Rats/Guinea Pigs/Ferrets/etc...tell me about them.

[corgipower]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

Hamsters are the devil, lol. I have never met one that wasn't evil and that could keep their teeth to themselves!

That's been my experience with gerbils.

All of my hamsters were seriously cool and friendly.

[PWCorgi]

If you have specific questions, feel free to ask them. I was not too sure about what to say really without knowing what you wanted to know.

I know, I do the same thing with dog breeds, I just want to know everything without having to think up the questions, lol!

Mmkay, thinking cap on...
(also, if it alters the response to any of these, I am planning on getting from a shelter/rescue/CL post/etc. rather than a breeder if I can)

Do you have to clip their nails (and are they usually as bad as most dogs about having nails clipped if not introd early)?

Are they generally people/stranger friendly, or just like being with their people?

Is introducing them to new cage mates generally easy or difficult (I know this depends on the ferret, but I know with chins it can be a HUGE process and PITA to intro and let chins play without fighting)?

What is their hygiene management/grooming requirements like?

Erm...that's all I can think of right at this moment.
(If anyone wants to answer this in regards to rats too, that would be cool!)

[PWCorgi]

All of my hamsters were seriously cool and friendly.

Well maybe all the ones I have met have been defective, but they had serious temperament flaws, lol. I LOOOOVE russian dwarf hamsters though, OMG they are so cute!

[JessLough]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

I know, I do the same thing with dog breeds, I just want to know everything without having to think up the questions, lol!
LOL, see the issue is, I can talk peoples ears off about ferrets, and most of the time it just becomes rambling that nobody wanted to know

Mmkay, thinking cap on...
(also, if it alters the response to any of these, I am planning on getting from a shelter/rescue/CL post/etc. rather than a breeder if I can)
Just do not go through a pet store, the place that stores gets ferrets from is a puppymill for ferrets. I highly suggest the rescue route if there is one near you, as they can tell you their temperament, how they get along with other ferrets, etc, and can match you to the right ferret.

Do you have to clip their nails (and are they usually as bad as most dogs about having nails clipped if not introd early)?
yes, you do need to clip their nails, but they are stupid easy to do. All their nails are white, so you can easily see the quick. There is something on the market called FerreTone, you just squirt some of that on their belly, they will curl over and lick it off, allowing you to grab their nails and cut them without them even noticing/caring.

Are they generally people/stranger friendly, or just like being with their people?
They love people. It does not matter who you are, if you are willing to pay attention to them, they will love you. Of course, just like any other pets, if they were abused, they can be a bit skittish at first, but as a general rule, they just love all people

Is introducing them to new cage mates generally easy or difficult (I know this depends on the ferret, but I know with chins it can be a HUGE process and PITA to intro and let chins play without fighting)?
Extremely easy. Most ferrets LOVE other ferrets, and this is where going through rescue would be good, because they can tell you if they like others, or if they are best as a single. At the frolics that our rescue puts on, there is a play section, where people just go and throw their ferrets in with all the other ferrets that they have never met. There has yet to be a actual fight, there may be a few dominance scuffles, but no fight to the death.

What is their hygiene management/grooming requirements like?
They should only be bathed once or twice a year, the less the better. They sell something called FerretLax, for their shedding seasons so they will not get hairballs, which are deadly to ferrets. Other than that, there really is no grooming or hygiene for the fur. I generally will give my guys a wipe with bathing wipes or baby wipes every once in a while, but that is all.

Erm...that's all I can think of right at this moment.
(If anyone wants to answer this in regards to rats too, that would be cool!)
Going to throw in that the ferrets you see in petstores, that are smelly, are not a good example of what it is like in a house. With one ferret, as long as you scoop out the litter box every second or third day, wash bedding once a month, and do a whole cage scrub every few months, the smell is hardly noticeable. I do not notice a smell at all with my 3.

My answers are in red!

[PWCorgi]

Just do not go through a pet store, the place that stores gets ferrets from is a puppymill for ferrets.

You *really* don't need to tell me that, lol. I wouldn't buy any animal from a pet store (except mice, but they were lunch for Marx).

Thanks for the info!

[JessLough]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

You *really* don't need to tell me that, lol. I wouldn't buy any animal from a pet store (except mice, but they were lunch for Marx).

Thanks for the info!

LOL yah I figured, but some people figure that small animals like hamsters, mice and ferrets are all alright from petstores

[Amber]

Guinea pigs. They need a lot of space (like ALOT), they smell, they're loud, they can be expensive-ish (not SUPER pricey, but vetting, food, hay, bedding, cage..) ...I don't think I'll be getting any more in the future. (I currently have 2 from the shelter)
Oh, they tolerate interaction but it's definately not on their "favorite things" list.

[Picklepaige]

Oh, and I've got to say, rats are NOT a "sit in the cage and enjoy being left alone" type creature. They are absolutely NOTHING like other rodents. If you get a rat thinking it will be like a hamster or a mouse, then you've got another thing coming They want to be with you 24/7, especially the males.

Mine, especially my Brutus, were absolutely DEVOTED to me. My mom told me when I was away, especially at nights when he was wide away, my Brutus would stand at the cage door, waiting on me. As soon as I got home, he would go CRAZY. That rat loved me far more than any dog has, which a lot of people refuse to believe

To give you an example of that devotion, when I came back from vacation, I found him in a pitiful state: he was old and was dying. As soon as he saw me come in, he FELL out of his hammock and dragged himself to the cage door (his back end was paralyzed.) When I opened the cage door and held my hands out, he tried to climb into them, but couldn't, so I picked him up. He died less than five minutes after that

So, yeah, these are special creatures. I've had multiple pets and experienced multiple heart-breaking deaths, but nothing shook me up worse than the loss of that little rat. There's just *something* about them.

They steal your heart fast, I guess is what I'm trying to say

[PWCorgi]

PicklePaige, how are they with introducing to new rats?

[Bailey08]

Originally Posted by Picklepaige

To give you an example of that devotion, when I came back from vacation, I found him in a pitiful state: he was old and was dying. As soon as he saw me come in, he FELL out of his hammock and dragged himself to the cage door (his back end was paralyzed.) When I opened the cage door and held my hands out, he tried to climb into them, but couldn't, so I picked him up. He died less than five minutes after that

So, yeah, these are special creatures. I've had multiple pets and experienced multiple heart-breaking deaths, but nothing shook me up worse than the loss of that little rat. There's just *something* about them.

They steal your heart fast, I guess is what I'm trying to say

Okay, that made me cry. What a sweet boy.

(And that's a lot for me as I am afraid of "wild" rats.)