pet for 2 1/2 yr young

Aggie is determined to get Albert jnr a pet, other than the goldfish I got in exchange for some mouldy socks.

I reckon a rabbit is too much, and a guinea pig is too nocturnal.

am I wrong?

what about gerbils/mice/hamsters etc

or what do you suggest.?

after all its going to be looking after it in 6 months when Aggie has lost interest,

so personally I would prefer a mouse, but professional help appreciated.

A guinea pig is the perfect child's pet. Cute, friendly, not aggressive, cheap to keep.

Guinea pigs are not nocturnal and are up in the day, hamsters sleep all day then run all night in a wheel.

I hate rats/mice but some people speak highly of them (you are more likely to get bitten though!)

I have seriously thought of having a pet guinea pig, they are just such great pets.

after all its going to be looking after it in 6 months when Aggie has lost interest,

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they were brought over originally as food.

From my experiance my kids loved hamsters, with the new exercise type balls and the clear plastic cage runs the kids love them, if bought young and handled daily they are less likely to bite.

They are very clean animals as well normaly going to the toilet in one designated area of the cage. Cleaning and care is easy and they do give you some amusing moments.

Or a ferret now they do smell a bit but can be controlled, and are loads of fun the plus side is your kids friends will not want to poke and prod it

Or a ferret now they do smell a bit but can be controlled, and are loads of fun the plus side is your kids friends will not want to poke and prod it

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No - smelly things! Not too bad if you have the males castrated. Females die if they don't have sex, so need injecting yearly or a vasectomised male to mate, or babies!

Hamsters nocturnal things - I never got on with the few I had.

A guinea pig is a vastly superior pet!

they were brought over originally as food.

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thanks apache,

I have mixed up guinea pigs and hamsters,

I could work with a sandwich, ;p

Id love a ferret G-H, had them when I was younger, not that much tho, early 20's.

how much of a run does a guinea pig need,? 3' X 2' ? or bigger,? or is it an inside thing?

sorry if this sounds stoopid, but sometimes Aggie comes back with information that may as well be in swahili to me, and I have problems with english.

thanks apache,I have mixed up guinea pigs and hamsters,

I could work with a sandwich, ;p

Id love a ferret G-H, had them when I was younger, not that much tho, early 20's.

how much of a run does a guinea pig need,? 3' X 2' ? or bigger,? or is it an inside thing?

sorry if this sounds stoopid, but sometimes Aggie comes back with information that may as well be in swahili to me, and I have problems with english.

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Bigger is always good, a single guinea pig 2X3 would be ok. You could have two in there.

could always get a ferret, and train him as your assistant?

NZ sparky ferret

We got given a hamster about 5 years ago... we ended up giving it away!

Blinking thing slept all day then had a party every night

Guinea Pig it is then,

thanks all.

We need pics

We need pics

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you'll have to wait til he gets it first!

Peeps, sorry been off busy for a bit, Rats for me now every time, my Girls wanted Degu's we said no but gave in with the rats and they are FAB!

Got a pair of brothers and they are brill, real characters.

Ben & Jerry after the ice cream as one is fudge & white, the other toffee & white!



Paul

Peeps, sorry been off busy for a bit, Rats for me now every time, my Girls wanted Degu's we said no but gave in with the rats and they are FAB!Got a pair of brothers and they are brill, real characters.

Ben & Jerry after the ice cream as one is fudge & white, the other toffee & white!



Paul

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Im confused as to what the difference is....

anyhow, getting the garden turfed this weekend, if its dryish, and I dont get too drinkied.

got paving slabs to lift and soil to turn.

then a run built and some farmyard friends(as I like to wind Aggie up calling them) as soon as ....

edit,- do they burrow? or is that a stupid question?

just wondering if I need to bury some wire underground.

Guinea Pigs are a fantastic childrens pet.... We have had loads of both.....

Guinea pigs and Children!!!!!! probably 12+ G-pigs (and 5 children! :BlushingROTFWL)

Anyway SL quick guide to children's pets:-

HAMSTERS:

We have had hamsters.. but as said they sleep most of the day..

and NEED REGULAR HANDLING from day 1 to stop em bitting you when you try and pick em up..

But the Male hamsters we have had have all been viscous little buggers!!

used to put on my Gardening Rigger Gloves to clean out the on hamster..

stop the sod biting!!! :_|

The costs of the cage/house in proportion to the cost of the hamster are quite astronomical IMHO...

many years back we got a hamster for less than a fiver..

Thinks good nice cheap pet...

then spent

edit,- do they burrow? or is that a stupid question?just wondering if I need to bury some wire underground.

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No - they don't! The guinea pigs won't escape - you are more protecting them from predators! If you build an outside run they need some cover in there - even if just a box with some hay in.

Excellent post SL! We found bunnies [females] got very stroppy in spring when they went all broody.

The other point re-guinea pigs - they need a daily dietary source of vitamin C so fresh vegs are a good addition to the diet, don't feed them rabbit food. The best food is one made into a homogeneous pellet as the pig can't sort the bits it prefers such as in the muesli mix.

You can have a male guinea pig castrated but it would cost more than the pig! The do cope ok with cold temps as long as they have plenty of hay in the bed - we had some babies born with snow on the cage roof outside with no bother.

We are now in a state of bereavement!

One of our fancy rats, Ben, suddenly developed a severe respiratory infection and was euthanized tonight by the local PDSA.

He was beyond saving and went downhill so quickly.

My kids are devastated, and my misses & I are also gutted!

We will all miss Ben, he had a real character.

We are now in a state of bereavement!One of our fancy rats, Ben, suddenly developed a severe respiratory infection and was euthanized tonight by the local PDSA.

He was beyond saving and went downhill so quickly.

My kids are devastated, and my misses & I are also gutted!

We will all miss Ben, he had a real character.

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Sorry to hear that Sidewinder, I think all pets, large or small, become part of the family and are sadly missed when their lives end.

Doc H.

We are now in a state of bereavement!One of our fancy rats, Ben, suddenly developed a severe respiratory infection and was euthanized tonight by the local PDSA.

He was beyond saving and went downhill so quickly.

My kids are devastated, and my misses & I are also gutted!

We will all miss Ben, he had a real character.

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Sorry to hear that. The smaller they are the more delicate they are when things go wrong.

:|