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AlexC1981
Original Poster
1,291 posts
86 months
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Hi All,
I live in a flat alone and I'm at work all day, but I think I would like a pet. I have never looked after rodents before, but I was thinking about getting two or three mice to keep in a cage in my living room.
I thought mice would be the best option as I could have two or three to keep each other company while I am out, and I would not need to get a massive cage to give them a comfortable amount of space.
I had a look in a pet shop today and they had dwarf hamsters, gerbils, degus. The degus looked very cool, but a bit too large for the sort of cage I had in mind. What would be the best type of rodent to get in terms of pleasure to own and ease of looking after? It would be nice to let them out in the evening. Is this practical or will they urinate everywhere and disappear under the sofa and never be seen again? I guess a pen would be needed?
I hear that people keep pygmy hedgehogs these days, but I don't like the idea of feeding them live food!
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R60EST
2,261 posts
51 months
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I've kept rats in the past. Very rewarding pets .
My Daughter used to keep Chipmunks and they are very entertaining , much less timid than most rodents but they do need a little more attention and space than mice
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PoleDriver
20,229 posts
63 months
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In my youth I, and friends, had mice, hamsters, chinchillas etc. Later I found that the best rodents are rats.
Very friendly, intelligent, not too small and slow enough to catch. We had one that used to have the run of the house and would use his own rat loo. Very friendly and would run to the door when I came home from work!
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Nigel Worc's
5,285 posts
57 months
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Want some Gerbils ..... live anywhere near Worcester ?
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bexVN
9,510 posts
80 months
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Go with rats. They interact with people more than mice and hamsters but also very social with each other which means you can keep 2 (of the same sex!) for company for each other whilst you're at work.
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AlexC1981
Original Poster
1,291 posts
86 months
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Thanks for the suggestions. I thought about rats, but I am a bit put off by the size. I bet a rat bite would do some damage! I have been reading online this evening and I quite like the idea that you can teach rats to do tricks.
I've just read that mice do not have bladders, so they wee everywhere. That doesn't sound ideal.
Thanks for the offer Nigel, but Worcester is a bit far. I'm actually not ready for them yet as I am in the middle of doing a bit of redecoration and putting in a new kitchen and bathroom.
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Nigel Worc's
5,285 posts
57 months
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AlexC1981 said: Thanks for the suggestions. I thought about rats, but I am a bit put off by the size. I bet a rat bite would do some damage! I have been reading online this evening and I quite like the idea that you can teach rats to do tricks.
I've just read that mice do not have bladders, so they wee everywhere. That doesn't sound ideal.
Thanks for the offer Nigel, but Worcester is a bit far. I'm actually not ready for them yet as I am in the middle of doing a bit of redecoration and putting in a new kitchen and bathroom. I only asked because they are "everlasting" lol We had two for my little girls third birthday, she'll be twenty one in September, and we've got loads of the poxy things !
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bexVN
9,510 posts
80 months
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Rats tame easily and if handled young will rarely bite. If they do they will be no worse than a gerbil, hamster or mouse to be honest. They all have strong bites if they want!
They do need larger accommodation but even mice need more space than you may think.
Mice are also very smelly. Rats much less so.
I have kept all of then at one time or another and my all time favourites were the rats (hamsters a close second). They all have their good traits though.
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Steve126
143 posts
52 months
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I'd also recommend rats. I had rats for more than 10 years, but was never bitten.
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Degucrazy
28 posts
11 months
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It depends how much time you can spend with them.. Degus/rats thrive from human interaction, the more you put in, the more you get out - both tend to be more friendly the more used to you they are. Gerbils are happy just hanging out together, they're easy to handle, very very rarely bite, and can take or leave your company if you can't get them out every day.
If you're looking at mice, then females are less smelly than males, but with regular cleaning, there's not much of a difference.
Cage-wise: Rats/degus need the same kind of sized cage if you won't have them out to exercise a lot (degus can run up to 4km/day in the wild so a wheel is highly recommended), mice don't need such big cages as they're tiny, gerbils have pretty small cages (a tank is preferred so they can dig/spray sawdust all over the place without making a huge mess. Hamsters don't need huge cages, but can be antisocial (and bite, badly, if not used to handling) as they're nocturnal.
Also, might want to contact your local RSPCA rescue, they often have a lot of little rodents in need of a loving home - you can't always be sure of age/temperament, but they're usually honest with you (as you can return them if you're not happy).
As a side note, I'm sorry for not promoting hamsters more, there are some lovely ones out there, but definitely get them as babies, or known friendly ones, I have scars when they've bitten my thumb to the bone when they took random offence to my hand O.o
Also, thank you for inspiring me to sign up! :P
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Mubby
1,038 posts
51 months
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AlexC1981 said: I thought about rats, but I am a bit put off by the size. I bet a rat bite would do some damage! I have been reading online this evening and I quite like the idea that you can teach rats to do tricks has had many rats (I have 7 now) and only 1 of my rats has ever been a biter, and that was because she was albino and had poor eye sight! so we just moved slowly around her! I will always big up rats, soooooo interactive and want to be with you not run away from you! Ive had hamsters, gerbils, degu, guinea pigs, rabbits and the only one I would have after rats, is rats! they are a different league to other rodents! and no they dont toilet everywhere and mine all use a litter tray in thier cages. Mice are good for a "looking at" pet but not the best for handling, you could always go for dwarf hamsters they have a reputation of biting butI had some that never bit, any excuse to show off my rats   and the latest  ps if your near midlands im currently expecting rat babies any day!
