.

Answer 5

Guinea pigs!!!Well I own 2 hamster and 4 guinea pigs and since the hamsters are in my room they keep mt awake all night.Guinea pigs are better I think because they are more social and they are awake during the day so if you want to play with them you dont have to worry about waking them up like you do with hamsters.And hamsters bite more then guinea pigs. guinea pigs dont bite at all unless they're reaally excited. Hope I helped!!

Answer 6

Both are timid animals, though friendly. Syrian hamsters need to live alone, dwarf hamsters and guinea pigs are highly social animals, so they need company. (Of the same sex of course.) Hamsters you can hold, but guinea pigs like to snuggle. Whichever you choose, please research their characteristics/needs before you bring one home. Here's a good site for info on guinea pigs:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Guinea_Pigs_Society/
Also, while both need room to exercise and play, a single hamster takes up a lot less room than 2 guinea pigs.
Check out pet finder or call your local humane society/rescue groups. There are many of both species waiting to be adopted.
Enjoy your furriers!

Answer 7

Guinea pig.

I just got a new guinea pig, i'm able to pick her up with out her struggling, and guinea pigs don't smell as much as hamsters.

Answer 8

I vote for the guinea pig. They are sweet animals and they live much longer. Hamsters are cute but they don't live that long and it gets very emotional when a pet dies.

Answer 9

Guinea pigs hands down.
I had both.

Hamsters are escape artists. They bite. They eat their own.

Short haired type are the easiest to care for.

Make sure the pens are kept clean.

Answer 10

guinea pigs are more fun but live along time. Hamsters bite but they don't live near as long.