Need advice re: small animals/hamsters

[shilala]

My daughter has kept hamsters, dwarf hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, and rabbits.
She said the mice are the best by far.
Hamsters and gerbils bite, guinea pigs stink, and rabbits and guinea pigs are hard to maintain.
We've had house rabbits before. You can litter train them and pen them when you aren't there. They're really stupid and have zero personality. They eat your lamp cords.
We had a dwarf hamster before that was as cool as a mouse. It was hand raised from birth and very tame. They're usually mean as hell.
Guinea pigs are very smart and lots of fun, but you have to do a lot of cleaning, they're noisy and demanding. They're the hardest to care for of all the rodents.

Mice are awesome. They're fun, don't bite, love to be handled, enjoy your company, and they're just plain cute. All you need is a fish tank, a wire lid, some bedding, a wheel for them to run on, and a water bottle. Wood chew toys and all sorts or treats are available at Walmart and most anywhere else.
You can make baby mice very easily if you so desire and sell them back to the pet store for feeders. (Snakes gotta eat, too.)

Hamsters like to climb through tunnels and stuff and you can spend a fortune on Habitrails and balls for them to run in and fancy toys. That's all the fun, cause they really fall short personality-wise. They don't like people, they just tolerate them.
If you've had hamsters before and truly played with them a lot, and found you enjoyed them, go for it. The toys are the best.
If you want a rodent that doesn't require a lot of attention to stay tame, and one that'll be glad to see you, a mouse fits the bill.

I've heard that rats are the smartest and coolest of all the rodents. Problem is that you'll really fall in love with their special personalities and they die. They only last two or three years. A three year old rat is not unheard of, but very rare.
I've had a lot of friends who have really enjoyed keeping rats as pets, I can't stand them. I spent too many years killing them to imagine bonding with one.

My brother kept ferrets. They stink. Bad.

Originally Posted by shilala

My brother kept ferrets. They stink. Bad.

I had a female. Smell really wasn't that bad, males are supposed to be worse.

They are OK to run around the house, but it will have to be ferret proofed. They can get into really small spaces and will eat anything they find. A swallowed eraser from the top of a pencil equals expensive bowel surgery or a new ferret.

They are more personable than the rodents and pretty easy to care for. Let me know if you have any more questions about ferrets.

I've had hamsters, guinea pigs and mice. My cousin has had rats and said they are fun to raise.