Chinchilla pros:
1. For being one of the larger small animals, cage is cleaner.
2. Drinks less water than similar sized small animals, so less time spent filling bottles.
3. Eats a simple diet, pellets and hay. No need to go buy produce all the time.
4. Interactive in the energetic sense. Will hop around and be fun to watch, whether in the cage or during playtime.
5. Sometimes can be potty trained for their pee only.
6. Don't tend to bite, though they do often nibble / taste (like a little pinch).
7. They are relatively quiet, most make almost no noises.
Chinchilla cons:
1. They poo constantly. It is dry, so it's not icky, but with the multilevel cages that they usually have, it tends to be out of the cage and on the floor.
2. Need a larger and probably better quality cage than the other animals on the list.
3. Need more chew toys than the other animals on the list.
4. Aren't typically cuddlers. Depends on the chinchilla of course, but the average one isn't going to chill with you while you watch tv. Can be held, but for shorter periods of time.
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Guinea pig pros:
1. Make cute noises.
2. They are more of a chill pet. They can be hard to catch, but once you catch them, they are the type to sit and watch tv with you and chill on your lap. Can be held for longer periods of time.
3. Can live in smaller cages as opposed to the chinchillas. One-level cages are typical, versus chins have multi-level cages.
4. Don't chew as much, so you don't need a Fort Knox type cage and you don't need, nor will you go through, a million chew toys.
5. Don't tend to bite, though may nibble.
Guinea pig cons:
1. Make noises. If the wheeking for veggies / attention / cause they feel like it ... if this gets on your nerves... you will be constantly in a state of irritation lol.
2. In the cage, they tend to like their safe space. Often an igloo or some sort of house... at least the gp's here, I don't see much of, they like to hide. Not a pet that's all that fun to "watch."
3. Need vitamin C added to the diet (not in water additives) in the form of veggies and produce. Unless you grow your own, this means constant trips to the grocery store. They need a cup per day, per pig.
4. They drink water like no tomorrow. A water bottle that would last a chinchilla a week might last a guinea pig 2-3 days. Because of this, the cages need cleaned more frequently, which is compounded by the moisture intake from the produce they also require.
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Hamster pros:
1. They're little. So, potentially smaller cages and less footprint from their cages.
2. Because they are small, small animals, the cage can be cleaned less frequently.
3. Eats less food / water, so less money spent over the lifetime of the pet.
4. They can eat a wider variety of foods, not such a restricted diet like a chinchilla.
Hamster cons:
1. Some hamsters like to be handled, but the ones I tend to get in here tend to be very flighty, and many bite. Like MANY. To the point that I call them "fur with fangs" (and friends in small animal rescue tend to agree). They tend to be more of a pet to watch than a pet to handle, unless you get the awesome one that loves being handled. How you get that one... I really don't know, lol.
2. They chew... so those tunnel cages aren't the best for them, as they can often chew their way out of those.
3. Can be so small that if they do get out, they are hard to find in the house.
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