Rabbits N'Rodents
Got Rabbits, Hamsters, Guinea pigs, gerbils?
Which pet suits you?
Hamster vs Guinea pig ? Rabbit vs chinchilla ? Not sure what pet suits you best ? These tables should help you!
Hamster vs Guinea pig
| Guinea Pig | Hamster (Syrian aka teddybear/blackbear etc) | Hamster (Dwarf) | |
| Size of caging (minimum) | 4ft(w) x6ft(l) x3ft(h) | 20 gallons | 15-20 gallons |
| Lifespan (average) | 7-8 yrs | 2-3 yrs | 1.5-2yrs (Russian Dwarves) 2-3yrs Robos and Chinese |
| Daily exercise time (minimum) | 1-3 hrs in a run or secure room | 30 mins | 30mins |
| Time when most active | Throughout the day | Late evening and early morning | Late evening and early morning |
| Cost | Expensive-large caging, hays, toys, fresh vegetables and possibly costly vet bills | Relatively Cheap, although start off costs are expensive | Relatively Cheap, although start off costs are expensive |
| Ease of handling | Difficult until tame | Easy enough to tame | Can be difficult due to small size |
| Recommendation and additional notes |
Sociable and must live in same sex pairs or neutered male and female pairings.Not suited for kids under 9, parental supervision and intervention is required for kids 13 and under 13. Must be housed indoors, which can be tricky due to large cage requirements. Click here for more information |
Unsociable and must live alone. Larger and slower than dwarves, so good for children aged 8 or over, but additional parental help and supervision is required until children are 13. Click here for more information |
Robos and russians can live in pairs, but Chinese must live alone. Can be tricky to tame and handle, not recommended for young kids under 13. Click here for more information |
Summary: If you are still unsure which pet best suits you, please take into account, both hamsters and guinea pigs require very different care, guinea pigs are much more expensive and long lived than a hamster. If you don't have much time, a hamster would be better.
Rabbit vs Guinea Pig
| Rabbits | Guinea Pigs | |
| Accommodation (Minimmum plus daily exercise) | 5ft x 7ft x 3ft (small-medium pair) Larger breeds require more room. | 4ft x 6ft x 3ft per pair |
| Lifespan (average) | 8-12 years | 6-9 years |
| Cost | High | High |
| Additional costs | Neutering and vaccinations (UK, Ireland and VHD/Myxo infected areas). Vet fees can be expensive. | Boars sometimes require neutering if to be paired with a female. Vet fees can be expensive. |
| Daily Exercise | 1-3 hours in secured room or run | 1-3 hours in secured room or run |
| Easy of Handling | Difficult- can scratch, bite, kick until used to handling, but may always try and avoid being picked up. Can get used to stroking and regular grooming. | Difficult, can jump out of arms easily, even small falls can be deadly. Can get used to stroking and regular grooming. |
| Possible Problems | Not suited for young children, often discribed as similar to puppies due to amount of time required daily and cheeky and playful attitude. Requires large indoor housing, or in mild climates an insulated shed or outbuilding (not garage) with run is okay. Once ill, go downhill very fast and vet treatment is often very expensive, although insurance is often available. | Not suited for young children, and require a lot of time and money. Require large indoor housing, not suited to outdoors other than in a secure, supervised run in mild climates. |
| Notes |
Must NOT live with a guinea pig, but ideally should have the company of another rabbit (neutered, opposite sex pairings are best, two unneutered males, and sometimes females will fight violently). Not suited for young children, better suited to children over 10, but parental supervision and intervention is necessary until children are at least 13 years of age. For more information on rabbits, click here. |
Must NOT live with a rabbit. Not suited to children under 9, parental supervision and intervention is necessary until children are at least 13 years of age. For more information on guinea pigs, click here. |
Summary: Rabbits and guinea pigs are both long lived animals, with reasonably high living costs, and require large indoor housing. Both are suited to older owners, and when it comes to deciding between the two, it is usually personal preference, so do more research from the links provided before you make your final choice, just ensure you don't buy a rabbit and guinea pig together as neither species can communicate and have different nutritional requirements, also, they can pose danger to each other if they don't get along or even by accident, partically the rabbits strong hind legs which can easily break the ribs of a guinea pig.
Rabbit Vs Chinchilla
| Rabbit | Chinchilla | |
| Housing (minimum) | 4ft x 6ft x 3ft (small-medium pair) plus daily exercise out of the cage. | 30" x 18" x 48" for one or two chinchillas. Requires levels to hop from. Height is important, whereas rabbits prefer ground space. |
| Lifespan (average) | 8-12 years | up to 20 years |
| Cost | High | High |
| Additional Costs | Neutering and vaccinations (in VHD and Myxo risk areas, including Ireland and the UK) | |
| Daily Exercise & ease of handling | 1-3 hours supervised play in a run or secure room, not often easy to lift, but often enjoys being stroked and groomed. | 1 hour every other day, supervised in a secure room. Chinchillas hate being picked up, and are very fast, but can enjoy being held. |
| Notes | Not suited as a pet for small children. All children under 13 will require parental supervision and help. Please click here for more information | Not a pet for children, requires large indoor housing. www.chincare.com |
Summary: My knowledge on chinchillas is limited, so please don't use this as your only source. Both rabbits and chinchillas require very different housing and have different needs, so research throughly each animal before deciding on a pet.
Gerbil vs Rat
| Rat | Gerbil | |
| Housing | Large, multi-level wire cage with plenty of opportunities to climb and lots of ventilation. Please see this external link: cage calculator | A 20 gallon (approx 80 litre) glass aquarium is the most appropriate for a pair of gerbils, the bigger the better! |
| Average Lifespan | 2 years | 2-4 years |
| Cost | Initial costs and vet fees can be high | Other than initial costs, relatively cheap. |
| Ease of Handling | Easy, once tamed, and can be trained to sit on shoulders, particularly males. Thrive on human company. | Very fast, but can be handled once tamed, although unlikely to stay still for long, and not as easy as rats due to quick nature. |
| Pros | Good pets for younger and older kids, as well as adults, but any child under 13 will need parental supervision and intervention at times. Large and easy to handle. | Good pets for older children and adults, but as always parental supervision is necesary for children under 13. Fun to watch. |
| Cons | Are more expensive, time consuming than gerbils. Some people may be allergic to rats, particularly those with asthma. Rats are prone to illness, particulary respiratory problems and tumours, so vet fees should be planned for. | Not as easy to handle as rats. |
Summary: Rats and gerbils require very different care, so choose which one best fits into your lifestyle. For more information on rats click here, and for gerbils, click here.