Quick update. We went to the pet store today to look at some animals.
We found a super cute mouse and tried to play with him, and it was way too skittish. Plus, I can't get my "fluffy pet play" fix from something that's so small.
They didn't even have any teddy bear hamsters. Just the weird Russian and Chinese ones. We didn't like them.
The rats ... eh, we weren't feeling much love for them. Plus, all they had were males, who have these huge nuts they drag all over.
The guinea pigs were awesome. They let us hold them and cuddled into our chests. We decided to sleep on it.
As we left the store, my wife rubbed her eye. Uh oh. Bright red, burning, won't stop tearing. It appears that wifey is allergic to guinea pig fur.
No small rodent pets for me, not in the near future, anyway.
Thanks for all the advice, though.