We adopted again-

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by SzczerbiakManiac

Why is that? I have no experience with rodents, so I honestly don't know.

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

My friend in high school had a rat - very smart, very cute and loving.

Anyone here have/had hamsters? I was wondering what they're like. Are they really dumb? I think they're the cutest of the little guys (rabbits are in a whole other class )

Rats (generally) don't bite, they actually like to be held and played with (when I go to their cage they all run over and want attention), they are active during the day, they are sturdy and tend to be fairly healthy (the hairless ones seem to, in my experience, be an exception...they tend to have more health issues and have a weird tendency to get hair impacted under their eyelids), they are calm, they are trainable, they aren't squirmy to hold...

Hamsters...I've had a few. Very cute but IMO kind of nasty little animals. They don't like to be held, they bite, they are active at night...mostly they just want you to leave them alone. I've known a couple of sweet hamsters, but even then, they just don't have much interest in interacting. The dwarf hamsters are even worse, they are just this side of their wild ancestors and show it (albeit extremely cute). I don't know that they are dumb, per se, just extremely disinterested.

**Oh, and FYI to Nephy and anyone else getting a rodent...DO NOT keep them on cedar or pine shavings. The aromatic oils can cause severe respiratory problems and significantly reduce life span.