# Rat vs. Hampsters



## madihicks4 (Jul 2, 2014)

Some of my friends have been saying that hamsters are better than rats. This is so untrue! Rats are intelligent and curious. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Something I like to point out when people say any pet is "better" is that different pets are better for different people. Rats are better pets for me because I love how interactive they are, but my mom prefers gerbils because gerbils don't need or crave human contact and my mom prefers to watch them than play with them. Dogs are better for some people because they are very loyal and love people, but cats are better for other people who prefer more independent pets.

No pet is really better or worse than another overall. Certain pets are better for certain people.


----------



## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

I have had both and I agree rats are so much better! Our hamsters didnt like human contact. They just ran away from us. Although they liked for us to talk to them but that was it. They arent as personable or friendly as a rat. But they sure are cute.


----------



## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Personally I prefer rats 100x over hamsters. I used to want a hamster so bad when I was younger, then my friends got them and I realized how much they suck. They bite, poop a lot, and I felt like I was playing with a wind up toy rather than an actual living creature. I find hamsters boring, too timid, and not that bright. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I've had a little bit of bad experience when it comes to hamsters. My boyfriend's little brother used to have hamsters. He was always coming to me to help catch them because they escaped, help him hold them, or help transport them because they would bite. They never bit me, but they always seemed to get his little fingers. My rats have never nipped at a little kid before so maybe that's why I prefer them. =P


----------



## Jackie (Jan 31, 2013)

I've had 6 hamsters with a mostly positive experience, but they have nothing on rats. Rats are more friendly and more intelligent!


----------



## delilahrene (Nov 1, 2013)

FallDeere said:


> Something I like to point out when people say any pet is "better" is that different pets are better for different people. Rats are better pets for me because I love how interactive they are, but my mom prefers gerbils because gerbils don't need or crave human contact and my mom prefers to watch them than play with them. Dogs are better for some people because they are very loyal and love people, but cats are better for other people who prefer more independent pets.
> 
> No pet is really better or worse than another overall. Certain pets are better for certain people.


Agree with this 100%. Some people do not like my rats or understand why I have them, and I can respect that. Just like I would never want a tarantula, but can understand how someone who loves them would want one. You can only compare them on how each would fit with your life and personality, but I do not believe you can compare them on the basis of which one is "better." Rats fit well with my schedule and expectations of a relationship with an animal companion, so I keep them around. That does not mean I like them more because I chose not to get a hamster. Plus there are plenty of hamsters I have seen that are just as affectionate as my rats.


----------



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

delilahrene said:


> Agree with this 100%. Some people do not like my rats or understand why I have them, and I can respect that. Just like I would never want a tarantula, but can understand how someone who loves them would want one. You can only compare them on how each would fit with your life and personality, but I do not believe you can compare them on the basis of which one is "better." Rats fit well with my schedule and expectations of a relationship with an animal companion, so I keep them around. That does not mean I like them more because I chose not to get a hamster. Plus there are plenty of hamsters I have seen that are just as affectionate as my rats.


Thank you! It really bothers me when people make blanket statements about "this pet is better than that one!" If one pet was perfect for everyone, so many different types of pets wouldn't exist. Lots of people love ferrets and I'm sure they make great pets for those people, but a ferret wouldn't fit my lifestyle. Therefore, rats are better for _me_, but I would never say rats are better overall. Hamsters and gerbils are great for people who want simpler, less interactive (as a general rule) pets, which some people _do _want. Not everyone wants a tiny dog (which is what I compare rats to lol). If everyone wants a pet as interactive as rats, reptiles and fish wouldn't be very popular, would they? Rats are also pretty high maintenance and have special requirements not everyone is willing or able to meet, whereas hamsters and gerbils have more straightforward requirements and don't take up nearly as much room. Plus, gerbils have no noticeable odor no matter how long you go without cleaning the tank, which is a major plus to my mom. XD

I decided over year before I even got rats that they were my perfect pet... before I even _interacted _with any rat, in fact, because of everything I read. I was completely right! But that doesn't mean they're the perfect pet for everyone. It doesn't even mean they're perfect at all, lol. It just means they're the best fit for _my needs_.

I always like to say my family's dogs are "the perfect dogs for us." Does that mean they have no flaws? Heck, no! But we can live with their imperfections and their good traits fit us perfectly. Some people wouldn't like out dogs at all, but they fit us better than any other dog would. Hence "perfect for _us_."

Whew, rant over. XD I have strong feelings on this subject. I'm sure you can't tell at all.


----------



## Darling (Jul 13, 2014)

Keep in mind that this is just my perspective and whether a hamster or rat is the right pet for you depends completely on your circumstances and not my opinion.

I had hamsters for years before I had rats. All of the hamsters I had were male Syrians, commonly known as teddy bear hamsters. This breed is supposedly the most friendly of the hamster breeds. I found them to be cuddly once they got used to you, which usually took around three weeks. (My rats only took a couple days to warm up to me so that was a huge change.) Usually, they would hide in my pockets and hoods, like a rat might, and fall asleep. 

They are very clearly not as curious or intelligent as rats. I'm currently stuck with one hamster and the differences in personality between him and my rats is crazy. Pockets (the hamster) would be happy to run on his wheel and eat sweet bell peppers everyday until he died. He has no interest in free-ranging or exploring like the rats do. When I take him out of the cage, he freaks out and when I'm holding him, he calms down and falls asleep. He has no personality, only a pattern of behaviors: eat, poop, run, sleep. The rats, I'm sure, would be miserable doing this.

Things the rats do but Pockets doesn't: poop in a litter pan, do tricks in exchange for treats, crawl onto me willingly, get along with other animals and people. 

