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imbrium posted:Absolutely - I figure this is the most likely outcome. Though I can hope. Not a rodent owner myself, but guinea pigs can be quite fluffy and I think they're diurnal.
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Jun 11, 2014 22:01
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Party Boat posted:My limited experience with pigs is that they get quite attached to what they consider home, so the regular trips away might be a bit much for them. Ours got grumpy with their cage being shifted to the kitchen while we redecorated the living room. Apologies for my limited information. I find rodents in general and guinea pigs in particular to be adorable, but I don't think I'd gracefully handle pets with such short life expectancies.
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Jun 11, 2014 22:59
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Captain Invictus posted:It can be hard, true, but after a while you just come to accept that they intrinsically don't live very long and so treasure the time you do have with each. True, but I just don't think rodents are for me. It's something I've thought about and decided against. As it is, the rodent and rat threads provide a steady supply of cute pictures.
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Jun 11, 2014 23:12
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I've got a few questions for rodent owners in this thread, one of them's kind of odd. I live alone in a small apartment, and am considering paying the deposit to keep a pet when my lease comes up for renewal. I've never kept rodents before, but I'm considering the possibility and trying to do some research. From the preliminary research I've done, guinea pigs despite being utterly adorable sound very high-maintenance, especially considering that I have a 10 hour work day once a week. Hamsters are also tentatively out given that they're nocturnal and I mainly work nights and come home to shower and collapse into bed when I get home. As such, I've mostly been considering gerbils and my questions mainly concern them. I've always found rodents adorable, but the short lifespans bother me. Is it any easier dealing with the death of a pet when you know they're so short-lived? Are they as low-maintenance as they seem? I'm accustomed to needing to regularly feed a cat and take care of their litter, but I don't know how much regular care gerbils need and how regularly their cage needs to be cleaned. My job does provide no shortage of cardboard boxes to take home. How social with humans are they? I've never been clear whether gerbils are best left in their refitted aquarium except for rolly balls when cleaning their cage, particularly if I follow the OP's recommendation and get at least two. My apartment complex is... not the best secured in the world and I have regular problems with bugs and lizards getting in, which also gives me concern about a gerbil getting out if I remove one from its cage briefly. For vet care, would I need to find a specialized vet for gerbils like the OP recommends for guinea pigs, or would a general vet likely be suitable? I'm not settled on gerbils as a potential pet, but I would like to make an informed decision one way or the other.
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Sep 30, 2014 19:43
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dj_clawson posted:I had lots and lots of gerbils as a kid, but there are some downsides. They don't have much in the way of personalities, they can't really be trained, they can't be held, and they need to be in pairs at the very least. I'm sure you can find someone on Youtube who managed to train their gerbil, but it's not common. If you decide on a pair of gerbils, be super ULTRA sure the pet store is not selling you a male and female pair, or you will be doomed to litters of babies every month. Noted, and on the male and female thing that was a concern of mine. If I did decide on gerbils or hamsters, my first thought was to see if there were rescues for that sort of thing or perhaps reputable breeders. Coming from a family fond of cats, I do not have a particularly high opinion of pet stores when it comes to knowing their animals. The can't be held thing... that's something I'm debating, over what I want out of a pet - whether I want a pet I can hold and cuddle with or just a pet amusing to watch. My apartment is tiny and I spend most of my time at a big computer desk that doubles as my main table for eating and filling out paperwork. My initial thought for gerbils/hamsters was to put the aquarium/cage in the gap between the desk and window wall to watch them - I usually keep my blinders closed to keep the room dark. quote:With both of them, though, you need to clean their cages about once a week and while you should change their food and water every 2-3 days, you can totally load up the food bowl and leave them for like a week if you have a big enough water bottle. Just don't do it and leave the air conditioning off, as they can die of heat exhaustion, as happened to a hamster my 3rd grade classroom "owned" over a long weekend. I don't turn my AC off, period, and I keep it set at 75 degrees. I live in Florida where it is very hot and very humid, and turning off A/C is an invitation to huge mold problems. quote:Another big factor: Guinea pigs require a ton of room and their cages have a much stronger smell than hamsters or gerbils. On the other hand, they are way more socialable and hearing them squeak when you pet them is about the most adorable thing ever. I took care of one for a summer and it was great, but also because I just saw him during the day, and didn't have the cage in my house. The room thing is a concern. My apartment is tiny and my bed, dresser, and desk take up most of the room in my bedroom which is where I spend almost all of my time normally. I'd have enough space in my family/living room, but I spend very little time there. quote:As for vet care, not all vets offer small animals services. Noted, something to look into if I seriously consider a rodent. quote:Regarding the one day if its just one day and you have multiple pigs its fine. I'm still down to one and while I do a normal 9 to 5 we also have people over fairly often and my roommate works a much looser schedule so shes usually only alone for a few hours at most. Some here may say that's too much, but she seems perfectly happy. But with multiple pigs its much less of an issue since they can pal around for a bit. The OP and a couple of other sites I looked at suggest that hamsters are better off solitary, while pigs and gerbils are very social and should be kept in at least pairs. I definitely want to prioritize the animal's well-being, and yeah I only work one 10 hour day a week at present. Two 7 hour days, two 8 hour days, one 10 hour is my normal weekly schedule. Thank you for the info. I think the biggest concern boils down to the lifespan issue and how sociable I want a pet to be. Something to think about, and I'm trying to do my homework on potential pets first.
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Sep 30, 2014 21:56
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I'd be terrified of killing a rodent in my sleep if they did that. I'm a squirmer when I sleep, so I'd be very afraid of crushing or suffocating them.
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Oct 6, 2014 20:51
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Dec 13, 2015 03:01
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Crossposting from PYF.
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Jan 16, 2016 23:08
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Jun 1, 2016 13:40
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Crossposting from PYF. http://i.imgur.com/VwMkkCN.mp4
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Jun 24, 2016 17:27
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From PYF.
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Jul 5, 2016 13:45
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From PYF.
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Dec 22, 2016 13:41
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https://i.imgur.com/dYXYHhu.mp4
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Mar 13, 2019 22:33
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https://i.imgur.com/teJvkvL.gifv
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Jul 5, 2019 22:39
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https://i.imgur.com/cDats5O.mp4
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Nov 5, 2019 00:03
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Mar 5, 2020 18:57
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Aug 10, 2020 20:42
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https://i.imgur.com/dYXYHhu.mp4
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Aug 11, 2020 18:51
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A wild rodent. https://twitter.com/dickkingsmith/status/1311588448260808704?s=21
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Oct 1, 2020 23:32
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https://i.imgur.com/OO1oQvA.mp4 (not mine)
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Aug 1, 2021 00:15
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Captain Invictus posted:it is just how rodents Do De-lurking to comment that this is why I never got a gerbil or guinea pig despite thinking they're adorable, and apartment terms being much friendlier to them than a larger pet. I just don't think I can deal with the short lifespan.
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Oct 26, 2021 12:30
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https://twitter.com/pervocracy/status/1459620010482147328
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Nov 14, 2021 17:45
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Sep 22, 2022 15:57
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Not mine. https://i.imgur.com/P26yLq5.mp4
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Jan 15, 2023 22:19
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