Not to be used together, I swear! Figured instead of making two threads I’d combine here…
I’m looking for a small furry mammal for a pet. I am also looking for an exercise machine, of the elliptical trainer variety. Let’s start with the animal.
Part One: Rodent. My cat disappeared in November, and I’m fairly certain she’s not coming back. This is the first time in my life I’ve been without a fuzzy pet and I don’t think I can handle it much longer. But my father, whom I live with due to money restrictions, refuses to let me get another cat. But if I get a small mammal that I can keep in my room and that he won’t have to see or bother with, I don’t think he’ll mind. I need something that does not require daily cage-cleaning (weekly or so, I can handle), not too tiny but not too huge, something that is friendly and that will be okay in an enclosure while I’m at work but that I can take out and play with when I’m home. I’m looking towards a rat, gerbil, hamster, mouse, or something in that vein. I’ve had guinea pigs and rabbits in the past and would like something different. I saw something called a spiney mouse, I believe, at the pet store the other day that seemed interesting, anyone had any experience with those? Basically, recommend me a small fuzzy animal pet.
Part Two: Exercise Machine. I’m so out of shape it’s scary. I know I need to exercise, but actually leaving the house to do so taxes my willpower beyond its limits. When I was still in college I was going to the gym and using their elliptical machine about three times a week and it was working very well for me. So I know that if I had one of my own, I would use it and it would be a very good thing. I’m looking for something under $400, something that is not one of those Tony Little Gazelle things. It doesn’t have to have a lot of bells and whistles, but adjustable resistance and a pulse monitor would be nice. And it must be able to hold my fat ass, which means at least 275 lbs. (I’ve always been large but I’ve really let myself go since I graduated college.) So if anyone can suggest a good machine, I will be very grateful.
I’d vote for a pair of rats. Mice stink. (Not metaphorically–they just have much more offensive urine than rats.) Rats are interactive, both with people and each other. (You don’t want just one because they do not enjoy solitude.) The only downside to rats is their 24 month lifespan. You get attached to them and they die.
I would also suggest considering stepping away from mammalia. Bearded dragons and ball (or royal) pythons make pretty decent companions. The only downside to those critters is the initial expense. The one found in pet stores are frequently accompanied by intestinal bugs that shorten their lifespans and getting one from a reputable dealer pushes the price well above $100.
I have had rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, and ground squirrels as pets. In my experience, rats are far the most enjoyable rodent pets. They are intelligent, clean, affectionate, playful creatures. The only drawback is that they do not live long (three or four years), but that’s true of most rodents.
I second the vote for a pair of rats. They CAN live longer than two years, just don’t count on it. Because they’re social beasties, you really need to get two. They’re pretty smart, friendly and quiet, and they don’t stink (although I recommend a twice a week cage cleaning). They’re easy to feed, too. Commercial rat chow is a great staple diet and you can feed them fruit and veggies (NO ONIONS or any other member of the lily family - those are toxic to rats), dry pasta, leftover bits of pizza crust, etc.
My husband LOOOOOOVES his NordicTrak orbital thingie. Unfortunately, I have no clue what he paid for it or details on how it works, but he’s on that thing three nights a week, and has been doing that for about five years now (before that he had one of the ski-machine things.)
Rats: By far, the best. Smart, playfull, clean. The only downside is that some people are icked out by them, so be prepared for the occaisional person to go “Rats? Eww…” But screw 'em if they don’t like them.
Mice: Basically a small rat. Not as smart, but still playful. Plus, some people aren’t icekd out by them as much as rats.
Gerbil: Don’t really nkow much abou tthem…almsot liek a cross between a mouse and hamster, in terms of looks.
Hamster: Probably the most well liked, because they look the “cutest”, but man, they are dumb and mean. It takes a good amount of handling before they are tame and won’t bite you at every opportunity. Plus, they are the most nocturnal, and if the cage is in your room while you sleep, the running on the wheel might drive you insane.
Guinea Pig: Big, dumb, and scared of everything that isn’t food. Never had one myself, but I had a friend who had a couple, and the thing I remember most is that she walked them…or at least tried to. She put a ferret leash on them and took them in her backyard, and rather than roam about all happy that they are free from the confines of their pen…they just stood there, paralyzed with fear that they were out pof their safe pen.
So my vote is the rat, and get two. Just make sure to get two of the same sex, unless you want lots of little baby rats.
Gerbils are, in my experience, the cleanest of the rodents. They are desert animals so they don’t drink enormous amounts and then pee enormous amounts. We cleaned their cages once a week, used the recycled paper litter, and never had an odor. They are very energetic and active, curious, friendly, and tameable. They are very very very social and can get depressed if they get lonely. You should get two of the same sex.
