Gerbils as Pets?

[BrianaK]

I posted about robo hamsters also, and most seemed to say they weren't the greatest choice for a pet. I had gerbils when I was a little kid but don't remember how they were, as I was only like...7 or 8. Do you like gerbils as pets? How are they for a 10 year old girl? I heard they don't smell as bad as hamsters, mice and rats.

[Alexandra V]

I don't know who was telling you that roborvski dwarf hamsters aren't good pets, they were my first pet rodents, I've had three, and they were all great. You just need to get them well socialized is all. No biggie.

As for gerbils, I never had one myself but a lot of my friends had them, and they're alright. They need TONS of space though...

[onna_shinigami]

Actually, I prefer to keep a Gerbil over a hamster any day. They're a lot more social than the hamsters I've messed with with the plus side of no mousey strong rodent smell. At one time I had 6 10gallon tanks set up with close to 20 Gerbils in the room with a litter box for my kitten at the time. The litter box smelled more than all the Gerbils did. The nice thing with the males is they produce a sweet smelling scent, I can't describe it other than that but its not a bad smell. Plus the males can stay together for as long as they live, they only get territorial when there's a female in the same cage. If possible get two, they love to play together and run on the wheels or in the balls.

[771subliminal]

gerbils are cool my 11 yr old son actually breeds them, i used to have dwarf hamsters back in the day they were sweet little things.

[kitedemon]

I had gerbils when I was younger, I perfer rats as long as you keep the cage clean there isn't too much smell. They are really quite smart, I hate having to feed rats but I love my snakes!

[steveboos]

I deal with all these guys one a daily basis and i think Rats and Hamsters are some of the best. Gerbil's are quite inquisitive, but they mess up the whole cage and chew everything. The low odor is nice but most Hamsters also are low odor.

I always tell people, if you haven't kept mice or rats, you DON'T know what odor is...

[Egapal]

I have 10 gerbils currently and I have to say they ware the best rodent I have kept. I have had mice, a rat, and hamsters. Gerbils have low oder, they are social and active. I have never been bitten by any of my gerbils and I have bread around 80 so far. They require a little more space but nothing to crazy. I would keep 2 gerbils in a 20 gallon tank and not feel bad about it. I have tubs and get a little less than the floorspace of a 40 gallon breeder. I keep 2 to 4 adults in a tub and up to 6 weanlings. I will say it again because it bears repeating. They have very very low oder. I change the bedding once every 2 or 3 weeks depending on the number per tub and everyone I have had over has commented on how they don't smell. Very very good pets.

[BrianaK]

I always tell people, if you haven't kept mice or rats, you DON'T know what odor is...

Yeah, been there, done that. As much as I'd love to get another rat, the smell is just horrendous. When I had them, I was cleaning the cage at least twice a week because I would gag just walking by the cage.

Thanks for the input everyone!

[wstphal]

I had gerbils when I was 10-13. They were inquisitive, nonodorous, hand tame, lots of fun! They are big chewers though. And they will bite once or twice before they become hand tame.

I think they make a good rodent pet for a responsible kid -- I did all the gerbil cage work myself and mostly my parents didn't have to nag me about it.

[susannwv]

I would definitely pick a gerbil over a hamster for a kid anyday. All though I love them both a gerbil is less likely to bite and they are more active.