What is a better pet? A hamster or a gerbil? What's the difference?

Question

Help.

Answer 1

hamsters are fat and cuddly. they shove food in their cheek pouches.

gerbils dont have cheek pouches, but they have long long tails. they are quick and jump, rather than climbing(like hamsters do)

if you want a cuddly pet, get a hamster. if you want a smart pet, get a gerbil.

Answer 2

well, i was originally going to get a hamster but then i came across gerbils and realized all the better differences. i will tell you right now that most of the people will say hamsters because theyve had hamsters probably and most dont know the differences. ive researched both and realized that gerbils make much better pets. this is why-

1)they arent nocturnal. they will be awake in the day and sleeping at night (sometimes they are still awake at night). this means better sleep for you and they are ready to play (nicely) when you are awake.  hamsters, on the othr hand, are nocturnal and keep people awake at night. they also can only play in the late evening and thru the night.  you can wake them up in the day of course but then they bite because they will be mad at you and grumpy!  so this means gerbils are better.

2) gerbils bite far far less! they bite only when you first get them because they are scared.  some dont even do that. once they learn your scent and are hand trained, they never bite unless you scare them so bad that they must.  hamsters will bite constantly. sometimes u may get lucky with one that does not. they will bite a little less once you hand train them but they will still bite when they feel like it.  hamsters bite when they are mad and scared of you and new people.  gerbils bite only if they are mad. you wake a hamster up, they will bite. wake a gerbil up, they won't.  hamsters instinct to fear is bite immeadiatly. gerbils will run. they will show you more when they are about to bite. they will nudge and push your hand away and if you dont they may bite.  hamsters are scared creatures by nature while gerbils are instinctively fearless so they bite far far less.  they dont bite nearly as hard either! so once again, gerbils are better.

3) gerbils are way easier to hand train. hamsters will run away and get scared and wont come near your hand for a long time. once hand trained, they may still bite a lot.  they take a while to hand train well. gerbils, will come up to your hand and see what you are. they are more social and like to be curious so they will be more willing to meet you. they hand train much much faster and once hand trained properly. they will not bite at all (unless u provoke them).  ohh yes, gerbils are better here too.

4) also, hamsters don't like pairs and can't live together. EVER! gerbils can live together and snuggle and cuddle and groom eachother. they like to play together. gerbils live longer and are happier nicer gerbils when in pairs or groups.

5) hamsters sleep when you are awake and arent too active. they arent as active even when they are up either! gerbils always are running around when you are awake and they like to dig, run, crawl around, burrow, and play with other gerbils. (must be their cagemate. not your frends gerbil.) they are much funner to play with and watch.

overall, gerbils are much better. just dont pull their tail because it will fall off. in the wild their tail is used for survival and they can get away from predators. be sure to not imitate this! their tail will not grow back but it will quickly heal and they just wont have a tail.  be sure to research how to hand trai them.  ecspecially if you are getting a hamster because they arent easy to hand train. have fun with whichever one you choose but as i've stated before- gerbils are the better choice!

-michelle

Answer 3

Personally I would say hamsters but i think that both make good pets as long as you handle them often and take time with them. Before you get either make sure you know everything that they need and leave them to settle into their new home for around a day. I hope that helps good luck

Answer 4

Gerbils definitely!!!!   They have long pretty tails (hamsters don't) and are so cute!

Answer 5

i would go with hamster

Answer 6

well gerbils have the long tail like mice and hamsters just have a small tail or no tail also gerbils are more friendly to strangers but i still pprefer hamsters

Answer 7

Without a doubt, I would have to say Gerbils.

I have owned both Hamsters and Gerbils in the past, and by far I found that Gerbils are

a. Cleaner. Depending on how many Gerbils you are keeping in one cage, they rarely need to be cleaned out more than once every two weeks or so. They don't smell like Hamsters and don't waste food.

b. More social. Unlike most breeds of Hamsters, Gerbils LOVE to be kept in groups. In fact a Gerbil kept on it's own can become very lonely and depressed. Having more than one Gerbil can be so rewarding. Instead of watching a Hamster run in a wheel all evening, you can watch the way Gerbils interact with each other.

c. Tame. Gerbils are alot easier to be trained/tamed. When a Gerbils gets to know you he will wilingly climb in your hand and sit on your shoulder! Sooo cute!

d. Active. Unlike Hamsters, Gerbils are not nocturnal. Hamsters will sleep all day and only become active at night (when your trying to sleep through listening to a creaky wheel!!). Gerbils are active most of the time. They will take couple of hour breaks to have a nap but will be up and entertaining you straight after!!

Hope this helps you. If you a thinking of buying a Hamster or a Gerbil, please read up on them BEFORE you buy them to make sure you can give them the best care.

GERBILS RULE!!!

Answer 8

I prefer hamster's myself. The gerbils I've had tend to be a bit more hostile than hamsters.

Answer 9

A gerbil is a better pet then a hamster they dont bite and they dont smell,  and gerbils get along better in groups.

Answer 10

there is no 'better' pet, but if you ask for my opinion, i would say i prefer gerbils over hamsters.

although hamsters are very cute, gerbils are really good at agility and i love training small animals. its just so fun watching them run through the course, and i also love mice which sort of resemble gerbils.

Answer 11

I prefer hamster's myself. The gerbils I've had tend to be a bit more hostile than hamsters

Answer 12

I prefer gerbils  to hamsters as  the hamsters I have had in the past were very nippy and bad tempered! Gerbils are great to train also!

Answer 13

I personally prefer gerbils over hamsters. Gerbils seem to have more personality and actually form attachments. Hamsters usually prefer bring alone and don't really want to be bothered. A gerbil will require less cleaning because they are desert animals and evolved to not pee as much to retain moisture. Hamsters pee A LOT. Hamsters are nocturnal and gerbils are most active during evenings and early mornings. Also hamsters seem to be pretty lazy and gerbils are fairly hyper creatures. If you want something that will like you and want to spend time with you, get a gerbil.