rats vs guinea pigs

Question
I have one 6 year old and two 4 year old sons.  We would like to get rats or guinea pigs.  I've read that rats are very smart and social, and that guinea pigs are very docile and sweet.  Which do you recommend for young children?  

Answer
Hello,
It's quite a hard choice as both make great pets. However with your children that are 4 and 6 I would recommend guinea pigs simply because rats can get a bit over excited when it comes to food and if you stick your fingers through the bars of the cage, they will almost always bite you as they think it is food. Some rats are also quite difficult to catch and get out of the cage as they can be quite timid. Both rats and guinea pigs do better if more than one is kept. With rats you can keep groups of males or females together, obviously not both or they will breed! The males do not usually fight when kept together but it can happen sometimes. The major downside to keeping rats is that they are very prone to tumours and cancer, especially females. It can be very difficult to nurse them through cancer and to watch them try to fight of a disease like that once you have become very attached to them.
      If you decide to get guinea pigs, I would recommend getting a group of females, you can keep as many females as you want together with no problems. Just be careful that they are sexed properly as many people often make mistakes. Males tend to fight when kept together. It would be better to keep 2 from the same litter together but they will probably start to fight once they reach puberty. Guinea pigs require gentle handling as they can be quite skittish and nervous. With a lot of love, they will soon settle down and you will be able to sit with them on your lap. Guinea pigs make great house pets, they can be trained to use a litter tray in their cage which would make cleaning easier. It would also be easier to let guinea pigs have a run around in a secure room in the house as they are quite easy to catch. Just make sure they can't get at any wires! Rats can be very smelly and messy! Some people say males are smellier than females but I haven't found any difference between them.
     Guinea pigs are easy to feed but they do have special dietary requirements when it comes to vitamin C. Which ever you decide to get, let me know and I could email you some articles that I have written about feeding rats or guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are quite easy to handle and your children would get enjoyment from doing so. It would be better if you lift the guinea pigs out of the cage for them as they can get very seriously injured if they get dropped. Also they do not really like to be lifted off the ground as it makes them feel uneasy so its best to handle them while sitting on the floor. One thing to consider is that guinea pigs tend to live longer than rats so would require you to care for them for longer. Both guinea pigs and rats can be left for most of the day as long as they are at least in pairs. Guinea pigs will greet you when you come home by squeaking and they do make excellent pets!
      If you have any more questions or need any more information, feel free to ask. I hope that you are able to make a decision and that you find the perfect pets for you and your children!