Is A Guinea Pig Or A Hamster Better? | 7 Factors to Consider

Guinea pig and hamster, two adorable animals, are kept as pets. As expected, among the pet lovers, the war on the “Is a guinea pig or a hamster better?” kept pace for a long. 

But, what is the answer in the end? 

To decide which is better between a guinea pig and a hamster, you need to evaluate at least 7 facts. Size, character, lifespan, friendliness, the noise they create, required space to pet them, and special care they need should be considered. 

Let’s compare them with the mentioned points, and decide which is a good pet for the pet lovers. 

Is A Guinea Pig Or A Hamster Better? The Comparison

People like me who have a craze about pets, especially rodents, often stay in confusion about choosing the pets. 

When the issue is guinea pig vs hamster, the question “is it better to get a hamster or a guinea pig?” pokes on a large scale. To get rid of such a situation, I have found 7 attributes to consider to decide which one is better.

Let’s discuss and explain them. 

Size of the Animals

Basically, a guinea pig is sized about 20 to 40 cm (8 to 16”), which is 2 to 4 times bigger than a hamster. Also, the weight of a regular-sized guinea pig is about 1 to 3 pounds, whereas the hamster gets 1 to 10 ounces. 

Character

In terms of temperament, a guinea pig is significantly calm in nature. But, a hamster becomes more temperamental than a guinea pig. 

As a small creature, the hamster is more fragile and needs to handle with more caution. There is a high chance that the hamster would bite you. 

To prevent such events, a guinea pig is more likely to have as a pet than a freaking hamster. 

Lifespan

A pet means getting in touch for a long time. For this reason, you should significantly consider the lifespan of these two. 

Because a long-lived creature means a long-life commitment. 

Basically, a guinea pig lives for 4 to 8 years. On the other hand, a hamster can expect a lifespan of around 1 to 3 years. 

The lifespan means a lot. A longer lifespan for a pet creates a great bonding between the owner and the pet. In this regard, a guinea is far ahead of the hamster. 

Friendliness

If you ask which is the more affectionate hamster, hamster, or guinea pig, you get the answer on the guinea pig. 

Between the hamster and the guinea pig, sociability, or friendliness, is one of the most significant differences. 

Guinea pig is more friendly and socialized. It will do better with its companion, whether another group of guinea pigs or humans. 

But the hamster-like to live solitarily rather than being friendly like the guinea pig. 

Noise Creation

As a friendly creature, the guinea pig creates different and a lot of sounds. They are noisy and love to generate sounds. 

On the other hand, the hamsters are not that noisy. They just let you know their presence in the morning by creating soft sounds in their cages. 

Space Needed to Pet Them

Since the guinea pigs are comparatively bigger, they need a bigger space as well for living and playing. In the long run, they are suited to the outdoor. 

Opposingly, being small creatures, hamsters are suited to indoor living along with smaller cages comparatively. 

By the way, both animals must have cared for the proper spacing they need. 

Care They Need

Are hamsters or guinea pigs easier to take care of? As we have seen yet more legit reasons to pet the guinea pigs, both pets need special care to be taken. 

The owner must help the guinea pigs to synthesize Vitamin C externally for the guinea pigs as they cannot do it themselves. You also need to provide them with sufficient fibered food and feed them multiple times daily. 

You also need to frequently clean the bedding of the guinea pigs as they can spread allergies or asthma. 

Both are prone to cancer which must be treated with extreme care, also with expenses. 

If you’re interested in learning more about hamster and guinea pig health and behavior, you might find our articles on how hamsters see the world and why hamsters die easily helpful. Our article on how hamsters see the world explores the vision of hamsters, including their eyesight, color perception, and visual preferences. Meanwhile, our article on why hamsters die easily examines the common health issues that hamsters face, and what you can do to prevent and treat them. Check out these articles to learn more about keeping your hamster or guinea pig healthy and happy, and to gain a better understanding of their behavior and senses.

Final Verdict

So, what is the final verdict? Is a guinea pig or a hamster better? 

Summing up things, the guinea pig is a more friendly creature. They are also more social than the hamsters, whereas the hamster basically likes to live solely. 

The lifespan of the two is also very much momentous, as a long relationship creates more love, care, and compassion. You will get this from the guinea pig. 

In the end, I would recommend rather take a guinea pig as a pet while comparing it with a hamster.