I voted "other", and I suggest rats. Rats are extremely social and intelligent. It's almost like having a dog that can ride in your pocket or on your shoulder. They're also very clean. Rats, unlike some other rodent pets, really enjoy being handled and played with. less

Guinea pigs are great if you really love them. I think hamsters make wonderful pets, but maybe not something for you at the moment as they do require attention and are not good for 2 year olds at all. We don't let the 1 year old anywhere near Hubert Hamster. Heck the 6 yr old can't even hold him without killing him so only the adults and kids 11 years and older hold him at our house! Lol.

Guinea pigs require responsibility too. All pets are going to need a pretty decent amount of your time and attention. Besides with any hamster or rodent type and exotic pets will require you to have a great deal of knowledge in caring for them. I know, it's like you feed, water and pet them how much is there to know, but really there is a lot! We've always had exotic pets. Flying squirrels are still some of my fav pets. We don't have ours anymore though.

Cats or dogs sound like your best bet since you wont be able to provide care for a high maintanence pet. Still dogs and cats too need a lot. Just as long as you have time to give them the basics and still play with them everyday.

I love the chinchillas! They are expensive and high maintenance though. You have to give them a dust bath and they can't be loose if there's other pets like dogs or cats in the house.

Maybe you could try an exotic fish? Have you ever seen puffer fish? They are so entertaining! I had several of them they were so fat! Lol. Guinea pigs don't need special cages. Ours was only in a large tank like cage. He never would use his tunnels. You have to bathe them yourself though. Lol.

Well I wish you luck in finding one that you love. You could always adopt needy ones and homeless pets. They break my heart. We've taken in so many pets that get dumped out that we might as well have a freakin' farm! Lol. less

Congrats on your new family member! I owned Degus for many years, and thought I would at least chime in, even though you've already decided. Degus are a much higher maintenance pet than many would imagine. They require a larger cage than the dimensions you mentioned and a highly specialized diet. They cannot have any sugars (naturally occurring or otherwise) in their food, and very low carbs, because they can't metabolize them - they basically have to eat a diabetic diet. They need TONS of space, places to dig, dust baths (which make a big mess) and a good diet.

They make great pets if you can deal with all their particulars. They really can make wonderful, loving pets, but they don't really seek out human attention very much like a guinea pig, but they can become tame and enjoy cuddling. Over all, it sounds like you made a great decision, but you can always keep Degus in mind for the future! It sounds like you're a responsible owner, so Degus might make a nice addition to your family one day. less

I have been bouncing back and forth between 3 different furry friends to get: Chinchillas, Degus and Guinea Pigs.

The former two are oh so awesome but chinchillas are pretty high maintenance and seem a little too fragile for a house with a cat and a 2 yr old.

The degus are pretty sweet but still seem kind of fragile, plus they are diurnal and I am gone most of the day so I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with them as I would like.

I am leaning towards guinea pigs right now because looking through all the adoption sites melts my heart (I thought they were kind of ugly at first but they've grown on me). Plus they seem to be the best choice for my household, but I have a 3 story cage and I'm not sure if that will be big enough for them to roam.


SOOOO as you can see, I have a dilemma! I have the cage and some bedding but I am holding off on other items until I decide for sure what to get. Help me out here Eden! I know you guys will pull through for me, the pet forum I joined isn't really as active as we are here. less

I've been researching them for a while, and I have learned most of the info you gave me, but thanks for that!

I am aware that much more goes into a pet, and I am an avid pet lover so I am not worried about that. I am actually looking to adopt a female guinea pig, I broke down and got one already and joined a forum for help setting her up in some sweet digs.

I have a cat and she is awesome. I also have a 29G FW tank. I had a 10 set up at once with a dwarf puffer who was my awesome buddy, basically a dog, lol.

The main reason I was concerned is because I do know that there is a lot going into pets and I want to make sure I can fill those needs.

After tons of research and preperation I have decided that the guinea pig is the best match for us, I just need to work on building her a better cage and finding her a friend. Yes, I know, a female for a female so they don't have little piggies all over, lol.

She is so sweet!




@JR- I wanted a ferret so bad but I know my cat would fight with it, lol



PS here is a pic of a degu :

less