We must have done something right because our rat lived 5 years. Kirby was cute. My sister bought him without asking my mom (who was completely grossed out by rats). Mom said she could keep him as long as he stayed in the cage. As soon as he got out, he stopped being a pet and became a rodent.
Well, about 3 months later, my sister moved out and my mom was stuck with Kirby. She came to love that little rat more than any other pet she’d ever had. She let him sit on her head while she was on the computer and on her shoulder while she cleaned the cage. He’d eat out of her hands. She wanted to let him out of the cage more but he liked to attack the cat. My mom actually paid a couple hundred dollars for surgery when Kirby got cancer. He died anyway. She was so sad.
As usual, Ferret Herder beat me here with all the great advice on ferrets. If your home is not bunny proof, it most certainly is not ferret proof. If they can fit their head in something, they most likely can fit their whole body. They get into and can turn around in the tightest places. Personally, I think they have no spines…I wish I was half as flexible.
Ferrets can never be 100% litter trained when outside their cage. Mine hit around 75-80%. The only reason it’s that close is because they have to return to the cage to get water, so they’re near the box.
Ferrets have a scent, but with good care, it is easily managed. Clean bedding and daily conditioning/brushing keep it managable (and keep ferret dander out of my computer).
Now i’m flip-flopping between a pair of rats or a hedgehog. I found a hedgehog breeder in the town next to time, and have e-mailed her for info, so I’m waiting on that. I beleive there are rat breeders near me also, so I guess I’ll just have to weight the pros and cons of the two creatures.
I had a white rat in high school that I loved. She was smart, funny and a perfect friend. She loved to go through my purse when I came home from school looking for a treat. Her favorite was the individually wrapped roll candies (Crown?). She would sit up and hold it like a sandwich while she worked off the wrapper and gnawed her way around it.
When I was a kid I had heard that rodents were susceptible to respiratory infections and when they got one you should administer a tiny bit of red wine (hey, it was the 60s! Then again, what was I doing getting this sort of advice from the Sunday morning kid’s show with Sandy Becker or Sonny Fox?). Anyway, when Aphrodite came down with a cold, I dutifully gave her a tiny cup of red wine, less than a teaspoon. She seemed to like it. Then the fun began as a drunk rat attempted to hop up on my shoulder to help me read. She could not even walk straight or control her tail to any great degree. I think it was the first time she ever slept in any position other than curled in a ball.
Would you reconsider a guinea pig? I know you mentioned you didn’t have enough room for a guinea pig or a bunny, but our piggies don’t require all that much room. I think the minimum recommended space for a guinea pig is 4 square feet. They don’t climb so you can have an open-topped cage (though with cats in the house, I’d probably advise against that).
Guinea pigs aren’t the brightest animals, but they do learn to recognize your voice, and certain other exciting sounds (like rustling plastic bags, which may mean veggies are about to descend upon them). They vocalize, including a purring sound when they’re being petted, and a soft whistling sound when they’re having lap-time and getting nicely relaxed, and a loud “wheek” when they’re excited.
I don’t love things with tails - rats and/or gerbils - then again that’s just my own personal preference. So a guinea pig seemed to be just the answer for us.
I’d prefer a cat, of course, but there’s that whole “inability to breathe” thing
A friend of mine kept rats: smart, smaller than a guinea pig or cat, easy to take care of, and hopefully people will get over the idea of you keeping vermin. Hers would sit on her shoulder and curl their tails around her neck.
I’m surprised and saddened that it took almost all day for anyone in this community to post an off-color remark in a thread where the title included the words “small fuzzy animal.” Thank you, Biffy, for being brave enough to make that post.
Should I ever acquire an elephant shrew, I’ll name it after you.
Hers would sit on her shoulder and curl their tails around her neck.