Which is Better a Rats, Gerbils Or Mice?

Question

For a pet 11 year old brother

Answer 1

had all of them

RATS are the best,

easily trained to do trics, fun, tame (never been bit) arent ike hamsers that sleep all day and are boring,

my rat used to ride on my shoulder for walks, he was a celeb.

Answer 2

i think the problem with mice is that they are not realy cultured with averting incest. thats why most of them die early on cancer

id buy a rat, probably the most intelligent

Answer 3

Gerbil! Rats and mice are pretty disgusting, unless your little brother likes that kind of stuff like most 11 year old boys do. It just depends on his personality.

Answer 4

Rats are the friendliest.

Answer 5

gerbils

Answer 6

Rats are the best. Like being handled, very social & friendly.

Gerbils are 2nd best.

Both are recommended to be kept in pairs/groups, though. Keep that in mind.

Answer 7

That really depends on what you want, how much room you have and how much time. All 3 are very much social animals and will require atleast 1 mate. Rats really need a lot of interaction and outside play, whereas mice are quite happy left on their own devices, and gerbils are in the middle. Rats are the most interactive of them all, and will like being held and played with the most. Mice are not that great at it, and gerbils will require a lot of patience, but once they are tame they are wonderfull.

Rats need big cages with loads of room to play, gerbils need a deep aqarium (10 litres for 1 gerbil, and 5 litres for every gerbil extra) so that they can dig down, whereas mice can get away with a smallish cage, aslong as you supply them with somewhere to hide.

Mice have the shortest life span of the 3, about 2 years or so. Gerbils can live up to 4, but most likely 3. Rats however can easily go to 5 or 6, and are easier to treat when sick, as they are quite big rodents. Gerbils if they fall ill will usually pass away, as they are hard to treat, and mice go downhill so quickly, you will probably not even notice when something is very wrong.

If you have enough room, and time, I would go for 2 rats, or 2 (or even 4) gerbils. If you have neither, than mice. Just make sure that for all you give them atleast 1 companion, and unless you have a lot of room, and a lot of money, make sure they are the same gender!

Answer 8

well, i think a gerbil is better because gerbils are more tamed then a rat or mouse. gerbils are very freindly and they do not really bite. they only bite if they get annoyed by you. And they also are very cute.

Answer 9

rats are smarter.  but being this is for an 11 year old boy, talk to him and see how he feels about it. Is he going to take care of it everyday? Is he wanting to interact with it or just have it to look at? You need to make sure he is ready for such a big task of taking care of these kind of animals. Good Luck.

Answer 10

rats are the only ones who would love him back. they are actually the most affectionate rodents. the only thing is, he would have to give him A LOT of attention otherwise the rat could get lonely and become stressed. You can get two rats if he won't have much time to hang out with it. The only thing is.....

-their p**p is squishy and not hard pellets like mice or gerbils

-get them from a rat breeder who cares about their health and well being. The rats at the petsore are mainly sold for snake food so the store does not mind selling the rats if they are sick or unhealthy

HAVE FUN!!