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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to consider small pet for DD? Hamster? Gerbil? Guinea Pig? Help and Advice Needed!

102 replies

cingolimama · 04/03/2014 12:58

Hello all you wonderful MN people. I need advice! My DD desperately wants a small pet - well, she really wants a dog, but we can't have one. DD (8) has had some practise taking care of a hamster of a friend at holidays, and has proved herself gentle and very responsible.

I'm not really keen on the idea of an animal in a cage, and really not keen in a smelly one. But on the other hand, it would be lovely for my daughter, so would put up with it.

Not sure which among gerbil, guinea pig, hamster etc. Rats are supposed to be nice pets, but they freak me out a bit (maybe I'd get over this?). Any experiences you'd like to share, I'd be very grateful to hear.

OP posts:
nostress · 04/03/2014 21:56

The nhs page also very informative! Leptospirosis ..

falulahthecat · 04/03/2014 22:08

Rats all the way - in the 3+ years we had our ratty babies they never even tried to bite once, knew their names and other words, WANTED to interact with us (unlike hamsters, poor bitey grumpy things and did cute things like paddling in water (we filled an old baking tray 1cm deep, they loved splashing their paws in it) and did all kinds of cool feng shui things in their cage.
If you use the correct bedding (dust free recucled cardboard stuff all good petshops have) they don't smell, we had the 'Jenny' cage and used to pop the top off with them in and just pour out the bottom into a bin bag each week.
Their food is super cheap and they like human 'scraps' like fish, the odd boiled egg etc.
I had guineas when I was little, and I loved those too, but they're just not as 'clever' and interactive as rats.

falulahthecat · 04/03/2014 22:11

I would get boy rats though as girls often get mammary tumours

rabbitlady · 04/03/2014 22:17

i've kept hamsters, gerbils and rabbits. none of them like to be held.

entertaining pets - a same-sex pair of litter mate gerbils in very big tank. if they don't kill each other. this would be my favourite choice for a child. fun to watch, not much fuss to care for.

hamsters - get a big hairy Syrian, not the horrid little russian ones. and older child who could cope with being bitten might be able to handle a big hamster successfully. i'm having a syrian again, when the buns go to the bridge.

whatever you do, don't get rabbits.

MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain · 04/03/2014 22:21

Another vote for ratties here! Pic of my cuddly old boy (re-homed from a work colleague!) on my profile. He likes snuggling down my bra of an evening :-D He's on his last legs now, and I'll miss him terribly when he goes :-(

I'm also a fan of snails (pic of one of them on there too!) but realise they're not everyone's cup of tea ;-)

Loopytiles · 04/03/2014 22:27

How long do these kinds of animals live? And how do people handle the death stuff?

Not had a pet since lovely cat died when was 9 Blush

MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain · 04/03/2014 22:32

Rats live 2 - 3 years. Mine was over 2 when I got him (and his now departed brother) in September last year. I had loads of rats (and mice, and the odd hamster) when I was a kid, so I guess just got used to them passing. It's sad, but if you've given them a good life and they have a peaceful death you cope, and kids have to learn about these things anyway.

MrsEricBana · 04/03/2014 22:32

Re guineas, we have two adorable males. I got them 18m ago for the dcs then aged 12 and 9. Although they think they are sweet they don't EVER voluntarily go outside to see them, feed them, clean them or anything at all. They are my pets and I go outside in my coat every morning and give them dry food, fresh food, fresh water, brush up bad areas of soiling (these guys poo for Britain), give a bit of fresh hay and sawdust and then every 6 days or so I do "The Big Clean". The kids just will not do it and it has caused a lot of rows so I just do it now. I would never ever neglect them but has been an unexpectedly large amount of work and quite expensive too (and they live up to 12 years, says the book!!!).

MrsEricBana · 04/03/2014 22:35

The main bad thing with guineas for me with our set up has been that kids don't go to them as outside and pita for me as outside. Friends with rats rave about what good pets they are .

winklewoman · 04/03/2014 22:40

What a huge number if ratty fans here! Quite right too, wonderful: loving, loveable and intelligent; knock spots of hamsters (and many a DH it seems)l

KissesBreakingWave · 04/03/2014 22:40

Rats are EXCELLENT pets. Here,

rookiemater · 04/03/2014 22:48

We have gerbils - DS doesn't have much interest in them as they don't much like getting cuddled and poo if taken out of their cage ( which is pretty big).
On the upside, they don't smell much and are relatively low maintenance, other than having to change the bedding once a fortnight , change food and water and sand bowl that they use for pooing, once a say ( guess who does all of this Grin).

