Hamsters/Gerbils

notsoskintnow

hi,
i have three female gerbils and they are in a glass tank as they love to dig and make burrows.i find they dont smell half as much as hamsters,i think its because they dont drink a great lot of water so wee less,the only problem i found with one of the gerbils i had put a stone in the tank to keep there nails short,i woke up to find some how one had caught part of its tail on the stone and the end had come off but it did grow back in the end .

~cleo~

i definatly go for a rat lovely pets, no bites and so intelligent and good to handle - had a hamster years ago and he wasnt a great pet - my cousin had gerbils tho in a glass tank with a wire top, they were fantastic little animals

keelykat

I cant believe no one else likes hamsters!

tosca5

keelykat wrote: »

I cant believe no one else likes hamsters!

I like the dwarf hamsters but find they sleep too much and bite more than anyone other small animal.

southernscouser

keelykat wrote: »

I cant believe no one else likes hamsters!

I love hamsters! They are the funniest rodents ever! I had 4 as a kid and they were pucker!


As for gerbils, I heard that you can't leave their wheel in with them or the run themselves to death!


The downside with hamsters (don't know about gerbils) is that 2 years is a good innings for them and even though they are tiny it's bloody heartbreaking when they go!

keelykat

southernscouser wrote: »

I love hamsters! They are the funniest rodents ever! I had 4 as a kid and they were pucker!


As for gerbils, I heard that you can't leave their wheel in with them or the run themselves to death!


The downside with hamsters (don't know about gerbils) is that 2 years is a good innings for them and even though they are tiny it's bloody heartbreaking when they go!

aaww i know-i was devestated when Harriett died-we'd had her three years though so she was a good age.

I do love hamsters even though ive had a few nips and need cleaning out every week. They are really friendly, and do learn their name and come out to say hello. I have only had the syrian ones though-not the tiny chinese type ones as im scared of loosing them! lol....

Rat_Chick

I'd go for rats as well, but you would need at least 2 of the same sex, as they are sociable creatures and shouldn't live alone, plus you would need a very big cage. I'm owned by 9 rats (8 females and 1 castrated buck).

Chocolatepennyfarthing have you thought about going to a rescue centre to see what small animals they've got? If they don't have any in now they will no doubt have some there a few weeks after Christmas. All of my rats are rescues, their previous owners either got bored with them, they were said to be aggressive (not!), or the experimental breeding got out of control.

I would recommend rescues over pet shops any day, as you are giving an animal a second chance in life.

chocolatepennyfarthing

Well we now have a lovely little pair of female gerbils. They are very friendly and great fun to watch. Perhaps I can have a bit of further advice:
Is once a week often enough for cleaning tank?
What are your gerbils favourite food & treats, ours do not seem overkeen on dried mix I bought.

Clare99

Aww Hamsters are lovely! Whilst they're generally nocturnal, they're always happy to get up and see you - mine is used to getting up for a quick cuddle before I go to work, early evening when I get home and then various times throughout the evening.

As with any rodent, if you handle them enough when they're young, they should be friendly. We took on a hamster that the pet shop hadn't been able to shift because she looked a bit odd and was hissing and biting. With a bit of tlc and a nice, quiet safe house she's become the friendliest hamster I've ever had and never ever bites. We'd be lost without her!!!

3dsmills

I have a 10 month old, male, syrian hamster and he is great!

He's really tame becasue he's been handled so much, he comes when I call him (because he know i'll feed him), falls asleep on me if he's tired, uses his toilet which makes him really clean because you can just clean that out every couple of days to keep him really fresh (i use cat litter) as well as cleaning the whole cage out once a week, so he doesn't smell.

I find he's usually up when i get up around 6 or 7, then he sleeps most of the day and is up again around 7pm and is happy to play and run around in his ball all evening.

He's only bitten me once and that was because I was holding a nut which he mistook my finger for. They absolutely love monkey nuts becasue they have to open the shell themselves (good for their teeth).

Rats do make excellent pets but personally, I just cant stand their tails - ewww!

Get a hamster!