diiference between having a guinea pig or hamster for a pet

I met a lady in Petco, she and her son were looking at hamsters. I started to share with her about piggies and how to make the cage. I didn't want to talk her son out of a hamster, but on the way home I realized I really didn't know a lot about the difference between hamsters and guineas. Can anyone share their knowledge with me?

i personally find hamsters boring. yeah they run in a ball but they tend to sleep all day and you cant touch them cause they'll bite! they keep you up all night in that wheel they like to run in too. guinea pigs are apparently nocturnal too but in my experience, i can pick one up at any time and cuddle them since they are much bigger and they never bite, at least none of mine have and i've kept gp's for 22 years now. i find them to be so much more loving and they wont get out and get lost either. they have the cutest squeak and purring sound when they're content and will eventually know when food is coming cause mine always came to me and squealed with delight when they heard the bag rustling. i just find them to be a better pet then a hamster.

My son had a hamster when he was about 5 years old. I guess we had an exception to the rule. He never bit us, not once. He was however, the great escape artist8o . But, when he would get out I could call him and he would come to me. Of course, I always had a treat to give him . He lived for about 3 years. My son wanted another hamster but his dad suggested a guinea pig, since he had one as a child. My son really liked the piggie better, he said it was more fun to play with and cuddle than the hamster. I like piggies better my self. Tyty would always get so excited whenever he saw me get his bag of veggies out of the fridge. He would popcorn and squeak like crazy! He would lay on my son's chest and let him just pet him and talk to him. Our son really misses having a piggie.

i have a hamster now, and i've had many others in the past. for one thing they are much smaller about the size of a baby guinea pig. and they don't learn to recognize their owners, you can't call a hamster over they way you would a pig, they simply wont respond. Still they are great pets, especially if your out all day, because they don't wake up until 7 or 8. and they stuff food behind their cheeks, which is funny. They only live a few years, which can be sad if you become attatched to them. and they are the sweetest animals, i've had hamsters all my life, and only got piggies last summer, and the piggies have bitten me more then any of the hamsters i've ever had combined. as a matter of fact i only had one hamster that bit me twice.

Well, of course, piggies are more cuddly, and they tend to bite less, but...

1) they get bigger, this can be a good or a bad thing, depending on yourself.

2) they require more cost than hamsters (they eat more, need a bigger cage, need floor time, need hay)

3) hamsters are okay in an aquarium, piggies are not

4) hamsters can use a wheel and a ball, piggies can not

5) hamsters can be fine living by themselves, piggies can be too, but only if you play with them several times per day.

this is just what i've noticed.

-Dan III

I've had hamsters most of my life and got my first pig last year. Hamsters are nocturnal so aren't that good for kids (I think) my kids love him but hardly ever see him, where as the piggies are asleep and awake throughout the day. Hamsters are a lot smaller and tend not to sit still as much. Hamsters would be cheaper as they are smaller and eat less/don't need all the veggies. Cages are smaller (but not always cheaper)

[Marlania]

I have both pigs and hamsters. I had a pair of hamsters, but one recently died. Personally, I find hamsters not as interesting as pigs. My very first hamster, however, was the best. He would run around in his ball, get stuck behind the toilet, slam into cabinets, etc. He seed to love every minute of it. The hamster I have now is a dwarf hamster, which is extra tiny and not capable of anything interesting. He has escaped and been found in a shoe though. I find my pigs are more interesting and more like puppies.