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Rats or Hamsters? Anonymous
Dear /a/
whats a better small pet? a rat or a hamster. Im leaning for a rat but am also thinking of a hamster. Which one smells worse and what not. CAn you give me some pros and cons. Also sorry for another thread like this =/
>> GLIB Potter
Hamsters are cute, but that's about it.

CONS: They're nocturnal. Pet that sleeps all day =/= fun.
I've had countless hammies over the years, and you really can't train them.

PROS: Lol, cheek pouches.

Rats are awesome all round, but males can smell a bit...
>> Anonymous
Cons
- Hamsters smell horrible.
- Hamsters are solitary, so you can only get one. They aren't affectionate at all, mine could care less about me.
- Hamsters are prone to sickness, especially wet tail which 90% of the time they die from.
- Hamsters have shorter lifespans than rats.
- Hamsters are stupider than rats.
>> Anonymous
You also forgot another con:

Hamsters are emo little bastards that are prone to biting when they're in a bad mood (which is often)
>> Anonymous
Your hamster WILL bite you at some point, most likely very often, if its a dwarf it will bite you all the time...teddy bears are not so bad..Still, get a female rat, thank us later.
>> Anonymous
better get 2 rats, they are social and dont like solitude.
>> Anonymous
OP thanks for all the advice but could i get two female rats or would they fight cause ive read on a bunch of sites that they should be kept in pairs. Plus my little sister wants to "have" a rat too. (ill most likely be taking care of it anyway)
>> Anonymous
>>141631
OP here*
>> GLIB Potter
>>141631
DO IT.

My last two rats were sistArs. Apart from the dominat one SUPRISESECKS-ing the other, they got on really well.

Girls are a tiny bit smaller and don't have huge balls.
>> Anonymous
Just wondering why are female rats better than male rats.
>> ¬_¬ Anonymous
I've had loads of small pets over the years, including hamsters.

>>141619

You can teach them to come out during the day and sleep at night. Mine did.

>>141620&>>141623

What a load of rubbish.

My hamsters never smelt (expect the one female when she was "on"), they never got ill, they never bit me, they liked being in the company of others (except the one female I had), they're not stupid, and my hamsters lived longer than their "expected" to.

I'm not saying one type of pet is better than the other, because it all depends on which you like best, and how to treat them, and of course the personality of the animal itself.
>> Anonymous
>>141638
see
>>141634
>>huge balls
also they leave barely perceptible trails of urine everywhere they go...now enjoy your male rat
>> Anonymous
>>141643
i dont understand is it the females that leave the barely perceptable urine ??!?!?
>> Anonymous
>>141644
male piss always smells stronger.
>> Anonymous
>>141642
What kind of hamster? I think that a european/teddy bear could probably go it's whole life without nipping, though you probably didn't wake it up from a nap too many times either.
If you are taling about dwarfs/siberian/russian hamsters then you are a liar, a hamster whisperer, or extremely lucky.

Since you've owned so many though, you should know, the rat makes a better pet
>> Anonymous
>>141644
no, I told you about the male's urine trails so that you could never actually enjoy owning a male now cause you would be paranoid about the trails of piss on your sofa/clothes/head...my sarcasim was weak, i'm sorry
>> Anonymous
>>141647
=O
Also are there ways to teach a rat to use a litter box??? and thanks for all the help again. When my mom's broken foot gets better ima be getting two rats!!!! (yes B&V&)
>> Anonymous
I had a friend who owned rats and hamsters for years. The hamsters were little bastards, they bit me every time I helped her clean their cage and then pissed all over the place. Of course, they were dwarf hamsters... They smelled so much she had to keep them out in the hall even with repeated cage cleaning.

Her rats on the other hand were very sweet and extremely smart. If I didn't have cats who would gladly munch on them I would keep rats myself. It's best to avoid using pine and cedar chips when lining their cages. I really don't know much about it but apparently when she used cedar one time it made her rat very sick, and when she took the poor thing to the vet she was told to avoid both cedar and pine.
>> Anonymous
Rats.
Not just one rat.

