Which one makes a better pet, rats or gerbils?

Question

I want to which makes a better pet so please tell me the positives,negatives,comparisons,and differences of rats and gerbils, please!

Answer 1

Well, it depends. The one that's a better pet for me may not be the better pet for you. I, myself, have two gerbils, and I think they're wonderful.

Rats are very social and intelligent. They should always be kept in pairs or more. They can learn tricks and learn to come to their names. They can bond very strongly with their owners. They, usually, like to be held. They can even be taught to ride on shoulders. Rats are often referred to the dogs of the rodent world. They pretty clean animals, and they aren't, at all, the nasty rats people think of that come from sewers. Rats can be so affectionate. For lots of people, they're wonderful pets.

Gerbils are also social. They should be kept in same s*x pairs. However, they're also territorial so you should never plop a new gerbil into an existing clan without a slow, proper introduction using the split cage method. Gerbils are easy to care for. They're desert animals, which means they produce less urine. Less urine = less smell. Gerbils are obviously smaller than rats, so they don't require a large cage.

Rats need a large cage. They're fairly active and really need companionship from both other rats and their humans. They require different care than gerbils, but they're fairly easy to care for as well. They can be litter box trained, too. Rats rarely bite, if ever. They're very docile animals.

Gerbils are big chewers and diggers. Because of this, the best housing for them seems to be tanks with a mesh lid (found in the reptile section of the pet store). If housed in a wire/plastic cage, they can and will chew on bars and the plastic. They could chew their way out. If ingested, the plastic could cause a blockage. Bedding will be kicked absolutely everywhere, and you'll find yourself having to vacuum every single day to keep their cage area clean. A 15-20 gallon tank can house 2 gerbils comfortably. 10 gallons is okay, but really isn't ideal. You'll find that once your gerbils grow to full size and you start putting things in their tank, it's very small. They're more active than hamsters, so they need room to run around and play. Gerbils are not the type of animals that like to be held and cuddled. They're curious and would much rather run around. My gerbils will tolerate me holding them for a few minutes of kisses and pets before they want to be put down. Gerbils will bite if they feel threatened. Young gerbils usually go through a mouthy stage where they put everything in their mouthes to see if its edible. They may mouth you, but it shouldn't hurt. A quick puff of air in their face will begin teaching them not to. You should never, ever hold or pull a gerbil by its tail. You can deglove (pull the skin off) its tail. Not only is it a bit painful, but it can be pretty gross.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but if you have any questions on gerbils, feel free to e-mail me. I'd be glad to help and answer them. I don't have any experience with rats, but from what I've heard, they're great pets. Good luck with your decision.

Answer 2

I have a rat and she is the coolest pet I have ever owned.  She is smart and fun to play with. She is easy to handle and rarely bites.  She bites if you stick a finger in her cage without a treat attached..lol.

She loves to burrow in my blankets and sits on my shoulder when we watch TV.

She isn't hard to care for and I think rats are cute when you get to know them.

We have a hamster at my work and she is rather grumpy...but very cute too.

Gerbils are hard to catch from what I remember when my girls had one growing up.

Answer 3

rats are cute

Answer 4

it has been proven in tests and countless studies tht rats make better pets they are social and intelligent and their fur feels like cat hair and tails just feel like skin all those who say rats are gross come look at our lot you will change your mind a pizza delivery guy came to our house not liking rats held and stroked on and wanted one! i have 16 and are not smelly they may "wee" on you but this is a marking to make them feel safe and is full off rat hormones and you cant smell it

hamsters and gerbils are sterio typical fluffy things i have had 4 hmasters and my mates have had gerbils all they do is bite be unsocial and go threw cages and do vanishing acts and smell like crazy espcial females when its their mateing season people and kids moan for a hamster coz they are cute and so called cuddley but the reality is they end up in a corner not being cared far and go in a ball everynow and again

again rats however groom you enjoy being with you and you can tell it they show love affection and play with you and each other

Answer 5

altho I glanced over at the other answers (which kinda can rob my answr of total originality) AND  I  hav not had a gerbil,  I hve had rats -  THEY  'r   great  - they're affectionate and actually surprisingly intelligent, mine played chess .. Yeah, not

  No kidding, rats are gr8 pets!  Only one neg tho: they tend to urinate rather a LOT !  so, no diapers; but be prepared - and have a plan as to how and who will assist in their upkeep, attention/ feeding and so on ..!  enjoy ur new pets !

