We had much more fun with guinea pigs than hamsters because the hamsters slept so much of the day. The guinea pigs would squeal as the kids approached to feed them treats and they loved it. Could handle them - about the size of a kitten which is exactly why we got them in the sense daughter wanted a kitten but what I liked was that guinea pig lived in a cage and we could take it out when we wanted but it stayed put the rest of the day.