Mama2Many4 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) I took my children to Petsmart today with the intention of getting them a hamster. I had many hamsters as a child and loved them dearly. Although I don't remember much about taming them. There were hamsters there, but they chose a fancy mouse. We didn't get to hold it or anything, they just chose the one they liked and home it went. Well, the thing has bitten me twice already. I tried petting it in the cage once,, and another time I tried giving it a piece of strawberry and it lunged at me off it's wheel. How long does it take for them to adjust to you? I hope it won't keep biting. It'll become an ornament. :tongue_smilie: Update: Well, the stupid mouse drew blood on my younger son this morning when he was changing his food. Back to petsmart he went! Since I had already bought a small cage with all those crazy tunnels, we went for a hamster since that's what *I* am used to. We ended up getting a Chinese Dwarf hamster and it is the sweetest, cutest thing! We've held him already and let him run in his ball. My kids love him and named him Kipper (after the cartoon). Thanks everyone for all your tips! Edited June 4, 2011 by 3Blessings4Me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 IDK, mice smell reallllly bad, so we've always avoided them. We love gerbils (at least a pair from the same litter) or rats. Rats pee a lot tho, so are more work/cost but super social. Anyway, for taming try scooping up gently in a cup then offer a treat. As it calms down keep your hand in a fist when entering the cage. Pet store animals aren't breed to be social, have likely not been treated well, and still have the natural fright instinct. Give it time. The first day is rough for pets. Hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yeah, I could never have mice in my preschool room b/c they stink within about 3 days of changing the cage, and were hard to tame. I agree that gerbils and guineas make good pets. But, since you are stuck with the mouse, just keep trying to gently socialize it. Also, hamsters are nocturnal, so more likely to be active at night--not when Susie wants to see it play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Mice usually don't make great pets. We had two females, and one of them never was really tame. She bit a lot. I have no real advice other than I think you should get another one because I seem to remember that they like to be in pairs. I might be wrong about that though. We ended up getting two female rats, and they were awesome pets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yeah, it's a male mouse so it has to be alone. Well, we're not totally "stuck" with it. We have 14 days to return it if we don't like it. I just want to make sure I get something that's gentle and non nippy. It's been a loooonnnnggg time since I've had a little critter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yeah, it's a male mouse so it has to be alone. Well, we're not totally "stuck" with it. We have 14 days to return it if we don't like it. I just want to make sure I get something that's gentle and non nippy. It's been a loooonnnnggg time since I've had a little critter. Oh, honey, he is going to STINK! Sorry! I would consider a rat. I know they creep some people out, but they are sooooooo smart and sweet!! Ours never bit us at all. They learned their names and tricks. Very cool little pets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) HHmm a rat for a pet.... really? People have rats for pets? So tell me about having a rat for a pet....details please. Which breed of rat? Edited June 3, 2011 by Capt_Uhura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 We have twp female pet mice - I just went into my daughter's room to say good night to them. They're very sweet and tame; we take them out almost every day and even letthem play in the yard. My husband and I have had three sets of pet mice, and after we both had gerbils as kds, I would vote for mice any day. They're also not as much work as rats, which we're holding off on until our daughter is older. Rats are so smart that they def. need daily interaction, whereas the mice are okay without it for a day or two. We clean the cage once a week and scrub their wheel and food bowl daily; I don't notice the odor much. This pair has also NEVER peed on us, which is more than I can say for our others. If you want a rat, look into buying a pair from a breeder. They are hand-raised and wonderful pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 HHmm a rat for a pet.... really? People have rats for pets? So tell me about having a rat for a pet....details please. Which breed of rat? Yes! So fun! I don't really know what breed...I don't even know if there are different breeds. We got ours at the pet store, which I don't suggest because, in general, the people at the pet store don't know what they are talking about. ;) We got two females. One of them was really skittish at first, but Emma had her tamed in no time. They learned their names and would chase balls in the floor. They loved to eat from our hands. They were just really neat little gals. And they did not stink at all. The bad part was that they only lived about 18 months. I have since learned that they have a very short life span due to overbreeding and poor conditions. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 If you don't get them from pet stores, where would you get them from? I edited my earlier post b/c I didn't know how the Hive would take experimenting on animals. But I'll just say that I had rats in the lab that were over 3yrs old. Now I was told that was a bit elderly for a rat but they were quite healthy and very, very lovable. And while I realize it's hard on the kids, I like the idea of a pet w/ a finite life span just in case the novelty wears off. We had a tadpole. The darn thing NEVEr changed into a frog. That darn thing lived for well over a year! And they make a lot of mess and need frequent changing. We even had to bring the darn thing on vacation with us....not easy let me tell you. Especially when we stopped for lunch and I was afraid the car would be too hot for it so we had to bring it in Burger King. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 We have twp female pet mice - I just went into my daughter's room to say good night to them. They're very sweet and tame; we take them out almost every day and even letthem play in the yard. My husband and I have had three sets of pet mice, and after we both had gerbils as kds, I would vote for mice any day. They're also not as much work as rats, which we're holding off on until our daughter is older. Rats are so smart that they def. need daily interaction, whereas the mice are okay without it for a day or two. We clean the cage once a week and scrub their wheel and food bowl daily; I don't notice the odor much. This pair has also NEVER peed on us, which is more than I can say for our others. If you want a rat, look into buying a pair from a breeder. They are hand-raised and wonderful pets. Well, we've decided to keep the little bugger. He'll have a good life here even if he chooses to not be social. I will continue to research and see if I can tame him *patiently*. But if not, he'll be as interesting to us as fish. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 We've had them all, except mice. Love rats for being able to train and love on them. Our girls were so sweet. They lived right around 2 years. They pee a lot tho, so the work and cost is a bit high. Adore guinea pigs, but they need a LOT of space, lots of hay, fresh veggies, etc. If you have the space and $$ they are great pets. Hamsters are ok, but need to live alone and are kind of boring. That leaves gerbils which are my favorite hands down. We currently have a pair of brothers that are about 14 months old. They are so fun to watch playing together. Pushing each other off the mesh wheel is probably my favorite, or begging for the occasional pumpkin seed. :D They're low cost (we use Muzuri food, an aquarium with mesh lid, wheel, water bottle, aspen bedding, lots of free tp tubes and a few table scraps) and clean (they pee a drop at a time). GL deciding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Google ratteries in your state...you may be surpised by how many you find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I found not one but TWO ratteries just 20min away! now I have to think about rat vs. gerbil based on a prior post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 We've had them all, except mice. Love rats for being able to train and love on them. Our girls were so sweet. They lived right around 2 years. They pee a lot tho, so the work and cost is a bit high. Adore guinea pigs, but they need a LOT of space, lots of hay, fresh veggies, etc. If you have the space and $$ they are great pets. Hamsters are ok, but need to live alone and are kind of boring. That leaves gerbils which are my favorite hands down. We currently have a pair of brothers that are about 14 months old. They are so fun to watch playing together. Pushing each other off the mesh wheel is probably my favorite, or begging for the occasional pumpkin seed. :D They're low cost (we use Muzuri food, an aquarium with mesh lid, wheel, water bottle, aspen bedding, lots of free tp tubes and a few table scraps) and clean (they pee a drop at a time). GL deciding! I would also get a rat, so I'll have to look into them. I don't think I'd buy from a pet store anymore though. I think I remember now that all of my hamsters as a child came from litters of people we knew. They were handled often and therefore didn't bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 We've had many rats and mice over the years and by far Rats were the better choice. Our mice were not biters, but they were darn fast if they got away from us. Our Rats always wanted to stay where we were. We have a cat now so don't have any small animals, but if I had to do it all over again, I'd get a Rat in a heart beat. As to the smell, we switched from wood shavings (Aspen) to Carefresh, which helped a little, but the best was Corn Cob bedding. It cut the smell to almost none (unless we waited more than a week to change the cage out, and is much cheaper than any other option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stages Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 We have two female white mice (generic lab mouse breed). Their cage starts to stink after a few days, but any sort of rodent will stink a little. They are very sweet and have never bitten us, though we did get them as juveniles, so they have been socialized from a pretty young age. I think mice are way better pets than hamsters (we had one that died a few months ago) because mice have shorter teeth- I don't think my mice could break the skin even if they wanted to, but the hamster drew blood on several occasions. Our mice love to explore and will even walk on DD's arms if I let them. I will say, though, when we get another small pet, it will be a guinea pig. It's important to remember to let the mice get used to you gradually. For the first day, just put your hand in the cage for a few minutes at a time. They might come sniff you, or they might not. Keep doing this until they climb in your hand. After a while of them climbing on you, you can slowly lift your hand out and pet them. If you have to pick them up before they will come to you willingly, you can trick them in to climbing in a toilet paper tube or a cup, or you can carefully pick them up by the base of their tail. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 No, but we LOVE rats in our family! They have been the best rodent pets! The ones we've had were friendly and smart. I'd take the mice back and get rats! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 No, but we LOVE rats in our family! They have been the best rodent pets! The ones we've had were friendly and smart. I'd take the mice back and get rats! :tongue_smilie: I'll probably get rats too!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Oh, honey, he is going to STINK! Sorry! I would consider a rat. I know they creep some people out, but they are sooooooo smart and sweet!! Ours never bit us at all. They learned their names and tricks. Very cool little pets! :thumbup: I couldn't agree more. I have owned about 5 in my life. They do learn their names, that's for sure. We had one that would fall asleep in our laps if stroked gently for a period of time. It's been 11 years and the family still talks about him. I've found that female rats tend to pee less than the males. Rats are not stinky and prefer cleanliness...even baths in a tub of water. Misunderstood creatures they are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasar31629 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) We love our ratties! Dd will hold one of the three in her pouch during schoolwork or piano. We converted a bookshelf into a cage- really saves on space since they are vertical creatures. We were hamster people and it took getting used to, but I wouldn't go back! They do need a bit more upkeep for cage cleaning than a hamster, but the love dd gives and the way those little girls sit with her for hours are worth it! They are litter trained, but when we introduced rocks from the farm (big ones) to try and keep their nails from growing so fast they got used to scenting them...now they feel that's their potty area and the litter is where they go #2. We take the rocks out to soak...I'd take them out completely but they get upset (they get really upset when we take their hammocks out...jingling the chain until it's washed and back in there- they really are smart and social little creatures!) and I HATED trying to clip nails. They were fine when we did, but if felt like I could clip a whole finger off if I wasn't careful. We got our girls as juveniles from a small independent pet shop- it was much easier to get used to the tails when they were nearly as small as mice :) Good luck with whatever you choose! Edited June 6, 2011 by jasar31629 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) HHmm a rat for a pet.... really? People have rats for pets? So tell me about having a rat for a pet....details please. Which breed of rat? My first two were cream colored rats, bought together, both females. The next one was a "hooded" rat, cream body with a black head and stripe down the back. Our all-time favorite was another hooded rat, but his hood was ginger colored. Our last one was actually a "hairless".They're typically bred for scientific purposes, easier to attach wires to and such. I've also heard they're easier for snakes to digest. :sad: My mother had a rat as a child in the 1930's...so it's not a new phenomenon. She bought me my first ones. She would often let them run around the house when we were home. They liked to swipe things and hide them in a "secret nest". Things like: quarters, bottle caps, a pencil, chewing gum, etc. We learned to secure our valuables! After a time, if you called their name they would come running from another room like a little dog. :001_smile: We stopped letting them run around after one got a nasty shock from chewing on a lamp cord, poor baby. She lived. I can't believe we hadn't considered it before that. Anyhoo, they loved to be played with (chasing balls and general interaction). Our ginger hooded rat would fall asleep on our laps as we softly caressed him...and the hairless liked it when I would blow raspberries on his naked, pink belly (hard core rat lover here). I have never been bitten. They are as clean as their enviroment, much like people. :D FWIW, all were juveniles when adopted and lived "around" 4 years, the hairless lived 3 years. Edited June 3, 2011 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Those pictures are precious! The more I read here, the more I definitely want to get us a pet rat! They seem so fun to have as a pet. I had no idea they were so intelligent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 In my years and years of experience (younger sister who adopted anything with 4 legs) female rats are the best behaved, followed by guinea pigs and gerbils. Mice if not handled while young will bite a lot. Personally speaking, I think hamsters are mean nasty little critters, I've been bitten by at least 7 of them. I would take that one back and insist on holding any animal before bringing it home, sort of a try it before you buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Update. Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.