Do mice make good pets if I have kids? - Would rats be better?

Ready for three kids but a dog is a little much?



Did you look into ferrets? They seem cool. I always stop and watch them at the pet store. You can walk them like dogs too I think

a-2064-ferret.jpg
 
Get a hamster instead. Mice are mean little bastards with razor sharp teeth.
 
Hmmm, I originally was reading that mice are better and more social and interactive than hamsters. And that hamsters are more likely to bite. But more articles are saying hamsters are a bit calmer. Plus you only need and want 1 hamster as they like to be alone whereas mice like 2 or more. Also apparently mice can stink more than hamsters.
I may have to look into the hamster or those tiny teddy bear looking hamsters.
if you get a hamster, please look after it properly.

don't buy it a tiny cage, or a cage with those neon tubes, or a cage that has two levels. hamsters actually require a large space, so think a big long (hehe) glass aquarium or even those plastic totes from walmart. they require much more space than a pet store employee will let on. the tubes are dangerous, and many hamsters have gotten stuck in them and died. and as i learned on sherdog, hamsters can't see well beyond their whiskers, so they can very easily fall off of a second higher level, and injure themselves.

for diet, hamsters eat veggies and meat, can feed them cooked noodles too as a treat. but make sure their diet is well balanced.

they also require a sand bath (sand put into a large enough container that they can roll around in and "bathe" themselves).

obviously wheels are necessary. but make sure the wheel is big enough that the hamster's back doesn't arch. this can actually really fuck up a hamster's spine and give them a hunchback. also make sure the surface of the wheel won't cause bumble foot. you can give them those "Saucer" wheels, but they should only be given this now and then and not for extended periods of time as it can also cause problems.

they should also have enough bedding in their cage that they can burrow and make tunnels.

oh, and everybody loves putting hamsters in those little balls and letting them loose. but this shouldn't be done often, and for only a few minutes at a time, as it causes stress to the hamster.

tbh hamsters are easy pets if you don't actually research them and care for them as you should. but this will end up in your hamster having a poor quality of life, and likely a short one. this is why you hear so many people say, "lol hamsters only live for two weeks".

anyways, i had three hammies, one from a pet store (there wasn't anywhere in my current town that you could get them), and two second hand. the one i had the entire time was raised properly and never bit me once, one of the other hamsters was so terribly neglected it that it screamed and bit constantly and had to be handled with gloves. the other one i got had a hunchback from a wheel that was too small, and was sick from neglect and died soon, tho she never bit. she was just . . . a sad lil hammy.

keep in mind that hamsters can get into EVERYTHING. they're tiny, and can make themselves even tinier to fit through small holes and spaces. they also never sit frigging still, they're always on the go lol. might make it hard for your kids to keep a handle on them.

also keep in mind that hamsters can get stressed very easily, and this often results in illness.
 
Rats make significantly better pets, especially female rats. If you do go with either make sure you meet the animals before buying and have the cage fully set up and ready to go. I wouldn’t even get them from a pet store, I’d find a local breeder that raises them for temperament.

It was mentioned above about kids having difficulty with pocket pets which is definitely true. So make sure your kids aren’t going to drop, squeeze or pull on these animals. Also know, even though they are good bites can totally happen.

I'd love to get rats. I just worry they'll take up more room and smell more b/c they are bigger. But I might still look into them. I've read they are fantastic pets and really smart. I don't really like cats so cats aren't an option. I'm not technically supposed to have dogs in my place and worry that with my busy schedule I wouldn't be home enough to really train or care for a dog.

With rats (or mice) I'm home in the evenings a lot and I assume they can keep each other company during the day while the whole family is gone.

I'd definitely get more than 1 as far as mice or rats. And females. Though I don't know where to get them other than a pet store. And I actually don't like to support the pet stores as far as animals. I don't think they treat the animals good or have the best quality/happiest/healthiest animals. I feel sorry for pet store animals and would probably end up buying the whole store up if I went to one.
 
Get one anyway. Just name him Juan and you're good to go. Theyll leave him alone

I had a neighbor who had 2 ferrets. They were really cool. Except he didn't clean up after them properly and his apartment ended up stinking soooooooooo bad of ferret crap and ferret odor. It was hard to even go in his place.
 
