Hamsters or gerbils?

[Lynda Silk]

Hi,
I just wondered if anyone can tell me about having a hamster or gerbil for a pet. First of all, do they smell even if you clean the cage regularly? And how often would you have to clean the cage? Also, I am allergic to cats and dogs so do you think I would have a problem with a hamster or gerbil? Are there any other issues I should be aware of?

My DD11 wants one very much; she can't have a dog or cat because of my allergies. I've never had a pet before so I'm a complete newbie at this! Any help you can give me would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[piglet too]

I only have gerbils, so I can not really help you on the hamster part. We have two with two seperate cages (long story made short get two at the same time from the same place from the same cage ) and have no odor problems. Well, one time, but we let the cages go over a month with no cleaning. Now we clean every other week and never notice an odor. We have a 10 gallon fish tank for them,and it works out great. I found that the wire cages allows them to make a bigger mess when the push around the bedding.

I don't know anything about allergies, but maybe a vet could tell you.

 

[KLAIT]

Well, we broke down and bought my son a hamster....bad decision. We are very much animal lovers..almost to the extreme...however, it is hard for my son to play with the hamster because they sleep almost all day and are up all night. That being said, we are lucky that he is not a biter...never has bitten anyone-probably due to the fact that we bought him from a locally owned pet store and he was just a baby...

In a word, YES, they do stink...and I clean the cage at least 2 times a week. The good news is that he hangs out in the "tower" part of the cage and that is where he usually does his business, so we can clean the tower more frequently.

Good luck with your decision. Cannot help with the allergies. Our house is like a zoo.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I like hamsters. I can't handle the tail on the gerbils.

 

[minkydog]

We have had both and I can heartily recommend gerbils. My DD12 has been raising them since she was 5, so you know they must be pretty easy to keep. In my own experience, the hamsters we had were all biters. I know some people just love them, but we didn't. Gerbils are desert animals which means they don't pee much. We change the litter in the cage about once a week, sometimes longer.

A couple pieces of advice about gerbils: get two-three young ones. But they will do best if they come from the same litter. Mature gerbils (those over 5 months ) can breed every 29 days so unless you have a plan for what to do with the "extras" consider same sex pairs. Gerbils are communal animals and will not do well as a single pet. They are so much fun to watch and tolerate handling well. My DD has been dressing them up and taking them for rides in the Barbie car for 7 years now.

I can go on and on, but if you want more info, PM me. We are crazy about gerbils here and DD can also give you some great advice.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Thanks everyone for responding so quickly! It looks like gerbils are a better choice and I didn't realize that it would be better to get 2-3 of them. I will do some research on the internet but I wanted to hear some personal experiences so that's why I came to the DIS!

Thanks again! I really appreciate your help on this! I don't want to get them and then have it turn out to be a really bad decision. On the other hand, I don't want to deprive my DD of having a pet of her own!

 

[piglet too]

The one real nice thing about gerbils, is they are not too expensive. I think if you go with three, you might want to get a slightly bigger tank then the 10 gallon.

 

[ducklite]

I called a friend who is a vet tech specializing in exotics and "pocket pets".

This is what she ahd to say about it:

Short haired Syrian hamsters are docile and easy to care for, and much less likely to bite than a gerbil. They are also a lot easier to catch if they get loose!

The dwarf hamsters are more likely to be biters, and long haired male hamsters need weekly brushing. Also, all female hamsters tend to smell musky when they are in estrus. She said it's her experience that males are generally more docile, but a lot of pet store employees have no idea on how to "sex" a hamster, so buy a book and educate yourself on to do so before you go to buy the pet.

I'd also like to suggest you reach out to a hamster rescue and adopt a pet in need. Rescues are great as they know the animals temperment and can guide you towards a pet who will fit well in your household. Do an Internet search and you will likely find several in your area.

Anne

 

[yeartolate]

I would second watching out for hamsters --- they are truly nocturnal. If your house is small, their wheel play at night is more annoying than living next to newlyweds in an apartment with thin walls.

I have no experience with gerbils, but the DIS is a great place to ask that question.

 

[Micca]

There have been recent threads on how great rats are as pets. Rat owners swear by them. Supposedly they are much more gentle and smarter than gerbils or hamsters.

 

[sweet angel]

She said it's her experience that males are generally more docile, but a lot of pet store employees have no idea on how to "sex" a hamster, so buy a book and educate yourself on to do so before you go to buy the pet.

In my experience it's always been MIGHTY easy to tell which hamsters were male...either that, or the ones I've had have been very well endowed.

 

[minkydog]

In my experience it's always been MIGHTY easy to tell which hamsters were male...either that, or the ones I've had have been very well endowed.

Same with our gerbils. Even my young DD can tell the difference

 

[clarabelle]

This is one of our Gerbils
Bellatrix (she has on a barbie crown)
We have two girls -they do not bite nor do they get upset if you wake them.
They don't exactly hop into your hands. They run around-but once you catch them they don't seem to mind

 

[TENIA66]

Cats@@

 

[TENIA66]

Cats@@