Hamster? Guinea pig?Rabbit?Help me choose please

[reikizen]

DD1 originally wanted a hamster, then a guinea pig, now a rabbit for her birthday. I want none of them but ho-hum. What does everyone else think? Cost, ease of keeping etc, which is best for a 6 year old? (we also have 2 cats).

Guinea pigs are cuddly, easy to hold and easy going. But get a couple to keep each other company. and be prepared for them to move in with you in cold weather.

Rabbits can be a handful.Need exercise in a run often,can chew stuff if left indoors. a decent 2 storey hutch will be at least £100

Rats.

Hamsters bite, Rabbits scratch, guinea pigs don't really like people.
I strongly recommend pet rats, they like people and will avoid the cats. Only drawback is that they really need to get out of cage every day to play (unlike, say, guinea pigs).

Rat. Miles better than any of the other 3. (And I've owned all of them!)

Smart, clean, trainable, sociable. Best small pet for dc.

@ bidibidi: why do you think that guinea pigs like people? I completely disagree. I do keep mine indoors but all of mine (and I am now my 5th GP now) have been incredibly tame and cuddly!
I have also had hamsters, none of which have ever bitten me. The main disadvantage of hamsters is that they are ncturnal (though they wake at about 5pm) and they only live for about 18-24 months whereas GP's live for 5-8 years. Most hamsters seem to be physically more active than most GP's (note the "most" - there are always exceptions) but GP's will talk to you through a variety of sounds - ours never leaves me in any doubt about what is on his mind....

We have had all of these, also rats and gerbils.
At the moment we have 2 hamsters (separate cages) and 2 guinea pigs.

IMO hamsters are the easiest for a young child to look after on their own. Rabbits are high maintenance and difficult for small children to handle. Gps cute but shy. Rats great for older children - more character but also need more attention to be happy. And they can get a bit smelly if your child is not so good on the cleaning out. Hamsters are so easy, they don't mind being ignored which, realistically, most 6yos will do from time to time at least, and ours don't bite, not if you handle them a lot.

Ohhh, I'd love her to get a rat, but think I'd have a lot of convincing to do. I'll start now... Glad you have all talked me out of a rabbit, I'm not overly keen. So, I'd have to get 2 guinea pigs? They live outside most of the time though don't they (except in the current conditions of course!) I'm worried about hamsters being too enthusiastically cuddled (and chased by cats!)

After advice on here I pushed talked DD into getting rats, and we both adore them. Ours don't smell at all and are so easy to clean anyway, 10 minutes max, and because they are awake during the day can be played with.

So far today, DD has made them a maze from old boxes and loo roll tubes, put them in socks!, spoon fed them cheerios and milk which they love, and carried them around the house in her dressing gown pockets.
They don't seem to mind and run to the cage door to be let out.

We have gps. They're lovely. I don't agree that they don't like people but they are naturally nervous little critters and they can be difficult to pick up for that reason. If you lean over them (like the shadow from a wing of a predatory bird), their instinct is to run and hide. Once you have them on your lap, they seem to like it. Takes a while for them to settle when they are new though. I think it took maybe a month for our 2

Our hamsters coexist fairly happily with two young cats, the cats kill a lot of outdoor rodent and bird life but the hamsters are still alive. I think they don't move fast enough to entice the cats.

Am I the only one noticing that the requests are getting progressively bigger? Maybe she's just working her way up to telling you she wants a pony lol!

I'd agree with what's been said above - a couple of rats would be perfect. Hamsters don't live very long and are often only coming awake at bed time. Rabbits are very difficult to look after and need lots of space (I've got two), and although guinea pigs are very friendly they are also very fragile - they could easily break their back if dropped from even a small height.

Rats are friendly, easy to look after and fairly resistant to rough handling!

blondes is a hammy fan

if you play with them/get them out, they become very sociable and with just a rustle of something,4 fat ears pop up out of bedding (have 2 in seperate cages) and are at the cage door beggging to come out and play

downfall is that they die within3 years

True. DS doesn't want another due to their short lifespan

Blondie loves her hammies. Mr Blonde prefers her puppies

of the 3 you mentioned i would defo recommend gp's - we have 2 atm and my 3 and 7 yr old can manage and pet them well - they are really tame and have never biten. Am intigued about rats though - dont they run of when you get them out - urghh and tails like a long worm - bleurghh

GPs get my vote every time

cheeky bella

Just cut to the chase and get her a pony

I wouldn't get any.

She is too young to look after a pet properly and you don't want one at all.

Actually fab, that's a really good point. Nothing sadder than some poor sad little critter stuck in it's cage whilst mum and dd move onto something else

how about fish?

least you dont have to play with them lol