I had a neighbor who had 2 ferrets. They were really cool. Except he didn't clean up after them properly and his apartment ended up stinking soooooooooo bad of ferret crap and ferret odor. It was hard to even go in his place.
That's nasty. That's why I don't understand cats. My ex had three of them and despite her cleaning up after them you would still smell shit from the litter box all the time. At least dogs shit outside
 
Meese are phenomenal pets. You can also breed them and raise them in times of meat shortages
 
Meese are phenomenal pets. You can also breed them and raise them in times of meat shortages

Mice can have 6-10 pups a year. And can have 5-10 litters per year. The female mice are sexual mature enough to reproduce at 6 weeks. They can then start their own cycle of breeding!! lol. That's a LOT of potential mice in a year just from 1 female not to mention it's offspring and their offspring!

How fast can mice multiply? Start with 2 baby mice, one of each sex. At 6 weeks old the female can become pregnant. Gestation is 3 weeks, and under optimal conditions the female can become pregnant again immediately after giving birth. Assume a litter of eight, four male and four female, which are paired and bred when they are 6 weeks old. Theoretically you could get 131,258 mice in 1 year!
 
That's nasty. That's why I don't understand cats. My ex had three of them and despite her cleaning up after them you would still smell shit from the litter box all the time. At least dogs shit outside

Cats can be trained to go in the toilet. Heck, they can be trained to go outside, the issue is since they climb fences you can't just throw them in a backyard unsupervised like you would a dog.
 
Mice can have 6-10 pups a year. And can have 5-10 litters per year. The female mice are sexual mature enough to reproduce at 6 weeks. They can then start their own cycle of breeding!! lol. That's a LOT of potential mice in a year just from 1 female not to mention it's offspring and their offspring!
Fuck yeah man

Just an fyi tho the plural is "meese"
 
Fuck yeah man

Just an fyi tho the plural is "meese"

Ahhhh, thanks for the type. I knew multiple moose were called meese. I didn't realize multiple mice could be called the same thing.
 
Cats can be trained to go in the toilet. Heck, they can be trained to go outside, the issue is since they climb fences you can't just throw them in a backyard unsupervised like you would a dog.

<{hfved}>

How many people actually train their cats to use the toilet?
 
<{hfved}>

How many people actually train their cats to use the toilet?
How many people actually train their dogs to not be total douchebags? If you can extrapolate the #s from my condo I'd say it's bout .350
 
Rats really don’t smell as long as you kee up with their husbandry. All of these small animals will require work to keep clean and healthy, rats are more likely to use a litter box.
As for buying from a pet store, I always recommend finding a mom and pop (not chain) and have some lengthy discussions before you decide to buy. Also, make your kids do some of the research about their care I always recommend going to the library and finding a good book.
 
Rats really don’t smell as long as you kee up with their husbandry. All of these small animals will require work to keep clean and healthy, rats are more likely to use a litter box.
As for buying from a pet store, I always recommend finding a mom and pop (not chain) and have some lengthy discussions before you decide to buy. Also, make your kids do some of the research about their care I always recommend going to the library and finding a good book.

Thanks for the tips! I'm sure I could find a mom and pop type store in my area of the country. I'm in the Bay Area, CA.
I'll definitely make sure my kids are ready to help out and have a stake in the process so they feel excited and a sense of responsibility.
I think rats would be awesome. My wife would probably freak out but I think rats are awesome and just mis-understood thanks to media and the fact that "wild rats" are a pain in the ass in many parts of the world.
 
Rats really don’t smell as long as you kee up with their husbandry. All of these small animals will require work to keep clean and healthy, rats are more likely to use a litter box.
As for buying from a pet store, I always recommend finding a mom and pop (not chain) and have some lengthy discussions before you decide to buy. Also, make your kids do some of the research about their care I always recommend going to the library and finding a good book.

I found some rat rescue places in my area. The Bay Area of California has a good selection of pet rescues and stuff like that. I like the idea of rescuing a rat plus you get a little idea of their personality before getting them. However my kids would think it would be fun to have a baby rat to watch it grow.

So anyway, I'm a bit torn between rats and mice. I'd go with rats but my place isn't huge and rats are just so much bigger. However I do like the idea that they can be train to go in a litter box and tend to be more affectionate. I read that male rats are more affectionate but smell worse and pee more. I'll likely go with 2 female rats or 3-4 female mice. Though I don't know were to find fancy mice that aren't feeder mice. Fancy rat breeders are easier to find.

I just love animals of all kinds and haven't had a pet for a LONG time. I think it's important for kids to grow up with pets to learn responsibility, respect for animals, playing with them, dealing with loss/grief (which WILL happen to all pet owners), etc.
 
Back
Top