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Original poster

Hamster vs Rat

69 replies

muggglewump · 06/08/2009 22:46

My DD is 8 later this month. She wants a hamster and has for ages.
CM's son has a lovely hamster which is why DD wants one.
I know though, that they can be horrible, bitey and not good pets. I had two as a child, the first was great, the second not, and was really something in a cage that was fed and cleaned but not a pet.

I've heard rats make better pets.

DD will be doing the feeding and cleaning. I'm aware that she will lose interest but at her age she will be made to do it, I have told her this already.

I will pick up the slack if needed, the pet will be well looked after.

I've no experience of rats though.
Is it true that they are quite tame, and can be trained, and are friendly?

Will a rat make a better pet than a hamster?

OP posts:
wannaBe · 07/08/2009 14:37

rats are incontinent. They leave microscopic droplets of urine wherever they walk which makes them extremely unhygienic.

Mice stink. And it doesn't matter how often you clean the cage - you will never get rid of the smell. (spoken from bitter experience).

Have never had gerbils but believe they can be very skittish although fascinating to watch.

I had hamsters as a child and they were extremely tame and loved to be picked up and handled and would ride in my pocket. Was only bitten once but it drew blood.

What about a budgie?

If you have a cat you will need to be careful whichever animal you have and will need to ensure that cat is always out when animal is let out of its cage - without exception.

Our budgie was sadly killed by our cat three weeks ago and it literally only took a couple of seconds of a door being left open (and I have always been extremely careful when letting my birds out to ensure cats couldn't get in), but cats are opportunists and will look for a chance, and even a rat will not be beyond killable by a cat.

hippipotamiHasLost54lbs · 07/08/2009 14:53

wannaBe - I thought only male rats are incontinent?

Sheeta · 07/08/2009 15:20

wannaBe - I've had 5 rats over the years, and I didn't know that they were incontinent until i read it recently on another thread on here... I never noticed it, at all.

All rodents will occasionally piss on you, that's a given, but it's no big deal.

bakerslovecakes · 07/08/2009 15:31

we have a hamster and have never been able to tame it, it bit my dd once so now shes nervous to put her hand in the cage and then she tried wearing a gardening glove and it bit the glove and was hanging from it and wouldnt let go, so i'm not sure if hamsters are for smaller children, i think my dd does regret getting it and has lost interest in him now. Dont know anything about rats.

OrmIrian · 07/08/2009 15:44

Rats. But please note rats not rat. They need to be in same sex pairs or groups of three, not singletons.

They are delightful little beasts.

Sheeta · 07/08/2009 15:51

oh yes, just remembered - if you go for rats then they need a pretty big cage. They like to have interesting things in the cage to play with/sit on as well. We used to wedge a small branch across the cage and my last rat (Fattus ) would perch on that.

Awww..

I want a rat now!!

squirrel42 · 07/08/2009 15:54

I've got two gerbils and they are lovely to watch, but if you provide them with a large tank and enough woodshavings and cardboard for them to properly have space to dig tunnels then you might find you don't see them that much. I have a cage on top of a four foot long tank and they come up to eat/drink and play a bit but they prefer being "underground" burrowing and chewing for the majority of them time. Fine if you are patient and enjoy them when they want to come out, maybe not so good for kids who want to see them now.

My sister and I had rats as teenagers and loved them too!

Ponders · 07/08/2009 15:55

Get 2 female dumbo rats. Thay are adorable

OrmIrian · 07/08/2009 15:56

Agree with that sheeta. There is an online ratty cage calculator somewhere. And you can make it interesting with several sleeping places (carboard boxes with holes cut in) and toilet roll middles. Also use old clothes and bedding - they can then tear it into little bits which is something they seem to enjoy. Recently the old rat wheel fell apart and now the wheel bit is face up on the floor filled with bits of old towel and my three girls lie in to curled round each other.

GrendelsMum · 07/08/2009 16:19

Ooh, those dumbo rats are sweet.

A friend had a female rat who was very friendly and well trained.

OrmIrian · 07/08/2009 16:29

Mine are dumbos too. They look permanently worried IMO - like crestfallen clangers.

Bella21 · 07/08/2009 17:08

Anything except fish works for me

katiek123 · 07/08/2009 17:18

dwarf hamsters - we love ours. they are much tamer IME than the usual ones and smaller and cuter and - so far - not prone to lacerating the LOs' fingers. they are sociable and adorably sweet and are a great ice-breaker for when other kids come round.

personally i cannot imagine letting a rat into the house but i know that is just me being a pathetic girly weed i know they are supposed to be great pets (shudder)

sooey76 · 07/08/2009 18:04

Rat- Hamsters sleep a lot and bite. My son has a rat, very intelligent and friendly, and good size for little children to handle also incredibally sociable.Just not a male rat- they are rather well endowed!!!!!!

LynetteScavo · 07/08/2009 18:10

Hamster - without a doubt.