Hamsters are a great starter pet for someone who is just discovering the world of small animals, but they become boring quickly and at times I feel like taking care of him just isn't worth it. Hamsters are good pets if you're a busy person and want a pet for show. They're very cute and don't give off the "ew" factor to the general public, like rats do, for whatever reason.

So yeah, rats > hamsters.


----------



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Darling said:


> They are very clearly not as curious or intelligent as rats. I'm currently stuck with one hamster and the differences in personality between him and my rats is crazy. Pockets (the hamster) would be happy to run on his wheel and eat sweet bell peppers everyday until he died. He has no interest in free-ranging or exploring like the rats do. When I take him out of the cage, he freaks out and when I'm holding him, he calms down and falls asleep. He has no personality, only a pattern of behaviors: eat, poop, run, sleep. The rats, I'm sure, would be miserable doing this.


This made me think specifically about MY rats versus hamsters... Your description of your hamster reminds me of one of my girls, Cream. I am almost certain she has some sort of brain issue that has caused her to be "different" then normal rats because she has weird quirks. She _hates _leaving her cage and will go to any length to get back to it. The only time she is "calm" outside her cage is when she is completely _removed _from the house (such as a trip to the vet) because she knows she can't get back, so she _seems _chill... but is really freaking out inside. Sadly, she's the only one of my rats to need many many vet visits... poor thing. Everyone at the vet's thinks she is the sweetest thing. And she is... when she's frozen in fear. At home she's anti-social food obsessed, and rather mean. She eats, runs on the wheel, poops in the litterbox, steals and hoards food from the other girls, and glares at me. Don't get me wrong, I love her and I wouldn't change her if I could. I just wish she wasn't so afraid of leaving the cage. It makes me sad, but I've decided not to stress her out anymore by trying to teach her that it's safe to be out of the cage. She probably is partially blind too, and is two years old now, so I'll just let her live in her familiar cage in peace. Unfortunately, she has developed two more lumps (she already had a tumor removed) so a vet visit is in the near future. =/

I mention all this because not only does the "perfect" pet depend on a specific person's _preferences_, but it also depends on the individual pet. Not all rats are alike. Not all hamsters are alike.


----------



## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

My hamster was super cool. One thing I LOVED about my hamster was that he ate everything with me. I made mac and cheese for me, had to made some for him. I ate ice cream, he ate ice cream. Whatever I ate, he loved! haha. My rat does not like eating anything really. Sometimes he will try stuff, but doesn't just chow down on food with me like my hamster did! I also didn't feel bad leaving my hamster home alone for a weekend. I could never leave my rat, not even for a day! Hamsters have those cool balls too. I don't know why I thought those were amazingly awesome. Just some things I miss about hamsters.

RIP Ducky and Two! Coolest hamsters!


----------



## Darling (Jul 13, 2014)

FallDeere said:


> This made me think specifically about MY rats versus hamsters... Your description of your hamster reminds me of one of my girls, Cream. I am almost certain she has some sort of brain issue that has caused her to be "different" then normal rats because she has weird quirks. She _hates _leaving her cage and will go to any length to get back to it. The only time she is "calm" outside her cage is when she is completely _removed _from the house (such as a trip to the vet) because she knows she can't get back, so she _seems _chill... but is really freaking out inside. Sadly, she's the only one of my rats to need many many vet visits... poor thing. Everyone at the vet's thinks she is the sweetest thing. And she is... when she's frozen in fear. At home she's anti-social food obsessed, and rather mean. She eats, runs on the wheel, poops in the litterbox, steals and hoards food from the other girls, and glares at me. Don't get me wrong, I love her and I wouldn't change her if I could. I just wish she wasn't so afraid of leaving the cage. It makes me sad, but I've decided not to stress her out anymore by trying to teach her that it's safe to be out of the cage. She probably is partially blind too, and is two years old now, so I'll just let her live in her familiar cage in peace. Unfortunately, she has developed two more lumps (she already had a tumor removed) so a vet visit is in the near future. =/
> 
> I mention all this because not only does the "perfect" pet depend on a specific person's _preferences_, but it also depends on the individual pet. Not all rats are alike. Not all hamsters are alike.


You're right and I'm sorry, I should have acknowledged that. I guess there is a static description of rat behaviour, though all their personalities are different and because none of my rats deviate from that, I didn't think about including it in my little rant. And it's cool that she's different. That's dope.


----------



## Charlottesmom (Nov 27, 2013)

So far all my hamsters have been way easier to tame than my new 3 ratty boys are! I had our last hamster (who the girl at the pet store said was a biter and skittish) eating out of my hand and snuggling with me in 2 days! The ratties are still very shy.


----------



## rileys-mom (May 26, 2014)

Having had rodent pets from gerbils to guinea pigs to squirrels and more, I have to say I personally like rats best. Mice are fun to watch because they are very active, but they aren't very cuddly and are hard to handle. Hamsters and gerbils are nice, but not very interactive. Plus hamsters tend to bite. Guinea pigs are very sweet, but not too bright. Rats are perfect. They like human interaction. They are smart, clean, and fun. They're just down-to-earth little animals that seem to enjoy life and sharing it with their human companions.


----------



## xColdBones (Jun 21, 2014)

Rats are by far more intelligent and animated than hamsters. I've never owned one but s lot of my friends have. Your friend is probably saying that because she has never owned rats and learned about the joy they bring. Show her your rats and let her play with them so she can see how amazing they are. If you teach them tricks, you can show her how intelligent they are.


----------



## abratforarat (Jan 12, 2014)

Yeah, I know. Rats are a lot better then hamsters and their intelligence doesn't even match a bit


----------



## abratforarat (Jan 12, 2014)

Oh, and gotchea, I know some can be very nice Hamsters are very nice, too!


----------