They absolutely love toilet roll tubes and go into a complete frenzy when you put one in, but overall DS has revealed that in a housefire he would rather rescue his large stuffed teddy bear !

hiddenhome · 04/03/2014 22:52

Madagascan Giant Hissing Cockroaches. They're inexpensive, quiet, clean and don't bite, sting or fly. They take up very little room and you can easy handle them Smile

drinkyourmilk · 04/03/2014 22:56

Can I suggest a bearded dragon? Ours just wanders around the house like s cat. Periodically returning to his vivarium so he can warm up again. He has a distinctive personality and has a certain 'cool' factor

MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain · 04/03/2014 23:05

'Madagascan Giant Hissing Cockroaches. They're inexpensive, quiet, clean and don't bite, sting or fly. They take up very little room and you can easy handle them'

^^ This! You can also tell the sex of the adults, so can hopefully avoid having millions (anyone want any babies?! Grin). I got some for DS as his first pet, they're fascinating.

Coumarin · 04/03/2014 23:36

hissing cockroaches Shock

Oh god...

fatowl · 04/03/2014 23:46

Another vote for Guinea pigs.

We have three girls (we went for two, the shop had three-couldn't leave the third one on her own)
They live quite happily in a big hutch and run in the garden. Lovely personalities and they chatter to each other (and to you!). DD12 looks after them on her own quite easily (and has done since she was 9)

We've had rabbits in the past, very cute, but not great at being handled.

flyingspaghettimonster · 05/03/2014 01:24

Chinchillas are wonderful - not hard to look after and funny to watch bouncing off the walls when you get them out for a play.

2Retts · 05/03/2014 01:33

Another vote or the rats.

I was seeking the very same advice when DS was 8 but DD was only 4. He wanted a hamster and I am a researcher at heart.

So many people suggested rats as an alternative because DD may poke her fingers into the cage and would likely be bitten by an ill-sighted, nocturnal hamster.

I was reluctant but we went for it in the full understanding that they needed socialising and were intelligent. So true.

Everybody fell in love with our two girl rats and they were adorable, friendly and ridiculously social.

Friends and family have since had pet rats off the back of that experience but you have to deal with the death of a beloved pet much sooner than some other pets, so consider this also.

Nataleejah · 05/03/2014 04:30

Many of rodents are nocturnal, so they aren't very sociable in the daytime.
I recommend a degu. Extremely cute and very intelligent. They are not very common as hamsters or gerbils, but i've seen them in Pets at home, as well as Rspca shelter.

Spermysextowel · 05/03/2014 06:02

We have 3 degus & they're great fun to watch. We used to let them run round in the spare room but not sure how they'll cope with new wood floor. We had indoor Guineas who used to follow the children round the house , but were quite shy.

nostress · 05/03/2014 07:32

Kissesbreakingwave that youtube clip is awesome! I really miss my rats now! We have talked about getting them again but we have two dogs and one is a terrier and i dont think they would be safe. In the end we got two tortoises so we are signed up for the next 80 years! Heres hoping the grand kids like tortoises! They are supposed to be intelligent but mine havent managed to learn much yet! Altough they arent very old just about toddlers.

ConfusedPixie · 05/03/2014 12:55

RE rats and tumours: You will need to get females spayed, our two rescues are being spayed on Monday, without being spayed they have a 64% chance of developing mammory tumours, which is too high to risk imo!

ConfusedPixie · 05/03/2014 12:56

I love this rat video, makes me laugh every time:

Cheeky little bastards!

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 05/03/2014 13:20

We have two male guinea-pigs and we love them 100% but they are a commitment in terms of space, food, mess (hay gets everywhere and though they rarely pee on us, they just lift their bottoms and poo at will) .
They are quite fragile little animals but if you adhere to the basics of guinea-husbandary they are fabulous chatty, cuddly, loving and loveable animals.
My DD is 11, we got our first boars as adults when she was 9yo.

Those rats in the video Grin they are clever, tactical and immensely bribeable . I'm guessing they are girls though, all the males rats I've seen have been larding about while the females swing round on their 'hands' and leap about (And I couldn't see any rat-bollocks Grin )