📊 Data reference

Small-pet keeping, by the numbers

An original data reference on the 26 small pets we cover — how long they live, how demanding they are, what they eat, and whether each one needs to live with its own kind. Every figure traces back to our fact-checked care sheets, so nothing here contradicts our care advice.

Updated September 2026

26species in our dataset

46%are beginner-friendly

6average lifespan (years)

12can live 8+ years

13must live with their own kind

20longest typical lifespan (years)

What the data says

Most small pets are not short-term pets. 12 of 26 can live 8 years or more — the longest-lived being the Chinchilla (up to 20 years). The shortest is the Winter White Hamster (about 1.5–2 years).
Longest-lived: Chinchilla, Flying Squirrel, Rabbit, Sugar Glider — decade-plus commitments that often outlast a child's interest, so plan for the whole life.
Company is the rule, not the exception: 13 of 26 must live with their own kind, only 7 are genuinely best kept alone, and the rest depend on sex or the individual. "One lonely pet in a cage" is wrong far more often than it's right.
46% are beginner-friendly — but "beginner" rarely means low-effort. The difficulty is usually the setup and companionship (space, a friend, the right diet), not the animal being hard to like.

By difficulty

Advanced8

Beginner–Intermediate7

Intermediate6

Beginner5

By species group

Exotic small pets10

Hamsters & gerbils8

Rats & mice4

Chinchillas & degus2

Rabbits1

Guinea pigs1

By diet

Omnivore18

Herbivore5

Insectivore2

Carnivore1

By social need

Needs its own kind13

Best kept alone7

Depends (sex / individuals)6

The full dataset (26 species)

Click a column heading to sort. Every figure traces to the linked species guide.

Species ▲	Group	Difficulty	Diet	Company	Lifespan (yrs)
Rabbit	Rabbits	Beginner–Intermediate	Herbivore	Needs its own kind	10–15
Rat	Rats & mice	Beginner	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	2–3
Guinea Pig	Guinea pigs	Beginner	Herbivore	Needs its own kind	5–8
Hamster	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner	Omnivore	Best kept alone	1.5–3
Syrian Hamster	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner	Omnivore	Best kept alone	2–3
Roborovski Hamster	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner–Intermediate	Omnivore	Depends (sex / individuals)	3–3.5
Winter White Hamster	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner–Intermediate	Omnivore	Depends (sex / individuals)	1.5–2
Campbell’s Hamster	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner–Intermediate	Omnivore	Depends (sex / individuals)	2–2.5
Chinese Hamster	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner–Intermediate	Omnivore	Best kept alone	2–3
Ferret	Exotic small pets	Intermediate	Carnivore	Needs its own kind	6–10
Hedgehog	Exotic small pets	Intermediate	Insectivore	Best kept alone	4–8
Chinchilla	Chinchillas & degus	Intermediate	Herbivore	Needs its own kind	10–20
Mouse	Rats & mice	Beginner	Omnivore	Depends (sex / individuals)	1.5–2.5
Gerbil	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner–Intermediate	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	2–3
Sugar Glider	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	4–15
Degu	Chinchillas & degus	Intermediate	Herbivore	Needs its own kind	6–9
Prairie Dog	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Herbivore	Needs its own kind	8–10
Chipmunk	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Omnivore	Depends (sex / individuals)	4–10
Spiny Mouse	Rats & mice	Intermediate	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	3–6
Short-Tailed Opossum	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Insectivore	Best kept alone	4–6
African Pygmy Dormouse	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	5–7
Fat-Tailed Gerbil	Hamsters & gerbils	Beginner–Intermediate	Omnivore	Best kept alone	5–8
Flying Squirrel	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	10–19
Skunk	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Omnivore	Best kept alone	6–10
Richardson's Ground Squirrel	Exotic small pets	Advanced	Omnivore	Depends (sex / individuals)	5–7
African Pygmy Mouse	Rats & mice	Intermediate	Omnivore	Needs its own kind	2–3

Methodology & sources

This dataset covers the 26 small-pet species with a fact-checked care sheet on Hayfold (our sourced gate). Lifespan is the typical captive range stated in each care sheet; diet and social need are the fact-checked care-model and companionship classifications from those same sheets — verified against the RSPCA, PDSA, the Merck Veterinary Manual and peer-reviewed husbandry sources. Ranges describe typical pets, not extreme records.

⬇ Download the dataset (CSV) — 26 species, ready to chart or re-use.