pet for son

Question
my son has 2 cats and 2 guinea pigs and would like another pet. every day he
pesters me about so i think i'll suprise him with something. out of 1 or 2
chinchillas which evers best and any gender, 2 rabbits but what gender is
best, or two female rats, which has the least odor and maintenance and is
playful and social. also how much should i expect for the animal
itself$$$$$$$$$

thank you.

Answer
Dear Lori,
thank you for your question.
Chinchillas grow very old, they have a life expectancy of 25 years, so I wouldn't recommend getting them unless you are prepared to care for them. They also don't like being petted very much and are more for watching, so they don't make good children's pets. Chinchillas also are nocturnal.
The same goes for rabbits, they also need a lot of floor space.

Rats are very social and love to interact with their owner. They are nocturnal, but will adapt to your schedule and will get up earlier and stay up "late" so that your son can play with them before going to bed and in the morning. They learn very fast that they get a treat at a specific time and will wait for it. They need big cages, but the cage should be high and doesn't take up as much floor space as a rabbit or chinchilla cage. I would definitely recommend getting rats.

I recommend looking for a rescue animal. Rodents at pet shops are often pregnant and may be sick. www.rmca.org has a list of rats looking for new homes. They also have a list of good breeders. Rats from a breeder will cost more than pet shop animals, but a good breeder makes sure that his/her animals are healthy and not inbred, as lots of pet shop rats are. You may have to pay a fee for a rescue animal, but it's usually less than at the pet shop. I don't know exactly how much you have to pay, I'm in Germany and I guess that the prices here will differ. But the animals will be the cheapest item by far, the cage will be far more expensive. You can build rat cages yourself, actually I recommend it because it's so hard to find good rat cages. Here are pictures of good rats cages (click on the thumbs to view a bigger picture), measurements in centimetre.

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer