Those pics of baby Chinchillas nearly gave me a coronary. SO CUTE!!!
I had Guinea Pigs growing up. I loved them. They were so cuddly and sweet and NEVER bit. I have actually been wanting one now as an adult. But I've stayed strong and haven't gotten one. But now those Chinchilla baby pics make me want one of them. Like that first white one in the pics. lol!!!
My good friend back in California had one. It had a long ramp up to it's cage and in the evening they opened the door and that little guy would come running down the ramp and just be all over the place while we were watching TV. It was cute.
I've been hearing good things about Skinny Pigs lately. Basically they look like hairless guinea pigs. Maybe check them out too.
Good luck on making your decision.