Hi, i had the same dilemma and we ended up gettong a blue tongue lizard my daughter loves him because they look funny and feel funny and we love him cause there no work just clean out there cage once a month

I woudl go for a guinnee pig! they are big adn dont squash easily and they arent so... RAT!...  I am deffinatly oen of those peopel that woudl freak if I saw your little son playing with a rat! there is nothing wrong with them, actually they aare verry practical they are kinda clean, smart, low maintnece... just kinda ugly and have a rreally creapy tail! LOL

I have had mice since I was 9 years old and I absolutely love them! I don't have them anymore though because they can be a lot of work and I decided to buy my 1 year old a puppy instead. I have heard rats are cleaner and more loyal pets than mice but their size has always put me off them. Mice on the other hand are cute and cheap to keep but I would recommend cleaning their cage at least once a week as it can get quite smelly. Males are smellier than females but like somebody else said the pet shop can't gaurantee the sex of the mice as I once bought what I thought was a male mouse and ended up with a female. Little did I know she ended up with the opposite sex companion and babies after babies later. I ended up with about 100 inter-bred mice as you can not stop them from multiplying and no pet shops really wanted them. So if you do get mice, get one and one only. Also mice do only live for about 1-2 years and they often die from tumours around their head so this could be quite upsetting for your 3 year old. I cried for such a long time when my first mouse died. I've never kept bunnies or anything like that but I've had fish, hermit crabs, budgies, a finch, dogs and mice and out of all of them I would have to say the finch was the best and easiest to care for. It was a wild finch too as my Dad rescued it from a nest just after it was born and so we hand-raised it. We all grew such a close bond to that finch that when she died even my Dad cried and he is one very tough-love kind of man. As for being worried about squishing I'm sure a 3 year old would have a pretty good grasp on how tight is too tight as I would often let my little nephews look after my mice  when they were only 1 and 2 and they always came back alive. Lastly have you thought of a small dog? They are a lot of work if you get a puppy but I'm sure the local pound would probably have some older dogs that need a home. I bought my son a puppy for his 1st birthday and I wish I hadn't only because my son is still so young that I feel like I have 2 babies - I probably should have got an older dog instead of trying to train a pup while looking after a 1 year old. But at the age of 3 I'm sure your son is a lot easier to care for and he can probably help out a lot too. Plus a dog has such a long life span and he would probably become your son's best friend so it would definitely be a good investment in the future. Good luck with your choice! I think getting a pet for your son sounds like a great idea! Oh and sorry for the long-winded reply lol!

Samantha xox

If you're going to choose between a mouse and rat I'd definitely suggest going for the rat. They are a bit easier to take care of and mice have a tendency to smell really bad. Another suggestion is maybe a hamster. I always had hamsters growing up. They're very clean animals compared to mice and rats. You basically only need to feed them once or twice a week and clean their cages once a week (they hide their food so just because their bowl is empty it doesn't mean they ate it all... they just collect it and store it for later). Rabbits and Guinee (sp?) pigs are also good choices.

I would recommend neither for a 3 year old.  Both are just as likely to get squished, and both will escape if the cage is accidentally left open.

More appropriate is a rabbit or guinea pig.  They can be kept indoors or out, have about the same maintenance level as a mouse or rat and cost about as much to keep too.

By the way, rats and mice are higher maintenance than a bird or fish.  I've had all four over the years and I can tell you now, the mice took more time to clean out than the birds or fish, and the rat came a close second.  If you are looking for a pet that is truly low maintenance, look into some of the insect varieties like Giant Burrowing Cockroaches or Rhino Beetles. 

Hi, If you were going to choose between Mice or Rats, go for the Rats, they are not as smelly, and can be trained easier. A friend of mine had six pet rats and used to bring a couple of them to school every day, they would just sit in her bag and she would bring them out at reccess and play with them. Good Luck!

also what about hemmit crabs? very easy, can't really hurt your  child but introduces them to the world of pets, and not much cleaning for you..... could be a good way to start as well.

i would go a pet rat from a pet store! loo. you would be surprised how clean they are and stmart to, they form attachments to people, food and will do the old rat in a maze trick...... mice can be very very smelly and if it gets out well....... yes rats can to but you can atke them with you to places, in your pocket or arounf or nneck, they really like.....

for your son i vote rat! goood luck.

alternatively have you considered maybe a dwarf rabbit or something along those lines. they can be kept inside an out, are pretty low maintenance and big enough to handle.

Personally I find a rabbit alittle better than a mouse or a rat because they can be treated at the vet easier and you probably wont have to explain to a 3 year old why his pet has died as it should live for several years.

My sister had a pet mouse from around the age of maybe 9-10. They are great pets if you handle them constantly, and give them lots of things to do in their cages to keep them active.
 

Rats are bigger, and pretty much the same. 1 thing you do need to watch when buying a mouse is that petshops can not guarantee a gender when buying a mouse and they can  not guarantee that a female mouse isnt pregnant at the time of sale.