I love both hamsters and gerbils, but if I had to choose one, I would go with gerbils. Gerbils are more social animals while many hamsters are solitary, so if you get gerbils, you should get them in pairs. Also, gerbils are more active and playful and they are not nocturnal, so they’re awake when you’re awake and you can play with them (of course they still take naps, though). Hamsters, on the other hand, are not as active as gerbils, but they are playful. Most hamsters are nocturnal, so you would probably be sleeping in your room by the time your hamsters wake up for playtime. Other things:
Gerbil Pros: Funny, intelligent, playful, and very curious little animals. They’re desert animals, so they make less urine (pee), therefore usually having a cleaner cage for a longer time than other rodents (and you would only have to clean the cage about once a month, but extra cleaning times wouldn’t hurt.) They are easier to tame than hamsters and can’t squeeze through tight spaces as well as hamsters, so it’s unlikely to lose them. They are good chewers, though, so you might want to get a glass tank or a metal cage for it. Rarely ever bite. My gerbils loved sunflower seeds, but sunflower seeds are kinda fatty, so you might not want to give them this treat too many times.
Gerbil Cons: Do not pull on their tails! As a defense mechanism in the wild, their tails will slip off if they’re pulled on. It’s a bloody mess, and their tails never grow back. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way. Too many fresh fruits and vegetables can cause diarrhea (or however you spell it).
Hamster Pros: These are nocturnal, so they’re suitable for people who work long hours during the day. For those of you that hate tails, hamsters have stubs. They do not require as much attention as gerbils (as in handling), and they are intelligent. A lot of hamsters are solitary, so you would usually only need one hamster, which means less work (this would be a Con if you like more social + playful animals, though). My hamsters loved the Captain Crunch Peanut Butter cereal things — there’s nothing cuter than watching your hamster munch on a bit of cereal. (be sure not to feed it to them too much, though. Just feed it to them as treats)
Hamster Cons: They pee more than gerbils, so their cages usually get stinky a bit more often, which means more cage cleaning, maybe every week or so. They may bite a bit more often than gerbils, but they still barely ever bite.
I’ve had both gerbils and hamsers before (and I still have some!), so I know these things. Both are really fun and I don’t know what I would do without them, but if I had to choose one type, I’d go along with the gerbils.
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