Answer 6

Rats are a lot smarter than gerbils and they have more personality too. I would for sure prefer a rat. They don't live all that long, but then neither do gerbils.

Answer 7

my opinion is rat cos they are tamed and will sit on your shoulder and will be a persons best friend.. a gerbil is cute but dont let that distract you !

Answer 8

rats, Rats, RATS!

They are lovley creatures and are kind by nature...If you  do get  a rat, here are a few thing ur rat will deff need!

~ a large cage

~ another rat 2 play with ( at least 2 rats cuz if u dont have 2 rats it will become depresed no matter how much u play with it)

~Toys

~bedding material (shreeded tisues are good and cheap too!)

Floor material (i wouldnt recomend wood shavings as the tiny dust in it will iratate ur rats eyes and nose, thus maiking it sneeze ad more prone to respiratory disese so i would recomend wood-based cat litter not made from pine tho!)

Here is a little info about the s*x of the rat

Male~ Male rats are laid-back and calmer than female rats, and will gladly sit in your lap. BUT, they mark places with a few drops of urine, this might put u off! ( by places, i mean places inside the cage! =p)

Females~ females are always active, and are hyper! they come into heat ( when they can breed) about every 14 days, so unless you want loads of babys, i would recomend the same s*x pairs!

Vets~ you will have to find a specilist vet 4 ur rats, as not many vets are specilised 2 take care 4 rats as they r 2 small!

Tumors + cancers~ unfortunatly, rats have a high chance of dying from cancers + tumors, this is because of how they were tested upon in the labs and its in all rats genes. If you do get rats, and ur rat(s) get a tumor or cancer, it would be the kinist thing to put it to sleep =[

Good luck with your rodent hunting!

Hope this helps!

P.S if u have any questions just email me on yahoo!

Love from,

Rach x

3 days ago

Answer 9

Gerbils are amazing pets. I agree that they are best suited to live in tanks (mine do) but after that initial cost they are really rewarding pets. They love to tunnel and chew meaning it can be entertaining just to watch them. Because they have an inquisitive nature they wont run away from your hand when you put it into their cage. Providing you give them a sand bath (i buy chinchilla sand because its very fine) gerbils are very clean animals and virtually odor free. They are also active during both night and day therefore you have a chance to play with them at different times of the day. They are not very noisey animals and the only sound i ever hear is a slight squeeking when they are playing together. If they are kept in pairs (living alone can cause insecurity) and handled regulary gerbils can be because extremely tame. My own two gerbils find much pleasure in snuggling up and sleeping on my stomach. I hope this helped :)

Answer 10

rats :)

Answer 11

the one that would make a better pet would be a rat beacause rats would be a more fun pet a positive reaction   for a rat is that there fun. to be honest with gerbils they always stayin there hut  all day and do nothing there would be no negatives about a rat the comparison between a rat and a gerbil is that gerbils always sleep all the time

many thanks

simone.

Answer 12

rats are definitely better.

They're cute and bigger than a gerbil so you can give them lots of cuddles. They're also very smart and full of personality, whereas gerbils just run around crazily! I think rats live a tiny bit longer than gerbils too which is also a plus. One downside of rats is that they can smell a bit (especially males) though i do have a soft spot for their sweet laid back nature.

Answer 13

i think gerbils because there so cute and if you really care for it it would cuddle with you and than rats there can bite and they have  no hair on there tail i think thats a little gross

Answer 14

okay,

i have a pet gerbil. he is really cute and fluffy and what not, but he isnt very cuddley or nice. he chews on his cage all day and night and its loud and annoying. he also bites all the time and if you get close to the cage, he jumps up and crawls to the top of the cage just to bite me. haha, so i would go with a rat. they seem more sociable and kind. they are also a bit bigger so it will probably be easier to play with them and let them run around.

hope this helps!

(: