Can I ask you for advice on choosing a small pet?!

[SucklingDuckling]

Thinking about getting a small pet. I've had a dog before in the family home, as well as fish and guinea pigs, and a lovely Syrian hamster while at uni - so I'm not new to pet owning! However I want something different so need advice. I'd love a small, cuddly and interesting pet, but not too much trouble as I have a young baby. I'm in the house most of the day as I study from home and look after baby while DP is at work.
We don't want a dog as I know they are a lot of work to train and look after and we aren't ready that commitment yet. DP would like a cat but im not sure, I've never been a cat person and they seem bloody annoying to me, albeit cute.
Can't have guinea pigs () As DP's mum is deathly allergic.

So I'm thinking... possibly another hamster? They're nocturnal though so not much play time. What are rabbits like? Or chinchillas, degus or more unique pets? Rats?

Thanks for any advice!

I had a house rabbit for a few years and they are easy to train to poo in a tray just like cats... only thing to watch for is they can chew cables etc. but as long as you watch them and train them from the start it should be okay. I had friends who also had house rabbits and they have all had positive experiences - one still has hers. Go for it :)

I'm jumping in for Rats, cute, cuddly, funny, they love humans and adjust their waking hours to be when you're around. Highly interactive and I've never been bitten by one and we currently own 9 of them.
You need to get more than one though as they are incredibly sociable and keeping them alone shortens their life span. They're happy to chill out in their cage the majority of the time but will love spending time playing and cuddling with you for at least an hour a day but again if you miss a day because baby is unwell they're not going to mind too much.
Inexpensive - the biggest cost is going to be your cage.

I've never been a cat person either until I rescued my beautiful Opal 2 weeks ago. I love her to bits, she's amazing, really quiet, litter tray trained from second day, and overall fluffly and loveable

I think chinchillas live for 20 years. How long are you SingAHM.

Get a ferret, hours of fun! They don't really smell if neutered, make the most amazing chuckling sound whilst dancing (YouTube it) and are just bloody gorgeous! I've had ferrets all my life and I've never been bitten! Hamsters however are vicious little buggers!

Cats make great family pets.

We have 2.
We also have reptiles but not really for cuddling!!
When you dc arrives a cat would give it a wide berth but as a toddler our ds was gentle and loving with ours and they love him right back.

Cats are great company for sahp too!! Pretty low maintenance also!!

Rats. Yy to rats.
Sociable little characters.
I love cats but they can be expensive and hard work. Midnight whizzing round the house or bringing you dead gifts.
Rabbits can have issues like teeth and need a lot more space than you would think.
Guineas may be another idea.

Gerbils are very cute, friendly and smell less than other rodents. X

I would suggest a cat as they're pretty low maintenance and good fun. Dogs are awesome but they're a lot of work. Rabbits and guinea pigs are nice but you do have to clean them out every week which is a pain, and they sometimes nip which can put small children off them.

You won't go far wrong with an Earth Worm.

I have a house rabbit. He's lovely but quite a lot of work. As it's not fair to keep them caged up, he has full run of the house. This means I've had to Rabbit proof everywhere (or keep doors shut all the time to keep him out of certain rooms). Otherwise they'll dig in carpets and chew furniture/skirting boards. It can take a bit of time to litter train them. Even when littertrained they can drop the odd pellet which is not bad to pick up as they're dry but if you have a toddler crawling round putting everything in their mouth, its not ideal.

Rabbits aren't always hugely cuddly, so if you want a cuddly pet, look elsewhere. They live up to 10 years (depending on breed) and need vaccinations annually, plus will require neutering. Also, as they need hay, you'd need to make sure that yourselves and frequent visitors aren't allergic.

Rats champion here too. Will sit on your shoulder and whisper sweet nothings and sit on your lap. Males are generally lazy.

I had one rat which people say you should never have just one, he lived longer than the ones I had pairs of.

Downside, they can suffer from respiratory disease and veterinary costs can outweigh the cost of the rat so get from a reputable breeder. However they can steal your heart so you don't care about the cost.

Chinchilla's look cute and have great personalities but they generally do not like to be cuddled. They need an hour of play time (running around in the bathroom for instance) a day. They poop continuously. The poop doesn't smell and is dry but it would mean a little clean up every day. They need a big cage to jump around in.

Cats are easier imo.

DD got two male rats. They were meant to be her pets and her responsibility but all of us are now besotted. I spent 10 minutes before nipping out this evening having a cuddle with one, and we will have them out for playtime later. Whereas most small pets (hamsters e.g.) tolerate humans, rats love them. Ours do at least. We spend an hour most evenings with them out and it's the best hour of the day. We watch less TV and my teenager talks non stop to us about them. They sometimes explore you with their teeth but don't actually bite. Only problem we had was breeders weren't interested if you hadn't had them before, so we got them from pets at home. They are lovely

I had this dilemma... I considered a pet for a long long long time, We knew we didn't have time for a dog, even though that's what I wanted deep down... all rodent animals are lovely but they need alot of care, cleaning out ect and with children could get neglected or become a chore and ignored... also there not exactly very loveing and live in a cage...I have never really been a cat person myself. But a cat was the best alternative to a dog so I looked into getting one. After doing lots of research I brought a ragdoll because they have amazing temperaments and literally DOTE on humans. My girl follows me around the house, snuggles up with me, makes me die with laughter and gives me so much company! I ended up getting another cat (birman) and I'm so converted! The're great with my dc and so easy to look after they just need food, water and a litter tray. I've got one cat asleep next to me and one curled up on my lap right now and it's just so lovely and so calming.

We bloody love our ratties.

If you are looking for small and cuddly you can't go wrong with gerbils. Our last pair died at the end of last year and we replaced them with dwarf hamsters which are nowhere near as loving and cuddly as the gerbils. We love them and they have lovely characters but I miss my little gerbils spending all day with me keeping me company.
We also have degus and don't get those unless you have a huge amount of time and energy to look after them. They need a lot of socialisation and handling and they get bored very easily. They are lovely animals and not very bitey which has been good. Their diet is very fussy and they also have a very long life span at around 8 years. They also need a huge amount of space so cages will be expensive. Also we have found that going away on holiday is much harder as few people have the space for a degu cage even if it's only for a week.
Our goos are very loving and they give a lot of joy but they are not the easiest pets to keep.

Rats are adorable. Get a rat!

Rats are the best pets in the world... i have 2 at the moment and have had a fair few over the years. Sociable, friendly, low maintenance, clean, and great with children. Hamsters bite (i've had many of these too) rats dont. and although they are nocturnal they are happy to be woken up in the day whereas hamsters tend not to be happy with being woken up!

What about a Chinese hamster? They are lovely little things if a bit shy. They are up at dusk and dawn usually which, if I recall small babies correctly, will suit you down to the ground. They take a long time to tame but once they are, they are very social and cuddly and rarely ever bite. One of mine had a real thing for sleeves. Couldn't see one without burrowing up it.

Rats are wonderful, I have a 5mo and am coping with clean outs well enough though free ranging time is hard unless DH is home.
I'd always recommend 3 rats as they are sociable little things ,and from a good family breeder they're unlikely to bite. I have 6 currently, absolutely adore them!