Rats or chinchillas?

[silkieroo]

RATS!! I absolutely loved my boys when i had them!! They are like little tiny dogs!! They will kiss you, beg for attention, follow you around.... They just love people!! The one drawback to them is as previous posters said they don't live very long.

 

[DuckLover179]

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I used to have guinea pigs, but (And I don't want to sound like a horrible person here) we gave them to a GREAT home, due to financial issues. I'm not sure about the rabbits... My mom just said "Oh, you're giving your rabbits to your friend, but you can get another pet for the cage..."..


Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex, unfortunately hedgehogs are illegal in CA. Same with ferrets, skunks, sugar gliders, etc.

I personally love the look of both, but my parents might make me get a chinchilla, because my sister ruined our experience with rats...

 

[punk-a-doodle]

If the rabbits were also due to financial issues, or until you find out why they were suddenly rehomed, I definitely would not get a chinchilla. Gerbils are very docile, and even cheaper to care for than a rat. Rats seem hard to rehome other than as snake food, or at least, we always have a lot of them on Craigslist and at the shelters.

 

[DuckLover179]

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No, the rabbits aren't because of financial issues. I actually make $200+ per month now, so they are well taken care of. I have about $100 saved up so far, so that's enough for the chinchilla itself.

 

[Skyesrocket]

My vote is for a chinchilla. Find one that has been handled regularly. My chin's cage is next to my computer because this is where I'm at in the evening. He is a real clown when he wants treats or attention.
Chins cages don't get smelly like rat cages do.

 

[gritsar]

I forgot to mention - if you decide on rats, go with two males. They behave a bit better than two females, towards each other and humans.

 

[Stacykins]

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When a rescue rat of mine was pregnant and gave birth, I could handle her and the babies from day one and she didn't mind at all. My housemate kept three of those babies, all girls, and they are fantastic pets, and have never bitten. Heck, even their 'tasting' doesn't hurt, they don't use any pressure on their teeth. They'd rather lick you or steal nummies from your plate than bite! So most rats are not biters.

Anyway, OP, I definitely suggest rats. I have experience with both rats and chinchillas and I'll be honest, chinchillas are soft and cute, but awful pets. They are more of a look but don't touch. They stress out easily, have a very specialized diet, and just don't like being held or touched really. Even ones raised from infancy are aloof. Rats however, love their people. At night my housemate would release the rats (raised by us from day 1)when everyone else was in bed, and they would cuddle most of the time, do a little exploring of the living room (never went up the stairs or to other parts of the house) and just be awesome. They even knew to go potty in their cage and would go there to do the deed. When they were tired, they'd put themselves to bed in their rat hammock in their cage.

If you get rats, you need to get at least TWO. They are highly social animals that need another rat to snuggle, groom, and tussle with.

 

[DuckLover179]

We decided on Chinchillas! They won't let me get a rat anyway, so chinchilla it is! I've already started up on my research!

Thanks!

 

[QH Girl]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/ is a good resource for all your chinchilla questions.

Have fun with it!

 

[Kbagwell1]

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IMO....thats the opposite! lol I have 7 rats...2 are boys! The girls are the sweetest things!! I also have 10 mice, 2 are boys! They all live together in a huge "mansion" that my hubby built.

I definately vote rats! They are one of the smartest animals....if you spend enough time with them, they will sit on your shoulder and watch TV with you!