Blondeshavemorefun · 07/08/2009 18:30

thank god lynette - was feeling no one lurves hammys apart from me!!

the only hamsters i know who bite, bite as they arent played with/got out from cage and are un used to hands

if you do get a hammy then as long as you handle them frequently then they will be a fine furry friend

Ripeberry · 07/08/2009 18:33

Rats everytime. They are much nicer than hamsters, are awake during the day and they don't BITE.
All hamsters do is bite, annoy you at night and stuff their faces

HecatesTwopenceworth · 07/08/2009 18:34

Oh I love hamsters! They are very cute. I just wouldn't have any more (I had loads when I was a kid) because I know now that they don't like being pets. Tolerating it is not the same as enjoying it! And I'd rather have a pet that got something out of it too, iyswim. rats like to be held and played with, hamsters don't. so imo, it's kinder to not have a hamster.

I mean, I could get used to being poked with a stick if you did it often enough but I wouldn't choose it!!

belindarose · 07/08/2009 19:46

I echo all the positive rat contributions. We've had a fair few (as adults - my mum certainly wouldn't have entertained the idea!!) and they've been lovely pets. Naughty in pairs, but happier. Much more sociable and easier to handle than the succession of nasty bitey little hamsters I had as a child.

GwarchodwrPlant · 07/08/2009 20:00

Rats definately. I've had both and I'd choose a rat any day. Here's a story about my 1st rat. I've had several rats since then.

I had my first pet rat when I was 15 and named him Mortimer. He lived in my bedroom and had the free run of it. He would come down with me for breakfast and sit in my dressing-gown pocket when he was a baby and eat the cornflakes I use to give him.

He would sit on my shoulder underneath my hair whilst I walked about and would chatter his teeth. I even took him to the corner shop!

He would come over to me when I called him and was just the sweetest little thing you could have. He loved to be scratched behind his ears and would chatter his teeth in pleasure when you did it. He would lick any drink I was drinking from my lips.

We had a scary moment when he was a bit older. My dad left the back door open by accident and Morti was no where to be found. My heart was in my mouth as I searched high and low for him and when I saw next-doors cat sitting in the garden looking quite pleased with itself I broke down.

I really thought that was it. Morti had met his maker amongst the rose bushes in the garden.

Then out of the corner of my eye by the back door I saw a rustling then Morti emerged from a bush carrying a twig in his mouth. I watched in disbelief as he carried his twig into the house and over to his spot behind the sofa, where he had been collecting all sorts of bits from outside to make himself a nest.

It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. It never occured to him to run away when he saw the open door! He knew where his home was and was perfectly content fetching and carrying twigs for his little nest!

That is why I would have a rat any day. They are beautiful, intelligent, affectionate creatures who form a close bond with their main carer.

CurlyCasper · 08/08/2009 06:41

Rats - super intellgent, trainable, interesting!

Hamsters - a bit boring, not friendly (in general)

Rabbits - actually a specialist pet, despite what everyone thinks. Scratchy little beggars, not ideal for children

Guinea Pigs - great for pets, easy to handle. Males generally friendlier and calmer. Like rats, you have to get a same-sex pair to keep them happy.

Why not try a degu? These guys are great fun, and a bit like a cross between a rat an a gerbik to look at IMO. Very sociable if handled from an early age. Need a fairly big cage. and, guess what, you need more than one! Loads on degus in our local Pets at Home. see here

good luck!

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 08/08/2009 11:59

We usedto have 2 rats and they were very friendly. They do wee as they run about so we kept them in a cage in the bathroom. Then when they out of cage time any wee was on a lino floor. Girls are meant to be less smelly than boys.

Flamesparrow · 08/08/2009 12:01

Rats are fabulous.

Oh and I did train one to do tricks Tis amazing how far they can jump

Blondeshavemorefun · 08/08/2009 12:13

my hammy can do tricks

Puffs out chest with pride

he can run down the stairs in 8 seconds!!!!

marenmj · 08/08/2009 13:19

another vote for rats!

I had three growing up. Mrs Rat, Mr Rat (who wasn't actually a 'mister'), and Peanut Butter, all three hooded. My dad was terrified of rats and in his opinion the hood patterns make them look less like street rats

They were sweet and intelligent and never wee'd on me. Peanut Butter in particular liked to sit on my shoulder, nestled in my hair, whilst I read a book or did homework. Mrs Rat was a scamp and I used to let her loose up my brother's trouser leg when he wasn't looking. I never trained them to do any tricks, but I did handle them a lot. They never once bit anyone. I loved their tails

My mother had a rat as a kid too, named La Bouche, that used to play tag with her cat. She said it was hilarious when you saw the cat trucking through the house with La Bouche hot on its tail!

makes me want rats again. I haven't really considered keeping rats since I met up with DH who keeps pythons (not here in the UK obviously).

ps - found this on degus when trying to figure out if it was the same thing as a chinchilla (which are also sweet, if high maintenance, rodents)

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