Rats! Rats! Rats! They are awesome little fuzzer-butts! My boys chose a corner of their cage to poo in, so I put a little corner litter box in there and just changed the litter in there every day. They wee’d everywhere in the cage, so I changed that every now and then, but not daily. Weekly to every two weeks.
Make sure your cage has a solid floor–no wire mesh. They can hurt their little feets. And no pine bedding! It hurts their little lungs. I did well with CareFresh. Also–my cage had a pull-out drawer for the floor, made easy clean up time.
A good friend of mine had a sugar glider for a few years, but they are relatively high-maintenance, and they’re nocturnal so you won’t get to interact with it much.
Chinchillas are active at night too, so if you are going to keep this pet in your room, you have to consider that. They also need a bigger cage so they can run and jump.
I had chinchillas for about 10 years, and they do make beautiful and interesting pets.
I’ll second the parts about the hamsters and guinea pigs. Though cute and fuzzy-wuzzy adorable, hamsters are very anti-social in general. Some varieties, like the black bear hamster, are more social, but not as much as other rodents. I’ve never had rats, so I can’t tell you about those, but I can give you some info on gerbils. I have a pair, and they are VERY social (you’d need two or three of the same sex, they get lonely). I got them from a breeder and they were hand-raised, so every time I open the cage they come running up my arm. They are much cleaner than any rodent I’ve ever had, as their urine doesn’t have the amonia smell, nor do they even produce that much (their cage is NEVER wet). Their poop is hard and easy to clean as well. They are also very entertaining to watch! Their favorite toys are cardboard boxes, esp. the corrugated kind. They love to chew, and so are not suitable for one of those plastic habitrail cages. They can and will chew their way out. A glass aquarium is the best home for them, they don’t need anything fancy. A wheel is good for excercise, mine love to run. Do not use pine bedding, though it is still sold in most pet stores. Carefresh or something similar is best.
I’m guessing they are much like rats, in the sense that they are intelligent and friendly, but mine are very hyper. They are up both day and night (I think they sleep when I’m at work, but if I’m home during the day, they are up as well b/c they hear activity). They’re a lot of fun, especially when you give them new toys to play with. Also, if you can, get them from a breeder (I’d recommend this for any rodent, not just gerbils). They will most likely be cheaper (mine were $10 for the pair), and will be hand-raised and more likely to be happy playing with humans.
Another vote for chinchilla. Sweet tempered, soft, love to play.
Also, gerbils. We had a gerbil growing up that slept in my brother’s room. He was sweet, smelled no worse than a cat in the house and LOVED his exercise ball, rolling around the living room.
I vote for rat. An advantage to a rat is that they can learn to ride around on your shoulder, so if you wanted to walk about with them a little they can come along.
I say gerbils. I’ve had hamsters before, and they were horrible. They bit and smelled bad. I’ve got two gerbils now, and they are great! Very social, they’ve never bitten me. They don’t smell at all. Mine don’t run on their wheel, but they like the exercise ball. They definately like to chew. They love paper towel rolls. They use them as tunnels, and then chew them to pieces when they get bored with them.
Thanks for the replies, guys! Looks like it’s either a pair of rats or a pair of gerbils. I would love a chinchilla, they are so freakin’ adorable! (Those pics are killin’ me, Bosda!) But from what I’ve seen, the initial expense for one of those is a little more than I can afford right now. I’m gonna start looking seriously at rats and gerbils, though. Leaning towards rats, I think, because they’re a little bigger and therefore easier to pet.
I can understand that small fluffy animals are a far more interesting topic than exercise equipment, but I still would like opinions on the latter if anyone has any. And of course, more pet opinions are still welcome.
Another vote for rats here, their main disadvantage being that they mark extensively with piss and thus their habitat needs frequent cleaning. How frequent depends on the cage size and number of inhabitants…
Gerbils are super low maintenance, somewhat friendly, and really cheap to replace if you step on one. The main drawback of gerbils is that, in comparison to rats, they are basically uninterested in social interaction with their owner. As I type this, there is an aquarium with 4 female gerbils therein to my right. I wonder how they stay afloat? But seriously, they spend 86.2% of their time trying to tunnel through the glass which is probably about as productive as watching daytime TV, I suppose.
A nice way of keeping gerbiloids in the style to which they are accustomed is to have a large aquarium filled with tunnelable material (hay, sterilized peat moss, etc.). The gerblets then build a subterranean world, the like of which you’ve never seen before, unless you happen to be a gerbil or Canadian.
Mice are rubbish. They cannot fly and it’s nearly impossible to train them to fetch the newspaper.
A vote against chinchillas. My family farmed chinchillas when I was but a lad, and contrary to what others say, I think they are mean, vicious little monsters! (Yes, I know my views and theirs may be tainted by the fact that we weren’t keeping them as pets. Bite me. They did enough! :D)