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Mubby
1,038 posts
51 months
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Degucrazy said: It depends how much time you can spend with them.. Degus/rats thrive from human interaction, the more you put in, the more you get out - both tend to be more friendly the more used to you they are.
Cage-wise: Rats/degus need the same kind of sized cage if you won't have them out to exercise a lot (degus can run up to 4km/day in the wild so a wheel is highly recommended), and dont forget to have a wire base! its very scarey to wake to an empty cage and a nice hole in the plastic base!!  the make sweet sounds too, mine used to sit and "talk" to the dog! 
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Degucrazy
28 posts
11 months
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Aww, what a gorgeous little degu! My 2 used to scare my old dog off if they decided he was too close to the cage, they were the boss of him! I actually have them in a plastic-based cage at the moment as a temporary measure, but having lots of more exciting things to chew, they've actually left the plastic pretty much alone (a few tester nibbles but that's it). You also don't want to keep them on mesh floors, as it can hurt their paws - a good compromise I find is either a solid metal base, or a piece of hardwood/newspaper over the top of the mesh to stop them spending too much time on it. They are somewhat.. insane tho, highly intelligent, and having trained them to reach through the bars to take a treat, one of mine went one better, and stuck his tongue right out trying to get it! They're currently managing to negotiate running on a wheel at the same time, which is impressive as they're not well known for sharing. They're also pretty noisy for such little things.. if they're not shrieking at something they heard that they took offence to, then they're chewing something/running on their wheel/warbling/rustling! My 2 chilling in the hot weather:  Also, mice can be easy to handle/very friendly/just like tiny rats, if given the proper upbringing! They don't sit still like some rats do tho, so not as good if you want something that will sit still, and same goes for gerbils/degus.
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ehonda
820 posts
74 months
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Another vote for rats. Not bitey at all in my experience and very social creatures. Miss my old mate Harry.
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Silvs
2,173 posts
54 months
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Rats! We have two very friendly and social. I have kept rats individually before and now we have a pair they seem much happier. Very easy to train, ours return to their cage and stand on their hind legs on command. Great pets very cheap to keep just make sure you get the biggest cage you can afford. Sage and Parsley 
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Isaac Hunt
6,775 posts
80 months
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Used to have rats, mice and hamsters when I was little.
Rats are great. I am sure that given enough handling and attention, they do actually become emotionally attached to their owners. They have great personalities too.
If they are cleaned out at least once a week, they don't smell either.
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bexVN
9,510 posts
80 months
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Isaac Hunt said: Used to have rats, mice and hamsters when I was little.
Rats are great. I am sure that given enough handling and attention, they do actually become emotionally attached to their owners. They have great personalities too.
If they are cleaned out at least once a week, they don't smell either. I agree - thie first one I ever had was a rehome, had been one of a pair but his friend had died, the owner could no longer keep him. He was getting on so I didn't get another rat friend for him as a result he really bonded with me, he would greet me when I got home and would fall asleep on me etc. He was brilliant, I only had him about 4 months in the end but I was so upset when I had to have him put to sleep. I ended up with 2 more rescues a few months later, they were great and better to have company for each other witrh my long hours but they didn't bond with me in quite the same way. Still great though
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AlexC1981
Original Poster
1,291 posts
86 months
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I didn't know rats were so popular! I did a bit of reading on them this morning and they sound like the most rewarding of the rodents. Mice don't seem particularly tame and with hamsters and gerbils it sounds a bit hit and miss as to whether or not you get a nice one.
I'm still a bit confused on the bladder issue with mice. Does it dribble out all the time?
The degus look lovely, but I don't have the space.
Thanks for showing me your animals. I'm in Essex near Romford, so the midlands is a bit far Mubby, but thank you for your offer of rat babies!
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bexVN
9,510 posts
80 months
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You'll probably find local rescue centres desperate to rehome some that's how I got a couple a few years ago, they had a foster carer and she had about 20 of them, picking just 2 wasn't easy! I gave a donation for them.
I don't actually know about mice and their bladders but my guess is they just wee a lot rather than it just dribble constantly, I don't remember my mouse dribbling on me but I do remember he'd wee at some point whilst being handled!
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R60EST
2,261 posts
51 months
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As a former rat owner I agree with all the comments regarding their intelligence and the affection they give.
If I'd never had contact with my daughter's Chipmunks I'd say rats were the no.1 rodent pet.
Chipmunks however are even better. They are very entertaining , not at all timid, love attention and being handled and the best thing about them is their lifespan , rats typically live for 2-3 years , not a long time to have them when you become emotionally attached , whereas with Chipmunks a 6-8 year lifespan is not uncommon.
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