I have rats myself, but I love my males the most.
The only 'cons' I can think about for males would be is that they smell a little bit more(which shouldn't be a problem as long as you clean their cages when you're suppose too. my male rats are also littered trained so its no problem for me) and the huge freaking balls.

Females are a lot more active and squirmy. I have two sisters and they always 'box'. One is much more dominant and the other squeaks CONSTANTLY so I always have to get up at like 3am to make sure she isn't killing her.

But males, they are so much laid back, are happy to cuddle with me on the couch while I watch tv, are much more affectionate than my females and are just wonderful.
Also, I have never gotten urinated on by my male rats nor have they ever left a urine trail on me or my clothes. Mine don't even smell 'musky' and I've gotten compliments on how clean they actually smell(a.ka. not musky).
>> Anonymous
>>141789
Cedar and pine have oils that can make small mammals more susceptible to respiratory infections. The only acceptable type of wood chip to keep them on is aspen, but you can also use a paper-based product like Carefresh or Yesterday's News.
>> Anonymous
Yeah I realized that after looking it up. Now that I think back on it I was surprised she even used it, because she was so careful about everything else concerning their health.
>> Anonymous
rats are way better. our rats almost never bit me. our hamsters bit me all the fucking time.
>> Anonymous
not enough rattata in this thread.
>> Anonymous
You should probably get a rat. I think they make better pets.

Hamsters really don't interest me; they're pretty boring and don't have much going for them. But if you want a pet that'll just sit there cutely, sure, go ahead and get one.

Rats are more rare, active, and are very smart. My friend is going to get one soon. They're much cooler and I bet they make better pets.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
more rats
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
hairless rat!
my favorite kind of rat. they are so smooth and feel like peaches.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
huge file
>> Anonymous
Male rats, they are more friendly, much better than the squirmy nervous wreck female rats are. You'll get used to the balls, its not that big of a deal, its kinda funny even.
>> Anonymous
RATS. Definitely.

I have worked either in pet stores or animal shelters for the last eight years and have handled literally thousands of small animals. Honestly, I fucking hate hamsters. Yes, you might get lucky and get a hamster who is calm and tame. However, the majority of the little bastards bite like crazy, and they are not very fun or interactive. It's a very, very rare hamster that will give two shits about his owner. I seriously have no clue how these things became so popular as kid's pets, other than the fact that they are sort of cute.

Rats are basically like a tiny dog. They are intelligent, fun to play with, and sweet. Get at least two.
>> 4tran
Just out of curiosity, is there a noticeable difference between mice and rats (with regards to their capacity for being good pets)?
>> Anonymous
>>141941
Rats and mice are extremely different in behavior, appearance are in different genuses.
Guarantee that the majority of mice that are kept as pets are horribly inbred. Riddled with genetic disorders and other health problems. They are also incredibly stupid(mind you, i've had over 70 mice growing up because my father would breed them). Mice will not cuddle with you or play. They are quick to run away, squirmy, piss and shit all over you, and god forbid if you have a male and a female mouse escape. At least rats are easier to catch/trap but mice are horrible.

Rats out beat any other rodent when it comes to keeping as a pet. Behavior in rats also can depend on the gender. Like I mentioned here>>141796

Males usually out beat females when it comes to handling and cuddling.
>> Anonymous
Get both a male and female rat, they are usually sterile and take a while to breed. even when they do they will only make one kid.
>> Anonymous
>mine could care less about me.
Really annoys me when people say that,
Its "Couldn't care less" If you say could then it implies it cares a bit so could care less than it does, If you say couldn't it implies that it cares so little that it couldn't care any less.
Anyways, My flatmate had a female rat, It was pretty awesome. We used to add shit to her cage like another cage that was connected to the first one with pvc piping, She lived in like a rat mansion lol, She used to always find way to get out her cage aswell and would go behind the washing machine where there was a hole where pipes come through the floor, She would go down there for ages and always come back and go back in her cage. I handled her a lot and she never bit me once. My friend has always kept rats as well he had 3 at one point not sure of the sex though, But yeah id go for a rat over a hamster any day.
>> Anonymous
>>142089
hahaha.
right.
nice try troll.
>> Reeseslover
I'm definitely getting a rat when I can...
>> Anonymous
I've had both rats and hamsters. Rats are more of a "hold them and play with them" pet than hamsters are, where your safest option is to let them run in a ball around the house. Both smell fine, if you keep proper care of their cages. Rats you can take out with you in public more easily - they're pretty good about hanging out on your shoulders without jumping off.
>> Anonymous
>>142215
Are they not really blind, Like if they are on your shoulder they wont jump of because they cant actually see the ground.
My rat never jamp down from her cage, She allways leaned over the edge looking down.
>> Anonymous
>>142307
Rat's aren't blind at all, they're quite nimble jumpers aswell.

