What are the pros and cons of having a gerbil or hamster?

Question

I'm buying one and I want to know the pros and cons of owning a gerbil or hamsters?

Answer 1

All the pros I can think of right now: (for a hamster) They are very sweet and have great attitudes. They use their brains a whole lot. They can become great friends with you, if you treat them right. They are brave and will stand their ground (most of them). They take a lot less patience to work with. They become accustomed to people very quickly. They will only be active at night so they won't need your constant attention unless they have some kind of disease. They are always playful when active.

Cons: They can be grumpy, too. Some are very weak and prone to disease like some people. They can nip you if you don't wash your hands before touching them. They only live like for less than 5 years. They chew cage bars, out of will. (mine does! We supply her with treats but she still does) They need quite a few supplies. They have a battle of life or death if dif. sexes are put together. All of them are escape artists, no matter how sweet or innocent they may seem.

Yeah so they're great pets but they need your constant attention.

Good luck(;

Answer 2

Hamsters generally do not enjoy being handled, and Gerbils really dont either. Both are small mammals and fit into a confined space. My personal favorite are rats.

Answer 3

I have a dwarf hamster, and I love her to death. I originally wanted a hermit crab, but after doing research on them... they're so much harder to raise! My hamster is very easy to take care of, and does not require much.

Pros:

Easy to take care of.

Usually very friendly

Fun, cuddly, cute

Cons:

Precautions must be taken so your hammy won't get a disease called Wet tail.

Cages need to be cleaned ever 1-2 weeks, depending on the cage

Some hamsters take a little longer to "tame" than others.

There are many other pros and cons, but it all depends on your taste in a pet. Here is a website for more information on hamsters:

http://www.hamsterific.com/

Sorry I could not give you more information on gerbils. I imagine they are similar to hamsters in care!

Answer 4

i use to have both long time a go gerbils are cool there a little bit nicer then hamsters just make sheer you get a good cage to put them in plastic they both eat though them kind of but there both good pets get a book that tells a little bit about them that way you have it on hand i kind of miss my gerbil

Answer 5

hamster:

- fur needs to be brushed [esp. if they have long hair]

- cage needs to be thoroughly cleaned more often [once per week] than gerbils [once every 2-3 weeks]

- can't live with another hamster, unless they're both dwarf hamsters of the same s*x

- shorter life span [up to 2 years, give or take]

- their skills in the field of escaping are on par with Houdini

gerbils:

- require a larger cage, playing area

- chews like. effing. crazy. and chews like. everything

- their tails come off, say when they're escaping and you try to catch them by the tail? it comes off >_>''

- unlike most hamsters, gerbils require companionship. so... buy 2 at least? o_o

- longer life span. can live up to 3 years, give or take