Which "Pocket Pet" is best?

[Boudicea Farms]

I had a whistle pig, he was fun but required a large pen and didn't really care to be handled, my friend had 2 rats I actually bought them for her girls, they both knew their names and would come when called, they also knew a few tricks, they were both blue rats and lived for a long time for rats over 7 years. I vote rat too, they require less care than other pocket pets and are very affectionate, I know someone who raises sugar gliders they swear by them as pets, but I personally don't know much about them other than their freaking adorable.

 

[Gerbil]

Rat or ferret?

I did just bring this thread back up and intend to hijack it for a bit.

Now I have been searching for a long time and researching my brains out. I will never make the mistake of not doing both again.

I have located a pair of neutered, descented male ferrets. They say they have never bitten anyone, are extremely playful, are up to date on shots and have been raised around children. I saw pictures and they are absolutely adorable.

Then there are the rats.
They were always my first choice, hairless agouti or black satins. They are around three months old and have been handled well by the description.
I am not an expert on breeds, I really want the hairless! They are just so cute.

Any help? I have researched both for some and ferrets seem to have a lot of bad points, now I am just looking for some opinions from people who have raised them.

 

[mikensara]

our hamsters are sweet and tame they came from a family to a pet store being hand raised babies. they are sqirmy though they both gets alot of time out of the cages in their balls and often greet us waiting to be taken out and played with. guinea pigs are stinky and require daily cage cleanings as well. we use pine shavings as bedding cedar is bad for them

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
I've had both (on a large scale).. ferrets do require a larger cage and play time out of it .. they also live a lot longer than the average rat... if you have cats.. a ferret may be the better deal since you won't have to worry about your cat deciding it looks like dinner. you can have a room dedicated to the ferrets.. harder to do that with a rat .. both are a lot of fun.. affectionate and entertaining.. so it really comes down to personal preference.. i prefer the ferrets simply because of the longevity issue

 

[yinepu]

oh.. if you get a hairless rat you do have to worry about it getting chilled.. so a furred buddy would be a plus.. besides.. they are social animals.. so they like having a friend around

 

[bagendhens]

even decented ferrets have a musky odor, and you HAVE to keep ontop of their litterboxes multiple times daily or their cage will stink no matter how clean they are.


personally id choose rats over ferts, and ive had both over the years.

 

[Gerbil]

Thank you both.
I have read much about the hairless, their slightly higher needs.
I think I will be going with rats, as much fun as ferrets could be, I'm just not quite sure I'm ready.

 

[mama24]

Looks like it's already been said, many times, but definitely RATS. We've had all of the above, and rats were by far the smartest and most affectionate. My ferret was MEAN. lol. If I wasn't extremely allergic to rats, we would still have some as pets.

 

[Pancake in the River]

I had rats and loved them!!! Although they do stink if you don't clean the cage

I have no experience with ferrets or Mice.............

My hamster bit but was nice

I volunteer at a local animal shelter and sometimes work with Guinea Pigs.
They are very sweet and are easy to hold if you aren't afraid to catch them.

They can be squirmy but are very cute!

They aren't very smelly too!!

I also LOVE

all the funky sounds they make!!!!

 

[SarahFair]

Yall!
I dont know if Ill ever convince my SO to get me a rat but yall make me REALLY want one!