I have had a few over the last 20 years. Had two over the last 5 years since I met my wife. "One passed away last year". It is better to get them in pairs as they are social and love to play together. Male and female are good to have together. Males are more hyper and playful. Females are more generally calm. If you have cats then you'll probably be immune to the smell as it is about the same as a cat box. I have two large dogs and they are fine around them. She has had cats with them at one time and never had any issues. We have a fairly large/strong cage for them so they have plenty of room to run and play!