Guinea Pig or Hamster?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kansas
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Black Jack said:
Alfie said:
Hi Kansas

I have 4 male guinea pigs and one male hamster.
Whilst hamster are easier to care for, they do tend to get smellier quicker. I also find we have to wake Rainbow up so that my children can see him.
My two kids are 8 and 12. They are relatively cheap to keep.

Guinea pigs are more expensive to keep. All 4 of mine are indoors, they are active most of the day and my daughter 8 loves giving their veggies at breakfast.
They are lovely when they wheek, when the fridge door opens. You'll need to spot clean the wee areas each day.

I personnally think, a pair of guinea pigs are easier for a 9 year old to handle and groom and cuddle.
Good luck with your decision.
Anne. :)
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Oh Anne! ;D 2funny ;D2funny ;D2funny You really need to read this back and possibly re-assess whether or not your children are indeed relatively cheap to keep! ROFL
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
What am I like. I can assure people that whilst hamsters are relatively cheap to keep, a 12 and 8 year old are definately not. :embarassed:
I so called read that back too. Note to self, I won't make it as a proof reader.
 
I have 4 Guinea Pigs (2 male and 2 female) and got my first hamster today. My experience may be rather odd, but I've found the hamster, so far, to be much more friendly and courageous than 3 of my piggies are after 5 months with me :( letting me stroke him in his cage and even walking on my hand. However I don't see him going to sleep on my lap like my boars do. If your son wants to watch a pet playing, a Guinea pig popcorning (jumping for joy) is one of the loveliest/funniest things I've ever seen - especially if it's on your lap. None of which is particularly helpful in making a decision though.

As for the smell question. I've found males to smell more than females. Both in the hutch and when their on my lap - one of them keeps rubbing his scent gland on me - but that could just be Gretz's jealousy.
 
I have had many of both, i just want to add a bit more to what has been said already. Firstly if you do end up getting a hamster, make sure it is a syrian, not dwarf hamsters as they are bad biters in my experience, although mine have always been rescues, so they had bad starts. With guineas you will need 2, so it is nice to watch them interact with each other. The life span is an important factor i think, especially if one piggy dies, and you need to decide about buying it a new friend, it could be a lifelong cycle! But a syrian hamster will live for only about 3 years, and dwarfs about 18 months-2 years, for those on here who are worried that their's died too young! Hamsters may bite while they get used to you, while the majority of guineas will never bite at all, but guineas will take longer to warm to you in general.

If you are sure of your son's commitment and you have the money, i would go for a pair of guineas, if you are worried about costs then go for a hamster, both are great though.
 
Having had both for many years, I would recommend guinea pigs, purely because they interact more with humans and are actually awake when the children are.
Hamsters are lovely, but they chew for England ( any fabric they can chew they will ) and if they get lose say good bye to sofas, wall coverings , skirtings etc, they can hide for months due to being so small and the only way you'll know they are still alive is when they strat chewing and moving around in the walls at night ( when you are trying to sleep ). A hamster will drive you nuts chewing and gnawing at it's cage bars and the squeak or noise from the wheel will possibly drive you to putting it in another room do you can sleep.

With piggies, yes they need to be housed with a partner ideally, however sometimes that's just not possible. As long as there is someone who will be around and will intact with it, and play with and pet for quite lot of time during the day, they can be perfectly happy.
Piggies very rarely bite , but do have more complex needs to hamster, they do need fresh fruit ad veg daily, they do need to have their teeth and claws kept at a decent length and most of all they need slaves lol .
But remember piggies can live in or out, they just need to have a decent hutch and be protected from extremities of temperature and be safe from predators.


In my opinion a piggy would be ideal as they are larger, more active and friendly but can be costly sur to housing , bedding and feeding requirements .


A hamster if you are stuck for space or limited to funds, hamsters are great fun but can be nippy, noisy and destructive.

Both have the ability to run up huge vet bills.



Good luck in your choice and well done for really looking into the possibilities before buying .


Plz excuse and wrong spellings, my phone auto corrects and I sometimes don't see them
 
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I have two children a 4 year old boy and 10 year old girl. I was advised to get a guinea pig because firstly they hardly every bite and love to be cuddled. Also they don't tend to be nocturnal so my son keeps his guinea in a cage in his room, and if we want and the weather isn't good he runs around the bedroom which is great to sit and watch. Go for the guinea as long as the area is safe and secure you can let him run round without a ball! unlike a hamster who sleeps all day and if they are woken are bad tempered. Whatever you do PLEASE DON'T BUY ONE OF THE AWFUL LARGE BALLS AVAILABLE FOR A GUINEA PIG!! regards, and good luck with a choice. If you have the chance visit a rescue and ask about them and handle a few with your son so he can learn a bit more about them. I love my guinea and now have 5 they are the best thing and I sooo wish I had had one as a child also the kids love to sit on the sofa and snuggle them whilst watching tv they are really gentle little characters! x
 
Lol so it is old thread, couldn't see that earlier . Ah well there may be others out there who need pointers
 
in my opinion, go with the hamster. hamsters prefer to live by themselves, while guinea pigs need to have at least 1 companion to be happy...so thats definitely a factor to consider. also, i have found that gps can be more high maintnance, so if you're willing to deal with all of their needs, and you will more than likely be the primary care giver, then gp. hamsters have a shorter life span, so if you're worried he may lose interest, that could be another reason. hamsters do smell, though. idk it's a toss up, in the end it's your decision. guinea pigs are much more personable and can make a great addition to the family.
 
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