We have cats (4) and dogs (2) and my son is begging for a pet of his own. He wants either a gerbil or a hamster. I told him if he kept his room clean until his birthday he could get one. Not one of my finer moments, as I was positive he would not keep his room clean. Not only does he have a sparkling clean room but he has even been taking out garbage, vaccuuming house, all on his own. So I have to keep my word. What is the difference? Does one live longer than the other? Anyone have these for pets? I appreciate any info you can tell me. The pet store chicky-poo knew nothing so I went to the library and all I could get were books on hamsters so I have nothing to compare it to.
Yvonne

By Marg on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 06:49 pm:

I thought it read guinea pig (we had those and liked those too). A gerbil bit our daughter at the pet store Freak accident the person told us. We have had those siberian hamsters and we love them. We have 4 right now. They are adorable,easy to hold and handle, cost about 10 a piece in our area.

By Annie2 on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 07:19 pm:

I had a gerbil growing up which I absolutely adored.
We bought our son a hamster when he went to K. It lived about a year then died of "old age". They can live around the 1 1/2 year to 2 year mark. He now has a new friend.

I would suggest taking your son, alone, to the pet store. Have him handle several critters and see which one responds best to him and vice-versa. Don't go buy cuteness or coloring alone.
When your son gets home have him put the animal in his cage and not to pick him up for a couple of days. Let the animal get used to his new home. Then when the time comes have your son in his room alone or with you pick up his friend, offer a carrot or lettuce, etc. Let the animal slowly adjust to your son and his home. You shouldn't have any problems this way.
These animals bite from fear and nervousness.

We have Rufus in a ten gallon aquarium which gets changed on Saturdays by me and my son. If you more than one it is recommended they are put into a regular cage with wire sides for better air circulation. Sometimes with more than one pet the ammonia level builds up too high for them and they can quickly get pnuemonia.


i also recommend a Syrian hamster not Teddy Bear. They are a calmer breed.

Good Luck!

By Annie2 on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 07:31 pm:

Oh, forgot. We picked a hamster for our son because they move slower than a gerbil.With him being only 5 then 6, we thought it would be easier to handle.

By Yjja123 on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 09:05 pm:

Thanks everyone for the info!
Yvonne

By Averysmama on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 10:31 am:

A friend just bought 3 hamsters for her 3 kids. Now after doing research she wants to take them back and get gerbils. She told me that hamsters are not very social at all and gerbils are. So if you just want one animal then get a hamster. Also hamsters pee alot more and so you have to clean the cage out more. Gerbils become more docile as you hold them and give them attention and hamsters just get more crazy and active. This is what she told me. Not sure where she got her info, but it's worth doing your own research.

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 11:39 am:

Now the word Guinea Pig has been thrown in to the mix. I am so confused. Dogs and cats I know but rodents all seem the same to me.
Searching the internet I have decided hamsters are completely out of the picture. They sleep all day (when he would want to play with them) and prefer to be alone. I want to get him two of whatever we decide.
I am leaning towards Guinea Pigs because they live longer than the other two and are larger in size (hopefully not as easy to lose in his room). From what I have read Guinea Pigs also seem to enjoy human companionship.
I don't know. I am taking him to another library tonight to see if we can get books on the subject then maybe we will have enough information to truly compare the three.
I wish he would just ask for another cat LOL
Yvonne

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 01:10 pm:

I have two hamsters and two guinea pigs. I have never had gerbils. Guinea pigs are wonderful animals. They are rather large (they can get as big as a smaller rabbit) and they don't bite and they don't run away from you when you are playing with them.

They are very gentle animals and have wonderful personalities. I would suggest getting two females if you get two of them, and get them at the same time so they will get along better. Two males have a more difficult time living together, and females get pregnant very quickly and reproduce often, so I would suggest sticking to same sex! hehe!

However, even though they do not require constant excercise with a wheel as the others do, they do require more living space, and SHOULD NEVER live in an aquarium. They take up much more space in order to be happy. We have our two in one of those round blue plastic swimming pools that you can get for several dollars. They do not try to climb out of their home, nor do they jump over things, so this is wonderful for them. However, we do not have a cat in the house that could harm them, either. We have a dog, but she just loves the piggies.

Well, I guess I have gone on about this subject long enough!!! Piggies are wonderful animals, but take a little more care than hamsters. They need pellets everyday, along with Timothy hay (which you can get at a petshop or wal-mart) and other fresh veggies for proper health. But they can be a wonderful companion for a child.

Happy choosing!!!

Adena

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 02:48 pm:

Thank you everyone for the information!
We have decided on Guinea pigs. Hopefully they will have 2 females available.
Yvonne

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 08:45 pm:

We have had our guinea pigs for a few years now. We got our one female and then a month or two later decided on a companion for her and she did okay with that, though she was more territorial than she would have been if we brought them home together. But they got along great. We had three of them up until last week when our oldest and first one died.

If you have any questions or anything please just ask!!!

I'm sure you guys will love the new addition!

Adena