Hedgehog or Dwarf Hamster

[Jive]

In the not so distant future I would like to get a small animal. Mainly I’ve been looking into either a Dwarf Hamster or a Hedgehog (Note I am entirely aware that they require different care, food, habitats and all that). The reality is once I move somewhere with some more room I would probably have both (and maybe a couple other types of animals lol).

I can’t decide which to get at the moment. Anyone on here had one of these or both at some point in their lives.
My main difficulty in looking into dwarf hamsters is trying to find a suitable cage that is easily available as most seem to be geared towards the regular hamsters (would these cause issues with a dwarf?).

Thanks!

[wildlifer]

First, have you confirmed that it is legal to own hedgies where you live? There are many places where it is not.

I had a dwarf hamster I loved in grad school – I kept him in a normal hamster cage, the HabitTrail type with the snap together tubes, he did fine. Make sure it has the smooth plastic wheel – the ones with bars get little feet caught in them.

[Jive]

Thank Wildlifer - to add, yes hedgies are legal in my area.

[sk_pacer]

Hedgehog…I hate hamsters. If you do go with the hamster, a large gerbil cage is suitable. Have you thought of gerbils? They are pretty neat for rodents.

[CrowneDragon]

Dwarf hamsters are notorious for having bad temperaments. I can’t recommend them as pets unless you find a source for non-vicious, totally skittish ones. I had one who was just a fur-covered piranha.

[MaybeMorgan]

Can I suggest a rat? A little bigger, but lots of personality.

[furlong47]

I had a friend who owned a hedgehog when we were growing up. It really wasn’t very exciting and you had to be careful handling it because of the quills. Dwarf hamsters have a reputation of being quite nasty. I think rats and gerbils are much nicer and more interesting rodent pets. Rats are very intelligent and personable. Gerbils have the benefit of being diurnal (active in the daytime). Both hedgehogs and hamsters are noctural and don’t do much during the day.

[Foxtrot_s]

None … shudder, poor things don’t have much of a life, or offer much…
however, we once had to take the Grade 1 class gerbil home for the Easter break, except the thing escaped.

We rushed out to buy a replica - only to find the original one in the bottom of the toy trunk a few days later (still alive) - and then had to go back to school to 'fess up.

[Houndhill]

Also second the rat suggestion, or what about a small guinea pig?

When I was in grad school, I kept Djungarian hamsters as pets in my office:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djungarian_hamster

I just read a charming book about hedgehogs, they sound very nice but the author thought they did not make great pets.

[SquishTheBunny]

Bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny

Most can be so well housetrained you wont even need a cage for them!

[wendy]

hamsters are kind of boring as pets- they sleep all day, and like to bite their owners. Gerbils are much more entertaining to watch, but escape artists. Never had a hedgehog. Guinea pigs, rats, and rabbits all make EXCELLENT pets- very personable, trainable, friendly things. You can often do without a cage for all three, and let them have more freedom and a better life than the typical caged pet.

[chillydc]

Have you thought about a chinchilla? I used to breed them and they can be great fun! Just be sure you buy from a good breeder who handles them from birth, otherwise they can be skittish. Not a good pet for hot climates though, they need to stay cool. Just a thought, I miss my chins!!!

[charismaryllis]

man, where are you all getting your hamsters? i had a female teddy bear in college who was very sweet and never tried to bite me. of course, she came from a pet store where they made a point of handling their pocket pets as babies and making sure they were tame…

[Foxtrot_s]

My son has had almost every pet there was from green iguanas to pet rats - none appealed to me - needed to be cared for, gave very little in return and developed a smell very quickly. The ferret needed bathing frequently, but was a notch higher on the list as being petworthy, until it escaped, never to be seen again, poor thing.

His rats bred so fast, he developed a market selling the young ones to the local reptile sanctuary…gulp.

I often think of the poor rodent type caged pets they sell at pet stores that go home to a delighted kid - who then forgets to keep the water topped up, so the thing dies, or some such ending.

Our second-hand bookseller had a rabbit,Squishy, called Pages, and it was a dear little tame bunny that the kids could pet while having stories read to them - nice and clean and used kitty litter. It was a free bunny. Same as our daughter’s roommate, with Pellet the bunny.

[SuckerForHorses]

Gerbils have the benefit of being diurnal (active in the daytime). Both hedgehogs and hamsters are noctural and don’t do much during the day.

Apparently my gerbil missed the memo…I had one as a kid, and ALL.NIGHT.LONG she jumped around in her cage trying to knock the top off to escape!

[Big_Grey_hunter]

Quick pro/con list. I’ve owned most of these, the ones I haven’t owned I’ve dealt with and decided they weren’t for me. Regardless of the pet you choose, PLEASE research. Don’t believe the pet stores regarding cage size/type (usually too small, wrong material, or inadequate ventilation). Many of these animals require better feed then the crap at pet stores.

