When ​getting a small pet, there are two options: pet stores and breeders. Here is a list of pros and cons for each to help you decide which method of getting your new furry friend suits you best! 

Pet stores 

Pros 

• As long as the pet store has the type of animal you want, there will be no wait in getting your pet. 

• Many breeders only breed one species or breed of a pet and it may be hard to find a breeder with the species/breed you want, while pet stores typically have many species/breeds. 

• There will likely be a pet store nearby so you will not have to travel far to get your pet. 

Cons 

• Some pet stores have small pets in too-small enclosures and, with animals that burrow, too little bedding, so while you are giving one small pet a suitable home, another one will fill the pet store instead. 

• Some pet stores get their rodent pets from "rodent mills" which unethically breed. They do not care for the parent's health, take babies from their moms too early, and do not look at an animal's health history (so hereditary conditions can be passed down to babies instead of retiring a rodent with a condition they could pass down). 

Breeders 

Pros 

• Ethical breeders take a rodent's history of conditions into account to make sure pets are breed from healthy rodents. 

• Most breeders bond with their rodent so the rodent will likely be used to human interaction since they have been around much of it their whole life. 

• Many breeders may give you some of the pet you are adopting's stuff, like chew toys, so that the pet has something that they are familiar with in a new place (your enclosure for them) and you will have to purchase slightly less. 

Cons 

• To account for the proper care given to the rodents while they grew up, pets from breeders are typically more expensive than ones from pet stores. 

• There may not be a breeder near you and most do not ship pets so you may have to travel far for your pet. 

• There is typically a wait to get a pet from a breeder, usually a month or two to many months.