Gerbils or Hamsters?

[Michaela]

Which one would you vote for as a good pet? I have heard hamsters are easier-tempered, but that they are also nocturnal, which means they wouldn't be to interesting. What do you all think?

 

[HesMyAll]

I have never had a gerbil (the tails remind me of rats and I'm terrified of rats). I have had quite a few hamsters though and I love them. They are very even tempered and sweet creatures.

 

[Dawn Marie]

Hamsters are better. We breed them... sometimes.

 

[HesMyAll]

Hamsters are better. We breed them... sometimes.

We never intentionally bred them but about a year ago, we brought a hamster for my daughter. Two days after we got the hamster, she gave birth to 16 babies. She ate all but 2 of them and then one of them died. We still have the lone survivor and he's a real sweety.

 

[Dawn Marie]

Oh yeah, we've had mothers eat their babies before. It hasn't happened in years though. It's awful to think about, isn't it? We've got a new litter right now... haven't even been able to count them yet.

 

[Lizquests]

I have always heard that gerbils are better natured than hamsters. (Don't know exactly tho.) I have had both hamsters and gerbils and really can't find too much of a difference. LOL Right now we have 2 dwarf hamsters. They are so cute, but unfortunately even the pet store couldn't tell what their sexes are. So who knows, someday we might have babies.

 

[Annabel Lee]

I haven't had gerbils for years since they are illegal in California (The reason is so ridiculous, I forgot. Ferets are also illegal)

I love gerbils...they are almost as smart as rats. You can teach them tricks and carry them around on your shoulder.
Hamsters are blood thirsty little creatures. Years ago, my male hamster tore apart my female...blood all over the cage..:shiver:
They are furry balls of uselessness.
My apologies to all the hamster lovers.

 

[dialogue]

I would give a strong vote to gerbils. But my experience is biased, all the hamsters I took care of are rescued from shalters, I have no way to tell what happened to them before they come to my home. Both hamsters I handled (one in my highschool lab, the other one is my pet) were quite aggressive, I had been bitten hard enough to draw blood.

The gerbils, on the other hand, are a lot nicer They have tail, but it's covered with hair, so it's actually quite pretty to look at.

My favorite rodent is still rat though, no competition.

-Cordelia

 

[Nicci]

Hamsters are great. Despite the fact that they are noctornal, they are really interesting. My hamsters have learned my schedule and they wake up and want to come play around five o'clock PM, which is usually when I'm getting home.

You can't have two Syrians in the same cage, or else they will fight to the death. Syrians include Teddy Bear hamsters, Black Bear, and Golden...those are all just nicknames. There's only one breed of larger hamsters, and that's Syrian. The "black bear" hamsters are supposedly bred for temperament, but mine don't act any different from other Syrians. The only time they can be put together is for breeding, and even then you CANNOT leave them alone. You have to watch body language and be ready to separate at a moment's notice so no one gets hurt. Female Syrians are only in heat every four days ("only" lol), and any other time they WILL fight with the males. They are solitary animals, despite what most pet stores will tell you.

Dwarf hamsters can be kept together, but you still need to watch them. They will fight occasionally, and if there is any bloodshed you need to separate them immediately. And female Dwarves are ALWAYS in heat. There are a lot of types of dwarf hamsters...winter white (what I have), Campbells (the normal-colored dwarves), Roborovskis (don't know much about them b/c I've never kept them), and a few other breeds.

Supposedly dwarves bite more, but my dwarf is the best tempered hamster I've ever had. He comes when I call his name, he sleeps on the crook of my arm when he's not too busy running all over the place, he comes to his cage door and squeaks when he wants out....he's really great.

I don't know much about gerbils, but I've been told that you need to have two in a cage because they are social animals. You might want to double check on that.

Lizquests, sexing a dwarf can be difficult. If you can manage to flip them over so you can get a look, the males have 2 vents about a fourth of an inch apart, and the females are so close together you can barely tell the difference. It's tricky though, mostly b/c they don't hold still for long lol. It's hard to get a good enough look to be able to tell.

 

[Lizquests]

I haven't had gerbils for years since they are illegal in California (The reason is so ridiculous, I forgot. Ferets are also illegal)

I love gerbils...they are almost as smart as rats. You can teach them tricks and carry them around on your shoulder.
Hamsters are blood thirsty little creatures. Years ago, my male hamster tore apart my female...blood all over the cage..:shiver:
They are furry balls of uselessness.
My apologies to all the hamster lovers.

Oh my gosh! They are illegal?? That is so funny!

 

[Dawn Marie]

I haven't had gerbils for years since they are illegal in California (The reason is so ridiculous, I forgot. Ferets are also illegal)

I love gerbils...they are almost as smart as rats. You can teach them tricks and carry them around on your shoulder.
Hamsters are blood thirsty little creatures. Years ago, my male hamster tore apart my female...blood all over the cage..:shiver:
They are furry balls of uselessness.
My apologies to all the hamster lovers.

That's really odd... that your male hamster killed the female. Usually it's the females that are more aggressive. Were you keeping them in the same cage, or trying to breed them? Cuz hamsters are pretty much solitary animals. And they're also territorial.