Hamsters
-Cheap, easy care, can (should) be kept alone. Suited to a variety of cages. Easy to feed. Quiet, unless the wheel squeaks
-nocturnal, not terribly interactive, often have bad temperaments, short life span

Rats
-AWESOME pets, like small dogs! Friendly, social, cheap.
-Need company, moderately messy, need big cage and rat-proof space for daily play. Time consuming. Should get supplemental feed (veggies, fruit, pasta, eggs, etc)

Gerbils
-Great ‘starter’ pet. Best suited for glass tank (10 gallons for 2, add 5 gallons per additional gerbil). Very clean and no smell (clean half of bedding every other week). Quiet. Cheap. Friendly if handled frequently, but equally as happy to be left alone. Very active and fun to watch. Easy to feed
-Should be kept in at least pairs. No plastic anything, or it will be chewed threw rapidly

Mice
-Cheap, clean, quiet, fun to watch. Can be friendly, but need delicate handling and will be nervous if not handled frequently. Well suited to a variety of caging. Very active!
-Females need company, males should be kept alone, but are smellier. Short lives

Chinchillas
-Active and fun to watch. Low smell, but a little messy. Absolutely adorable and can be sweet. Long lives
-Often (usually) difficult to handle, need a big cage and require quite a bit of care. Expensive initially, but fairly low upkeep costs. Need hay and sandbaths

Ferrets

• Basically a dog in a cage. HUGE personalities, very interactive. Long lives. Can be litter trained, but expect misses (poop is nasty)
  -Expensive! Need regular vet care, expect big vet bills as they age. Very messy and smelly. Must commit tons of time, not ok to just leave them in the cage

Guinea pigs
-Bigger, sweet, easy to handle. Good kids pet with supervision. Very silly, and will unathletically leap in the air when excited. Slightly longer lives.
-Messy/smelly if cage isn’t cleaned enough. Need big cage (no height, but takes up lots of floor space. Need hay and supplemental veggies. Noisy, but the noises are non offensive and funny

Rabbits
-Lots of varieties, so personality will vary greatly. Even the non cuddly ones are fun pets, they like interaction and are very playful. Quiet. Can be litter trained. Low smell
-Require big cage and room to run. Destructive. Need hay. Messy. SPAY or NEUTER! Long lives.

Hedgehogs
-Exotic. Low smell. Don’t bite, fairly laid back and easy to handle
-Expensive, need a big cage. Very active (nocturnal), so better hope their wheel is well greased! Not terribly ineractive because they sleep during the day. Feeding is a big more involved

[Guin]

Hamster! I love hamsters. We had the best dwarf hamster in the world, Pipsqueak, when my daughter was little. He was so friendly. He would hide in her bathrobe pocket, and eat sesame seeds from her bagel. Any animal will be tame and friendly if you get it when it’s young and handle it every day. They are SO cute, with the black stripe down their backs.

[MsM]

I had a number of hamsters when I was a kid! Some were nasty, but others were quite friendly and willing to travel through the Lincoln Log mazes we made. However, many were escape artists. And the latches on the “hamster cages” were way too easy for them to defeat. We lost a couple that we never found. Mom never used mousetraps after that… We also had some die of old age which was sad for us, but I guess a good introduction.

We only had two guinea pigs, but we got them as adults and didn’t have cages that were really suitable. Ours weren’t real friendly but did make funny noises!

Also had a few gerbils which were fun to watch at night. Probably the most active. They were okay to handle My sister and I just didn’t find the cute factor in them.

Mom wouldn’t let us have mice or rats - she just didn’t like the look of them. I’m not really a fan either, but my friend has had lots of rats of all different types and feels that they are the best of the rodent pets.

We did have two rabbits as kids. Gubby was full of personality and a lot of fun. Ben E. was not much interested in us. But then, we didn’t really think about neutering since he was an only, and he developed romantic longings towards my little dog!

[Foxtrot_s]

Good list BGH - You didn’t add turtles/tortoises to the list of useless,
non-communicative, more-work-than-they-are-worth, pets. Or the iguana family.

Does it not seem odd that we kill these rodent types outside or inside our homes, but invite them in to live as pets - in a cage?

Now fish - they do add beauty and variety.

I’d prefer a cat.

I am an animal lover, truly!

[Jive]

Wow lots of input.

To add a bit of info. I’m an adult still living at home so the critter would be kept in my room. Though I can sleep through anything pretty much lol.

I LOVE chinchilla’s but that will be a one day in the future pet when I have my own place and more space.

Thinking if I’ve i want a hedgehog I may nead to add them to the One day pet list when they don’t need to live in my room.

I have been previously interested in gerbils but was turned off when a friend told me her nightmare situation where she thought she got two females. That turned out to not be the case and she ended up with lots of gerbil babies. Though after some googling I found what appears to be a good gerbil breeder very close to me and they rescue some gerbils too.

Whats the ideal setup for a pair of gerbils. Above someone mentioned a 10 gallon tank. I saw a neat setup with a tank and then a ramp leading to a wire cage attached to the top of it.