the dreded which pet question

[satine]

does any one know of a small furry rodent that is anything like my ideal pet?
my ideal pet is a small rodent, that lives in an inexpensive cage ( abin cage etc not really a great big glass tank) likes human attention and likes to be in a ball ( i want to be able to give him lots of exercice etc) lives on its own (could live in a apir but id prefer just one addition to the family) but most of all can be handeled easily
the main pets im looking at are (this is without back gorund knoweledge theese are just ones to look into)
hamsters,gerbils and mice
what are the diffrent traits of the sexes etc?

[Firewolf]

I could only think of siran hamsters. (i can't spell that type of hamster right) That could live alone. But then there is the inexpensive cage problem and other problems.

[Punkygirl0101]

The only pet that fits your description is a Syrian hamster. They MUST live alone, all other rodents, and smaller animals need to be in pairs.

[ylrebmik]

Yup a syrian hamster.

If you don't mind more than one you could get a dwarf hamster or mice or something. Rats require bigger cages because they are obviously bigger but i've heard they love human interaction.

I prefer hamsters over mice but i think thats your best bet. (either of them)

Are there any other things your looking for? Long tail or not? That could choose it right there. lol

[gerbillover]

Gerbils are great, and they are awake during most of the day, unlike hamsters who sleep during the day.
They do need to live in pairs, but they are easy to care for and are much cleaner than hamsters.
If you want more info, visit www.agsgerbils.org

[1993Kat1993]

Mice also make good pets. I've owned 16.
They live to about two years of age.. Male mice tend to do better when alone and will kill other males.. They can become very sweet and loving pets. My mouse Panda even listened to his name when he wanted to. The down side to owning a male mouse is that they smell. Female mice make great pets too but have to live in pairs because they are I guess you could say "pack animals".

I don't know anything about hamsters though because I haven't owned any since I was 5.

-~Ketlin

[ratbrat21]

lets see syrian hams must be kept alone. Dwarf hams are ok alone but they can also be in pairs or small groups...mine are alone and just fine. Um then the only other one is male mice must be alone also. I say go for a male mouse. They are very affectionate (at least my 2 boys are) and so adorable. Plus they are smaller then hamsters.