If you were standing atop a building, you wouldn't want to jump down, would you? Think of it from the rats perpective.
>> Anonymous
I'm inspired to get a rat, do they poop all over?
>> Anonymous
a rat
>> Anonymous
>>142316
People keep saying they want a rat. No. Get rats. Not just one rat.
Rats are very social creatures and live longer lives if they have a companion. A lonely rat is not a happy rat even if you play with it for five hours a day.

And to answer your question, no. They don't. Occasionally they will crap on the floor, but they are small pellets and are easy to clean up. In their cage they will usually pick a corner for their toilet and you can even litter train them.
>> Anonymous
Ok, would 2 females be a good idea? Should I get them young or fully grown? And how big does the cage have to be. Also should I provide a hammock or something to climb on? These are the things that anonymous needs to know!
>> Anonymous
I prefer feeding hamsters to my snake because they're less likely to try to eat it if it the snake decides it isn't hungry atm
>> Reeseslover
>>142353

Are you sure you aren't overfeeding the snake? Oh well...yeah, hamsters are pretty complacent...have you ever seen a hamster kill a snake? I've never.
>> Anonymous
She's picky when it comes time to eat. One of the jumpiest corns I've ever seen, she won't eat with people in the room. And I feed her twice a month usually now that she's full grown.
>> Anonymous
>>142353

I've got no problems with feeding your snake live food, but the "prey" attacking your snake is a nil concern if you supervise the feeding. If your snake doesn't eat the rodent right away, then take the rodent out of the cage and try later. There's never any reason to leave a live rodent alone with your snake unsupervised.
>> Anonymous
See above^
>> Anonymous
hi
>> Anonymous
i like cocks, lol
>> Anonymous
>>142332
Google 'rat care'.
Its not that hard.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
Rats are much better but they only live two to three years. That part sucks. Don't get them from a store that sells "feeder" rats. They are not as healthy as the ones they sell at places like petsmart. They get tumors and stuff like that more often.
>> Anonymous
Yeah, much like Mice, they're inbred. a LOT inbred.
>> Anonymous
they both smell bad, so I wouldn't base any decision on that aspect either way
>> Reeseslover
>>142487

Pets smell bad in general, unless you bathe them obsessively...
>> Anonymous
>>142476
Hopefully you are replying to>>142476.
Getting a rat from a real breeder will cost you just as much as a pet store rat and inbreeding won't occur unless the breeder is trying to get some wild color.
Also, I'm sure almost every animal will inbreed if given the chance.

>>142487
Rats don't smell bad if you clean their cages every few days like you're suppose too.
>> Anonymous
>>142513
rats and mice usually don't have any problems with inbreeding, unless you isolate a gene. Usually, you can breed brother and sister mice together for hundreds of generations without hardly any side effects, strange but true
>> Anonymous
>>142513
>>Also, I'm sure almost every animal will inbreed if given the chance.

Mice actually use MHCs (major histocompatability complexes) to determine relation...1 male mouse in a cage with 99 of his sisters will actually sniff out the 1 nonrelative to fuck first...though i'm sure he'll fuck the rest of them next
>> Anonymous
hamster
>> Anonymous
I always get a good laugh at people who talk about rats being inbred. Did you know that every single golden/teddy hamster in the pet trade is descended from a group of half a dozen Syrian hamsters imported in the 1930s? THAT is fucking inbred.